The final was played on 1 and 2 May between Thorburn and Davis as the best of 35 frames, scheduled to be held over four sessions. It was Thorburn's third appearance in a World Championship final, after he had been runner-up in 1977 and champion in 1980, and Davis's second, two years after his victory in 1981. At 2–2 after the first four frames, Davis won four in a row to lead 6–2. He increased his advantage to 9–2 at the start of the second session as Thorburn made several errors, including missing a pot on a red when using the , an unsuccessful attempt to a red, and an easy half-ball shot. Thorburn then won two frames but Davis finished the first day 12–5 ahead.