Another win for in-form Davis

The St Leonards-based player won the last four frames to see off Kurt Maflin 6-2 in the final round of the International Championship Qualifiers.

Davis has made a number of flying starts to matches this term and he did so again at the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield by winning the opening frame 97-0 thanks largely to a break of 66.

The world number 18 went 2-0 up by knocking in a 91 to clinch the second 101-12, but world number 67 Maflin, from Norway, rallied to grab the third 85-15 and levelled at 2-2 by capturing the fourth 69-37 with a top run of 42.

After the interval, though, it was all Davis. He went back in front at 3-2 by winning frame five 107-20 courtesy of a 93 and restored his two-frame cushion by netting the sixth 72-16 with a best run of 42.

A 62 gave Davis frame seven 74-14 and he sealed victory by winning the eighth 65-6 after opening the frame with a 40. The result maintained Davis’s record of reaching the venue stage in every full ranking event so far this season.

The International Championship will run from October 28-November 4 in Chengdu, China. It’s a brand new ranking event with the highest level of prize-money ever at a tournament in China, the winner to receive £125,000.

Davis, the game’s highest ranked player aged 40 or over, also came through the European Tour event two pre-qualifier last Friday, further details of which will appear in tomorrow’s Hastings Observer.

The Six Reds World Champion will be back in action at European Tour event one - the Paul Hunter Classic - tomorrow (Friday) with a first round clash against Sam Baird.