At 53, it is surely impossible for Hendry to recapture former glories. pic.twitter.com/PoE9RBEcNh. BBC commentators and presenters for 2022 World Snooker Championship. Why Do Snooker Players Use Their Chins When Shooting. "Hendry: "Well he can't become the youngest world champion"Davis: "But he is playing like Benjamin Button." When the 96/97 season began, there were nine Scots ranked inside the top 64 and plenty more coming up on the rails. Fast forward to the 2012 World Championship, which he lost to Stephen Maguire, after which he announced his retirement. Fellow Glaswegian Anthony McGill has won two and Edinburghs Chris Small, forced to retire in 2005 due to a chronic back condition, one. I didnt want Ronnie to equal my record and I dont want him to beat my record, why would I? Hendry said on the WST Podcast. Here's a look back through time at his 20 Triple Crown titles, his 15 career maximums and the typically memorable moment he scored his 1000th century last year. But despite trailing 16-14, he brilliantly won three frames on the trot to complete a remarkable day of semi-final snooker before wiping the floor with Kyren Wilson 18-8 in front of the returning, adoring, Crucible crowd. His all-time leading tally of 20 Triple Crowns, which also consists of seven UK Championships and seven Masters, is now two more than what Hendry achieved in his legendary career, although the Scotsman condensed his 18 (7 worlds, 5 UKs & 6 Masters) into a formidable 10-year spell from 1989 to 1999. The 53-year-old, who first lifted the famous trophy aged 21, quipped: "Well he cant become the youngest world champion, not even Ronnie can do that., Davis replied: But he is playing like Benjamin Button.. Steve Davis says he cannot imagine anyone bettering Stephen Hendry's tally of seven World Championship titles. Ronnie O'Sullivan's first TV appearance aged just 14 in 1990, making a break of 75. His seventh and final World Snooker Championship title in 1999 set a record for most of all time -a record which he held solely until Ronnie O'Sullivan tied the record with his 2022 championship win. The Scot, who dropped out of the elite top 16 earlier this season and is currently ranked 23, admitted having to qualify for this year's World Championship for the first time since 1988 "was not a nice feeling". 1 ranking for a period in 2005. "John Higgins is on four, it's very hard to see anyone. While Davis, the world number 39, has continued to play on the tour along with another legend, Jimmy White [ranked 44], Hendry has opted to quit 13 years after winning his last world title in 1999. Ronnie O'Sullivan makes a maximum break 147 in 6 min on first frame! 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. He has the record for most century breaks during a tournament, scoring 16 centuries during the 2002 World Snooker Championship. Although they've both thrilled the Sheffield crowd with three 147s apiece at snooker's spiritual home, the Rocket's incomprehensibly brilliant maiden maximum in five minutes eight seconds will never be surpassed and it speaks volumes that the closest anyone has ever got is O'Sullivan himself when clocking six minutes and 30 seconds against Marco Fu in 2003. 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. Ranking the game's top five players in history, including World Championship stars. 2023 Eurosport, a Warner Bros. 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 earned him 75 of the 11million+ he's now won 30 years later. Corrections? John Higgins has won four and is good enough to win another four; it is hard to say.". The Scot finished as the year-end rankings leader for eight seasons in a row from 1989/90 to 1996/97. However, given the varying format changes in the tournament's early life, most records in the sport are now taken from the period beginning 1969, when the knockout format at the world championship was reintroduced. OSullivan's magic seventh World Championship title against Judd Trump 21 years after his first finally draws him level with the 'King of the Crucible', but he stands alone at the top for all the other records that matter and many others. Rocket Ronnie's 30 years at Crucible O'Sullivan set to pass another Hendry record, 'Crucible return is ultimate goal' Hendry ready to continue playing, Age winning first ranking title: 18 (1987 Grand Prix), Age winning first world title: 21 (1990 World Championship), Age winning last ranking title: 36 (2005 Malta Cup). 