Sussex snooker star Mark Davis is committing himself to practice, a keep-fit campaign and a sports psychologist in a bid to finally realise his potential.

If the last player to beat Ronnie O'Sullivan before The Rocket pocketed the world title reaches the summit along the way it would be "a very nice bonus."

He said: "There is a possibility I could. It is just a one-off tournament. but I'd have done it by now.

"I live in the real world. I just want to earn what I can from the sport over the next two or three years."

Davis, on the cusp of the world top 32, missed his fifth visit to the Crucible by one match for the third successive year when he lost his recent qualifier against Shaun Murphy.

But today he switched on the television to watch the start of this year's World Championship already in, if you'll excuse the pun, a positive frame of mind about his next campaign.

Davis is brutally candid and admits a slothful attitude has cost him dearly in an 11-year professional career.

His penchant for a round of golf rather than eight hours at the practice table has, he says, "driven my supporters mad."

Davis, 30, said: "Quite honestly I have never practised properly. I've been very lazy and lacked dedication. I've got the talent but you've got to want to play."

But the moment Murphy repeated the agony Davis had suffered 12 months earlier against Ryan Day sparked something inside him. Enough was enough.

"It could have been me lined-up to play Ken Doherty on the telly and not Shaun. Although I have no regrets about my performance in the qualifier and it was a tough draw anyway, I was fed up. I have been so close and I thought maybe I can get in next year if I get my head down and give it a proper go. I should be doing better.

"My partner Claire is expecting next month and having a little one on the way is another reason. Someone's got to bring the money in.

"It's been up and down. I've struggled, particularly when I started, but I've earned a nice few quid in the last two or three seasons, about £40-50,000 a year. That's not bad. But I've bought a new house for my family and I'm skint again.

"I'm going to practise more than I've ever done and do the business."

Davis sat opposite me at a table outside a restaurant on the concourse of Eastbourne railway station sipping tea. His dyed red, Mohicanesque haircut hinted at individualism, a spirit which suggests he is someone who will do what he wants to do.

But the young punk displays a few ageing lines that are accentuated the more animated he becomes.

He knows he has had a fair crack of the whip and turned it on himself too often. Davis wants to make amends for the sake of others besides himself, including Claire and his followers.

He insists his focus is absolute and he will begin preparations for next season just as soon as the last black is potted in Sheffield.

And as he leans forward, his pale blue eyes are wide and his manner earnest.

You cannot doubt his sincerity.

Snooker has suffered, like darts, with its boozy image, typified by the lager consumption of the late Bill Werbenuik and the bit-of-everything attitude of Alex Higgins.

But Davis is hooked on the more professional approach adopted by reigning world champion Peter Ebdon.

He said: "I don't think I could ever be as dedicated as Ebdon. He swims 20 lengths a day as part of a tough training regime. But I will get out there jogging regularly and play a couple of games of football. If you are fitter you should feel sharper.

"I want to find a sports pyschologist. If there's something I can do ten minutes before I play I can give myself an edge. I want to find out what suits me."

He recognises the level reached by players like Higgins, Jimmy White and his namesake Steve but believes standards are higher than ever before because of it and the fact tame has replaced wild in lifestyles.

Davis said: "You're not allowed to drink while you play. Out of snooker, I do some DIY for my new house when I'm at home or, when I'm at a tournament, I go round with a certain group of players for quiet meals.

"In the past you could have more of a laugh and a joke but now the money is so big you can't afford to go too crazy."

Davis has proved he has talent to combine with the newly-found dedication.

His 5-1 victory over O'Sullivan, with whom he shares coach Del Hill, in the Scottish Open two years ago was an example.

Davis said: "It's good to think I was the last player to beat him before he won the world championship. It was live on telly, brilliant. I played really well. It was one of those days when I was focussed from the start. It's my best win."

He added with a smile: "Ronnie owes me a cheque for that one. I gave him a kick up the backside at the perfect time.

"I've known Ronnie for a long time and he was very gracious in defeat. He's back in form and the first name that comes to mind to win at the Crucible this year."

Davis also joked that 1997 world champion Ken Doherty owes him too.

"He was lucky against me when the score was 9-8. At 9-9 it's anybody's game and he went on to take the title. But I did beat him another year to make the last 16."

Davis was taught a lesson on his Crucible debut by Terry Griffiths, a veteran former world champion.

He said: "I was 6-2 up and should have won but I lost 10-7. He kept it tight, used his experience."

His most embarrassing Sheffield moment was against seven-times champion Stephen Hendry.

"It is the performance that matters to me and I went 5-0 down and was playing garbage. So was he and I could have been 5-0 up. I managed to claw it back a little."

Davis rates winning a Benson and Hedges qualifier to play at Wembley last year as his best tournament achievement.

But it is at the Crucible where the public judge snooker players.

"It is fairly small and the crowd is almost touching your cue. It can be a horrible place to be but also the best with the cameras and what it means. You should respond and raise your game. I love it."

Davis clearly wants to savour another experience there but will remain seated in the front room of his new Hastings home watching the action with Claire , the smell of fresh paint on newly decorated walls hanging in the air.

He may be spending even more time in domestic surroundings once he puts his cue back on the rack for the last time as a professional.

Davis is unafraid to contemplate life after it.

He said: "There is so much pressure. I think a nine-to-five job will be less stressful. I've got a friend who has given up the game and is a lot happier doing what he is doing."

In the meantime, Davis is buying some trainers, thumbing down the telephone directory looking for a sports psychologist and putting in more hours at the practice table at the O'Sullivans Club in Bexhill.

He is one of three snooker playing brothers. One of the others is Steve, who introduced him to the sport. It will be interesting, to coin the other Steve's moniker, to see just how far he can go.