Steve Davis was on the losing side after the most famous match in history (Image: Getty)
Sports fans everywhere were stunned when Mark Allen missed a routine black to reach the world snooker final at the Crucible on Saturday night.
Here are five of the most infamous missed pots in snooker history, including Allen’s nightmare in Sheffield…
DAVIS MISS GIVES TAYLOR DREAM TRIUMPH
It’s the most famous frame, and indeed match, in snooker history.
Steve Davis, already a three-time world champion, was 8-0 up on Dennis Taylor in the 1985 final at the Crucible, but the Northern Irishman had valiantly fought back to take the match into a deciding frame.
Davis had a golden chance to win the title when the 35th and final frame went all the way to the black, but he dramatically overcut it. Commentator Ted Lowe just said: “No!” in the commentary box.
Taylor potted the black and launched into his iconic finger-pointing, cue-waving celebration.
THORNE’S MISSED BLUE LETS DAVIS IN
Willie Thorne seemed to be in complete control of the 1985 UK Championship final in Preston.
The mercurial Thorne was known as ‘Mr Maximum’ because of how many 147 breaks he made in practice.
But now he seemed to be heading for his biggest ever tournament victory, when 13-8 ahead and facing what appeared to be a routine clearance of the colours to extend that advantage to 14-8.
Somehow, Thorne then missed the simplest of pots on the blue. Davis won the frame to move 13-9 behind and he came back to win the match 16-14 for UK title glory.
WHITE SO CLOSE BUT YET SO FAR AGAIN
Millions of Jimmy White supporters had already suffered their man losing five world finals in Sheffield.
But it looked like that disappointment would turn to elation in 1994 when the world final between White and his old nemesis Stephen Hendry went to a deciding frame.
White was 37-24 in front and the balls were set fair. But White missed a black off its spot and Hendry cleared to win 18-17.
The Englishman came up with one of snooker’s most memorable ever lines: “He’s beginning to annoy me.”
Mark Allen missed a routine black in this year’s Crucible semi-finals (Image: Getty)
DOHERTY LOSES OUT ON £80K SPORTS CAR
Matthew Stevens beat Ken Doherty in the Masters final of 2000, but the match is best remembered for a maximum break that wasn’t to be.
Doherty looked for all money like he would make a 147 in the showpiece match at Wembley Conference Centre, but he missed an easy black to clinch it.
It wasn’t just about the glory either. Doherty would have won himself an £80,000 sports car had he potted just one more ball.
ALLEN MISSES OUT ON FIRST WORLD FINAL
The World Championship semi-final between Mark Allen and Wu Yize was an epic, but Allen looked set for victory when 16-15 ahead and presented with a routine black to win.
But Allen missed it, the black rattling in the jaws. China’s Wu potted it and then took the deciding frame too for a monumental 17-16 victory.
Allen had missed out on his first Crucible final in quite outrageous fashion.
“When you miss a black like that you don’t deserve to win,” Allen said. “I completely blew it, to be honest.”
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