Saga as Steve lets slip the F-word... and it's not Fu!

The six-time world champion, who won his first Masters title in 1982, missed a crucial black in frame six and the cameras caught him mouthing the f-word as he wheeled away in frustration from the table.

Feeling the heat: Davis on his way to defeat at Wembley

It was hardly language that would have been acceptable on the Saga adventure holiday the sponsors had promised 50-year-old Davis if he pocketed the £150,000 winner's cheque next Sunday.

Davis, who won the title three times in 27 appearances, admitted: 'Missing that black just summed up my frustration. I'd got myself in with a chance of getting back to 3-3, and it wasn't the hardest shot.

'I was wanting to scream but I mouthed something instead. I tried to do it as I was walking away from the table. Sometimes it's best to let it all out, and I was OK by the time I sat back down in my chair.

'The best thing is to laugh, there's no point in getting upset. The game could have gone either way and missing the black was debilitating.

'It makes your job harder and the other guy's easier when you're looking to put the pressure on your opponent. It looked like I was just about to get back into the game, and I tripped at the first hurdle.'

Davis, who has slid to 27th in the provisional world rankings, accepts that his defeat by Grand Prix champion Fu could be his farewell bow at Wembley, a prestige invitation event for the top 16.

The Essex veteran, who dominated snooker in the Eighties after claiming his first Crucible crown in 1981, needs a final flourish to his season to retain his long-held place among the game's elite.

Davis missed out in 2001 when he fell out of the 16 and Jimmy White landed the wild card. He said: 'This could be my last one, but I'm quite philosophical about it if that's the way it turns out. As far as wild cards are concerned, I don't want one. If I'm not good enough, I can accept that.'

With Jimmy White, now aged 45 and provisional No 78, facing a tense final qualifier against Mark King in March to reach the 888.com world championship, an era appears to be drawing to a close.

But seven-times world champion Stephen Hendry is determined that his time is not yet over, despite surrendering a 5-3 lead over Mark Selby to give the Crucible finalist a 6-5 Wembley debut victory.

Hendry, 39 on Sunday, has won six Masters titles and is immortalised in the Wembley Walk of Fame but has slipped to world No 8 and has not won a ranking title since the 2005 Malta Open.

The defiant Scot, who missed a hatful of chances, said: ' People will say that Hendry has gone, but that's rubbish. I'm not playing well but it's a matter of time — one good performance and I'll be back.

'I'm struggling for confidence on the match table. If I was playing that way in practice I'd give up, but I'm not.'

Selby, who took time to settle, admitted: 'It's like Stephen was playing in his own backyard and I was like a rabbit in the headlights, so I'm chuffed to bits to win my first time here.

'You don't expect him to miss at all. Normally near the finish line he runs it home. But he's as good as he always was, he just needs a good run in a tournament.'