best snooker world championship finals Ten Great Crucible Finals Friday 15 Apr 2016 07:02PM With the world’s greatest players descending on Sheffield for the Betfred World Snooker Championship, we take a look back at ten of the all-time great Crucible finals! 1977 saw the World Championship held at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield for the very first time – a venue which would go on to establish itself at the very heart of snooker for the next 39 years. John Spencer became the first ever player to lift the trophy in the legendary arena after beating Cliff Thorburn 25-21 in the final, claiming his third world title and the £6,000 winner’s cheque. 1977 was the World Championship since the world ranking system was introduced Spencer became the first player to win a world title with a two-piece cue John Virgo, Willie Thorne Patsy Fagan and Doug Mountjoy made their World Championship debut that year Steve Davis won his first of six world titles in 1981, taking home the silverware in Sheffield on his third attempt.

Having already claimed the scalps of Jimmy White, Alex Higgins, Terry Griffiths and defending champion Cliff Thorburn in the earlier rounds, Davis went on to beat Doug Mountjoy 18-12 in the final to become champion of the world. There were 13 century breaks in the tournament, equalling the all-time record set at in 1979 Mountjoy made a 145 break to set a new World Championship high break record, beating the 142 of Rex Williams in 1965 and Bill Werbeniuk in 1979. Making their world championship debuts were Jimmy White, Tony Knowles and Dave Martin Ten years on from his first World Championship title, Alex Higgins made an emotional return to the top after beating Ray Reardon 18-15 in a spectacular 1982 final. At 15-15 in the final session, Higgins went on to win the next three frames, sealing the victory with a 135 break to claim his second world title. A tearful Higgins then summoned his wife and baby daughter from the crowd after the victory.

The previous three world champions – also the top three seeds – were all defeated in the opening round: defending champion Steve Davis, 1979 champion Terry Griffiths and 1980 champion Cliff Thorburn Jim Donnelly became the first Scottish player to play at the Crucible We couldn’t possibly leave this out, could we? Finals don’t come better than this – Dennis Taylor won his only World Championship in 1985 after beating Steve Davis 18-17 on the last black in a final that would become one of the most famous sporting moments in history. Davis led 62–44 in the decider, with only the last four colours on the table… We’ll let the video tell the rest! The final attracted 18.5 million viewers on the BBC, finishing at 12:25am The 35th and final frame lasted 68 minutes Stephen Hendry became the youngest player ever to win a World Championship in 1990, winning the first of seven titles at at the Crucible at just 21 years and 106 days.

Hendry beat Jimmy White in the final, with the Scotsman holding just a two frame lead after the first day’s play at 9-7 up. Hendry then pulled away into a 13-7 lead, with White closing the gap to within four frames during the final session. At 16-12 up, Hendry then sunk 81 and a final 71 to seal his maiden world title and make his mark in the history books. Another notable World Championship triumph for Stephen Hendry came in 1994 when he won his fourth world title, beating Jimmy White 18-17 in the deciding frame. This was White’s fifth consecutive world championship final – his fourth against Hendry – and he had first chance in the decider only to miss the black off the spot. Hendry then cleared to take home his fourth world title in five years. Losing 14–16 to Jimmy White in the semis, Steve Davis Davis failed to reach the final for the first time since 1982 After losing in the opening round, Alex Higgins punched an official in the stomach at the post-match press conference.

This, along with a threat to have Dennis Taylor shot at the 1980 World Cup, led to Higgins being banned for the 90/91 season. It was John Higgins’ time to shine in 1998 as he won his first of four World Championship titles, beating the then-defending champion Ken Doherty in the final 18-12. In doing so, Stephen Hendry’s eight-year reign as world number one was ended, Higgins rising to the top after a first round exit for his fellow Scotsman. 1998 saw Hendry lose in the first round for the first time since his Crucible debut in 1986 Ken Doherty came closer than any other player bar Joe Johnson to breaking the ‘Crucible Curse’ 2001 was the year that Ronnie O’Sullivan won the first of five world titles in Sheffield, overcoming John Higgins 18-14 in a spectacular final to take home the £250,000 top prize. Having already won the UK Championship twice and the Masters, O’Sullivan completed the Triple Crown.

Both Steve Davis and Jimmy White failed to qualify for World Championship for the first time in their careers since 1979 and 1981 respectively Widely regarded as one of the greatest World Championship finals in recent history, 2013 saw Ronnie O’Sullivan beat Barry Hawkins 18-12 in the final to clinch his fifth world title. Despite having only played a single competitive match all season, O’Sullivan did not lose a session throughout the World Championship. The victory also meant O’Sullivan joined Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry as the only players to successfully defend their titles at the Crucible. O’Sullivan became the first player to make six centuries in a World Championship final O’Sullivan’s 103 break in frame 15 was his 128th century at the Crucible, breaking Stephen Hendry’s record of 127 Last year’s Betfred World Championship undoubtedly goes down as one of the most exciting in recent years.

Stuart Bingham – a 50-1 outsider at the start of the tournament – rattled through a tough field including Graeme Dott, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump and eventually Shaun Murphy to win his first world title in his 20-year career as a professional. The tournament itself set a new record for the most century breaks at the Crucible – 86 beating the record set in 2009 of 83. The final was a strong reflection of this high standard, with six century breaks and 24 more over 50 in 33 frames. In the opening session Murphy led 3-0, only for Bingham to fight back at 4-4. In the second, Murphy pulled away to move 8-4 up, but again Bingham came back to win four of the next five frames and reduce his lead to 9-8 overnight. In the third session, Bingham led by 14-11 only for Murphy to level at 15-15 into the concluding session.

