Earlier in the tournament he'd beaten Marcus Campbell (10-4), Ali Carter (13-8), Stuart Bingham (13-4) and Judd Trump 17-11. Ranking the game's top five players in history, including World Championship stars. Then a week or so afterwards, I was like, OK, he's got the mantle now to live up to. Once he decided he'd be the greatest player in the world, he achieved that.". That year he won the Dubai Classic, the Asian Open, the Scottish Masters, the UK Championship, and the Masters. Indeed OSullivans time span of winning major titles which now stands at 29 years is testament to the astounding longevity of his greatness compared to anyone whos ever picked up a cue, Hendry included. 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,". "Its just a number at the end of the day, I dont get too caught up with it to be honest with you.". Ronnie O'Sullivan's first TV appearance aged just 14 in 1990, making a break of 75. When the 96/97 season began, there were nine Scots ranked inside the top 64 and plenty more coming up on the rails. He was that dominant. Well worth a watch even for Ronnie fans! 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). BBC pundit and 1985 world champion Dennis Taylor believes Hendry's achievements mark him out as the stand-out player in the sport's history. Why Do Snooker Players Use Their Chins When Shooting. Article bookmarked. The 43-year-old, who . His tour card was subsequently renewed for another two seasons.. A series of records fell in his wake. Remarkably, just like against Selby, this would be a match-winning 147 as he beat Mark Williams 13-7 in round two before seeing off Liang Wenbo (13-7) and Stephen Hendry (17-6) to reach the final. Hendrys father bought him a junior-sized snooker table for Christmas when he was twelve.He became obsessed with the game, quickly developing his skills, and began competing in junior amateur tournaments. He won 12 frames in a row against the Scotsman, who was beaten with a session to spare, and didn't give Ali Carter much of a look in either, triumphing 18-8. 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. There, the Rocket punished Mark Selby 10-4 but the Jester would of course get his revenge in the World Championship final later that season. Hendry continued his ascent in his third professional season, winning his first world ranking titles at the 1987 Rothmans Grand Prix and the 1988 British Open. What Is The Prize of The World Snooker Championship? OSullivan has already ticked off the other major records Hendry held including most Triple Crown wins and most ranking tournament titles. 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). O'Sullivan stands on 69 wins from 92 matches played between 1993 and 2021. pic.twitter.com/PoE9RBEcNh. However, one big difference was how he approached the game itself. O'Sullivan's sixth world title came on his 28th appearance in a row here, and during the final he played his 1,847th Crucible frame to creep past the record previously set by Hendry of 1,846. He practised with military discipline, watched over by his no-nonsense manager, Ian Doyle, and the rewards came quickly. 'pic.twitter.com/7eVJQ8XH6D, If you consider the high stakes, the context, the pressure, this must be one of the greatest shots in the history of snooker from Ronnie OSullivan. 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. Ronnie O'Sullivan - 2011 Paul Hunter Classic - Adam Duffy, 12. Hendry was 30 and the extraordinary intensity he had given to be the best seemed to wane. At 20, he captured the Masters and UK Championship, and at 21 was crowned the youngest ever world champion. Who has won the most World Snooker Championship titles? The Romford potter has amassed 52 more Crucible centuries (179 vs 127) to take his astonishing overall career tally to 1,061 compared to Scotsman's mark of 775 - which is second on the all-time list - while 15 of those were maximums. That year he also won the Australian Masters and successfully defended his Scottish Professional Championship and World Doubles Championship titles.. Any excuse to dig this uppic.twitter.com/hzoGnnsx9W, 1. John Higgins has won four and is good enough to win another four; it is hard to say.". However, he began competing again in 2021. After three semi-final defeats in the 1990s and a shock 10-9 defeat to David Gray in round one of the Millennium edition, O'Sullivan reached his first Crucible final by overcoming Andy Hicks (10-2), Dave Harold (13-6), Peter Ebdon (13-6) and Joe Swail (17-11) before an absorbing 18-14 victory over 1998 champion John Higgins. One of the most joyous scenes in all of British cinema is the opening to Trainspotting, which sees Renton and his pals careening down Princes Street and other parts of Edinburgh to Iggy Pops Lust for Life. Just 16 when he joined the circuit, he was completely driven from the start. 20 Scots have so far competed in the Crucible stage of the World Championship. Even Neil Robertson is laughing by the end of the title-winning break. OSullivan beat Judd Trump to win his seventh World Championship, I couldnt care less what Stephen Hendry or anyone else says Allen on slow-play critics, Why theres no hiding place for anyone at the Shoot Out, he was fined several times in the last 12 months. All rights reserved. Finishes Tournaments played: 3 Category Winner Ronnie O'Sullivan - 2010 World Open - Mark King, 11. 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. Ronnie O'Sullivan claimed a record-breaking seventh UK Championship title with a 10-6 victory over Mark Allen at the York Barbican. The prodigious talent underlined his rich potential in emphatic fashion at just his second UK Championship by beating Ken Doherty, Steve Davis and Darren Morgan before defeating Stephen Hendry, who'd already won three world titles, two UK crowns and five successive Masters by this time, 106 in the final. 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. At the end of the 198990 season, Hendry, at 21 years 106 days, topped Jimmy White 1812 to become the youngest world champion ever. 'Feels amazing' Higgins ends 13-month title drought by retaining Championship League crown, Watch Robertson produce magic as Trump leads final Championship League group. