Snooker

Yes, snooker's a sport. See Darts.

World Champions: Modern Era

In snooker, "the modern era" usually means the period during which the World Championships have been contested annually on a knockout basis. This has been the case since 1969. The tournament was first sponsored by Embassy in 1976, and it's been held at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, since 1977.

John Spencer was the first world champion in the modern era, and he also won the first tournament to be held at the Crucible. But the real master of that era was Ray Reardon, with six wins between 1970 and 1978 inclusive. He also won the first series of Pot Black, in 1969. Steve Davis was the man to beat throughout the 1980s, and Stephen Hendry throughout the 1990s; since then, although Ronnie O'Sullivan has threatened to do so on occasions, no one player has dominated.

Up to and including 2024, there have been four world champions (in the modern era) who were not from the UK. They are:

Year		Nationality		Name
1980		Canada		Cliff Thorburn
1997		Republic of Ireland		Ken Doherty
2010		Australia		Neil Robertson
2023		Belgium		Luca Brecel

There was one overseas winner previous to the modern era; see below.

The following table lists every world champion in the modern era, in order of their most recent win. The left–hand column shows how many times they've won the title.

1	2024		Kyren Wilson
1	2023		Luca Brecel
7	2022, 2020, 2013, 2012, 2008, 2004, 2001 – equalling the record for the number of wins in the modern era, in 2022		Ronnie O'Sullivan
3	2021, 2017, 2016, 2014		Mark Selby
3	2019		Judd Trump
3	2018, 2003, 2000: first left hander to win		Mark Williams
1	2015		Stuart Bingham
4	2011, 2009, 2007, 1998		John Higgins
1	2010: first overseas winner since Cliff Thorburn in 1980		Neil Robertson
1	2006		Graeme Dott
1	2005		Shaun Murphy
1	2002		Peter Ebdon
7	1999, 1996, 1995, 1994, 1993, 1992, 1990: most wins in the modern era (jointly since 2022)		Stephen Hendry
1	1997: only the second non–UK champion of the modern era		Ken Doherty
1	1991: the last English champion of the 20th century		John Parrott
6	1989, 1988, 1987, 1984, 1983, 1981		Steve Davis
1	1986: "surprise winner" — second of two to beat Steve Davis in the final		Joe Johnson
1	1985: beat Steve Davis in the final, by potting the black in the final frame		Dennis Taylor
2	1982, 1972		Alex Higgins
1	1980: second from outside the British Isles (first of the modern era)		Cliff Thorburn
1	1979		Terry Griffiths
6	1978, 1976, 1975, 1974, 1973, 1970		Ray Reardon
3	1977, 1971, 1969 – first to win in the modern era, first to win at the Crucible, and the only English player to win in the 1970s		John Spencer

The 1971 and 1975 tournaments were held in (country)

Australia

Pre–1969

1927–40, 1946 (15 wins, undefeated)		Joe Davis
1947, 1950		Walter Donaldson
1948, 1949, 1951		Fred Davis
1952 – first world champion from overseas		Horace Lindrum
1953–63		No tournament
1964–68 (challenge matches)		John Pulman

Rules, etc.

The coloured balls

2 points	3 points	4 points	5 points	6 points	7 points
Yellow	Green	Brown	Blue	Pink	Black

Dimensions of a full–sized table	Length		12 ft
	Width		6 ft 1½ in

Minimum penalty for a foul		4
Maximum penalty for a foul		7
Balls on the table at the beginning of a game		22
Theoretical maximum break (includes a free ball followed by the black)		155
Pots for a 147 break		36
Points scored on the black, in a 147 break		112
Snooker and billiards cues are usually made from		Ash
Name given to a shot in which one red ball is played onto another, sending it (hopefully) into a pocket		Plant
Hollywood actors had to between 1934 and 1968, and snooker players still have to		Keep one foot on the floor

Tournaments

The three annual tournaments that make up the so–called 'Triple Crown' are:

World Championship

UK Championship

Masters

Note that the last of these three is not a ranking tournament (as entry is by invitation only).

