World Records - snooker.org Awards | Odd Stuff | World Records | Managers Snooker World Records Here are the (unofficial) snooker world records that I have collected. If you notice any errors or know of any other records, please let me know. World Championships Most Titles The World Professional Championship (instituted 1927) was won a record 15 times by Joe Davis, on the first 15 occasions it was contested 1927-40 and 1946. The most wins in the Amateur Championships (instituted 1963) have been two by; Gary Owen in 1963 and 1966; Ray Edmonds 1972 and 1974; and Paul Mifsud (Malta) 1985-86. Allison Fisher (b. 24 Feb 1968) has won seven Women's World Championships, 1985-86, 1988-89, 1991, 1993-94.

Maureen Baynton (née Barrett) won a record eight Women's Amateur Championships between 1954 and 1968, as well as seven at billiards. Youngest The youngest man to win a world title is Michael White (Wales) (b. 5 Aug 1991) who was 14 yr 210 days when he won the World Amateur Snooker Championships in Prestatyn, Wales on 3 Mar 2006. Stephen Hendry (Scotland) (b. 13 Jan 1969) became the youngest World Professional Champion, at 21 yr 106 days on 29 Apr 1990. Stacey Hillyard (b. 5 Sep 1969) won the Women's World Amateur Championship in October 1984 at the age of 15. Highest Breaks Maximum Breaks The first to achieve the maximum break of 147 was E.J. Murt O'Donoghue (New Zealand) (1901-94) at Griffiths, New South Wales, Australia on 26 Sep 1934.

The first officially ratified 147 was by Joe Davis against Willie Smith at Leicester Square Hall, London on 22 Jan 1955. The first achieved in a major tournament were by John Spencer (b. 18 Sep 1935) at Slough, Berks on 13 Jan 1979, but the table had oversized pockets, and by Steve Davis (b. 22 Aug 1957) who had a ratified break of 147 against John Spencer in the Lada Classic at Oldham, Greater Manchester on 11 Jan 1982. This was also the first televised maximum. The youngest to score a competitive maximum was Judd Trump (b. Aug 1989) at 14 yr 206 days days in an under-16 series match against Chris Piech at the Potters Club in Coalville on 13 Mar 2004. Ronnie O'Sullivan (b.

5 Dec 1975) made a maximum at 15 yr 98 days during the English Amateur Championship (Southern Area) at Aldershot, Hants on 13 Mar 1991. Cliff Thorburn (Canada) (b. 16 Jan 1948) was first to make two tournament 147 breaks on 23 Apr 1983 (the first in the World Professional Championships) and 8 Mar 1989. Peter Ebdon (b. 27 Aug 1979) and James Wattana (Thailand) (b. 17 Jan 1970) have also achieved this feat. Ronnie O'Sullivan have the most maximums in the professional game with 13 ahead of Stephen Hendry who has 11. O'Sullivan's latest came at the 2014 Coral UK Championship , in the last frame of the last-16 match against Matthew Selt (England). Stephen Hendry became the first to make more than two tournament 147s. Hendry's first was made in the European League and his second in the 1995 World Championship .

The record-breaking third came on 25 Nov 1995 in the UK Championship . Not content with this he made his fourth maximum on 5 Jan 1997 in the 1997 Liverpool Victoria Charity Challenge and his fifth on 23 May 1998 in the 1998 Dr Martens Premier League , his sixth on 19 Sep 1999 in the final of the 1999 British Open (the first maximum in a ranking final), his seventh on (21-23) November in 1999 in the 1999 Liverpool Victoria UK Championship , his eighth on 25 Feb 2001 in the final of the 2001 Rothmans Grand Prix, his ninth on 28 Apr 2009 in the quarterfinals of the 2009 Betfred.com World Championship , his 10th in the second round of the 2011 Wyldecrest Park Homes Welsh Open and his 11th in the first round of the 2012 Betfred.com World Championship !

