UK Championship |
World Ranking Event since 1984 |
A Brief History of the UK Championship
One of the oldest events in the calendar, what was originally known as the United Kingdom Professional Snooker Championship began life in 1977. In those days it was open only to British residents and passport holders. With sponsorship from ball manufacturers, Super Crystalate, the first event, with a field of twenty-four was held at the Blackpool Tower Circus with Irishman, Patsy Fagan taking the £2000 first prize. 1978 the event found a new home, The Preston Guild Hall where it became a regular event for the next twenty years. New sponsors were found in bookmakers, Coral who backed the event for eight years. During that time Steve Davis was the dominant figure winning four times and runner up once. Alex Higgins appeared in four Coral finals, winning one and Terry Griffiths lost two out of his three finals.
1983 was one of the great finals. Alex Higgins had lost a final frame decided the previous year to Terry Griffiths and was up against Steve Davis who opened up a 7-0 lead only to watch Alex level at 11-11 and then come back again to take the last two frames for a 16-15 victory.
The UK has always been regarded as the second most important event primarily as matches in those early days were always ‘best of 19’ with a final over 31 frames. In more recent times, early rounds have been reduced to ‘best of nine’ but later rounds are still played over seventeen frames.
In 1984 the event was opened up to all professionals and was granted ranking status since when it has always carried more points than any event outside the world championship. Tennents, another division of the same parent company as Coral, took over the sponsorship in 1986 and Steve Davis won another two titles. Then along came Stephen Hendry who was expected to cruise past a revived Doug Mountjoy in the 1988 final. Doug had won the title ten years earlier but was enjoying a revival in form. To everyone’s surprise, the Welshman won 16-12 and went on to take the next event on the calendar as well. Stormseal were the sponsors for the next two years which resulted in Hendry beating Davis in both finals.
John Parrott added the UK in 1991 to the world title he had won a few months before. There were no sponsors that year but Royal Live Assurance stepped in for the next four years which saw, in 1992 Jimmy White gain his only victory in the event and the following year Ronnie O’Sullivan lift the trophy to become the youngest ever winner of any ranking event. Stephen Hendry then won the next three. In 1994 he set up a record with seven centuries in the final and the following year he made the first televised 147 break in the event. A feat which he repeated in 1999. No one else has made a televised UK maximum although Willie Thorne, Peter Ebdon and Nick Dyson have achieved one in the early rounds.
In 1997 Liverpool Victoria become the sponsors and after one more year at Preston the event moved to Bournemouth where the company had its headquarters. Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins and Mark Williams shared the honours at Bournemouth but now the event moved on to York’s Barbican Centre seeking a new backer. No sponsor initially came forward but Ronnie O’Sullivan took the title for a third time. At long last sponsorship was obtained for 2002 in the shape of Powerhouse but only for one season initially. Mark Williams clinched his second win in the event. Travis Perkins stepped in with a three-year sponsorship deal in 2003 which also saw Matthew Stevens finally win a ranking title. The title went outside the British Isles for the very first time in 2005 when 18 year-old Ding Junhui from China beat Steve Davis, nearly 30 years his senior. Ding was only four months old when Davis won his last UK title in 1987.
Maplin Electronics signed a three year title sponsorship deal in 2006 and that year saw Peter Ebdon , playing better than anyone could remember, take the title for the first time and become only the ninth player to win both the World and UK titles.
