By Elliott West
Introduction
Much has been said about Dennis Taylor’s spectacular victory against Steve Davis in the 1985 World Championship final on the final black but little about his spectacular display in the 1987 Benson and Hedges Masters final against Alex Higgins. Taylor was seen as an underdog in this final with Alex having breezed through the tournament, beating Terry Griffiths, Joe Johnson and Tony Meo to reach the final stages. Higgins was pumped up and was in no mood to take anything less than the trophy. However his opponent had another plan and rather like a terrier snapping at Alex’s heels, Dennis wasn’t prepared to take the spoils.
The Final
This final was unique because it is the only time that two players from Northern Ireland would face each other. Refereed by John Smyth and played over the best of 17 frames, Higgins dominated the early part of the match but Dennis was able to get under Higgins’ skin and chipped away, taking some of the frames from the “Hurricane”. However at 5-8 down, Taylor looked like he was in a mire that was too deep to climb out of and Alex was already telling his manager to put a case of champagne on ice for his victory party.
Perhaps Dennis got wind of this because like any true champion does, he mustered up an energy that changed the course of events. From 5-8, Taylor won the next three frames in a row to take the match to a deciding frame and won the last frame without Alex potting a single ball, 82-0. This was a match that needle between the two players. Although they both respected each others’ abilities, the air was always tense when they played each other. Taylor had already been deeply hurt by a threat Alex supposedly made about a family member and Higgins had never really apologised. However Dennis later said the incident was overplayed and both of them remained friends.
The Significance
This final was one of the blockbusters that took place at the now demolished, Wembley Conference Centre. Taylor had a surprisingly good record against Higgins and yet he was seen as an underdog. Dennis’s win at 1.10 am reaffirmed that Northern Ireland had more than one great player. Taylor is always thought of as wagging his finger and kissing the trophy at the 1985 World Championship but Dennis was so much more than that. He had won 17 non-ranking titles as well in multiple countries including the Australian and Canadian Masters. He won 6 titles in 1987 including the Masters. It is true that Taylor’s form declined after the Masters win but he was definitely a formidable force to be reckoned with and won 2 of the three Triple Crown titles.