Leo Levitt was the first amateur to achieve the maximum break, in november 1948 at the Windsor Bowling alley in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Geet Sethi (India) was the first one to manage one in competition, in the Indian Amateur Championships on 21 Feb 1988. In the World Junior Championship in Iceland (June 1989) Gary Hill made a maximum break at the age of 20 years 8 months and became the youngest player to achieve this in a WPBSA recognised competion. In April 2002 the New Zealand No2, amateur Harry Haenga, father of national champion Daniel Haenga, scored a 147 off the break against Glenn Gemmel at the Porirua Club, near Wellington, New Zealand. This was not in a tournament but was witnesses by two A Grade players, one of whom is a NZ representative and the other is a Referee. Ronnie O'Sullivan and Jimmy White made 147s in consecutive frames during an exhibition in Ireland, in January 2009. Peter Ebdon made 147s in two consecutive frames during an exhibition match against Steve Davis in 2003.

16 Red Ball Clearances In Competition The highest snooker break in competition is Wally West's 151. He made the break in the final of a club handicap at the Hounslow Lucania Club in 1976 against Derek "Butch" Rogers, in front of about 100 spectators. The qualified referee John Posner was in charge of the match. Wally won the first frame with the aid of a 104. In the second, Butch clipped the blue and left Wally snookered. Wally potted green as his free ball with a brown to follow. He then took 14 red and blacks and a pink off the last red. He then cleared up to make the 151. Jamie Burnett (Scotland) made a break of 148 on 16 October 2004, at the Prestatyn qualifiers for the Travis Perkins UK Championship. This was the first break over 147 in professional snooker. Burnett made the break in the 14th frame of his match against Leo Fernandez.

He potted the brown as the extra red, then another brown followed by the 15 reds and all the colours. He made a blue on the first red, a pink on the last one and another pink on one of the other reds. The rest went with blacks. He went on to win the match 9-8. The first 16 red clearance in a tournament was by Steve James (b. 2 May 1961) who made 135 against Alex Higgins in the World Professional Championships at Sheffield, S Yorks on 14 Apr 1990. Steve Duggan (b. 10 Apr 1958) made a witnessed break of 148 against Mark Rowing in a local handicap tournament at in the Woodlands Snooker Club, Woodlands, Doncaster, S Yorks on 27 Apr 1988. The Guinness Book of Records got it wrong at the time, saying it was in a practise match. Phil Doody was the referee in the aforementioned match. The week before the match Rowing, made a 155 break against Doody, in a practise frame, on the same table, in the same club!

Unfortunately, as only Rowing and Doody were present, the Guinness Book of Records, wouldn't record it. Dean Reynolds (England) had a 16 red clearance of 143 in the seniors event of the 2006 European Team championships, in Carlow, Ireland. 6 December 2008 Ricky Walden (England) made a 16 red clearance of 141 against Mark Davis (England) in the last qualifying round for the 2008 Maplin UK Championship. The event was held at The World Snooker Academy in EIS (English Institute of Sport) Sheffield. He won the frame 149-0. It was the thirteenth frame of the best-of-17 match, which he lost 7-9. Others In 2006 Jamie Cope became the first player to record a 155 break. He did it in a witnessed practice match. Jamie is a professional snooker player from Stoke-on-Trent Staffordshire, England.

On 23 April 2003 Cope had made a 151 break on the match table at The Reardon Snooker Club (Hanley Stoke-on-Trent) during a practise game with David Fomm-Ward. After a foul shot by his opponent Jamie was snookered behind the Brown ball. He took the Brown as the free ball and then potted Blue, 8 Red and 8 Black, 2 Red and 2 Pink, 5 Red and 5 Black. Then cleared all the colours. He was 17 years old at the time. Teenager Sam Harvey scored a break of 151 during a practice match at his home club in Bedford in November 2010. The 17-year-old was playing tour professional Kyren Wilson when he registered the score. After a foul from his opponent early in the frame, Harvey was left with a free ball, and potted the brown to a centre pocket, gaining position on the black. He then spilt the reds open and went on to pot all 15, taking 12 more blacks, two pinks and a blue before clearing the colours.