Bingham eventually added three frames to seal the victory, making him the oldest player to win the world title since Ray Reardon in 1978, and take him to a career-high second in the world rankings. Related News Metrics Leap For World Snooker Social Media 30 Dec 2016 Stephen Hendry – Pro Snooker Blog Highest Ranking: #1 (1990-8, 2006/7) Highest Break: 147×11 Career Highlights: Seven times World Champion, Five times UK Champion, Six times Masters Champion, Four times British Open Champion, Four times Grand Prix Champion, Three times European Open Champion, Three times Welsh Open Champion In short For me the greatest player ever to have played the game, Stephen Hendry has done it all in his long and illustrious career. With more world titles, more ranking event titles and more centuries than any other player he holds nearly every record in the book. At his best Hendry was the finest break builder the game has ever seen. Never one for a prolonged safety exchange, he would typically drill in a long red before using his skills around the black spot and expert use of the middle pockets to score yet another century break.

Not only this but he had one of the strongest temperaments the game has ever seen as he showed by winning the 1991 Masters from 8-2 down against Mike Hallett, or the 1992 World final 18-14 from being 14-8 down. When the pressure is on Hendry could come through more often than not and this relentless attitude arguably just as important to his success as his undoubted talent for the game. It was this combination of talent and temperament that made him so strong during the early part of the 90’s and when at his very best, set his level apart from anything I have seen before or since. Early Career When Stephen’s parents Irene and Gordon bought him a snooker table for £137 as a Christmas present back in 1981, little could they have known what a life changing decision this would prove to be. Within a fortnight he had knocked in a fifty break and it was not long before he had scored his first century at the Classic Snooker Centre in Dumfries.

Hendry continued to work hard as a youngster, attracting the interest of Ian Doyle who was to soon become his manager when he comprehensively beat his son Lee in a tournament. Amongst other titles he won the Scottish Amateur Championship twice and having turned pro in July 1985 aged just 16, he won the Scottish Professional Championship for the first time the following year. On the main tour he rapidly moved up the rankings and made a mark on the biggest stage, famously earning a round of applause from his opponent Willie Thorne following a debut defeat at the Crucilble in 1986. It is worth noting that barely four years after he first picked up a cue, Hendry was competing at the Crucible with the best in the world, an incredible achievement for such a short career. It was not all easy however as in January 1987 Hendry took part in a tour of Scotland, playing a series of matches against the best player in the world back then, Steve Davis. Hendry was hammered 6-0 and was thoroughly outplayed.

He did however learn a great deal from this, himself saying that out of that series came a “much tougher” Stephen Hendry and he was soon back on the winning trail. Breakthrough His first major victory was to come in the 1987 Winfield Masters in Australia, beating John Campbell, Cliff Thorburn, Alex Higgins and finally Mike Hallett in the final. Soon to follow was his first ranking event victory at the Rothmans Grand Prix where he gained his revenge over Davis in the last 16 before eventually capturing the title with a 10-7 win over Dennis Taylor in the final. A young Hendry having won the first of four Grand Prix titles He went on that season to add the British Open, World Doubles and a third Scottish Professional title to his collection and ended the season ranked at a career high of fourth in the world. Dominance He continued to impress, winning the first of six Masters titles and moving up to third in the rankings by the end of the following year before things really took off in the 1989/1990 season. During this he won no fewer than seven titles, including the UK Championship, his second Masters and most importantly of all his first world title in Sheffield.

In beating Jimmy White 18-12 that April he became the youngest ever world champion, a record that still stands today, and became Scotland’s first world champion since Walter Donaldson in 1950. There was no looking back for Hendry now and in the following season he won an unprecedented five ranking events as well as successfully defending the B&H Masters at Wembley. Indeed the only shock for Hendry was that his world title defence failed at the quarter-final stage where he lost to Englishman Steve James. In 1991/2 he maintained his relentless form and won a further eight titles, including a fourth straight Masters title having beaten John Parrott 9-4 in the final. Most importantly though he successfully claimed his second world title, recovering from 14-8 down against Jimmy White in the final by taking the next ten frames in arguably the great comeback the Crucible has seen. The next season was much the same, the titles continued to come as Hendry took his fifth Masters title on the spin and once again beat Jimmy White in the world final. This was a much more straightforward match for Hendry however who immediately set the tone in the opening frame with a perfect century break and never really looked back.

The 1994 World final was another matter however as Hendry clinched his fourth title in the most unlikely circumstances. Following a hotel room slip earlier in the tournament, Hendry fractured his elbow and when not at the table had to wear a sling and was experiencing pain when getting up from his shots. Despite this however he made the final where once again he would face Jimmy White in what was a much closer affair. Eventually the match went into a deciding frame and for a while it looked like White was finally going to win his first title. This was until he surprisingly missed a routine black off the spot which allowed Hendry back to the table who made no mistake, clearing up for frame and the match. Soon after this match Hendry was to be awarded an MBE and he continued his dominance of the sport, winning both the UK and world titles for a further two years. This brought him level with Steve Davis and Ray Reardon on six world championships, though it was to be a little while before he could surpass their records. He also managed to clam a sixth Masters crown in 1996, following which the organisers allowed him to keep the trophy permanently.

At this stage with the likes of John Higgins, Mark Williams and Ronnie O’Sullivan now approaching the top of their game, there was a real sense of there being a “big four” in snooker and this made it tougher for Hendry to maintain his success. He was defeated in the 1997 World Championship by Ireland’s Ken Doherty and lost his world number 1 ranking the following year when John Higgins managed to win the title. Seventh heaven Hendry was not to be denied his place in the record books by bettering Davis and Reardon’s tally of six world titles however, taking victory against Mark Williams in 1999 to take a well deserved seventh World Championship. In addition it came on the back of a relatively unsuccessful couple of seasons where questions had been asked about Hendry’s desire for the game, culminating in a shock 9-0 defeat to Marcus Campbell at the UK Championship. This proved to be a turning point however and Hendry hit back like the champion he is to take his most difficult world title to date. In fact it is arguable that his path to glory this year was the most difficult any player has had to come through.

