DAVIES ON A MISSION TO SHOCK LITTLER WITH HELP FROM OASIS

By Phil Lanning

DAVID DAVIES doesn’t fear facing Luke Littler…because he has Cigarettes and Alcohol to fire him up.

The NHS manager from Denbeigh doesn’t drink or smoke but he reckons his legendary Oasis walk-on tune is better than teen sensation’s Greenlight.

Davies, 40, insists he won’t be psyched out before playing ‘The Nuke’ after learning he could play the World Champ while on a cruise in BARBADOS.

He revealed: “I spent hours looking at intros to songs that would get the crowd going, and Cigarettes and Alcohol got me fired up.

“People say Luke Littler’s opponents are already a set down in their own minds when they hear him walking on stage to Greenlight, but I think my walk-on song is better than his so I’m already 1-0 up!

“But I’m not thinking too much about who I’m playing. I know I’m better than how I played in the first round, but Luke is a different kettle of fish, isn’t he?

“He’s a different breed. He’s blown the sport into a different dimension. Every game’s going to be tough and I know I’m going to be the underdog in every game I play.

“Just to play on the Ally Pally stage is huge. To get the win in the first round is that little bit of cherry on the top.

“There’s no denying the excitement and thrill of playing Luke now, since he blew the sport open, but let’s see what happens.

“I don’t know about the enormity of the occasion because I’ve not been in this position before – at least not at the World Championship.

“I’ve beaten him once – at a tournament on the Isle of Man, when he was 13 at the time – but he’s a better player now than he was then.

“And he did beat me at the same tournament two years later, so it’s 1-1 and at least I can say my record against Luke Littler is all-square, but he has been phenomenal since those days.”

Davies breezed by Belgian Mario Vandenboegaerde in his opener. But his mates immediately wrote off his Ally Pally chances once they realised who he could face.

He added: “I was away in Barbados at the time of the draw, trying to find a WiFi signal that didn’t cut out. I got a message to say I had drawn Mario Vandenboegaerde, which was fine.

“Then, not long after, I got another message saying, ‘Well you’re not going to win the title this year, are you?’ I replied, ‘What do you mean?’ And he says, ‘Well if you win your first round match, you are playing Luke Littler next.’

“I don’t know what I said – probably just ’Oh, thanks mate’ – although he’s an ex-mate now!”

Davies went back to work after his first round win and reckons he has the ability to rock Littler’s Worlds defence.

He added: “We are the wheels of the NHS all over North Wales, everything from picking up blood samples and organising medical supplies for discharging operations. It’s a big responsibility.

“It’s the NHS at the end of the day. I joined because I want to provide for people.

“It’s about self-belief and how far you can go in the professional game, but the standard is ridiculous. People are losing with 100-plus averages.

“I don’t want to play the game to pay the rent or, more to the point, need to win to pay the rent.

“And I don’t want my wife to have to work more hours to support the kids – I’m doing this to help her slow down and enjoy life.”

Image by TAYLOR LANNING