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. The result gained revenge from losing a deciding frame in that year's Charity Challenge final, in which Hendry scored an iconic maximum break. He was that dominant. After the 1999 world championship, Hendrys fortunes faded once more. Technically, the most successful player at the world championship is. The record was previously set by Stephen Hendry back in 1999. Ronnie O'Sullivan - 2000 Scottish Open v Quinten Hann, 5. Career Total Statistics Tournament Record Most Frequent Opponents Rounds Reached Century Frequency Centuries per Season Graph Ranking History Prize Money History. Technically, the most successful player at the world championship is. Hendry, 43, retired on Tuesday after a 13-2 quarter-final defeat by Stephen Maguire ended his 27th consecutive appearance at the Crucible. Who has won the most World Snooker Championship titles? O'Sullivan's longevity at the top is almost as remarkable as his breathtaking standard of play and his mind-boggling collection of records, titles and century milestones. Hendry himself did not rule out someone overtaking his record eventually, even if the odds are against it. He declared the match over when missing a red in frame six despite leading 24-0 at the time and although he later apologised to Hendry and his fans, O'Sullivan was fined 20,800 for his actions. Comments. 'One from the archives' - Hendry makes fantastic brown to win frame, 'That is the Hendry we remember well!' Enjoy. Nobody could stop him this time as he downed former champions Peter Ebdon (10-4), Mark Williams (13-6) and Neil Robertson (13-10) before waltzing past Matthew Stevens (17-10) in the semi-finals and Ali Carter 18-11 for the title. He hadn't reached the final since his defeat to Mark Selby in 2014 and hadn't even gone beyond the quarter-finals in this time, while his first-round defeat to qualifier James Cahill 12 months earlier went down as one of the biggest shocks in World Championship history. 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. Ronnie O'Sullivan - 1999 Welsh Open v James Wattana, 3. By becoming the first player since Paul Hunter in 2002 to retain it, O'Sullivan could celebrate a record seventh Masters title. While his Triple Crown success dried up for a few years, O'Sullivan was still building his tally of ranking and non-ranking titles and it surely seemed just a matter of time before he'd finally go all the way on the biggest stage of all. "I would say no, because there are so many great players competing against each other to win every tournament," he told BBC Sport. Hendry changed the way snooker was played, ushering in a more attacking era and establishing records that took decades to be matched. Hendry, O'Sullivan, Davis and the players with the most trophies, Is Ronnie O'Sullivan snooker's GOAT? His swashbuckling professional career spanning 28 glorious years has taken snooker fans to mesmerising heights and even at the age of 44, his continued brilliance and popularity across all generations is keeping him very much at the forefront of the sport. Three months later he successfully defended the World Championship title for the first time in his career. Until 1982, only the world championship counted as a ranking event; two others the International Open and the Professional Players Tournament were then added, as was the UK Championship in 1984. All rights reserved. Ronnie O'Sullivan claimed a record-breaking seventh UK Championship title with a 10-6 victory over Mark Allen at the York Barbican. The following season, he successfully defended that title and won the World Doubles Championship with partner Mike Hallett. Hendry has always known that sole ownership of the sports most prestigious record was on borrowed time and recently insisted it would be an honour to share it with the player who stunned him as a 17-year-old in the 1993 UK Championship final. In 2006, however, he demonstrated that he still possessed the talent that made him such a force in the 1990s when he claimed the number one ranking once again. Eight years on from his initial retirement from the professional sport at the age of 43 at the end of the 2011/12 season, Hendry accepted an Invitational Tour Card from World Snooker Tour to pave the way for an incredible comeback to the sport that he once dominated. In terms of weeks spent as world number one, as of April 18, 2022, Stephen Hendry tops the list. Please subscribe as we've got loads of amazing snooker content coming up over the next few months. Who Has Won The Most World Snooker Championships? However, this latest unforgettable run at an empty Crucible began with an astonishing 10-1 triumph over Thepchaiya Un-Nooh in just 108 minutes - the quickest best-of-19 frame match ever by 41 minutes - but he had to battle much harder to see off Ding Junhui and Mark Williams 13-10. I wouldn't say it's the wrong decision - it's just down to the individual.". Ranking the game's top five players in history, including World Championship stars. 