In 1978, post-heart attacks and 22 years after he last held the sport’s premier title, Fred Davis reached the semi-finals of the Embassy World Championship. He was 64.

Such a triumph of longevity is inconceivable today. Steve Davis, currently attempting to cling onto his place in the elite top 16 in the world rankings, is regarded as something of a superman, single-handedly holding back snooker’s irresistible youth movement.

Yet, even then, Davis defied expectation and the aging process as he provided the second World Championship hosted by the Crucible with a feel good story line while giving the BBC the perfect music montage – ‘When I’m 64’ by the Beatles.

Davis beat John Virgo 9-8, Dennis Taylor 13-9 and Patsy Fagan, the reigning United Kingdom champion, 13-10 to reach the semi-finals and raise the real possibility of becoming world champion a year before collecting his state pension.

It was not to be. Watched by his elder brother, Joe, who was undefeated as world champion from 1927 until his retirement from the event in 1946, Davis was beaten 18-16 by Perrie Mans, a South African known from his long potting.

Three years later, at 67, Davis won the World Billiards Championship and, with his love of both games undimmed, did not retire from professional snooker events until he was 79.

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