Bingham Thwarts Davis Comeback

Stuart Bingham held his nerve to keep a stirring Steve Davis fightback at bay and seal a 10-8 win in the first round of the World Championship in Sheffield.

Davis, a six-time winner, had trailed 8-3 but a remarkable upturn in form saw him recover to level at 8-8.

But Bingham halted Davis's momentum, stealing a tense 17th frame on the black after his opponent had left the final ball in the jaws of the pocket.

And Bingham made a brave 59 break in the last to clinch the victory.

"It's a bit annoying, I felt as if I let it slip," said the 50-year-old Davis.

"After getting back into the match and playing decent, it's a bitter pill to then mess up a couple of golden opportunities in the last two frames.

"It's very disappointing, even though at one stage I would have settled for showing a bit of pride.

"When I couldn't hit the right side of a barn there was a sympathy 'come on' from the crowd, and that stuck in my throat.

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Frame scores (Bingham first): 69-20 71-41 108-19 (54) 34-54 0-87 (57) 59-21 33-66 80-0 (58) 59-4 (58) 76-11 69-33 31-105 (65) 4-100 (68) 0-81 (81) 31-84 (51) 0-91 (67) 72-60 65-15