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. pic.twitter.com/kkjnHt983m. By becoming the first player since Paul Hunter in 2002 to retain it, O'Sullivan could celebrate a record seventh Masters title. What TV channel is 2022 World Snooker Championship final? Stream the Scottish Open and more top snooker action live on, 'Feels amazing' Higgins ends 13-month title drought by retaining Championship League crown, Zhao and Yan to miss World Championship ahead of match-fixing hearing. Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan jointly hold the record for the most World Snooker Championship titles with seven. The record was previously set by Stephen Hendry back in 1999. On that occasion he was thrashed 5-1 by Dennis Taylor in the wildcard round but this was a completely different story, overcoming John Parrott, Terry Griffiths and Peter Ebdon prior to a 9-3 triumph over fellow teenage sensation John Higgins. He hadn't been at his fluent best earlier in the tournament but managed three century breaks and 10 above 50 when the trophy was on the line. There were so many - 70 titles in total - that we had to settle on just a dozen. Ronnie O'Sullivan's legendary status reached yet another level when breaking the ranking title record of 36 that he'd previously shared with Stephen Hendry by landing the biggest of the lot for the sixth time. I can't explain it. 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. The Scot finished as the year-end rankings leader for eight seasons in a row from 1989/90 to 1996/97. He competed in the World Amateur Championship that year, setting a record for being the youngest entrant ever.. The winner of this weeks Scottish Open receives the Stephen Hendry trophy. He's going to be winning this a few times and the other guys better get their act together. As if to underline how disappointing the comeback has been, the man himself did not enter the event. The age of professionalism in Scottish snooker came courtesy of a shy teenager who possessed a laser-like focus rarely witnessed before or since. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. It earned him 75 of the 11million+ he's now won 30 years later. Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan jointly hold the record for the most World Snooker Championship titles with seven. 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. Its now undisputed, if it wasnt already. In terms of weeks spent as world number one, as of April 18, 2022, Stephen Hendry tops the list. "Obviously a name for the future. The scene was vibrant. Considering all categories of tournament, including ranking, non-ranking and invitational, Steve Davis has won the most titles in snooker. 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. 2023 Eurosport, a Warner Bros. The only trophies Hendry has ever wanted to handle are the ones he has won. Joe is a sub-editor for Sporting News UK. There have been as many as 20 rankings tournament in a single season in recent years. At the age of 17 years and 358 days he became the youngest ever winner of a ranking event and that record still stands. All these matches are part of the process, and getting me comfortable in arenas again. To be fair, Hendry had done everything to lower expectations. As the Scottish Open begins in Edinburgh, its worth remembering that this had not always been the case. "But records are there to be broken. Prodigy then, legend now. O'Sullivan has always played down his pursuit of the record and maintained that stance in his post-match press conference. BBC commentators and presenters for 2022 World Snooker Championship. His comeback was much anticipated but has been largely underwhelming. "It's been an unbelievable career," Taylor told BBC Radio 5 live. Hendry holds the record for the most seasons as the no.1 player; he was ranked no.1 for nine seasons. Ronnie O'Sullivan's sixth World Championship broke Stephen Hendry's record for the most career ranking titles and also extended his all-time Triple Crown tally to 20. Davis, who lost the 1989 and 1990 UK Championship finals to Hendry, continued: "In a way I feel that it's quite a sad day for me. 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. In typical fashion, the 100th point of his 1000th century was secured left-handed, and O'Sullivan - to continued, rapturous applause - went on to clear the table fully, even the white finding its way to the pocket to deny what would've been a 141. 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. 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. No player since Hendry in 1996 had retained the trophy while his 128th Crucible century during the 18-12 triumph over Barry Hawkins saw him move past the Scotsman's all-time record. For good measure Hendry also spent a recordbreaking nine years as world No 1, ahead of. "It's been an unbelievable career," Taylor told. What is the prize money at the 2022 World Snooker Championship? Hendry, O'Sullivan, Davis and the players with the most trophies, Is Ronnie O'Sullivan snooker's GOAT? "Hopefully, if I can keep getting better and keep improving, my technique becomes reliable and I can get to a better pace, then next year will be the goal to get back to the Crucible," he said after his win over old foe White last year. 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. 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. "The ultimate goal is to play one more match at the Crucible. All rights reserved. Technically, the most successful player at the world championship is Joe Davis, who won 15 consecutive titles from 1927 to 1946. 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. 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. The 1989-90 season was the beginning of Stephen Hendrys period of dominance, both in major tournaments and atop the world rankings. Corrections? He admired and coveted Daviss success and adopted his mindset. Tribute to Stephen Hendry. Way back in 1993 at the age of 17 he became the youngest winner of a ranking event at the UK Championship, and 27 years on he's bagged a record-breaking 37th as the oldest Crucible champion since Reardon in 1978. 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. 2014 UK Championship Final: Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Judd Trump DECIDER! His youth made him a relatable figure to youngsters everywhere, but especially in Scotland. 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.