LONDON // Steve Davis will make himself very unpopular with a number of his fellow players if, as expected, he tries to qualify for next month's Bahrain Open, the fourth ranking event of the season. Davis, John Higgins, Ding Junhui and Mark Selby are all contracted to play in one of Barry Hearn's Premier League fixtures on Nov 13. That date clashes with the quarter-finals of the Bahrain tournament and all four had already said that they would not take part in the event in Manama on Nov 8-15 .
But it appears that Davis, a six-times world champion who is managed by Hearn, has had a change of heart and his name has appeared on the drawsheet for the final qualifying round on Oct 30. Davis, 51, from Essex, has to win just one match to qualify for Barhain and although he says he has no intention of breaking his Premier League contract, the possibility of him turning up for the qualifying match in Prestatyn, Wales, cannot be ruled out. However, a spokesman for Hearn said: "Steve is just keeping his options open but he won't be playing in Bahrain whatever happens."
That doesn't rule out the scenario of Davis tackling his qualifier after the Grand Prix, which starts at Glasgow's Exhibition Centre tomorrow. Davis could play his qualifier and, if successful, withdraw from the overseas stages, a scenario that has not gone down well with his fellow players. One player, who did not want to be identified, said: "If Steve plays at the qualifying school and wins, it could prevent one of us going to Bahrain - and that's not fair on the player who will lose out."
First, though, Davis must tackle Neil Robertson in the opening round of the Grand Prix before the random draw comes into operation in the last 16. World champion Ronnie O'Sullivan faces China's Liang Wenbo in round one. Judd Trump is expected to receive a bye into round two with Graeme Dott expected to pull out because of the fractured wrist he sustained playing football in Beijing last week. The injury is also likely to keep him out of the Bahrain Open. sports@thenational.ae