This year, the World Snooker Championship has captured the imaginations of the British public in a way that few recent tournaments have managed.

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Veteran Steve Davis, playing in his thirtieth event at the Crucible across five decades, knocked out top seed and defending champion John Higgins in the second round, and rarely has a player looked so nervous as Davis did in closing out the match 13-11.

His hands were shaking as if they were bitterly cold, and the anxiety in his eyes was evident.

Yet no one would begrudge Davis the slice of luck that he had in progressing to the quarter-finals of the competition. Higgins was unsurprisingly equally nervous, and missed blues in the nineteenth and twentieth frames that perhaps he should have potted, as well as a straightforward red in the 24th frame, which turned out to be his final chance.

Davis made his own luck in that frame, doubling the brown ball off a cushion into the middle pocket on the opposite side in what may be the most crowd-pleasing shot of the tournament so far.

He is already the oldest man to reach the quarter-finals of the World Snooker Championship since Eddie Charlton in 1983, but should he reach the semi-finals it will be further evidence of his remarkable longevity in the sport.

Davis' is not the only great story in this year's event at the Crucible. The Chinese player Zhang Anda only turned 18 on Christmas Day, but took seven time champion Stephen Hendry to a deciding frame in their first round match. He is without doubt one to watch for the future, and could well be a major contender for the title within just a few years.

Ronnie O'Sullivan continues to thrill crowds with a mix of extravagant yet sublime shotmaking and controversy.

In his match against Liang Wenbo, he racked up a break of 108 in just six minutes - making it quite clear how he earned his moniker "The Rocket". However, after missing what ought to have been a relatively easy red, he aimed a middle finger at the offending ball, and earned a warning from the officials.

O'Sullivan, perhaps, should be a polarising figure in this rather gentlemanly of sports but his enigmatic personality and genius play has brought a multitude of fans to the sport. Even thought they never quite know what they will witness, he remains far and away the biggest draw in snooker.

The 2010 World Snooker Championship remains a very open contest, as it approaches its quarter-final stage. There are at  five former champions amongst the players still in the draw after Ronnie O'Sullivan's victory over Welshman Mark Williams.

Snooker may never again reach the heights attained in the glory days of the mid 1980s, but it is enjoying a quite fascinating renaissance. With the possibility of further growth under the proposals of Barry Hearn, we could be about to enter a new golden era of the sport.