Steve Davis had lost finals before. Yet this felt different. Since turning professional in 1985 Hendry had been seen as the future of snooker, the boy who could knock Davis off his perch. Winning the 1987 Grand Prix and 1989 Masters, Hendry was flying up the world rankings and justifying the hype surrounding him.
Hendry had enjoyed some success in matches against Davis, beating him on the way to winning the 1989 Masters, and in the UK Championship semi-final the previous season, although he then lost in the final to Doug Mountjoy. But with Davis coming out on top in the 1989 World Championship semi-final, beating the world champion over a long distance seemed the final hurdle for Hendry to clear.
Before the 1989 UK Championship in Preston it was interesting to assess the state of the game as viewed through the eyes of Barry Hearn. Davis' manager was understandably concerned about the future of the sport as the new decade approached. Snooker was still popular, but there was an unavoidable drop off after the glory days earlier on in the decade.
With the sport struggling to attract sponsors for some tournaments, Hearn voiced his concerns regarding the way the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association were running snooker. "We are going the wrong way in a one-way street but no one is prepared to admit it. We were flying a bi-plane in the seventies and someone has now given us a jumbo jet. We can still fly, but we haven't a clue what to do with the controls."
Hearn had at least managed to obtain a sponsor for the UK Championship, with double glazing company Stormseal on board. And the tournament would be televised on the BBC from the last 16 stage onwards. But off the table, Hearn could see that the sport was at a crossroads, needing to make sure it was ready for the challenges ahead.
There were some notable casualties before the television cameras arrived in Lancashire. Defending champion Mountjoy lost 9-8 in the opening round to Joe O'Boye; Alex Higgins lost 9-3 to Willie Thorne in round two; Canadians Cliff Thorburn and Kirk Stevens departed.
Hendry breezed through to the last 16, winning 9-1 against John Spencer and Barry West, picking up a cheque for £2,000 for the highest break in the pre-television stage along the way. "I'm potting as well as ever," he warned the rest of the field. "I'm looking forward to the TV stages and it does get me buzzing."
Even Hendry could suffer a wobble, though. Trailing 22-0 in a final frame decider against Dean Reynolds, the young Scot managed to hold his nerve with a break of 85 getting him over the line. It was the first time in the match that he had been ahead. "I couldn't believe I was playing that badly," he admitted. "I just went out and attacked and it came right at the end."
He soon got back on track. Winning nine consecutive frames in a 9-2 quarter final win over Mark Bennett, Hendry edged past Terry Griffiths 9-7 to reach his second UK Championship final. There he would meet Davis in the match everyone wanted to see. But the dream final very nearly did not happen.
Davis had looked in good form on his way to the semi-final. Easily defeating Tony Chappel in the first round - gaining revenge for a shock loss in the Mercantile Credit Classic earlier in 1989 - Davis cruised past Cliff Wilson, Willie Thorne, and Mike Hallett before his last four clash with Gary Wilkinson.
Wilkinson impressed on his run to the semi-final. Defeating John Parrott 9-6 in the last 16, it was his 9-0 demolition of Jimmy White in the quarter final that created headlines. "I was dazed," White said, after his hammering. "I got worse and worse and he got better and better," he added.
Trailing 8-7 in the semi-final, it looked as if Davis would go the same way as Parrott and White when he needed two snookers to deny Wilkinson a place in the final. With only two balls left on the table, Davis secured one snooker before Wilkinson dramatically missed the pink completely when attempting a thin clip.
Later Wilkinson admitted his error. "I didn't realise Steve needed a snooker. I never looked at the scoreboard because I was so involved in the match. I was so screwed up inside that my mind had gone and I was just trying to keep the pink safe. I only found out in the changing rooms afterwards when Eddie Charlton told me Steve needed two snookers. It was £24,000 missed."
Davis took the frame 60-56 before easily winning the decider. "I have had a lot of things happen to me in my career," Davis admitted. "But this will go down as one of the most memorable." Despite the sympathy coming the Wilkinson's way, many snooker fans and the BBC now had the showpiece final demanded.
Hendry came out of the traps quickly, establishing a 4-0 lead before Davis responded with three frames of his own. Back came Hendry with three consecutive frames to move 7-3 in front, yet the pattern continued when Davis narrowed the gap to two. However, when Hendry won the next two frames of the first day he held a 9-5 lead overnight.
Taking the first frame of the second day, Hendry looked well set to complete a victory stroll. Yet Davis was going to go down fighting. Taking five of the next six frames, the world champion cranked up the pressure on his opponent. Hendry still led 11-10, but going into the evening session it was definitely squeaky bum time.
If Hendry was nervous then he did not show it. Breaks of 123 and 112 emphasised the brilliance of the youngster, and when he took the next frame to go 14-10 up the end was in sight. Davis replied with a break of 138 - taking the £8,000 highest break of the tournament prize - and he then added the next frame. But two frames later the match was over.
Hendry's 16-12 win was massive, both for the individual and the sport. "It means everything to beat Steve over a distance," Hendry explained after claiming the trophy and the £100,000 prize money. "I've always felt capable of doing so and have wanted to prove it for so long to the disbelievers who thought he was different class to me in the longer matches."
"This is without doubt the high point of my career. Steve has been the greatest player the world has ever seen over the last decade. But I like to think I can take over in the 1990s." With the Masters defended successfully in February and a first world title in April, the triple crown and number one ranking saw Hendry justify his own words.
Davis and Hearn knew they were in trouble. "Stephen is the greatest player I've come up against," Davis said. "I've had challenges from various people in the past 10 years, but he's the most advanced competitor." Hearn was rubbing his hands at the prospect of more Davis-Hendry tussles in the 1990s.
"Davis and Hendry will provide the face of snooker in the Nineties, but we'll just have to see how Steve counters the threat," Hearn noted. Time tells us that Davis simply could not hold back the tide, but there was no disgrace in that. Hendry would establish himself as an all-time great of the sport. The 1989 UK Championship and the season that followed truly was the beginning of a new era.
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