Nugget of Crucible wisdom

HOW A HAM SANDWICH HELPED DAVIS SURVIVE THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

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STEVE Davis has always had a hunger at the Crucible.

The six-time winner was the King of Sheffield in the 1980s, reaching seven World Championship finals in a row.

But his first time at the Crucible, back in 1979, saw Davis' hunger reach a new level as he was beaten by Dennis Taylor.

"Snooker was more tactical than it is today in a way, and the game went on a long time," said Davis ahead of this year's tournament, which starts on April 18. "You wake up early in the morning for your first game. You don't really eat too much.

"It was approaching one o'clock in the afternoon, I was starving hungry. The organiser came up to me in between frames and went 'It's going on a bit, Steve. Anything you'd like?' I went 'Well, I'm bit hungry, can I have a ham sandwich?'

"So I was actually delivered a ham sandwich to my table. I was eating a sandwich as we were playing the last couple of frames.

"And then a journalist put forward the fact that I brought the game into disrepute as if I was going to be the bad boy of snooker by eating a ham sandwich!

"The energy you use... I lost half-a-stone during the two weeks. In the second week you do not have much time, and you've got the adrenaline coursing through your body, you don't really fancy eating too big before you play.