In 1995 Tony Drago's (Malta) (b. 22 Sep 1965) made a 149 in a practice match against Nick Manning at the West Norwood Snooker Club. Drago broke off and snookered Manning behind the brown. Manning tried to escape from the snooker but left a free ball. Drago took the brown as the free ball and then the brown again for four more points and followed that with 15 reds, 13 blacks, a pink and a blue and all the colours. Eddie Manning (Leicester, England) also achieved a 149, in 1997 at Willie Thorne's in Leicester. His practice partner was Kam (or Kan?) Pandya. Manning. Like Drago he took brown, brown, 13 blacks, pink and blue. Stephen Hendry made a 148 in practice vs Alfie Burden in 1993. In 1976 Alex Higgins knocked in a 146 vs Willie Thorne in a Challenge Match. He had brown, green, 10 blacks and 5 pinks.

Cliff Thorburn managed a 139 in practice against Geoff Foulds in 1980. Other High Breaks and Most Unanswered Points Kelly Fisher is the leader among the women. She has a 143 in competition and 20+ 147's in practice. Four consecutive century breaks were first compiled in a major tournament by John Higgins : 103, 104, 138 and 128, in Preston, England on Sun 16th October 2005. He achieved the feat in the final of the 2005 Grand Prix , against Ronnie O'Sullivan . Shaun Murphy (England) equalled the feat in the 2007 Welsh Open , Feb 14 2007, in Newport Centre, Wales. He beat Jamie Cope 5-0 in the second round and won the first four frames with 135, 110, 102 and 101.

Three consecutive century breaks were first compiled in a ranking tournament by Steve Davis : 108, 101 and 104 at Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs on 10 Sep 1988. In 1998 John Higgins (Scotland) (b. 18th May 1975) became the first to manage the feat in a World Championship match. Peter Ebdon became the first to make four century breaks in five frames, in the European Open qualifying competition at Blackpool on 6 Sep 1992. Stephen Hendry made seven centuries in the final of the 1994 UK Championship , which is a record in a professional match. He also became the first player ever to make five centuries in seven frames. In the 2004 British Open Stephen Maguire (Scotland) made five consecutive centuries over two matches. He finished his quarter-final match against Anthony Hamilton with three centuries and started his semi-final against Ronnie O'Sullivan with two more. Mark Allen (N.Ireland) has also made five consecutive century breaks, at the Larne Masters, in the Fountain Club in Larne, Northern Ireland, 23 January 2005.

Allen finished off his second round match against Stephen Smith with a 117, before rattling in breaks of 134, 120 and 104 to beat Declan Hughes 3-0. He then began his quarter-final match against Robert McCullough with a 116. Just for good measure, Mark had begun his match against Smith with a 111 break, making it a phenomenal six centuries in seven frames. In the 2007 Northern Ireland Trophy Ronnie O'Sullivan made five centuries - the first time that has ever been achieved in a ranking event best-of-nine match. The third-round match, which he won 5-2, was played 8 November against Allister Carter (England). Ronnie warmed up with 108, 122 and 107 intaking a 3-1 lead before a 147. Carter pulled one frame back then O'Sullivan closed with a 129 total clearance. John Higgins won the 2005 Grand Prix in Preston and rewrote the record books in the process.

In his final demolition of Ronnie O'Sullivan (9-2) he knocked in four consecutive century breaks (103, 104, 138 and 128), a feat never to have been accomplished in professional ranking tournaments. Higgins also broke the "points unanswered" record in a ranking event (previously set by Stephen Hendry , 487 in the 1996 Wembley Masters against Jimmy White ). Higgins scored 494 points without a reply from O'Sullivan. This record was later beaten by Stuart Bingham (England) who made 547 against Sam Baird in the 2016 China Open . Ronnie O'Sullivan has the all-time record with 556 points in the 2014 Masters final . Players - snooker.org Players [ Biographies | Statistics | Records & Stuff | Pictures ] There are currently more than 500 professional players around. John Higgins is the number one in the current world rankings , but Stephen Hendry , the great Scottish star, isn't too far away in second spot. Jimmy White is the people's favourite. (will he ever win that world title..?).

