The following season, he successfully defended that title and won the World Doubles Championship with partner Mike Hallett. "You could still have business interests and still play, but he's chosen not to. What Are The Differences Between Snooker And Billiards? Twelve months earlier, the Rocket hit the headlines for the wrong reasons at the Barbican when forfeiting his quarter-final against Stephen Hendry when trailing 4-1 in the first to nine frames. He claimed the number one ranking in 1990 and held it until White defeated him at the world championship in 1998. There were a handful of Scottish professionals in the early years of TV snooker but they did not seriously challenge for titles, although one hard man, Eddie Sinclair, did take on the notoriously thirsty Canadian Bill Werbeniuk in a legendary drinking contest. Copyright 2017-2023 Rookie Road Inc. All rights reserved. After witnessing Ronnie O'Sullivan finally tie his longstanding record of seven World Snooker Championship titles, Stephen Hendry said he was "surprised it's taken him so long." The seemingly. 2023 Eurosport, a Warner Bros. believes Hendry's achievements mark him out as the stand-out player in the sport's history. A ranking tournament is one that counts towards snooker's world rankings, which were introduced in the 1976-77 season. Higgins showed some early promise, developed a maturity in his game beyond his years and won the junior event at the 1991 World Masters in Birmingham, beating fellow 15-year-olds Ronnie OSullivan and Mark Williams en route. He competed in the World Amateur Championship that year, setting a record for being the youngest entrant ever.. Hendrys seven world titles all came during his dominant spell in the 1990s, which also included eight consecutive seasons as world No. O'Sullivan was riding on a crest of a wave by the end of the year and after edging out Peter Ebdon 9-8 in the quarter-finals and Mark Williams 9-6 in the semis, the Rocket destroyed Ken Doherty 10-1 to land his third UK title. Stephen Hendry with his now girlfriend of four years Lauren Thundow The couple first launched a bid to build more homes on the site in 2008 and later won planning permission. Tribute to Stephen Hendry. The winner of this weeks Scottish Open receives the Stephen Hendry trophy. I'm sure you're as excited watching at home as we are here." He turned professional the following year, and when he won the Grand Prix in 1987, he became the youngest player to win a tournament. "One thing you never stop missing as a sportsman is the buzz you get from a crowd. While his comments about needing to lose one arm to drop out of the world's top 50 were still going viral, it looked as though he'd bow out when supposedly playing recklessly against Mark Selby in the semi-final. 'It's just a number': Ronnie O'Sullivan plays down record-equalling They each joined the pro circuit the following year. Ronnie O'Sullivan - 2007 UK Championship - Mark Selby, 9. BBC commentators and presenters for 2022 World Snooker Championship. Last updated on 2 May 20122 May 2012.From the section Snooker. Hendry had observed Steve Davis aloofness, the way he set himself apart from his rivals. Bio. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. In 25 years time, maybe that record will fall too. I wouldn't say it's the wrong decision - it's just down to the individual.". The age of professionalism in Scottish snooker came courtesy of a shy teenager who possessed a laser-like focus rarely witnessed before or since. Ronnie O'Sullivan - 2011 Paul Hunter Classic - Adam Duffy, 12. Ronnie O'Sullivan's 18-13 win over Judd Trump at the Crucible Theatre in the World Snooker Championship final in 2022 earned him the biggest prize in the sport for a record-equalling seventh time. From 1992 until his defeat by Ken Doherty in the 1997 World Championship final, he won 29 consecutive matches at the Crucible, a modern-era record. Snooker player Stephen Hendry's professional Match results, Frame scores, centuries, prize money, statistics from season 2022-2023 . Hendry, 43, retired on Tuesday after a 13-2 quarter-final defeat by Stephen Maguire ended his 27th consecutive appearance at the Crucible. Final report: Ronnie O'Sullivan 18-8 Kyren Wilson, CLICK HERE FOR EVERY 147 BREAK IN SNOOKER HISTORY, WATCH ALL THE CRUCIBLE MAXIMUM BREAKS IN HISTOR, Richard Mann's story of the snooker season, Sporting Life exclusive: Neil Robertson interview, Nick Metcalfe on a decade of World Championship finals, World Championship memories: White always a People's Champion, World Championship memories: O'Sullivan's finest hour, World Championship memories: Higgins