In the first three rounds he defeated Paul Hunter, James Wattana and Matthew Stevens who have all won ranking event titles before beating future world champions Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Williams in the final stages. Recent Years Since then he continued to win titles for several years but was unable to dominate like he used to in the early 1990’s. Not helped by losing his original cue to a baggage handling accident in 2003, he hasn’t quite been able to play to the same standard in recent years and has failed to capture a title since the 2005 Malta Cup. For a long time however he was able to remain ranked inside the top ten of the rankings however and continued to be occasionally run deep in ranking events, making the final of the UK Championship in 2006, as well as the semi-finals of the World Championship for the 11th time (another record), in May 2008. 2008/9 Having finished the 2007/8 season so well, the following season was something of a struggle for Stephen as he suffered a string of round one defeats to the likes of Ricky Walden, Stephen Lee and Martin Gould.

His confidence was visibly low and many of his defeats appeared to follow a similar pattern as he battled hard to stay in touch until the end of the match before his opponents find that little bit of extra quality to pull away and win. Despite a strong run to the semi-finals of the inaugural Bahrain Championship where he was to come unstuck against Matthew Stevens, at one stage he was in real danger of losing his place in the top 16 for the first time since the 1987/8 season. Crucially however, runs to the quarter-finals of both the China Open and the World Championship ensured that he would maintain his place among the elite for at least another season. His run at the Crucible in particular was a memorable one as having emerged from a scrappy opening match with good friend Mark Williams, he rolled back the years with a vintage performance to defeat Ding Junhui in the last 16 for the second successive season. Although he was to lose in what was an 18th World Championship quarter-final (a record), against Shaun Murphy, he at least had the consolation of making his ninth competitive maximum break , his second at the Crucible and his first since 2001.

2009/10 The first half of Stephen’s 2009/10 season saw three opening round victories in ranking events followed by three disappointing last 16 defeats as he struggled to produce his best form on a consistent basis. His most impressive victory was that which saw him come back from 4-0 down to win 5-4 against Marcus Campbell in the Shanghai Masters, marking the first time that Hendry had done this in a ranking event match. Away from the main tour, Stephen was able to lift his first trophy of any kind since the 2005 Malta Cup by taking victory in the inaugural Legends of Snooker event in Glenrothes. There he defeated Tony Drago, Cliff Thorburn and Ken Doherty to win the title and a prize of £10,000. 2010 saw Stephen again change his cue and although he lost to Shaun Murphy in January’s Wembley Masters, his performance was much improved and he followed this up with an excellent display against Dave Harold at the Welsh Open before he was defeated by Ryan Day in the second round.

Hendry was soon to gain his revenge for that defeat however as in Beijing he finally managed to make it to the last eight of a ranking event for the first time during 2009/10, wins over Andrew Higginson and Day setting up a clash with Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen. With the likes of O’Sullivan, Higgins and Selby already out of the tournament, Stephen was in with a genuine chance to claim another ranking title and at 4-2 up against Allen looked to be gaining further momentum. What followed however was an excellent fightback from Allen who bounced back to take the next three frames and secure a 5-4 victory. The season ending World Championship saw Stephen drawn against Zhang Anda in what was an intriguing match-up. Few gave Zhang a chance heading into the match and at 4-0 down by the interval you could see why, but from then on it was a completely different match as Hendry began to make errors and Zhang grew in confidence on his way to a 9-7 lead.

On the brink and with the vultures circling (literally as the press box filled up), Stephen then showed his class with three near-flawless frames, producing his best when it really mattered as he has so often during his career. Unfortunately for the Scot however he was unable to reproduce this form in the next round against Mark Selby and despite a strong start, slumped to a 13-5 defeat, his ranking falling one place to 11th as a result. 2010/11 Having struggled for victories during the previous campaign, Stephen’s struggles continued into 2010/11 as he failed to make an impression during the Players Tour Championship and also suffered a last 32 defeat at the Shanghai Masters. Although he did improve at the World Open with victories against both Bjorn Haneveer and Mark Davis, he could not match Ronnie O’Sullivan in his third match and slipped to a 3-1 defeat. From there he continued to win his opening round matches, notably defeating old rival Jimmy White 9-8 in the UK Championship but could not progress further which left his top 16 status very much in the balance throughout the course of the season.

There was a moment of cheer at the Welsh Open however as he recorded a tenth career 147 break during his last 16 match against Stephen Maguire, but the fact that he lost that match was typical of his campaign as a whole. He entered the season-ending World Championship knowing that at least one win would be required if he were to remain inside the top 16 and despite an erratic performance against Joe Perry, particularly during the second session, Stephen was able to come through 10-9 on the colours to secure an important victory. As was the case 12 months previously however, he could do nothing to stop an inspired Mark Selby who knocked in a record six century breaks during their last 16 match to move into the quarter-finals. Crucially however Stephen was just able to cling on to a place inside the top 16 thanks to a 13-12 win for Ding Junhui against Stuart Bingham in one of the subsequent matches and this appeared to play a significant role in Stephen’s decision not to retire from snooker at the end of the season.

2011/12 Having retained his top 16 status at the end of the previous season, Stephen made an impressive start to 2011/12 at the Australian Goldfields Open with a strong win against Martin Gould in the first round, but defeats to Matt Selt in his next match as well as Robert Milkins in the Shanghai Masters effectively condemned the seven-times world champion to losing his elite status at the first mid-season seedings revision. At the 2011 PTC2 event Consistent performances followed during the PTC events, while his fortunes during his initial forays to the qualifiers were mixed, victory at the UK Championship qualifiers against Gerard Greene being somewhat overshadowed by a 5-1 defeat to James Wattana in the German Masters. The second half of Stephen’s season was to be quietly impressive as he made it to the semi-finals of the PTC12 event where he lost narrowly to Stephen Maguire, while he was able to successfully qualify for all of the remaining ranking event tournaments during the season, including the season-ending World Championship at the Crucible for a record 27th consecutive occasion.

