Any sport fan knows it takes hard and persistent work to become a professional athlete. Some fans, often taken as fanatics, follow the long and extorting process of an athlete or a team, as they make their way to become professional competitors. Other ad hoc fans join the competition at its crucial stages, as they await the fixtures of the finals. In the world of sports, there is nothing more exciting than a tight final. People remember the finals and often forget the circumstances that led to it, which is only natural considering the fact that winning the finals makes the entire effort worth while.
For all Snooker fans there is one unforgettable match that is considered to be, according to many fans and journalists, the greatest match in Snooker history. It was, as can be expected, a world championship final match, and it was taken in 1985 in Sheffield, between Dennis Taylor of Northern Ireland and Englishman Steve Davis.
 Steve Davis arrived to that final as the world number one for 4 consecutive years. He had also won 3 out of the previous 4 world championship titles. After a spotless performance at the early rounds of the championship, he was a clear favorite. Dennis Taylor was never a good snooker player as Davis was. He hadn't won any major title before the championship, and his appearance in the finals alone was a major surprise, given the fact he had struggled dearly to get there.
The Snooker World Championship final is the longest official and formal Snooker match. The match is decided at the best out of 35 frames; hence the first player must accumulate 18 frames wins. The first eight frames in the 1985 finals were an expected sequence to the common prediction of a sweeping victory in favor of Steve Davis, as he led the match 8-0 at the end of the first day. Taylor probably had a very good night sleep, since at the middle of the second day he showed great recuperation skills, and decreased Steve Davis' margin to 9-7 only.
At the end of the second day the score was leveled at 11-11, and it looked nothing like the sweep the Snooker community had expected. The third day saw Steve Davis taking an intimidating 17-15 lead, where Dennis Taylor once again stepped up to tie the event at 17 a piece.
As tight as the match was so far, as any sports fan would see, it was the last frame that made it a Snooker masterpiece. Being 18 points down, Taylor stepped at the table and made six consecutive pots, none of which was simple. The meaning of the score was that the entire title would be declared upon the potting of the very last black ball.
Each player took four shots at the wide open ball, but both nervously missed it. On Davis' turn he had the ball at a ridiculously convenient position and clumsily missed, leaving Dennis Taylor another chance to pot the black and win the title, and mark an unforgettable day in this sport’s history and an outstanding piece of sports trivia.
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