Also look out for young Ronnie O'Sullivan , referred to by Barry Hearn as my insurance. See also Main Tour players and all players in the Score Centre. Biographies Awards (Chosen by the WPBSA) Odd Stuff (Many a thing can happen on a billiards table ...) Managers (How to contact the top players) Pictures A collection of all the player pictures available on snooker.org. The pictures are divided into two sections: Bio pictures and Tournament pictures . © Pictures are copyright Eric Whitehead ( EELIK@ericpic.demon.co.uk ) (Official photographer for the WPBSA) Bio pictures Pictures from Eric Whitehead's Snooker Almanac. I'm sorry about the poor picture quality. That's entirely due to my poor scannings and not the photographer's fault. I'll try to get it fixed some day. Jimmy White (224kB) Tournament pictures These pictures were shot by Eric Whitehead at 1997 tournaments. Click the thumbnails to see the full-size pictures.

Jimmy White and Stephen Hendry in their third round match (48kB) Peter Ebdon in action during his quarter-final against Ronnie (76kB) Tony Drago reaches his first ever ranking event final (59kB) Stephen Hendry lifts the pocal! (71kB) Mark Williams against Stephen Hendry in the final (15kB) Mark Williams with the trophy (25kB) Ken Doherty celebrating after winning world title (17kB) Ken Doherty wins World Snooker (16kB) Ken Doherty with Stephen Hendry at the reception (24kB) Ken Doherty celebrating the morning after winning the world championship (29kB) Terry Griffiths leaves The Crucible Theatre for the final time (28kB) Stefan Mazrocis in his chair (16kB) Stefan Mazrocis is congratulated by Peter Ebdon after their match (26kB) Ronnie O'Sullivan is all smiles after his maximum (20kB) ... he's simply shining like a sun!

(23kB) Bond wins Regal Scottish (15kB) Bond has his eye on title (15kB) Hendry losing (17kB) Dominic Dale wins Grand Prix (36kB) Higgins faces defeat (final) (15kB) Higgins wins a frame (final) (25kB) Mick Price in the semis (28kB) White returns to form (19kB) Ronnie with the trophy (17kB) Ronnie has a laugh in the final (23kB) Stephen in final action (12kB) Jason Prince (33kB) Learn and talk about Century break, Snooker terminology with all fifteen reds still remaining on the table. This has happened only once in professional competition, when Jamie Burnett made a 148 at the qualifying stage of the 2004 UK Championship . [8] Players with 100 century breaks[ edit ] Please do not update the century counts using fansites such as Snooker.info , CueTracker and Pro Snooker Blog . Snooker statistics must be sourced to a reliable source(s) (i.e.

generally published by a professional organization), and fansites do not meet this criterion due to being self-published . A "century of centuries" refers to a total of 100 breaks of at least 100 points each. [1] Only 15 players had reached this milestone in professional snooker tournaments by December 2001. [9] With an increase in the occurrence of centuries in the past decades, [1] another 27 players achieved this landmark by October 2011, [10] and by the end of the 2013/2014 season the total number of players reaching this threshold had grown to 52. [11] Only Neil Robertson has achieved the "Holy Grail" of one hundred 100s [12] in a single season, during 2013/2014 . The following players are reported to have passed 100 breaks and at least the given threshold (in 50 break increments) above this. Key Career Joe Davis compiled the first televised century break in 1962.

[1] The record for most century breaks scored in official tournament play is held by Ronnie O'Sullivan with over 800. [3] The record was previously held by Stephen Hendry who compiled 775 centuries over the course of his career. [43] The first player to record 1000 centuries in public performance was Horace Lindrum . [44] Stacey Hillyard became the first female to record a competitive century in January 1985. [45] The quickest recorded century break in tournament play was by Tony Drago at 1996 UK Championship , taking just 3 minutes 31 seconds (211 seconds) to score a hundred points. [46] The youngest player to record a century break is Michael White at the age of nine in March 2001. [31] Season The first player to reach 50 centuries in a season was Hendry, with 53 century breaks from the 1994/1995 season .

[47] [48] Hendry achieved another 51 centuries during the 1995/1996 season , while O'Sullivan came close with 48 in the 2006/2007 season , [49] but it was not until the 2010/2011 season when the record was finally broken by Mark Selby with 54 centuries, [47] [46] [50] [51] and again by Selby with 55 century breaks in the 2011/2012 season . [52] [53] Judd Trump took the record with 61 centuries in the 2012/2013 season and the record was broken for the fourth successive season in 2013/2014 when Neil Robertson overtook Trump's tally.