Roll Of Honour
Year |
Venue |
Sponsor |
Winner
|
Runner Up |
Score |
1st Prize |
1977 |
Tower Circus, Blackpool |
Super Chrystalate |
Patsy Fagan |
Doug Mountjoy |
12-9 |
£2,000 |
1978 |
Guild Hall, Preston |
Coral |
Doug Mountjoy |
David Taylor |
15-9 |
£3,500 |
1979 |
Guild Hall, Preston |
Coral |
John Virgo |
Terry Griffiths |
14-13 |
£4,500 |
1980 |
Guild Hall, Preston |
Coral |
Steve Davis |
Alex Higgins |
16-6 |
£6,000 |
1981 |
Guild Hall, Preston |
Coral |
Steve Davis |
Terry Griffiths |
16-3 |
£10,000 |
1982 |
Guild Hall, Preston |
Coral |
Terry Griffiths |
Alex Higgins |
16-15 |
£11,000 |
1983 |
Guild Hall, Preston |
Coral |
Alex Higgins |
Steve Davis |
16-15 |
£12,000 |
1984 |
Guild Hall, Preston |
Coral |
Steve Davis |
Alex Higgins |
16-8 |
£20,000 |
1985 |
Guild Hall, Preston |
Coral |
Steve Davis |
Willie Thorne |
16-14 |
£24,000 |
1986 |
Guild Hall, Preston |
Tennents |
Steve Davis |
Neal Foulds |
16-7 |
£60,000 |
1987 |
Guild Hall, Preston |
Tennents |
Steve Davis |
Jimmy White |
16-14 |
£70,000 |
1988 |
Guild Hall, Preston |
Tennents |
Doug Mountjoy |
Stephen Hendry |
16-12 |
£80,000 |
1989 |
Guild Hall, Preston |
Stormseal |
Stephen Hendry |
Steve Davis |
16-12 |
£100,000 |
1990 |
Guild Hall, Preston |
Stormseal |
Stephen Hendry |
Steve Davis |
16-15 |
£110,000 |
1991 |
Guild Hall, Preston |
none |
John Parrott |
Jimmy White |
16-13 |
£35,000 |
1992 |
Guild Hall, Preston |
Royal Liver Assurance |
Jimmy White |
John Parrott |
16-9 |
£70,000 |
1993 |
Guild Hall, Preston |
Royal Liver Assurance |
Ronnie O'Sullivan |
Stephen Hendry |
10-6 |
£70,000 |
1994 |
Guild Hall, Preston |
Royal Liver Assurance |
Stephen Hendry |
Ken Doherty |
10-5 |
£70,000 |
1995 |
Guild Hall, Preston |
Royal Liver Assurance |
Stephen Hendry |
Peter Ebdon |
10-9 |
£70,000 |
1996 |
Guild Hall, Preston |
none |
Stephen Hendry |
John Higgins |
10-9 |
£70,000 |
1997 |
Guild Hall, Preston |
Liverpool Victoria |
Ronnie O'Sullivan |
Stephen Hendry |
10-6 |
£75,000 |
1998 |
Bournemouth International Centre |
Liverpool Victoria |
John Higgins |
Matthew Stevens |
10-6 |
£75,000 |
1999 |
Bournemouth International Centre |
Liverpool Victoria |
Mark J. Williams |
Matthew Stevens |
10-8 |
£78,000 |
2000 |
Bournemouth International Centre |
Liverpool Victoria |
John Higgins |
Mark J. Williams |
10-4 |
£78,000 |
2001 |
Barbican Centre, York |
none |
Ronnie O'Sullivan |
Ken Doherty |
10-1 |
£100,000 |
2002 |
Barbican Centre, York |
Powerhouse |
Mark J. Williams |
Ken Doherty |
10-9 |
£84,500 |
2003 |
Barbican Centre, York |
Travis Perkins |
Matthew Stevens |
Stephen Hendry |
10-8 |
£84,500 |
2004 |
Barbican Centre, York |
Travis Perkins |
Stephen Maguire |
David Gray |
10-1 |
£70,000 |
2005 |
Barbican Centre, York |
Travis Perkins |
Ding Junhui |
Steve Davis |
10-6 |
£70,000 |
2006 |
Barbican Centre, York |
Maplin Electronics |
Peter Ebdon |
Stephen Hendry |
10-6 |
£77,000 |
2007 |
Telford International Centre |
Maplin Electronics |
Ronnie O'Sullivan |
Stephen Maguire |
10-2 |
£100,000 |
2008 |
Telford International Centre |
Maplin Electronics |
Shaun Murphy |
Marco Fu |
10-9 |
£100,000 |
2009 |
Telford International Centre |
Pukka Pies |
Ding Junhui |
John Higgins |
10-8 |
£100,000 |
2010 |
Telford International Centre |
12BET.com |
John Higgins |
Mark J. Williams |
10-9 |
£100,000 |
Maximum Breaks
Final Stage |
Willie Thorne |
1987 |
Last 32 v. Tommy Murphy |
Peter Ebdon |
1992 |
Last 64 v. Ken Doherty |
Stephen Hendry |
1995 |
Last 16 v. Gary Wilkinson |
Stephen Hendry |
1999 |
Last 16 v. Paul Wykes |
David Gray |
2004 |
Last 32 v. Mark Selby |
Ronnie O'Sullivan |
2007 |
Semi Final v. Mark Selby |
Ding Junhui |
2008 |
Last 16 v. John Higgins |
Qualifying Rounds
|
Nick Dyson |
2000 |
Qual Rd 2 v Robert Milkins |
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© Chris Turner 2008
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