Little was expected of Stephen in Sheffield and perhaps this was to help him, as having arrived back in the UK just a day earlier, he caused a sensation on the opening day of the tournament as he made his 11th career maximum break against Stuart Bingham, his third at the Crucible. That break helped him on the way to a 10-4 victory against Stuart Bingham, before he then progressed further with an emphatic 13-4 win against defending champion and old rival John Higgins to move into his 19th World Championship quarter-final. That was to be as far as he would progress however as following a 13-2 drubbing at the hands of Stephen Maguire, Hendry then chose to announce his retirement from the sport with immediate effect, thus ending perhaps snooker’s greatest career. Click here to read my tribute to Stephen Hendry – Snooker’s Number One Star Tournament Victories: BBC SPORT | Other Sport | Snooker | World Championship facts and figures Printable version World Championship facts and figures All the stats you need to know for the 2005 World Snooker Championship at The Crucible in Sheffield.

Champions 2004 final: O'Sullivan 18-8 Dott It was the Englishman's second title, but he will have to win five more to match Stephen Hendry's record of seven titles. The Scot won his first in 1990, making him the youngest world champion at the age of 21 years and 106 days. Steve Davis has claimed six championships, and along with Hendry, is the only man to have succesfully defended his title. Jimmy White is the sole man to have appeared in more than one final without ever winning the title - losing on six occasions, five in a row. Davis appeared in a record seven consecutive finals from 1983, winning five, and one of the two finals he lost was the longest in the tournament's history. That climax 20 years ago featured Dennis Taylor, who won through 18-17, potting the final black 10 minutes shy of 15 hours after the match had begun. This year's prize fund is ï¿½1,121,800.

The winner will receive ï¿½250,000, with the runner-up claiming the consolation of ï¿½125,000. Ray Reardon won ï¿½3,500 when winning the first Embassy title in 1976. Year 1997 - Ronnie O'Sullivan 2003 - Ronnie O'Sullivan There were 68 centuries in total that year, a tournament best, nine more than the previous record of 59 from 1998. In the last decade over 500 centuries have been scored at the Crucible, and, since his debut in 1986, Hendry has recorded more than 100 tons - another championship record. Only four men have managed to score maximums at the Embassy World Championship. Cliff Thorburn was the first to make the magical 147 in 1983 and has since been followed by Jimmy White, Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan. O'Sullivan's first effort, timed at five minutes and 20 seconds, is the fastest in the history of the sport.

The highest break at this year's tournament has a prize of ï¿½14,000, with a maximum earning ï¿½147,000. Year Stephen Hendry profiles Stephen Hendry Stephen Hendry Just as Steve Davis had dominated the 1980s, the 1990s belonged to Stephen Hendry. In that decade, Stephen won no less than 28 ranking titles and countless other major victories. In 1983, at the National Under-16 Championship, a 14 year-old boy, Stephen Hendry stepped out by winning the title and appeared on Junior Pot Black barely able to reach across the table. At 15, Stephen was Scottish Amateur champion and became the youngest ever entrant in the World Amateur the same year. After he retained that Scottish title in 1985, at 16 he became the youngest ever professional. In his first season as a pro (1985/86), he reached the last 32 of the Mercantile Credit Classic, but lost to Willie Thorne in the first round at the Crucible.

After becoming the youngest Scottish Professional champion, he ended the season half way up the ranking list at 51. The next year, he gets to the quarter-final of the Grand Prix and the semi-final of the Mercantile. He lost in the deciding frame to Joe Johnson in the world quarter-finals. After he reached the final of the World Doubles with Mike Hallett, Stephen retained his Scottish pro title and was up to 23rd in the rankings. During his third pro season, Stephen claimed his first ranking titles: the Grand prix and the British Open. He also won the Australian Masters, a third successive Scottish Professional title and , again with Mike Hallett, the World Doubles, ending the season at number four in rankings. During the season 1988/89, he failed to get any ranking event titles, but made his first win in the Masters at Wembley as well as the New Zealand Masters. Despite his lack of a ranking victory he was up to third. Stephen hasn’t failed to win a ranking event in any season since.

In 1989/90 he picked up the UK Championship, Dubai Classic and Asian Open titles adding the Scottish and Wembley Masters before arriving at Sheffield as favorite to lift the world crown. At the age of 21 he had already won all the games major prizes. The number one ranking position was his! In 1990/91 he picked up further five ranking events, a record for a single season, but he failed to retain his world title. The World Championship title was regained in 1992 together with victories in the Grand Prix and Welsh Open as well as some six other titles including a fourth consecutive Benson & Hedges Masters, which he would make five in 1993. Season 1994/95: Wins the UK Championship (10-5 against Ken Doherty), the European Open (9-3 John Parrott) and the World Championship (18-9 Nigel Bond) Gets into the semi-finals of : Dubai Classic (4-6 Alan McManus) And to the quarter-finals of: Grand Prix (2-5 Dave Harold), Regal Welsh Open (1-5 Chris Small) and British Open (1-5 John Parrott).

Season 1995/96: Wins the Grand Prix (9-5 John Higgins), the UK Championship (10-3 Peter Ebdon) and the World Championship (18-12 Peter Ebdon) Loses in the semi-finals of Thailand Classic (4-5 John Parrott), German Open (3-6 Ken Doherty) and Thailand Open (against Ken Doherty). Season 1996/97: Retains the UK championship title (10-9 John Higgins) and wins also the Regal Welsh (9-2 Mark King) and the International Open (9-1 Tony Drago) Gets to the semi-finals in Thailand (4-5 Nigel Bond) Loses in the quarter-finals at German Open (2-5 Ronnie O'Sullivan) and at the European Open (2-5 James Wattana). Season 1997/98: Wins the Thailand Masters (9-6 John Parrott) Reaches the quarter-finals of the German Open (3-5 John Parrott).

Season 1998/99: Wins both Scottish Championship (9-1 Graeme Dott) and World Championship (18-11 Mark Williams) In China , gets to the semi-finals (2-6 Billy Snaddon) Loses in the quarter-finals: Grand Prix (4-5 Dave Harold), Irish (4-5 Tony Drago), Thailand (2-5 Mark Williams) and British Championship (3-5 Anthony Hamilton). Season 1999/2000: Wins the British Championship (9-5 Peter Ebdon) Gets into the semi-finals at: UK Championship (6-9 Mark Williams) and in China (4-6 Stephen Lee) But only to the quarter-finals in Malta (2-5 Stephen Lee). Season 2000/01: Gets into the semis at Uk Championship (4-9 John Higgins) and in China (3-6 Ronnie O'Sullivan) Loses in the quarter-finals of British Championship (3-5 Peter Ebdon), Welsh one (3-5 Ken Doherty) and at the World Championship (5-13 Matthew Stevens).

