I thought it was going to be an early night!
Every snooker fan of a certain age remembers where they were on the night of the 1985 World Championship Final.
I certainly do.
Back then I was working as a chef, so early mornings were part of everyday life. Steve Davis was my hero, and when he raced into an 8–0 lead over Dennis Taylor, I settled down expecting to watch him wrap up another world title before heading off to bed.
It didn't quite work out that way.
Instead, I witnessed what many people still regard as the greatest snooker match ever played.
Like millions of others, I stayed glued to the television as Dennis Taylor clawed his way back frame by frame. The final eventually came down to the last black, with over 18 million people still watching on BBC Two after midnight. When Taylor finally potted the black at 12:23 a.m. on 29 April 1985, sporting history had been made. It remains the UK's most watched television programme ever broadcast after midnight.
I was disappointed, of course.
As a huge Steve Davis fan, I desperately wanted him to win. Even today I can picture that final black that didn't quite find the pocket. Anyone who watched it live can probably still replay that shot in their mind as if it happened yesterday.
But with time, I came to appreciate just how remarkable the match really was.
It wasn't simply about who won.
It was about drama, tension and two players who never stopped believing. Davis looked unstoppable. Taylor looked beaten. Yet somehow, over two unforgettable days at the Crucible, everything changed.
1985 Was a Big Year
That year holds plenty of memories for me.
I passed my driving test, started enjoying the freedom that came with it, and like many people, life seemed full of possibility.
Britain itself was changing too. Live Aid was still to come later that summer, the miners' strike had only recently ended after a year of bitter industrial action, and new technology like home computers and video recorders was beginning to change everyday life.
Music provided the soundtrack to the year. Songs from artists such as Phil Collins, Foreigner, Paul Hardcastle and Jennifer Rush filled the charts, while everyone seemed to have an opinion about who would be number one each week.
Yet despite everything else happening, it's that final black that has stayed with me.
More Than Just a Match
Looking back now, I think the 1985 World Final helped inspire a generation of amateur players.
It certainly inspired me.
Every time we leave a black over the pocket, every time we're chasing a personal best, every time we think the frame has slipped away, there's probably a tiny part of us remembering Davis and Taylor.
Almost forty years later, people still talk about that final.
That's not because it featured the highest break or the greatest standard of play.
It's because it reminded us why we love sport.
Hope.
Pressure.
Nerves.
Belief.
And the knowledge that, until the very last ball is potted, absolutely anything can happen.
I still smile whenever I think about that night.
Even if, as a Steve Davis supporter, it took me a few years to appreciate just how lucky I was to have watched it live.