Hendry VS Williams re-spotted black final 1998
August 4, 2008
Most people who mention the memorable black ball final people assume that they are talking about the classic Steve Davis VS Dennis Taylor final back in 1985. There has however been a more recent classic blackball final. In the 1998 masters final the relative newcomer Mark Williams faced a black ball final against long time pro Stephen Hendry.
Both players has played fantastic snooker throughout the match, and on the final frame the match was level at 9-9, and both players had racked up the same many points in the final frame. It needed a re-spotted black ball to decide the title. Williams left Hendry with a simple pot in the middle pocket, a pocket which Stephen Hendry never seems to miss.
The pressure of the moment however got to Hendry who missed the easy pot into the middle pocket, and left it in the Jaws. Even with the pressure of the final this shot could not be missed, and Williams knocked the easy pot in to win the trophy.
Maybe this final did not show all the emotion that the classic Davis/Taylor final did, but it has to go down as one of the best snooker finals there has ever been for tight finishes.
I have included some footage of the missed black below for your enjoyment.
Tearful Alex Higgins beats Ray Reardon
June 27, 2008
Snooker popularity was at its highest In the early eighties snooker with famous players such as the charismatic Alex Higgins and conservative Ray Reardon. Both of whom were involved in epic title match.
It was the irresistible force against the immovable object that had snooker fans around the world rubbing their hands in anticipation. The start of the match saw Higgins trailing 5-3 after the first session. Higgins then managed to get into a 10-7 lead but the ever consistent Reardon managed to pull this back to a thrilling 15-15 draw.
At that point there was a scheduled 20 minutes break where Higgins came back like a man possessed. Reardon only managed to scramble nine points in the next three frames whereas Higgins finished in style with an amazing 135 point clearance
Higgins was overcome with emotion after the victory and held his daughter high in his arms, and was in tears as he collected his prize.
First ever televised maximum break
June 3, 2008
To become a top snooker player you need to be a good break builder, and regularly compile breaks of over 40. If you don’t achieve this you will never win any professional tournaments.
Getting a 147 is the pinnacle of break building, and something that most players will never achieve. Most players only dream of completing what is snookers version of getting 300 in ten pin bowling.
To get a maximum break requires a player to pot all 15 red balls, with an accompanying black ball. This will give the player a points total of 120, you then must pot all 6 colours in sequence adding up to another 27 points.
To achieve this a player must make 36 consecutive pots, no mean feat on a professional snooker table. You need very accurate cue ball control and a nerve of steel to complete this feat.
The first televised maximum break was completed by Steve Davis, Davis completed the 147 in the Lada Classic tournament against John Spencer, making it look easy in the process. Although modern snooker players recieve vast somes of money completing the 147, back in 1982 Davis won a ‘Lada Estate Car’.
I have included some classic footage from the first televised 147 below for your enjoyment
Thorne predicted good things for Hendry in 1986
April 10, 2008
One of the most famous Crucible memories is Stephen Hendry making his debut in 1986 aged just 17. Hendry had to negotiate a few qualifying rounds before being allowed to compete at snookers most intimidating stage, the Crucible,
Although Hendry was very young and had some rough edges, he did show some fantastic skill and temperament to deal with the pressure of playing at the crucible. All this at just the tender age of 17.
Hendry only a snooker rookie with bad acne led the old professional Willie Thorne 3-1 before eventually losing the match 10-8. Thorne after the game predicted good things for Hendry, but at this point nobody would have believed how big Hendry was going to become in the game.
Hendry then went on to completely dominate snooker in the 1990′s winning the world championships 7 times, compiling a record eight 147 breaks along the way.
Alex Higgins wins World Title in 1982
April 8, 2008
Back in 1982 Alex Higgins won his first World Championship at the crucible. Higgins was known for his memorable and flamboyant performances and this was no exception.
Higgins managed to get himself 10-7 in front on the first day of the final and was favourite to win the match. However the next day Higgins made some really careless stupid shots, these needless errors gave six time world champion Ray Reardon the chance to draw the match 15-15.
Alex Higgins then produced some moments of brilliant snooker to win the match 18-15 including a fantastic break of 135. Emotional Higgins then burst into tears when he won the title, inviting his wife and daughter to the front to enjoy his magical moment
Below I have included some footage of Alex Higgins great match against Jimmy White on his way to the final that year, check out the hair-do’s!!
Stephen Hendry, Jimmy White Final 1994
March 22, 2008
The 1994 World Championship final saw Jimmy White so nearly beat Stephen Hendry in one of the most dramatic finals ever in snooker.
Jimmy or the “Whirlwind” as he is affectionately known was only a few points from winning the tournament after 4 previous failures. The match was very tight with either player never getting more than 2 frames in front of the other.
In the final frames Hendry got to the table but failed to amount a winnable lead, Jimmy stepped up and began clearing the table in a ominous fashion for Hendry. The pressure of the moment however got to crowd favourite Jimmy who missed a straight black. This was pounced upon by an stunned Stephen Hendry who took all the points to win what was a record fourth title win.
Jimmy was gracious in defeat and had played very well all final. At the end of the match Jimmy even jokingly stated “he is beginning to annoy me”. Find the video of the classic moment below.
1985 Classic Black Ball Final Game
March 5, 2008
I thought I would take you back to snooker past and remind you of the classic black ball final game between Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor back in 1985. Dennis Taylor eventually won the match 18-17, with the game going down to the final black ball.
A record audience of 18.5 million people watched the match, which at the time was the biggest British TV audience for a sporting event. Nobody will forget the match or the massive classes which Taylor wore!
The final frame lasted 68 intensive minutes for the players who both played a great safety game. Davis having played well all tournament, needed to cut the black ball into a blind corner pocket to win the game. The pressure told and Davis missed the shot leaving Taylor with a simple pot, but at this stage of match there was still lots of tension.
Taylor potted the ball and celebrated jubilantly wagging his finger and stamping his feet. Watch the black ball being potted and Taylors celebration below:
Ronnie O Sullivan completes fastest ever 147 break
February 28, 2008
Back in 1997 Ronnie O’Sullivan completed the fastest ever maximum break. ‘Rocket Ronnie’ as he is known took a whole five minutes twenty seconds to complete his 147 against a player named ‘Mick Price’.
Even more remarkable is the fact that the game was played at the Crucible in front of a full crowd. However, playing at the worlds most prestigious snooker event seemed to have little effect on his confidence as he made this maximum break look easy.
Although Ronnie holds the top 5 fastest recorded breaks in history, this break has still yet to be surpassed.
Find the video of this break below for your enjoyment.