Season 2001/02: Wins the European Championship (9-2 Joe Perry) Makes it to the semi-finals at the LG Cup (beaten 4-6) and at the Welsh one (4-6 Ken Doherty) Loses in the quarter-finals at the UK Championship (8-9 Mark Williams), in Thailand (3-5 Ronnie O'Sullivan) and at the Scottish one (3-5 David Gray). At the World Championship, Peter Ebdon defeats him 18-17. Season 2002/03: Wins the Regal Welsh Open (9-5 Mark Williams) Loses in the semi-finals: Benson & Hedges Masters (4-10 Mark Williams) and European Open (6-9 Ronnie O'Sullivan). Season 2003/04: Wins the British Open (9-6 Ronnie O’Sullivan) Loses in semi-finals at the Travis Perkins UK Championship (8-10 Mark Williams) and at the World Championship (4-17 Ronnie O'Sullivan) Gets only to the quarter-finals at the Welsh Open (4-5 Marco Fu) and at the Daily Record Players Championship (4-5 Ken Doherty).

Season 2004/2005: British Open: Hendry loses his match against John Higgins in the quarter finals (2-5). Premier League: in the semi-final, Hendry loses to Ronnie O'Sullivan 0-5. Welsh Open: Hendry gets into the final, but yet again loses to Ronnie O'Sullivan (8-9). Malta Cup: wins the final against Graeme Dott (9-7). Masters: in the quarter finals, Hendry loses to John Higgins (2-6). Irish Master: the history repeats itself, Hendry losing in the quarter finals (5-6) to Matthew Stevens. China Open: battling Ding Junhui in the final, Hendry loses 5-9. World Championship: loses 11-13 in the quarter finals against Matthew Stevens. Season 2005/2006: Northern Ireland Trophy: Hendry gets into the final, but loses 7-9 to Matthew Stevens. Premier League: Hendry wins the semi-final against Ding Junhui (5-2), but loses the final to Ronnie O'Sullivan (0-6).

Grand Prix: John Higgins wins the semi-final, beating Hendry (6-4). UK Championship: Hendry wins the quarter final against Allister Carter (9-7), but in the semi-final he loses 6-9 to Steve Davis. Malta Cup: loses the quarter final to John Higgins (2-5). China Open: Hendry gets into the quarter finals, but loses 1-5 to Mark Williams. Season 2006/2007: Northern Ireland Trophy: wins 5-3 against Ian McCulloch, but loses 4-5 to Stephen Lee . Pot Black: Hendry gets into the quarter finals, where he is defeated by Ken Doherty (0-1) UK Championship: Hendry wins the quarter final against Ronnie O'Sullivan with an amazing 9-1 and continues to the semi-final where he wins the match against Graeme Dott (9-7). In the final, Hendry is defeated by Peter Ebdon (6-10).

Masters: wins 6-3 to Shaun Murphy in the quarter finals, but loses in the semi-final to Ding Junhui (2-6) Malta Cup: loses the quarter final to Allister Carter (4-5) World Championship: Hendry wins the match against David Gilbert (10-7), but loses the one against Allister Carter (6-13). Season 2007/2008: Shanghai Masters: Hendry wins 5-2 against Nigel Bond, but loses the fallowing match to Stephen Lee (3-5). Premier League: Hendry makes it into the semi-final after defeating John Higgins (6-4), but loses 1-5 to Ronnie O'Sullivan. Pot Black: wins the quarter final against Neil Robertson (1-0), but is defeated by Shaun Murphy in the semi-final (0-1) Grand Prix: Hendry wins against Barry Hawkins (4-3). At the Northern Ireland Trophy he is defeated by Shaun Murphy (2-5) and at the UK Championship by Mark Allen (4-9). His bad luck continues at the Masters, where he loses 5-6 to Mark Selby.

Malta Cup: Hendry wins both matches against Mark Selby and Tony Drago (4-2), but loses 1-5 to Shaun Murphy. Welsh Open: after a win against Stephen Lee (5-2) in the quarter finals, Hendry loses the semi-final to Mark Selby (4-6). China Open: Hendry loses 1-5 to Barry Hawkins World Championship: Hendry loses in the semi-final 6-17 to Ronnie O'Sullivan, after winning the quarter final (13-7) against Ryan Day. Season 2008/2009: Northern Ireland Trophy: loses 1-5 to Stephen Lee Shanghai Masters: loses match 4-5 to Ricky Walden Grand Prix: wins match in first round against David Gilbert 5-4, but loses 2-5 to John Higgins Bahrain Championship: gets into the semi-final, but loses 4-6 to Matthew Stevens UK Championship: defeated by Stephen Lee at the Masters, Hendry loses to Neil Robertson and at the Welsh Open to Martin Gould China Open: wins match against Robert Milkins and also the one against Ricky Walden, but loses in the quarter final to Peter Ebdon.

World Championship: wins 10-7 in the first round against Mark Williams and continues by defeating Ding Junhui (13-10), during this match Hendry gets a 1000th frame won at the Crucible in which he also scored 140 points. Hendry loses 11-13 in the match against Shaun Murphy, but manages to get a 147 maximum break. It is the first time since season 1987/1988 that Hendry finds himself being ranked number 10 and outside the first eight. Season 2009/2010: Hendry manages to win all his opening matches, but doesn't reach the quarter-finals until the China Open, where he loses 4-5 to Mark Allen. In the Masters, Hendry loses in the first round. World Championship: wins 10-9 against Anda Zhang, but loses in the second round in the match against Mark Selby (5-13) At the senior tournament "Legends of Snooker", Hendry beats Ken Doherty 5-3 in the final.