[54] The first player to reach the 'century of centuries' (100 century breaks) mark during a single season is Neil Robertson in the 2013/2014 season on 30 April 2014 during his quarter final match against Judd Trump at the 2014 World Championship . [55] In total, Robertson compiled 103 century breaks throughout the season. [56] [57] Event The most centuries made by a player in a single match during a professional tournament is seven and the record is shared by Stephen Hendry and Ding Junhui. Hendry set the record during the final of the 1994 UK Championship . [46] During this match, Hendry compiled six centuries in a span of eight frames. [58] Ding tied the record in his semi-final match at the 2016 World Championship . This is also a record for a match at the Crucible Theatre , [59] beating the previous record of six shared by Mark Selby and Ronnie O'Sullivan.

[60] Selby's six-century haul in a second round match at the 2011 World Championship set the record for a best-of-25 match. [61] O'Sullivan's tally of six centuries during the final of the 2013 World Championship set the record for a world final at the Crucible; the record for a final previously stood at five, jointly held by Hendry (in 1997), John Higgins (1998) and Matthew Stevens (2000). [62] O'Sullivan holds the record for making the most centuries in a best-of-9 match compiling five centuries (including a 147 ) to beat Ali Carter 5–2 at the 2007 Northern Ireland Trophy . [46] Fergal O'Brien holds the record for most centuries in a best-of-11 match, compiling five centuries to beat Barry Hawkins 6–5 at the 2016 UK Championship .

[63] The record for combined number of century breaks in a single game by both players is ten, achieved by Ding Junhui (seven) and Alan McManus (three) in their semi-final tie at the 2016 World Championship . [59] The most century breaks in a ranking event is eighteen centuries by Ding during the 2016 World Championship , compiling three during qualifying and a further fifteen at the Crucible Theatre during the main event. [64] [65] Hendry previously set a record of sixteen at the 2002 World Championship , which remains a televised, Crucible and venue record. [46] O'Sullivan has compiled more century breaks than any other player in the World Championship competition at the Crucible Theatre . He broke Hendry's record of 127 at the 2013 Championship , [60] [66] extending his total to 156 up to and including the 2016 Championship . John Higgins is the only other player besides Hendry and O'Sullivan to compile more than 100 centuries at the world championship in the Crucible era.

[67] [68] An aggregate record of 86 centuries was set at the 2015 World Championship . The record was tied the following year. [69] Consecutive The record for most consecutive centuries in a match is shared by Kyren Wilson and Anthony Hamilton who compiled six between them at a qualifier for the China Open on 11 February 2016. [70] The previous record of five centuries was jointly held by Ronnie O'Sullivan and Stephen Hendry at the final of the 2003 British Open , and by Stephen Maguire and Neil Robertson in a quarter-final at the 2009 Masters . [46] Stephen Maguire made five consecutive centuries at the 2004 British Open comprising the last three frames of his quarter final and the first two frames of the semi-final. [46] Original courtesy of Wikipedia: — Please support Wikipedia. This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia . A portion of the proceeds from advertising on Digplanet goes to supporting Wikipedia. We're sorry, but there's no news about "Century break" right now.

Limit to books that you can completely read online Include partial books (book previews) Oops, we seem to be having trouble contacting Twitter Support Wikipedia A portion of the proceeds from advertising on Digplanet goes to supporting Wikipedia. Please add your support for Wikipedia! Searchlight Group Digplanet also receives support from Searchlight Group. Visit Searchlight Copyright © 2009-2016 Digparty. All rights reserved. Ronnie O'Sullivan - Biography - IMDb Ronnie O'Sullivan Jump to: Overview (4) | Mini Bio (1) | Trade Mark (2) | Trivia (32) | Personal Quotes (13) Overview (4) 5' 11" (1.81 m) Mini Bio (1) Professional Snooker player Ronnie O'Sullivan was born on December 5, 1975 in Wordsley, West Midlands, England. At a young age, he showed talent as a Snooker player, a cue sport played on a table with balls and pockets. In 1992, he turned professional and competed at the world level.