Venue of the World Championship, since 1977		Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
Venue of the UK Championship, 1978–97		Preston Guild Hall
Venue of the UK Championship, 2001–6 and since 2011		Barbican Centre, York
Venue of the Masters, 1979–2008		Wembley Conference Centre
Venue of the Masters, 2008–11		Wembley Arena
Venue of the Masters, since 2012		Alexandra Palace

Players

The first official World Snooker Champion (1927); scored the first documented maximum break (in an exhibition match in 1955)					Joe Davis
Number of world ampionships that Joe Davis won before retiring undefeated in 1946					15
Reached the semi–finals of the world championship aged 64, 1978					Fred Davis
Won the world championship on its resumption 1964; held the title until 1969, holding off six challenges; did not defend in the first knockout tournament, 1969; lost the final to Reardon in 1970					John Pulman
Winner of the first Pot Black series, 1969					Ray Reardon
Won the world championship at the first attempt, in 1972; also won in 1982					Alex Higgins
Lost three consecutive World Championship finals, 2017–19 – to Mark Selby, Mark Williams and Judd Trump					John Higgins
First televised maximum break (Lada Classic, 1982)					Steve Davis
The first world champion from outside the UK (Australian, 1952)					Horace Lindrum
Former postman, bus driver, miner and insurance salesman: won the world championship in his first professional season, 1978–9, aged 31; the last qualifier to win the world championship, before Shaun Murphy in 2005					Terry Griffiths
Youngest ever world champion (21, 1990); most 147s in competition (8) and most on TV (7)					Stephen Hendry
Second televised maximum break, and first in the World Championship (1983)					Cliff Thorburn
First to score two 147s in the world championships (1997, 2003); the first, v. Mick Price, set a record time of 5 minutes 8 seconds (previously timed at 5 minutes 20 seconds), which still stood in 2019					Ronnie O'Sullivan
The only whitewash in the world championships (first round, 1992)			Winner		John Parrott 10
			Loser		Eddie Charlton 0
Biggest ever margin of victory in the World final			Year		1989
Winner		Steve Davis	Frames		18
Loser		John Parrott	Frames		3
Only player to win the world junior, amateur and professional championships; third player from outside the UK to win the world championship, and second at the Crucible					Ken Doherty
Popular Canadian player, claimed to drink 6 pints of lager before a game and one per frame during, to counteract "essential tremor". Later took propanolol, a beta blocker, for the same purpose, and gave up the game after it was banned; died in 2003 aged 56					Bill Werbeniuk
Played in six world championship finals – 1984, and five consecutive 1990–4 – losing all six; joked of Stephen Hendry, "He's beginning to annoy me now" when being interviewed live on TV, after losing to him for the fourth time in the 1994 final					Jimmy White
Three–times winner of the Masters, nicknamed "the Beckham of the Baize": died of cancer in 2006, five days before his 28th birthday					Paul Hunter
The Masters trophy was renamed in 2016 in honour of
Banned for 12 years in 2013, after being found guilty of match fixing					Stephen Lee

English–born player, professional 1991–6; one of the first women professionals (if not the first); relocated to the USA in 1995, and became equally successful at pool, nicknamed 'the Duchess of Doom'		Allison Fisher
Women's world champion a record 12 times, including 10 consecutive titles 2005–14 (latest win in 2019); first woman to reach the final stages of a ranking tournament; a wildcard entrant to the 'main' world championships on five occasions, 2015–20, and won a match in it in 2017 when she beat Robin Hull in the first qualifying round		Reanne Evans

John Street (d. 2009 aged 77), Len Ganley (d. 2011 aged 68), John Williams, Michaela Tabb and Jan Verhaas are famous as		Snooker referees
Snooker's first high–profile woman referee – recruited in 2001, officiated at the World Championships final in 2009		Michaela Tabb

Nicknames

Ever since Alex Higgins was dubbed Hurricane, and Jimmy White Whirlwind, every snooker player has to have a nickname.

The Captain		Ali Carter
Steady Eddie		Eddie Charlton
The (Golden) Nugget, Interesting, The Ginger Magician, The Romford Robot, The Plumstead Potter (etc.)		Steve Davis
The Pocket Dynamo, or The Pocket Rocket		Graeme Dott
The Maltese Falcon		Tony Drago
The Sheriff of Pottingham		Anthony Hamilton
The Wizard of Oz (resigned his membership of the WPBSA in 2006, shortly before receiving an eight–year ban for match–fixing)		Quinten Hann
The Wizard of Wishaw		John Higgins
The Beckham of the Baize		Paul Hunter
Angles		Alan McManus
The Whiston Warrior, or The Magician		Shaun Murphy
Dracula		Ray Reardon
The Thunder from Down Under		Neil Robertson
The Jester from Leicester		Mark Selby
The Man in the White Suit		Kirk Stevens
The Silver Fox		David Taylor
The Grinder		Cliff Thorburn

© Haydn Thompson 2017–24