Hendry loses 6-13 during the Challenge match with Ding Junhui in Beijing. Season 2010/2011: Shanghai Masters: loses 2-5 to Martin Gould World Open (Glasgow): Hendry whitewashes Bjorn Haneveer and Mark Davies (3-0), but loses 1-3 to Ronnie O'Sullivan. UK Championship (Telford): wins 9-8 to Jimmy White, but loses in second round against Mark Williams (6-9) Stephen Hendry reveals that he had been suffering of "the yips" (focal dystonia) for the last ten years, making even easy shots difficult to tackle. Masters: loses 3-6 to Neil Robertson Welsh Open: Hendry manages to get his 10th 147 break in the opening frame of the match against Stephen Maguire, but ends up losing the game. China Open: wins 5-0 to Matthew Stevens in the first round, but loses 2-5 to Ding Junhui in the second round. World Championship: Hendry beats Poe Perry in the deciding frame, but loses in the second round 4-13 to Mark Selby.

Season 2011/2012: Players Tour Championship: Hendry loses against Kyren Wilson (3-4) and after this event he ranks number 17 in the world. Australian Goldfields Open: Hendry reaches the second round and is ranked number 16. Shanghai Masters: loses 1-5 to Robert Milkins, and drops to number 21 in the world ranking, fact that doesn't allow him to participate for the first time in 23 years at the Masters. UK Championship: Hendry qualifies after beating Gerard Greene (6-2) in the final round, but loses 3-6 to Stephen Maguire in the first round of the Championship. 12th PTC Event: loses the match against Stephen Maguire (3-4). German Masters: after losing 1-5 to James Wattana in the qualifying match, Hendry doesn't play in a ranking tournament for the first time in 15 years.

Welsh Open: Hendry whitewashes Kurt Maflin (4-0) in the qualifying match and goes on to win 4-1 in the first round against Neil Robertson, but he loses 0-4 to Mark Allen in the fallowing round. World Open: loses 3-5 to Mark Allen. China Open: Hendry wins 5-4 against Martin Gould, but loses 3-5 to Neil Robertson. World Championship: Hendry celebrates his 27th consecutive appearance at the World Championship. He qualifies by winning the match against Yu Delu (10-6). On the opening day of the Championship, Hendry makes a final 147 break against Stuart Bingham, winning the match (10-4). Another win fallows against John Higgins (13-4). After Hendry's loss 2-13 to Stephen Maguire, he announces his retirement. Hendry explains that he is deeply dissatisfied with his standard of play in recent years and finds it difficult balancing competitive, commercial and personal commitments. Hendry also reveals that he made this decision several months ago and the thought of retirement had been on his mind for quite some time.

In 2013, at the World Seniors Championship, Stephen Hendry wins 2-1 against Jimmy White in the quarter-final, but loses 0-2 to Nigel Bond in the semi-final of the tournament. Born in South Queensferry, Edinburgh, Hendry was brought up in Fife, where he attended Inverkeithing High School. In 1995 Hendry married Mandy and in 1996 their first son, Blaine, was born. In 2004, his second son, Carter, was born. The Hendry family lives in the small town of Auchterarder, in Perthshire. Hendry has a passion for poker and he has appeared in several televised tournaments. Hendry's other hobbies include football and golf. In September 2003, Hendry had his cue broken, when returning to Scotland from the Thailand Open, due to the new legislation following the 9/11 terrorist attack. Hendry bought the cue for �40 when he was only 14 years old and he used it while winning his 7 world titles. In August 2011, Stephen Hendry Snooker Ltd.

was put into liquidation as a result of the application made by HM Revenue and Customs to the Glasgow Sheriff Court, in which HMRC claimed that the company owed more than �85000 in unpaid tax. Stephen Hendry founded the company when he was a teenager and became the sole director of Stephen Hendry Snooker Ltd. The company dealt with the promotions and sponsorships for the snooker player, who at that point in time was worth at least �10 millions. In 2004, Hendry was explaining why he set up Stephen Hendry Snooker Ltd. He said: "I've never played for the money. I never saw pound signs at the back of the pockets. Obviously it felt good to get my first big cheque. And I remember it well: �70,000 for the Rothmans Grand Prix when I was 18... It was a fortune ... but I never saw any of it. That's the benefit of having great management right from the start. Since I was 15, I had a company set up, Stephen Hendry Snooker Ltd. I was getting paid a wage every week.

Let's face it, if you were getting cheques like that every other week at 18 you would go off the rails in a minute. But that kept my feet firmly on the ground." Hendry was previously a director of Snooker Properties Ltd and Blacar Properties Ltd, but both have been dissolved. The same year, the sports agency that represented Hendry collapsed, owing �709,000. Stephen has won 36 ranking (record) and 78 titles in all (from 111 finals). He has won a record seven World championships, six Masters and five UK championships. After surpassing Steve Davis in 1990 he was the No. 1 player in the rankings until 1998. He became the youngest World Professional Champion, at 21 yr 106 days on 29 Apr 1990. Hendry was the first player to make more than two tournament 147s. His first was made in the 1992 Matchroom League and his second in the 1995 World Championship. The record-breaking third maximum came on 25 Nov 1995 in the UK Championship.

In total, Stephen Hendry made 11 maximum breaks: his fourth maximum on 5 Jan 1997 in the 1997 Liverpool Victoria Charity Challenge, 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 April 2009 at the World Championship, his tenth on 17 February 2011 at the Welsh Open and his eleventh on 21 April 2012 at the World Championship! Stephen 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.

From 17 Mar 1990 to his defeat by Jimmy White on 13 Jan 1991, the Scot won five successive titles and 36 consecutive matches in ranking tournaments. That's the longest unbeaten run ever. Hendry is one of only five players to win both the World Championship and the UK Championship in the same year. Steve Davis, John Parrott, John Higgins and Ronnie O'Sullivan are the others. Together with Steve Davis and John Higgins he is also the only one to hold the World, UK and Masters titles at the same time. Hendry holds the record for most tons by one player in a tournament. He made 16 centuries during the 2002 World Championship. Hendry had the most years ranked world no.1, the most career centuries (775) and the highest total prize money. He became only the second player to compile more than one maximum at the Crucible and the oldest player to make a maximum in professional competition. He also holds the records for the longest unbroken run of appearances at the World Championship (27 times) and the longest unbroken run inside the top 16 in the world rankings (23 seasons).

