Davis won the first frame of the final session but was thrashed 10-2 by Lee

Six-time world champion Steve Davis has missed out on this year's tournament after a 10-2 thrashing at the hands of Stephen Lee in the qualifiers.

Davis impressed at the Crucible last year, beating John Higgins on his way to a quarter-final defeat by eventual champion Neil Robertson.

But Davis, 53, was swept aside by a dominant Lee, who led 8-1 before the final session on Sunday evening.

Davis reduced the deficit to 8-2 after the break but Lee prevailed.

Davis left Sheffield's English Institute of Sport without commenting on what was a crushing loss.

The defeat brings his season to a premature end, having failed to earn a place at next week's Players Tour Championship Finals or the China Open, which begins on 28 March.

It is also the first time he has failed to reach either the UK Championship or the World Championship main draws in a season since turning pro in 1978, and he has dropped out of the world's top 32.

Lee, the former Grand Prix champion from Trowbridge, had every cause to be delighted with his own performance as he secured a first-round match against one of the top 16, who qualify automatically.

"It's a magnificent feeling to beat someone of Steve's class to get to the Crucible. I kept him frozen out," Lee said. "I couldn't tell you how bad I'd feel if I didn't get to the Crucible. It would have left a nasty taste after an OK season.

"Steve didn't really know where the table had gone when I was 6-0, 7-0 up."

Another former world champion also missed the cut, with Ken Doherty tumbling out at the hands of Jimmy Robertson.

Robertson, 24, trailed Doherty 6-3 after the first session but won seven frames in a row on Sunday evening to progress 10-6 at the expense of the 1997 champion.

In the evening's other matches, Stuart Bingham booked his place at the Crucible after cruising to a 10-2 success over Alan McManus, firing in breaks of 114 and 126 along the way.

Welshman Andrew Pagett, 28, also qualified for a ranking event for the first time, beating England's Andrew Higginson 10-6.

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