Nicknamed "The Rocket" for his rapid playing style, he holds the record for the most maximums (11) in professional competition. O'Sullivan has won numerous world championships and competitions including the 2010 Party Casino Premier League where he became the first man to win a single professional title on nine separate occasions. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous Trade Mark (2) Fast and flamboyant playing style. Ambidextrous playing style. Trivia (32) Winner of the 2001, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2013 World Snooker Championship. Is of Irish-Italian ancestry, as are compatriots Francis Rossi , Finola Hughes , and Chris Rea . O'Sullivan's mother is from Sicily and his paternal grandfather is from Cork, Ireland. Admires snooker players Stephen Hendry and John Higgins. Is friends with Jimmy White and Ali Carter. Leads the field with the most century breaks. As of Januray 2016, he has compiled 806 century breaks. Won the inaugural Champion of Champions tournament. He beat opponent Stuart Bingham 10 frames to 8.

Has 13 ratified competitive maximum breaks, the most by any professional player. Lost to Mark Selby in the 2014 World Snooker Championship final by a score of 14-18, his first ever loss at the Crucible. Has made 6 appearances in the UK Championship Final, losing in 2016 to Mark Selby. Completed a maximum break in 5 minutes and 20 seconds during the 1997 World Snooker Championship. A maximum is achieved when a snooker player pots 15 reds followed by 15 blacks for 120 points, followed by potting yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black for 27 points. Parents ran sex shops in Soho. Noted for declaring his intention to quit playing snooker repeatedly. He worked during the 2012/13 season in a pig farm. Ranked joint 2nd with Steve Davis and John Higgins for winning the most ranking tournaments in the modern era with 28 ranking tournament wins. Stephen Hendry leads the field with 36 ranking titles under his belt.

Winner of 6 Master titles (1995, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2014 and 2016) an invitation event which only the top 16 seeded players can play. Ronnie O'Sullivan was ranked outside the top 16 when he won the 2014 Masters title and was eligible to enter the tournament because he won the 2013 World Snooker Championship. Is the only player to have scored 6 century breaks at a World Snooker Championship Final (achieved in 2013). The previous record was 5 and was held jointly by Stephen Hendry (in 1997), John Higgins (in 1998) and Matthew Stevens (in 2000). Scored 141 break at the World Championship Final 2012, an all time record. The previous record was 139 and was achieved by Ronnie O'Sullivan himself in 2001.

Ronnie O'Sullivan holds the record for making the most centuries in a best-of-9 match compiling five centuries (including a 147) to beat Ali Carter 5-2 at the 2007 Northern Ireland Trophy. Holds the record for the most unanswered points during a match. He scored 556 points without reply during his 6-0 whitewash against Ricky Walden in the 2014 Masters. He also finished the entire match in less than 1 hour in doing so. Has a perfect head to head record against opponent Ali Carter. He and Carter met in 13 televised matches with Ronnie winning all 13. In 2004, he appeared on British motoring show Top Gear as the "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car", and finished with a time of 1:47.3 around the test track in a Suzuki Liana. When he first displayed this left-handed ability in the 1996 World Championship against Alain Robidoux, the Canadian accused him of disrespect. O'Sullivan responded that he played better with his left hand than Robidoux could with his right.

He was summoned to a disciplinary hearing in response to Robidoux's formal complaint, where he had to prove that he could play to a high level with his left hand. He played three frames of snooker against former world championship runner-up Rex Williams, winning all three. The charge of bringing the game into disrepute was subsequently dropped. Has achieved the most centuries at the Crucible Theatre, breaking Stephen Hendry's record of 127 Crucible centuries. As of 2014, he has scored 144 century breaks during the Snooker World Championship. Attended Wanstead High School. Spoke very highly of John Higgins playing style. Is the cousin of female snooker player Maria Catalano, who has been ranked number one in the women's game. Has 3 children: Taylor-Ann Magnus (born 1996) from a two-year relationship with Sally Magnus. Lily (born 2006) and Ronnie Jr. (born 2007) with his former girlfriend Jo Langley, whom he met at Narcotics Anonymous. His introduction song is "Let Me Entertain You" by Robbie Williams .