He was voted WPBSA Young Player of the Year in 1988 and Player of the Year in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995 and 1996. He was a member of Scottish teams that won the 1996 Castrol-Honda World Cup and the 2001 Coalite Nations Cup. He has defeated Jimmy White in four World Championship finals (1990, 1992-94). His career record against the "Whirlwind" is 27-13. Hendry had won their last 14 encounters before he was dumped 10-4 in the first round of the 1998 World Championship. In the 1998 UK Championship he suffered a career-worst 9-0 loss to Marcus Campbell in the first round.

Stephen had won all his 12 matches with Tony Drago before he was beaten thrice in a row, in the quarter-finals of the 1998 German Masters, the quarter-finals of the 1998 Irish Open and the second round of the 1999 Benson & Hedges Masters. (source: WWW SNOOKER) In 1987 and 1996, Stephen Hendry was chosen BBC Scotland Sports Personality of the Year. The WPBSA Performance of the Year award was given to Hendry in 1995. Undeniably, one of the greatest players of all times, Hendry was No 1 on the ranking list for eight years. Specialized in break building and centre pocket pots, he made well over 600 century breaks and earned nearly �8 million in prize money. In 1994 he was made Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by the Queen.

Author: Monica Hayes BBC SPORT | Other Sport | Snooker | Hendry books final berth Hendry books final berth Hendry beat O'Sullivan in the recent British Open final Stephen Hendry beat Ronnie O'Sullivan 9-4 to reach the final of the UK Championship in York on Saturday. The Scot will now meet Matthew Stevens as he goes in search of his second successive title. Hendry, the seven-times world champion, won the British Open in Brighton earlier this month. Welshman Stevens reached the final by beating Jimmy White in the first semi-final on Friday. "I won every frame in one visit and when you're doing that there's nothing the other guy can do about it, no matter who he is," said Hendry. "I'm playing great - I couldn't be happier with my game. "I had a bit of luck as well in the first session but you get that when you're playing well and you have to enjoy it while it lasts." Hendry led 6-2 after the opening session only for O'Sullivan to close the gap to just two frames, the Englishman completing a 138 total clearance in frame nine, his 12th century of the tournament. That's the way it goes...

that's snooker Ronnie O'Sullivan But Hendry claimed the next with breaks of 74 and 53 before restoring his four-frame advantage with a break of 65 in the next. The Scot then wrapped up victory with a break of 109. O'Sullivan was bitterly disappointed and was able to utter only a few words at his post-match press conference. "That's the way it goes. That's snooker," he said. Hendry's victory means he becomes the first player to appear in UK finals in three separate decades. He was beaten 16-12 by Doug Mountjoy in 1988, won the title in 1990 and 1991 and from 1994-1996 and was runner-up to O'Sullivan in 1993 and 1997. To equal Steve Davis' record of six UK titles, Hendry must now overcome in-form Stevens.

Frame scores S HENDRY (Sco) 9-4 R O'SULLIVAN (Eng) 76-2 (67) 119-8 (118) 11-94 (94) 25-59 85-5 (85) 84-5 (84) 74-0 (66) 80-1 (71) 0-138 (138) 0-89 (85) 127-0 (74,53) 67-36 (65) 115-1 (109) Hendry retires - Snooker - Eurosport See alsoWorld Championship: LIVE "I am officially retired now from tournament snooker," he said. "I made the decision about three months ago. "I didn't tell many people. I only told two or three people, but this is me finished from tournament snooker. "It was quite an easy decision. There's a few reasons. The schedule didn't help. The fact that I'm not playing the snooker I want to play didn't help.

The fact I'm not enjoying practice doesn't help. "I want to do other things. I've got a lot of commitments now in China, which I've signed up for and I can't do that and play snooker because I would never be at home." Hendry, who turned professional as a 16-year-old in 1985, won his first world title in 1990, beating popular Londoner Jimmy White, to begin a period of dominance that kept him at No.1 in the rankings until 1998. His attacking style and pure potting ability made him one of the most attractive players to watch and he bounced back in 1999 to win his seventh and final world crown. During the past decade Hendry's star began to fade and he was overtaken by a new generation of players including Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins. He made his 11th maximum break in this year's tournament but felt the time was right to call time on his glorious career. "The time is right for me," he added. "If I'd have won the title it would have been an even better way to go out.

"I'm delighted I made a maximum here, that's why I was more animated than normal when making it. I was delighted to do it on my last appearance here." Jimmy White reacted to the news of his former rival's retirement on Twitter. White wrote: "He was and is an unbelievable snooker player & has nothing to prove I hope he enjoys his retirement he really deserves it! "He's always put snooker first, been a model professional, credit to the game and I'll see him in the legends tour this year for more battles. "I thank him sincerely for some of the best matches and memories of my own career I'm not sure his records will ever be equalled!" On the same topic Stephen Hendry retires after World Snooker Championship defeat - BBC Sport BBC Sport Stephen Hendry retires after World Snooker Championship defeat 2 May 2012 Media playback is not supported on this device Tribute to Stephen Hendry Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry has announced his retirement from snooker after a heavy 13-2 defeat by Stephen Maguire at the Crucible.

The 43-year-old, who looked out of sorts against Maguire in a one-sided World Championship quarter-final, said he made the decision three months ago. He said: "There's a few reasons - the schedule, the fact I'm not playing the snooker I want to play, and the fact I'm not enjoying practice. Rivals react to Hendry retirement on Twitter Shaun Murphy: "Most successful snooker player of all time, Stephen Hendry retires. Can't believe it." Ian McCulloch: "All the paracetamol in the world couldn't cure the headaches Hendry gave me but I always looked forward to playing him." Stuart Bingham: "A sad day for snooker as the best player who's ever picked up a cue retires! It's been an absolute honour being on the same table." Mark King: "Just heard Stephen Hendry has retired from professional snooker, I can't believe it, the tour won't be the same without him." Neal Foulds: "I somehow beat Stephen 5-4 in my first ranking match with him when he was 16 in Warrington.

