He will never forget the moment he held the World Snooker Championship trophy aloft.

Back in 1986, Joe Johnson won the most sought-after prize in the game, when he beat world number one Steve Davis to take the world title.

But the Bradford-based star cannot fully re-live the moment, or show his children how he won the hard-fought final - because two of his seven-strong brood taped over his only video.

Joe, who lives in Queensbury, made the discovery when sitting down to watch the tape with his wife Terryll and friends.

"I put the tape in and we found ourselves watching He Man - Master of the Universe," he said.

Since losing the tape - which included highlights of the tournament, at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre - Joe has laughed off the incident, but he would love another copy.

"I would really like to have it again, I wouldn't know how to get hold of one, though," he said.

"Two of my sons, Jonathan and Daniel, were only seven and five when it happened, so they wouldn't have known. It's just one of those things, but it was terrible to lose it.

"I really would love to have a copy - the tape contained highlights of the whole tournament."

It would also mean that Joe's seven children, aged between 33 and 12, would be able to see their dad in action. "The younger ones have not seen it at all, so it would be great for them. And it would be great for me to see it again."

Clips from the final are occasionally broadcast on television said Joe, who retired from competitive snooker last year but still plays in exhibition matches and commentates on Eurosport TV.

Joe, who began playing snooker aged 14 when his parents took on the running of Bradford Moor Liberal Club, was a 150-1 outsider at the start of the 1986 world championship.

He beat Dave Martin in the first round, Mike Hallett - who had beaten defending champion Dennis Taylor - in the second, Terry Griffiths in a tight 13-12 victory in the quarter-finals, and Tony Knowles in the semis, before facing Steve Davis in the final. In a best-of-35 frames match, he emerged victorious by 18 frames to 12.

The following year Joe was runner-up at the Crucible, losing 18-14 to Davis in the final. Throughout his career, both amateur and professional, he has held a string of other titles, including the Scottish Masters and the Yorkshire Championship, which he won three times.

He now runs two snooker academies in Bradford and Barnsley, with his business partner Dave Shipley.

Joe still clearly remembers the euphoria he felt when he won.

"It is indescribable. It is still with me today, it was an amazing feeling."

  • Anyone who has a recording of the 1986 World Championship Snooker final, or the highlights, and would like to help Joe should contact Helen Mead on (01274) 705231 or e-mail: helen.mead@bradford.newsquest.co.uk