His mother Maria is from Sicily and his paternal grandfather hails from Cork, Ireland. Is a keen football fan and supports Arsenal. Grew up, and still lives, in the Manor Road area in Chigwell, Essex, an affluent suburb of London. Since February 2013 became engaged to British actress Laila Rouass . Parents are Ronald John O'Sullivan and Maria O'Sullivan (née Catallana). Snooker player Peter Ebdon called him The Mozart of Snooker. Personal Quotes (13) Looking for perfection is the only way to motivate yourself. My dad's method in his madness was to try every sport and then observe what I liked. I played football, tennis, golf, cricket but I loved my snooker. Running clears my mind, and gives me a reason to get out of bed in the morning. The relentless pursuit of perfection has been my problem over the years. It's maybe held me back. I don't think I suffered with depression, I don't think I'm a depressed type of person - I just think I suffered a depression to do with snooker, and I just couldn't handle it.

I could go out and play, but take me out of there and I couldn't do life. It was a nightmare, my life just felt like a bit of a nightmare. I've been semi-successful. I've done all right but I'm not the player I was. Who do I think will win the world championship? John Higgins. Have I been good for snooker? I don't know. People think I don't like interviews but I don't mind speaking about proper and interesting stuff. When it's stupid stuff to build your image and you are told to mention this and mention that, I hate it. The most important thing, the biggest love of my life, is my snooker. I've never been so emotionally ingrained in something - in a person, an object, anything - as I have in snooker. On playing against John Higgins at the 2016 Scottish Open: John's done fantastic things in snooker along with Stephen Hendry , probably two of the greatest sportsmen Scotland has ever had, so it will be a fantastic occasion. But there are so many good players left in the draw and, from Friday onwards, the crowds are going to be entertained by some high-quality snooker.

When I stopped taking drugs I got really depressed. I was struggling with life. It's a bit chicken and egg. I was depressed because I'd stopped drinking and taking drugs, but I only drank and took drugs in the first place because I was depressed. Ultimately I'd rather be clean and depressed than on drugs and depressed. At least there's a way out, and you're reliant on your natural feelings - if you're down you really are down; if you're up, you are genuinely up. It's so strange that the more successful you become, the more people want to give you things. And the more you can afford, the more people want to give you things for nothing. It doesn't seem right. I've tried a number of religions and gurus in my time, including Buddhism, but ultimately they didn't do as much for my peace of mind as snooker. I just want to live for the moment. Tomorrow's not important, next month is not important, what's happened in the past is not important. That is my journey. See also World Snooker Championship | Snooker Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Edit The first championship was held in 1927 and Joe Davis helped to organise the event.

Matches were held at various venues, and the final took place at Camkin's Hall, Birmingham. Joe Davis won the event, beating Tom Dennis 20-11. His prize money was £6.10s. The highest break of the tournament was 60 by Albert Cope. In subsequent years, finals were held at various venues. Joe Davis won every year until 1940. Despite an upsurge in interest in snooker there were only two entrants for the 1931 professional championship . The event was staged in the back room of a Nottingham pub, owned by Tom Dennis . The fact that he was playing on his own table didn't help as Joe Davis ran out a 25-21 winner for his fifth consecutive victory. In 1940, Joe Davis just beat his younger brother Fred 37-36. No tournaments were organised during the remaining World War II and it only resumed in 1946 when Joe Davis won again for the 15th time, a record that still stands. Joe Davis never contested the world championship again, though he continued to play professional snooker.

Walter Donaldson won in 1947, but it was Fred Davis who dominated the next few years, winning it three times in 1948, 1949 and 1951. In 1952, as a result of a disagreement between the governing bodies (the Billiards Association and Control Council), and some of the players, two tournaments were held. The World Matchplay , organised by the players and widely viewed as the "real" world championship, continued until 1957. The BA&CC event only lasted one year. Meanwhile the 'official' world championship did attract two entrants in 1952, Horace Lindrum (Australia) beating New Zealand's Clark McConachy – and it is Lindrum's name that is inscribed on the familiar trophy. Snooker then went into a period of decline, and no tournament was held between 1958 and 1963. In 1964 it was revived on a challenge basis, a format which lasted until 1968. This meant that matches took place on an irregular basis, sometimes more than once a year.