prevails but Trump grows, World Championship memories: Joe Johnson: The biggest shock, World Championship memories: 1984 World Championship stands out, World Championship: 6 (2001, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2020), UK Championship: 7* (1993, 1997, 2001, 2007, 2014, 2017, 2018), Masters: 7* (1995, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2014, 2016, 2017), Century breaks: 1,061* (179 at Crucible*). He managed it in six minutes and there was an amusing moment at the end when he removed the sponsor logo from his waistcoat! Hendry won his first major junior tournament, the Scottish U-16 Championship, at age 14.Around this time, he appeared on the junior version of the BBCs Pot Black, a televised single-frame snooker competition that contributed to the games resurgence.At 15, Hendry won the Scottish Amateur Championship. He's going to be winning this a few times and the other guys better get their act together. Walter Donaldson became the world champion in the post-war era, but for a long time, Scotland lagged behind the other UK nations. Having enlisted the help of six-time world champion Ray Reardon to rediscover his magic, he battled past Stephen Maguire (10-6) and Andy Hicks (13-11) before imperiously wiping the floor with Anthony Hamilton (13-3) and Stephen Hendry (17-4) with sessions to spare, while his 18-8 hammering of Graeme Dott was pretty brutal too as he returned to the top of the world rankings, where he'd stay for the next two seasons. O'Sullivan stands on 69 wins from 92 matches played between 1993 and 2021. Ronnie O'Sullivan (1992-) 6x Worlds, 7x UK champ, 7x Masters, 37 ranking titles, 1061 centuries, 15 147s Stephen Hendry (1985-2012) 7x Worlds, 5x UK champ, 6x Masters, 36 ranking titles, 775 centuries, 11 147s Who is the GOAT? RT for Ronnie Like for Hendry pic.twitter.com/S4MiKoDhHG. Technically, the most successful player at the world championship is. His triumph, which came a quarter of a century after he won his first United Kingdom crown as a 17-year-old, also saw O'Sullivan nudge ahead of Stephen Hendry with 19 Triple Crown titles - comprising the World and UK Championships and the Masters. Ronnie O'sullivan 147 Break vs. Mark Selby, Ronnie O'Sullivan v Mark Williams 147 break, Snooker Ronnie O'Sullivan - Ding Junhui 147 Break, Ronnie O'Sullivan 13th 147 Maximum vs Matthew Selt UK Championship 2014 {BBC 720p HD}, 147 Classics: Ronnie O'Sullivan in China | Snooker | Eurosport, 147 Classics: Ronnie O'Sullivan | Snooker | Eurosport. Ronnie O'Sullivan - 2018 China Open - Elliot Slessor, 15. What TV channel is 2022 World Snooker Championship final? Ronnie O'Sullivan - 2014 Welsh Open - Ding Junhui, 13. There have been as many as 20 rankings tournament in a single season in recent years. Can't stop smiling watching this againpic.twitter.com/vPxSMZhCEo, 1000 x ! Ronnie O'Sullivan's legendary career reaches a new unprecedented milestone, making his 1000th century - 27 years after his first - to win his 35th ranking title! What. His five match wins during this edition took him to 74 Crucible victories, four more than one of other Hendrys few remaining records. At 46 years and 146 days, the oldest ever world champion has most ranking titles (39), most Triple Crowns (21), most UK Championships (7), most Masters titles (7), most career centuries (1,170) and most maximum breaks (15), including the fastest ever made. O'Sullivan may well still be a solitary world title shy of Hendry's historic mark of seven after his 18-8 victory over Kyren Wilson drew him level with Steve Davis and Ray Reardon, but few can possibly dispute the Rocket's unofficial status as the greatest snooker player of all time. The Rocket had earlier joked with BBC's presenter Hazel Irvine during the trophy ceremony that Hendry can share the record with him for another year. What is the prize money at the 2022 World Snooker Championship? Stephen Hendry's Crucible record unbeatable - Davis - BBC Sport When the 96/97 season began, there were nine Scots ranked inside the top 64 and plenty more coming up on the rails. 2014 UK Championship Final: Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Judd Trump DECIDER! Stephen Gordon Hendry was born on January 13, 1969, in South Queensferry, Scotland. 