Rate it!

0 votes

Snooker historian Chris Turner looks back at this week in the game, a week that features a hat-trick of World Cup victories for Ireland.

March 21, 1987 IRELAND COMPLETE WORLD CUP HAT TRICK

In a repeat of the previous year's final, Ireland A beat Canada 9-2 to win the Tuborg World Cup at Bournemouth International Centre. It was the third year in a row that Dennis Taylor (pictured), Alex Higgins and Eugene Hughes had won this event in a team representing All-Ireland. The Canadian team of Cliff Thorburn, Kirk Stevens and Bill Werbeniuk was unchanged for the eighth successive World Cup.

March 22, 1969 SPENCER WINS REVIVED WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

At London's Victoria Hall, John Spencer beat Gary Owen 37-24 to win the Players No.6 World Professional Championship which had been restored to a knockout format for the first time since 1957.

March 22, 1999 MAXIMUM FOR DYSON

Nick Dyson compiled the first of his two official maximum breaks in a UK Tour event at the Hazel Grove Snooker Club in Stockport against Adrian Gunnell.

March 23, 1985 HIGGINS, TAYLOR AND HUGHES WIN WORLD CUP FOR IRELAND

It was perhaps appropriate that with Guinness taking over the sponsorship of the World Cup, it should go to Ireland for the first time. Alex Higgins, Dennis Taylor, and Eugene Hughes beat the England A team of Steve Davis, Tony Meo and Tony Knowles 9-7 in the final at Bournemouth International Centre.

March 23, 1986 IRELAND RETAIN WORLD CUP

Alex Higgins, Dennis Taylor, and Eugene Hughes, now playing as Ireland A, retained the World Cup title at Bournemouth beating Canada's trio of Cliff Thorburn, Kirk Stevens and Bill Werbeniuk 9-7 in the final.

March 23, 1997 MORGAN SO CLOSE TO IRISH MASTERS DOUBLE

Defending champion, Darren Morgan just failed to retain his Benson & Hedges Irish Masters title at Goff's. He was beaten 9-8 in the final by Stephen Hendry, the fourth year in succession that the final had gone to the decisive 17th frame.

March 24, 1989 ENGLAND TAKE WORLD CUP AGAIN

Defending champions, England again represented by Steve Davis, Neal Foulds and Jimmy White, won the Fersina Windows World Cup for the fourth time. In the final, at Bournemouth International Centre they beat the Rest of the World whose team comprised Dene O'Kane, Tony Drago and Silvino Francisco 9-8. The final frame, between Davis and O'Kane was decided on a re-spotted black after 73 minutes and 30 seconds which was at the time, the longest frame in any televised match but that has since been surpassed several times.

March 24, 1990 CANADA REGAIN WORLD CUP AFTER EIGHT YEARS

Cliff Thorburn, Bob Chaperon, and Alain Robidoux brought the British Car Rentals World Cup back to Canada after a gap of eight years. In the final at Bournemouth they beat Dennis Taylor, Alex Higgins and Tommy Murphy of Northern Ireland 9-5.

March 24, 2000 SECOND MAXIMUM FOR HIGGINS

Having waited nearly eight years to record his first maximum in professional competition, John Higgins made a second just five weeks later, in the quarter finals of the Benson & Hedges Irish Masters against jimmy White. This was the first 147 ever made in this tournament.

March 24, 2002 HIGGINS WINS SECOND IRISH MASTERS TITLE

At the Citywest Hotel at Shaggan near Dublin, John Higgins won his second Irish Masters title with a 10-3 victory over Peter Ebdon. This was the last occasion that this was an invitation event as it gained full ranking status in 2003.

March 24, 1908 SIDNEY SMITH BORN

Sidney Smith played in ten world championships between 1936 and 1951 reaching two finals and four semi finals. He also won the News Of The World tournament in 1951/2.

March 26, 1995 EBDON WINS IRISH MASTERS

At Goff's, Peter Ebdon won the Benson & Hedges Irish Masters title beating Stephen Hendry in the deciding seventeenth frame.

