Sussex snooker star has 'worst day ever' as Covid chaos reigns

The St Leonards-on-Sea star was one of dozens of players who had their match on Monday postponed as delays on coronavirus test results meant confusion reigned supreme.

The world No.44 was due to take to the baize at 1pm but didn’t pick up his cue until 6:30pm, when he and the Chinese star – along with six other players – received the all clear to take part in the Milton Keynes tournament.

Davis complained about the relentless delays but refused to blame them for his sub-par performance against the world No.10 under the Marshall Arena lights.

“It’s been horrendous – the worst day ever,” fumed Davis, 48. “But it can’t be helped. It’s been an absolute nightmare and I was absolutely shattered by the time I played, but it’s no excuse. Ding played really well but my safety was horrendous.

“You can’t be leaving people like Ding with his hand on the table and getting in. It just wasn’t good enough, but I didn’t really get many chances – and you need to create your chances.

“At 12:40pm I was supposed to play, but I knew I was delayed then. The test could have turned up at any time and I’m not blaming anybody, it’s just the way it goes. I couldn’t really go anywhere because they could have said we were ready to play.

“At about 4:30pm they said they weren’t going to hear back for an hour, so I managed to get back to the room for 45 minutes and then come back, and then we were waiting again for an hour and a half.

“It’s not ideal, but it’s the same for everybody – everyone was in the same boat. I was with Mark Selby and we couldn’t really go anywhere, as we were on at the same time. It’s just one of those things in these weird times at the moment.”

An official World Snooker Tour statement said: “The safety of players and officials at events is of the highest priority for WST. We have implemented a strict Covid-19 testing regime which goes above and beyond government requirements. As a result, no player is allowed to compete until a negative test has been provided.

“Testing for all players involved in Monday’s matches took place at least the day before. However, the late arrival of results caused a delay in the day’s matches from the 1pm session onwards. Matches have commenced at the earliest possible times after negative results were received.”

Three-time UK champion Ding, 33, knocked in masterful breaks of 101, 92 and 62 to floor the south coast player and inflict him with a second consecutive first round defeat of the season. Former world No.12 Davis reached the third round of the European Masters and English Open this term but has struggled for consistency on the hectic snooker circuit.

Davis currently lies 48th on the Tour’s one-year ranking list and is unable to qualify for December’s World Grand Prix as he sits well outside the top 32.

He’s looking forward to some time away from Milton Keynes over the festive period and hopes ironing out the creases in his safety can fire him to a successful 2021.

“I’m glad it’s over – I played really bad in the UK Championship so I’ve lost a bit of confidence at the moment,” he added. “I’m sort of glad the year’s over, so I’m glad to be putting the cue away for a few weeks, reflect on things and just try to work a bit harder.

“I need to practice a bit smarter as well on certain things – my safety – and then go again after Christmas and see what happens.”

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