Never got close to beating the great man again." Referee Paul Collier: "So I just refereed Hendry's last professional match. Every match was a pleasure to referee. Thanks for all the memories." "It was quite an easy decision." He added: "I didn't tell many people [before the tournament], but this is me finished from tournament snooker." Asked whether he would have changed his mind if he had won the tournament, Hendry replied: "No not at all. If I had won, it would have been a better way to go out. "I was delighted to have made a maximum here [against Stuart Bingham in the first round] which is why I was more animated when I achieved it. I was delighted to do it on my last appearance. "I've had so many memories here; my first time here, my first win, obviously my seventh world title. I could write a book about the memories that I had here. Media playback is not supported on this device Enough is enough - Hendry "It's a sad day that I won't play here [at the Crucible] again, I love playing here but it's a relief as much as anything. "I want to do other things now.

I've got a lot of commitments now in China, which I've signed up for and I can't do that and play snooker because I would never be at home." Hendry, who was making his 27th consecutive appearance at the World Championship, looked back to his fluent best as he hit his third Crucible maximum - a record he shares with Ronnie O'Sullivan - in his first round victory over Bingham. He went on to beat defending champion Higgins 13-4 which prompted him to declare that he could win a record eighth world title. But Hendry made a flurry of mistakes against Maguire, which his opponent ruthlessly punished to win the last-eight tie with a session to spare. Jimmy White, who was beaten by Stephen Hendry in four World Championship finals, tweeted: "He was and is an unbelievable snooker player & has nothing to prove. I hope he enjoys his retirement, he really deserves it. "He's always put snooker first, been a model professional, a credit to the game and I'll see him in the legends tour this year for more battles.

Analysis "It is his brutal frankness about his love of winning, more than the winning itself, that takes the breath away." Read more of Ben's blog "I thank him sincerely for some of the best matches and memories of my own career. I'm not sure his records will ever be equalled." Chairman of World Snooker Barry Hearn told BBC Radio 5 live: "There's no question he's the finest player ever to pick up a snooker cue. He always had the extra gear of focus. He got a maximum recently, showing there's life in the old dog still. "This announcement has come as a little bit of a shock. He will be missed. I don't think he's made the right decision to bow out. "But he was a phenomenal player and a really nice bloke. When you watch someone like Hendry in action, it's an art form." Former world champion Terry Griffiths, who once coached Hendry, added: "I thought he should have retired a while ago but he had the belief that he could continue. "He was blessed with a skill. His will and desire to win was frightening.

"Everybody says they want to win, but Stephen Hendry wanted to win even more." Maguire added: "I'm shocked, I wasn't expecting that but Stephen has obvioulsy thought long and hard about it. Hendry factfile Highest ranking: 1 (nine years) Current ranking: 23 Century breaks: 775 World Championships: 7 (1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999) "I'm just pretty sad that he's retired. I think he's retired too early but Stephen knows best." Hendry became the youngest-ever world champion, aged 21 in 1990, before adding six more in the next nine years. He held the world number one ranking for eight consecutive years between 1990 and 1998 and then again briefly in 2006 and 2007.

Hendry, who lost to Willie Thorne on his World Championship debut in 1986, holds the record for the most world ranking titles (36) and the most competitive century breaks (775) He also shares the record of most competitive maximum breaks with Ronnie O'Sullivan at 11. After dominating the 1990s, Hendry's form started to tail off and he reached just one World Championship final in the next decade. His last ranking tournament final was in the 2006 UK Championship where he lost to Peter Ebdon. Media playback is not supported on this device Hendry honoured at Crucible Hendry confirms retirement after defeat - Yahoo Sport More Sports Hendry confirms retirement after defeat Stephen Hendry has announced his retirement from tournament snooker after being knocked out by Stephen Maguire at the World Championship. By Liam Happe - on Twitter @liamhappe / Eurosport 1 May 2012 21:49 Eurosport   Hendry, 43, was beaten 13-2 by Maguire at the Crucible and subsequently said he would be stepping away from the sport.

"I am officially retired now from tournament snooker," he said. "I made the decision about three months ago. "I didn't tell many people. I only told two or three people, but this is me finished from tournament snooker. "It was quite an easy decision. There's a few reasons. The schedule didn't help. The fact that I'm not playing the snooker I want to play didn't help. The fact I'm not enjoying practice doesn't help. "I want to do other things. I've got a lot of commitments now in China, which I've signed up for and I can't do that and play snooker because I would never be at home." Hendry, who turned professional as a 16-year-old in 1985, won his first world title in 1990, beating popular Londoner Jimmy White, to begin a period of dominance that kept him at No.1 in the rankings until 1998. His attacking style and pure potting ability made him one of the most attractive players to watch and he bounced back in 1999 to win his seventh and final world crown.

During the past decade Hendry's star began to fade and he was overtaken by a new generation of players including Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins. He made his 11th maximum break in this year's tournament but felt the time was right to call time on his glorious career. "The time is right for me," he added. "If I'd have won the title it would have been an even better way to go out. "I'm delighted I made a maximum here, that's why I was more animated than normal when making it. I was delighted to do it on my last appearance here." Jimmy White reacted to the news of his former rival's retirement on Twitter. White wrote: "He was and is an unbelievable snooker player & has nothing to prove I hope he enjoys his retirement he really deserves it! "He's always put snooker first, been a model professional, credit to the game and I'll see him in the legends tour this year for more battles. "I thank him sincerely for some of the best matches and memories of my own career I'm not sure his records will ever be equalled!"

Question: Stephen Hendry won his first World Snooker title in 1990 when beating which Englishman in the final?
Answer: JIMMY WHITE