March 26, 2000 HIGGINS TAKES THE FINAL B & H IRISH MASTERS

The 23rd and last Benson & Hedges sponsored Irish Masters was won by John Higgins who beat the defending champion, Stephen Hendry, 9-4.

March 26, 2006 WILLIAMS BACK TO WINNING WAYS

Mark Williams collected his first major title for two-and-a-half years when he beat John Higgins 9-8 in Beijing to win the gloriously named Star Dragon Woods Villas Cup China Open.

March 26, 2008 LONGEST FRAME IN SNOOKER HISTORY

In the Honghe Industrial China Open in Beijing, the eighth frame of the last 32 match between Shaun Murphy and Dave Harold lasted un unbelievable 93 minutes and 12 seconds, by some margin the longest ever frame in professional snooker.

March 26, 2009 LUCA BRECEL WINS EUROPEAN U19 TITLE AT 14

Belgium's Luca Brecel became the yougest ever winner of the European Under-19 Championship. At just 14 years and 18 days he beat Michael Wsaley 6-5 in the final in St. Peterburg.

March 26, 2009 TRUMP WINS CHAMPIONSHIP LEAGUE

Judd Trump clinched the Championship League title with a 3-2 victory over Mark Selby to ewarn a place in the 2010 Premier League.

March 27, 1893 DEATH OF JOHN ROBERTS SR

John Roberts Sr, the first real billiards champion, died at the age of 67. Although he was never officially world champion he was regarded as such for the 20 or so years before the first official championship was organised in 1970 when he was beaten by William Cook. He travelled extensively particularly to Australia. By the time of his death, his son, also John, had won the world title several times.

March 27, 1983 DAVIS WINS HIS FIRST IRISH MASTERS

Having been runner up the year before, Steve Davis went one better and won the first of his eight Benson & Hedges Irish Masters titles beating Ray Reardon 9-2 in the final at Goff's in County Kildare.

March 27, 1988 IT'S DAVIS AGAIN AT GOFF'S

For the fourth time in six years, Steve Davis won the Benson & Hedges Irish Masters at Goff's. In the final he defeated Neal Foulds 9-4.

March 27, 1994 RECORD EIGHTH IRISH MASTERS FOR STEVE

The defending champion, Steve Davis collected a record eighth Benson & Hedges Irish Masters. For the second year running he beat Alan McManus in the final but this time it went to the deciding frame. Steve's eight titles had come in twelve attempts and never had one player so dominated a single event since Joe Davis won 15 world championships.

March 28, 1888 LONSDALE IS FIRST ENGLISH AMATEUR BILLIARDS CHAMPION

The very first English Amateur Billiards Championship was won by H. A. O. Lonsdale who beat W D Courtney to take the title.

March 28, 1982 TERRY COMPLETES IRISH HAT TRICK

For the third year in a row, Terry Griffiths won the Benson & Hedges Irish Masters at Goff's, this time beating Steve Davis 9-5 in the final. Welsh players had totally dominated the first five years of this event to such an extent that Steve was the first non-Welshman to appear in the final since 1978.

March 28, 1993 DAVIS MAKES IT SEVEN AT GOFF'S

Steve Davis beat Alan McManus 9-4 in the Benson & Hedges Irish Masters final at Goff's to win the title for the seventh time.

March 28, 1999 HENDRY FIGHT BACK BEATS LEE

Looking down and out at 4-8 down, Stephen Hendry won the next five frames to beat Stephen Lee 9-8 at Goff's and claim his third Benson & Hedges Irish Masters title.

March 28, 2000 MAGUIRE HITS MAXIMUM

In his first season on the main tour, Stephen Maguire compiled the 37th official maximum break against Phaitoon Phonbun in the first round of the Regal Scottish Open in Aberdeen.

March 28, 2004 EBDON'S SECOND IRISH MASTERS

At the Citywest Hotel, Saggart near Dublin, Peter Ebdon collected his second Irish Masters title nine years after his first. In the final he beat Mark King 10-7. Mark was celebrating his 30th birthday with his second world ranking final.

Chris Turner / Eurosport