1 ranking for a period in 2005. Although he remained a fixture in the sports top 10 rankings, he was unable to equal the heights he had reached in the previous decade. Omissions? He became the first player to score the maximum of 147 three times in tournament play, recording his first 147 in 1992 and two more in 1995 (he scored additional maximums in 1997 and 1998, two in 1999, and others in 2001 and 2009). Hendry, O'Sullivan, Davis and the players with the most trophies, Is Ronnie O'Sullivan snooker's GOAT? Fast forward to the 2012 World Championship, which he lost to Stephen Maguire, after which he announced his retirement. It capped a tumultuous tournament for O'Sullivan, who had threatened to launch a breakaway tour then required a final-frame decider to edge past veteran Ken Doherty in round two. He represented his nation at the highest level of a hugely popular sport with distinction, winning 36 ranking tournaments including seven World Championships. Just 16 when he joined the circuit, he was completely driven from the start. Who has won the most World Snooker Championship titles? After losing to Stephen Maguire in the quarterfinal of the 2012 World Snooker Championship, Hendry announced his retirement, stating that he was dissatisfied with his ability to maintain an acceptably high level of competition. Earlier in the tournament he'd beaten Marcus Campbell (10-4), Ali Carter (13-8), Stuart Bingham (13-4) and Judd Trump 17-11. In his Masters quarter-final against Marco Fu, Ronnie O'Sullivan fired in his 776th career century, taking him one . There are some young prospects in Scotland, but not in the numbers of 30 years ago. 'One from the archives' - Hendry makes fantastic brown to win frame, 'That is the Hendry we remember well!' The winning moment The post-match interview The trophy lift Ronnie O'Sullivan is world champion for a sixth time pic.twitter.com/JfO90m22ak, Ronnie O'Sullivan wasn't mincing his words tonight! 'The players coming through are so bad I'd probably have to lose an arm and a leg to fall out of the top 50. Graeme Dott, raised on the Easterhouse estate in Glasgow often associated with social decay, demonstrated his iron toughness by becoming world champion in 2006. O'Sullivan had finished runner-up in the Masters three times since his maiden title in this tournament in 1995 - to Hendry (1996), Steve Davis (1997) and Paul Hunter (2004) - but he'd get his hands on the new crystal triangle trophy with a 10-3 demolition job of John Higgins. Who Has Won The Most World Snooker Championships? Ronnie O'Sullivan 2014 UK Championship - Matthew Selt, 14. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). At the first World Team Cup in 1979, there was not even a Scottish team. 'Feels amazing' Higgins ends 13-month title drought by retaining Championship League crown, Watch Robertson produce magic as Trump leads final Championship League group. However, when pressed for a more serious answer he replied: "I've never bothered about records, I've never performed well if I'm going for stuff like that. Higgins, 47, continues to have a successful career at the top level with 31 ranking event victories to his name, including four world titles. But why is that? Stephen Hendry has admitted he did not want Ronnie OSullivan to equal his haul of seven World Championship titles, and does not want him to surpass their now joint-record. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. **Hendry resumed playing in 2021 after nine years out, but his future on the tour is unclear. Hendry holds the record for the most seasons as the no.1 player; he was ranked no.1 for nine seasons. Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan jointly hold the record for the most World Snooker Championship titles with seven. Although he sat out of the 2022 World Snooker Championship qualifying, Hendry stated that he intends to continue competing. Notwithstanding his absence from the top table and the feats of the likes of Ronnie OSullivan since, Hendry retains several records in the sport including nine seasons as world number one and being the only player to have won each of the sports Triple Crown titles during the same season twice. "John Higgins is on four, it's very hard to see anyone. 'He could pot everyone off the table' - Trump on Hendry in his prime, 'Hendry is right on Jimmy' - O'Sullivan agrees White should relax with snooker. Considering all categories of tournament, including ranking, non-ranking and invitational, Steve Davis has won the most titles in snooker. The only trophies Hendry has ever wanted to handle are the ones he has won. Discovery company. Joe is a sub-editor for Sporting News UK. To be fair, Hendry had done everything to lower expectations. Stephen Hendry with wife Mandy and son Blaine after beating Mark Williams 18-11 to win a record seventh world title. Earlier breaks of 116 and 105 had moved OSullivan onto 999 and any speculation that he would wait for the World Championship to reach a thousand was ended with a sumptuous 134.