ATWSC Group B: Steve Davis v Mark Selby

Steve Davis v Mark Selby (Best of 20 frames)
Group: B
Date: November 20
Match: One of six
Match day: One of three
Venue: Preston Guild Hall, Preston, United Kingdom

Vote for which of the two players you think was greater. Vote honestly, and leave your bias out of it. Don’t vote for a player just because you like them, don’t vote against a player just because you dislike them.

Consider the table conditions to be whatever conditions would have the least impact on the result.

You can use your own personal criteria for measuring greatness once it’s free of any bias towards/against (delete as applicable) players you like/dislike (delete as applicable).

First superstar clash, but it's Davis for me by a few frames.

Tough one this. Should be a good match.

Nugget.

Davis is a legend but Selby wins this. Davis wont be able to outfox him. Selby will match him tactically and outscore him.

TheRocket wrote:Davis is a legend but Selby wins this. Davis wont be able to outfox him. Selby will match him tactically and outscore him.

Horse rubbish. Steve Davis is the benchmark for tactical play. Nobody was as far ahead of the crowd in this aspect of the game as he was. You could argue that Selby did improve on what Davis did, but that's with the benefit of watching Davis behind him. If they're starting out at the same time, Davis beats him tactically.

As for scoring, tight. Davis was so well-known for his tactical play that his scoring was largely ignore -- pretty much the opposite of Ronnie O'Sullivan. The number of tons he hit, given the conditions he was up against in his prime, was massive. I think he may have the edge on Selby in that department too, all things considered.

I mean, this may well be the tightest of the group matches, right?

Firstly I agree with Pink Ball on Davis’s scoring. He made over 300 career centuries with his peak career years being spent on 80s cloths. He’s still 18th on the all-time centuries list with Jimmy (a renowned scorer) the only player from his era who comes close.

However I also think Selby’s underrated in this regard - to make another comparison he’s over 100 centuries ahead of Murphy, a renowned scorer from his own generation.

I have a feeling Davis would be more relentless in scoring, maybe.

To the point of safety and (I’d argue more importantly) tactics: did Selby improve on Davis in that regard? I mean, Davis was by far the best safety player and tactician in an era that was renowned for those things above all else, really. He had to engineer chances against players who were adept at restricting them.

Selby’s the best of his day in this regard with only Higgins in his league, really, with Ronnie and MJW also up there. Judd’s on his way there but has a long way to go although his creativity in safety is strong.

Who else is he competing with that isn’t an elder statesman plodding towards retirement or a journeyman? bucking Pythagoras Robbo? Shaun “can’t hit the pack from a break-off” Murphy? Selby’s competition is lamentable compared to what Davis destroyed on a regular basis in his prime.

I suppose increased long potting ability means he has to guard better against leaving those, though.

Selby’s a tremendous safety player but I’m not convinced he’d outfox Davis.

I’ll need to think about this.

Nugget obvs.

I agree this is a match-up between two genuinely brilliant players, but I really think it's an easy enough one to call.

Safety/tactics: Davis.
Breakbuilding: tight, both are very good in this department, but I'd be edging towards Davis.

Selby wins on mental strength, but that's about it. Davis had some bad moments, but overall he was a titan in that department too, particularly towards the end of the '80s.

Is Mark Selby one of the five greatest players of all time? No, he isn't.

Is Steve Davis one of the give greatest players of all time? Yes, and pretty comfortably at that. He's fourth, at worst.

Nugget by a mile, but I clicked on Selby by mistake.

Cloud Strife wrote:Nugget by a mile, but I clicked on Selby by mistake.

I've enable re-voting just for you to change your vote. Let me know when you've done it.

Pink Ball wrote:

Cloud Strife wrote:Nugget by a mile, but I clicked on Selby by mistake.

I've enable re-voting just for you to change your vote. Let me know when you've done it.

Done. Thanks.

Cloud Strife wrote:

Pink Ball wrote:

Cloud Strife wrote:Nugget by a mile, but I clicked on Selby by mistake.

I've enable re-voting just for you to change your vote. Let me know when you've done it.

Done. Thanks.

Pink Ball wrote:

Cloud Strife wrote:Nugget by a mile, but I clicked on Selby by mistake.

I've enable re-voting just for you to change your vote. Let me know when you've done it.

Ooh; can you re-set the 2016 ‘referendum’ Pinkie?

Thanks mate

Davis was so at home at the Guild Hall they should've let him wear carpet slippers.

I see this is a typical false lead against Selby

badtemperedcyril wrote:Davis was so at home at the Guild Hall they should've let him wear carpet slippers.

Lolz. What a great line!

Davis wins by 11 frames to 3.