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| [an error occurred while processing this directive] | |  Sunday, 20 January, 2002, 19:17 GMT Davies ready to sink old pal  Anthony Davies almost gave up the game Forget tennis' Battle of Britain, snooker fans are bracing themselves for the Day of the Dragon. The Regal Welsh Open begins on Wednesday with two of the Principality's top potters - Matthew Stevens and Anthony Davies - coming face-to-face across the baize at Cardiff International Arena. For Davies, in particular, it's a dream come true as he was on the verge of quitting the game and joining the police force three years ago.
Since then, his form has improved and he is now ranked in the top 32. "I realised that I am supposed to be a snooker player and not a policeman, and I gave myself a kick up the backside," he said. "Once I had my confidence and belief back, I got into the winning habit. "I am under a bit of pressure this season because I want to keep my top-32 place," the 32-year-old said. "But hopefully I can cement my position in the 32 this season and then use that as a springboard to go for the top 16 next year. I definitely believe I am good enough to get there." He has no qualms about playing one of his closest friends in the first round of the Regal Welsh.
"Matthew and I are all good mates off the table. But once the match starts, you just have to forget about that and get on with the job," he said. "He beat me 5-3 in Malta but it was a very close game and it could have gone either way. "I'm really looking forward to the rematch, especially as it's in Cardiff. The CIA is a superb venue and there will be a great atmosphere. "I was 4-2 down to Shaun Murphy in my qualifying match, but there was no way I was going to give up because playing in Cardiff means so much to me." Extra buzz And Stevens is expecting a tough encounter. "I know it's not going to be easy because Anthony has been doing brilliantly over the last couple of years. "I'm aiming to do a bit better in the competition because I've never been beyond the quarter-finals. "But I always enjoy playing in Wales. It gives you an extra buzz." All of the first round matches will be played on Wednesday and Davies takes on Stevens at 6.45pm. This is a change to the previous schedule, which stated that the match would start at 2pm. Tickets, which start from �3 for adults and �1.50 for children and OAPs, are available from the CIA hotline on 02920 224488/665433. | |
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