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. But it was a strange feeling I had. WPBSA Head Office: World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, 75 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2NT, Victories in Sheffield for Hendry and Wallace, White and Doherty to Meet in World Seniors Final. But in 2014,. Tied at 42 pints apiece, Sinclair hit the deck and Werbeniuk went to the bar for a celebratory beer. All rights reserved. This year he made the back pages for making amends in majestic fashion by compiling a breathtaking 147 break in the deciding frame of his semi-final with Mark Selby. Ronnie's reply"I'm never going to be good at getting out of snookers. A year after John Higgins got his revenge in the 2006 final with a nail-biting 10-9 that went down to the black, O'Sullivan broke the heart of 19-year-old sensation Ding Junhui with a resounding 10-3 triumph featuring four Rocket centuries, including a fine clearance of 143. What TV channel is 2022 World Snooker Championship final? Graeme Dott, raised on the Easterhouse estate in Glasgow often associated with social decay, demonstrated his iron toughness by becoming world champion in 2006. Ronnie O'Sullivan - 2011 Paul Hunter Classic - Adam Duffy, 12. Considering all categories of tournament, including ranking, non-ranking and invitational, Steve Davis has won the most titles in snooker. He repeated as world champ from 1992 to 1996. Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan jointly hold the record for the most World Snooker Championship titles with seven. Ranking the game's top five players in history, including World Championship stars. Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan jointly hold the record for the most World Snooker Championship titles with seven. O'Sullivan returned to the sport just in time for the Masters after a near eight-month hiatus in which he decided to defend his UK Championship title in December 2015. Evans slams 'disgusting' prize money in women's snooker as Baipat claims world title, Hendry had stated his main aim was to come through four qualifying rounds to return to the Crucible, scene of his finest moments in the sport, when he embarked upon his comeback after working with much-lauded SightRight coach, "I know that kind of means nothing, but when I first started with Stephen Feeney, I wanted to get back to enjoying playing snooker again even if it was on the practice table,". In his Masters quarter-final against Marco Fu, Ronnie O'Sullivan fired in his 776th career century, taking him one . "It's been an unbelievable career," Taylor told. What Are The Differences Between Snooker And Billiards? 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. With Judd, we all knew he wasn't playing his best. He capped off his incredible season by defeating Jimmy White in the final of the World Snooker Championship, winning his first world championship title,and setting a record for becoming the youngest to do so at the age of 21. "It's been an unbelievable career," Taylor told BBC Radio 5 live. Ronnie O'Sullivan - 2018 English Open - Allan Taylor. . Hendrys streak cooled in the 2000s, but he remained competitive, even reclaiming his No. He had never intended to be like his old rival Jimmy White and enter every event. Its now undisputed, if it wasnt already. Although he sat out of the 2022 World Snooker Championship qualifying, Hendry stated that he intends to continue competing. In 1996, with an 1812 victory over Peter Ebdon, Hendry captured his sixth world championship, a feat only two other players (Ray Reardon in the 1970s and Steve Davis in the 1980s) had achieved in the modern era. In contrast, OSullivan has won his Crucible crowns over more than two decades, with his first coming in 2001 and his latest in 2022. 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. Mon Oct 15 2018 - 13:17. O'Sullivan has always played down his pursuit of the record and maintained that stance in his post-match press conference. Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Mark Allen, Ronnie O'Sullivan's seven UK Championship titles, Ronnie O'Sullivan is world champion for a sixth time, Ronnie O'Sullivan Fastest 147 Break Ever | 1997 Snooker World Championship | Eurosport, Ronnie O'Sullivan v James Wattana - 147 Break, Ronnie O'Sullivan v Graeme Dott 147 break, Ronnie O'Sullivan v Quinten Hann - 147 break, Must see!!!