John Pulman completely dominated during this period, overcoming all challengers in a total of seven matches. The championship reverted back to a knockout tournament in 1969. That year it was won by John Spencer , but it was Ray Reardon who was to dominate over the coming years, winning six times between 1970 and 1978. 1976 was the first year the championships were sponsored by the cigarette brand Embassy. The following year, the event moved to the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield and the BBC started providing major television coverage. The Crucible seats fewer than a thousand people with the front row of seats only a few feet from the players. This was about the time snooker started attracting very large television audiences and for many fans it is synonymous with snooker. The most successful players at the Crucible are Steve Davis , who won six times in the 1980s, and Stephen Hendry , who won seven times in the 1990s. Recently, the tournament has been more open, with six different players winning in the 2000s.

In the 1985 final , Dennis Taylor beat Steve Davis 18-17 on the final ball of the final frame, in one of the most closely contested matches of all time. It finished at 00:19 but was superseded as the latest finish first by the 2006 final (00:52 BST), then the 2007 final (00:55 BST). In 2004 , the championship offered a total of £1,378,920 in prize money, including £250,000 for the winner and £125,000 for the runner-up. A further £147,000 was on offer for a 147 break, though no player achieved this. Recent legislation has placed restrictions on tobacco advertising, including sponsorship of sporting events. Embassy had a special dispensation to continue snooker sponsorship until 2005. The Championship is currently sponsored by Betfred.com after 888.com pulled out of their five year sponsorship deal after three years.

On 15 April 2009, the World Snooker Championship website announced that Betfred.com would be the new sponsor of the World Championship for the next four years. On 27 April 2009, it was confirmed that the World Championships would stay at the Crucible for at least another five years (until 2014). Winners In the 2009 Championship, Stephen Hendry won his 1000th frame at the Crucible Theatre , against Ding Junhui . Horace Lindrum of Australia, who won in 1952, Cliff Thorburn of Canada, who won in 1980 and Ken Doherty of Ireland, who won in 1997, are the only champions from outside the United Kingdom. Lindrum's official title is often discounted, as most of the best players did not compete. Surprise winners at the Crucible include Joe Johnson and Shaun Murphy , who won in 1986 and 2005 respectively against odds of 150-1 each, and Terry Griffiths , whose 1979 victory came in only his second professional tournament.

Jimmy White has reached six finals, but has never won. The closest he came was 18-17 in 1994 against Stephen Hendry , on his 32nd birthday. Ronnie O'Sullivan is the only finalist in the modern era to have never lost in a final. Ken Doherty is the only player to have won the world title at junior, amateur and professional level. Stephen Hendry holds the record for the longest unbeaten run at the Crucible Theatre . He won the Championship every year between 1992 and 1996, and continued unbeaten until the 1997 final. John Parrott is the only player to have recorded a whitewash in the final tournament. He beat Eddie Charlton 10-0 in the first round in 1992 . Since the tournament has been held at the Crucible only two players have successfully defended a world title: Steve Davis in 1984, 1988 and 1989, and Stephen Hendry 1993-1996. No player has successfully defended his first title in the modern era.

Media coverage Edit BBC coverage used to be hosted from its inception in 1976 until 2000 by David Vine with commentary by Ted Lowe . Since 2000 the BBC coverage has been hosted by Hazel Irvine or Ray Stubbs or more recently with Rishi Persad when Hazel or Ray are unavailable. Commentary is by a raft of ex-pros and current pros including Willie Thorne , Dennis Taylor , John Virgo , John Parrott , Steve Davis , Ken Doherty , Clive Everton , Terry Griffiths and Neal Foulds . The BBC will continue to televise this event (along with three other tournaments) until 2011. IMG Media (initially as TWI) have produced the BBC's snooker coverage since 1998. Eurosport also provide coverage of the event.

Question: Which snooker player has scored a record 709 centuries in professional tournaments?
Answer: Stephen Hendry