DARREN Morgan has won the Wyldecrest Park Homes World Seniors Championship after beating Steve Davis 2-1 at the East of England Showground, Peterborough.
The match was a repeat of the epic 1996 Irish Masters final, which Morgan won 9-8 at well past midnight.
However, it was six-time world champion Davis who began the match the stronger player, making a break of 72 in the opening frame that would not have looked out of place during his 1980s prime.
Davis finally showed signs of age catching up with him when he missed a full length red to give his opponent a scoring opportunity. Morgan, who came into the game having won six matches without dropping a frame, looked very much at ease as he potted nine reds and nine blacks, but his attempt at a 147 maximum break ended when he was forced to take on a blue after running out of position. The break ultimately ended on 86, but the Welshman had done more than enough to level at 1-1 and take the match into a decider.
The final frame began with a safety exchange lasting several minutes, before Morgan managed a break of 20, and Davis responded with 14. Morgan took control of the frame with a run of 60, before going in-off to the left middle pocket, but he had done enough to win the match and claim the £18,000 first prize.
Morgan accepted his victory with modesty, but ruled out a return to the main tour, or even PTC events, despite playing to a standard comparable to his early 1990s peak. He said: “It’s got to be up there with the best moments of my career. In the final I just told myself to enjoy it and not to be frightened of losing.
“I came here just wanting to play well on TV, but I didn’t expect to play that well.”
Results
Last 16
Steve Davis 2-1 Tony Drago
Dene O’Kane 2-1 Neal Foulds
Karl Townsend 2-0 Steve Ventham
John Parrott 2-1 Joe Johnson
Jimmy White 2-0 Tony Knowles
Dennis Taylor 2-0 Nigel Bond
Darren Morgan 2-0 Gary Wilkinson
Cliff Thorburn 2-1 Doug Mountjoy
Quarter-finals
Steve Davis 2-0 Dene O’Kane
Darren Morgan 2-0 Cliff Thorburn
JimmyWhite 2-0 Dennis Taylor
John Parrott 2-1 Karl Townsend
Semi-finals
Steve Davis 2-0 John Parrott
Darren Morgan 2-0 Jimmy White
Final
Darren Morgan 2-1 Steve Davis