text: Steve Davis would love to see Jimmy White and Reanne Evans light up the Crucible stage but admits his own swan song hopes look forlorn. The king of the baize in the 1980s believes the Whirlwind and the doyenne of the women's tour face tall orders to get through qualifying for the Betfred World Championship. Evans saw her task made all the more intimidating when she was drawn to face 1997 world champion Ken Doherty on Thursday, in the first of three preliminary rounds, while White will tackle fellow veteran James Wattana in his opener on Saturday. Steve Davis will attempt to qualify for this year's Betfred World Championship at the Crucible . But Davis, who will also attempt to qualify, expects both would relish the challenge if they fought their way through to the first round in Sheffield. He calls 29-year-old Dudley potter Evans 'a great player', and said of the 10-time ladies' world champion: 'It's a real tough battle out there against players who are playing for their livelihoods. It's a bun fight, but she's perhaps the best woman player I've ever seen. 'In the 1980s I saw Allison Fisher who was the best around, and she was an excellent, excellent player but more methodical. 'Reanne is more like the Jimmy White or the Ronnie O'Sullivan of the women's game. She has the feel for the game, she's at one with the table. 'She could cause a surprise, but to win three matches is the tough bit. It's hard enough for me and Jimmy. 'If me or Jimmy qualify for the Crucible, it's arguably as big a win as we've ever had. 'I've got a little bit of a desire to do it, but Jimmy would certainly love to get back to the Crucible.' Reanne Evans takes on Ken Docherty for a place at the World Championships in Sheffield . Reanne Evans is a 10-time ladies champion who previously competed on the main tour for the 2010-11 season. She suffered 18 consecutive defeats however and failed to qualify the following year. White, who lost six World Championship finals, last appeared at the tournament in 2006, and has fallen short in qualifying every year since. While 52-year-old White is in the autumn of his career, for Davis these are the winter years before his match cue is finally laid down. He turns 58 in August and fell off the main tour 12 months ago. A memoir, Interesting, hits the bookshelves on Thursday. A tricky qualifying opener against Jamie Cope could end in disappointment, but it would be short-lived. 'I can't build up the intensity that I used to have, but I must admit I'm getting excited about pitting my wits against another generation of players,' Davis said. 'Of course, it'll all end in tears. 'I'm not totally committed but I still have the juices running through me a little bit. I've been practising but it's not a pretty sight. They're wobbling more in the pockets before saying 'nope'. 'Whether I get to the TV stages, that's a long shot. That's tough. Jimmy White will take on fellow veteran James Wattana in qualifying on Thursday . 'I was still practising hard even when I wasn't getting to the latter stages of the Crucible, and in the end you have to say, 'Yeah, I've tried, but the price is too much investment of time'. 'Now if I've lost a match, by the time I've got in the car I've thought about what I'm going to do for the rest of the day, rather than beating up the person who's come up with me. 'I think it's been a bit like Invasion of the Body Snatchers - I'm sure in the night that someone swapped me for a more mellow version.' Davis won six world titles in the 1980s and rolled back the years with a mesmerising return to form at the 2010 tournament, but the 1985 'black-ball final' defeat to Dennis Taylor stands over and above all memories. Dennis Taylor in action during the memorable 1985 World Championship final against Davis . The second autobiography of his career - 34 years after the first - meant Davis having to trawl over the emotional wreckage of that night again. 'I don't remember anything as much as I remember the '85 final,' Davis said. 'I do remember the last frame, more so because I've watched it through on video a few times. 'My career was a blur and all games and matches blur into one in the end, it's only the strange moments that do stick in your brain.' Interesting by Steve Davis is published in hardback by Ebury Press on April 9, priced £20.
target: Steve Davis will attempt to qualify for the Betfred World Championship .
  The 57-year-old is a six-time world champion at the Crucible .
  But Davis admitted he is not fully committed to the sport .
  Jimmy White and Reanne Evans are also hoping to qualify .