‘AND so the lights go down’.

When Ted Lowe uttered those words on Sunday, April 28 1985 he knew not it would be nearly 15 hours and well into Monday morning that they would come up again.

Dennis Taylor had trailed for 14 hours and 50 minutes, but after 68 minutes in the last of 35 frames he sank the black to beat Steve Davis 18-17 at the Crucible.

It became known as the ‘Black Ball Final’ and would prove Taylor’s only World Championship title – Davis went on to win six.

At 12.19am on Monday morning, having been 8-0 down at one stage, 18.5million people watched the Northern Irishman hold his cue with two hands above his head and celebrate snooker’s most famous win.

It was the most-watched sporting event of all time after midnight and BBC Two’s most watched ever.

While the World Championship prize money has risen five-fold, the winner takes home £300,000, viewing figures for recent finals have come in at around a third of the famous 1985 showdown.

A figure not to be scoffed at – only an average million or so more gather around their TV set for prime-time soap watching during the week.

But every sport needs a ‘Black Ball Final’; something to grip the nation, a moment everyone can tell you when and where they were.

On that Bank Holiday in 1985, it wasn’t 18.5million avid snooker fans that tuned in but neutrals attracted by the promise of an underdog story with amateur Taylor and the monumental battle that ensued.

It was generations of families gathered by their TV sets together.

Warrington Guardian: Gareth Southgate after his penalty was saved at Euro 96.

Sport thrives on these dramatic moments, think Gatlin versus Bolt, Andy Murray's Wimbledon finals or Gareth Southgate stepping up to the spot against Germany in Euro 96.

We will all hope that is the case when England kick off the Rugby World Cup tomorrow, Friday, on home soil against Fiji.

For England fans, the prospect of another Jonny Wilkinson moment will keep them glued to the telly – 2003 is not that long in the memory.

It has been hard to ignore the hype surrounding the competition, to which ITV boasts the broadcasting bragging rights, as England does what only the English do when it comes to building up the nation's World Cup hopes, in any sport.

But while we'll wait a long time for another Taylor versus Davis, we might not have to be so patient for another collective national nail-biter...

Warrington Guardian: HAPPY MEMORIES: Jonny Wilkinson delivers the winning kick of the 2003 Rugby World Cup

But, who is the only player to score points in successive Rugby Union World Cup finals?

The answer to last week's question, the only male tennis player to reach number one but not win a major, was Marcelo Rios.