World Snooker Championship 1978 – Throwback

Continuing with the World Championship Throwbacks, we arrive at the year 1978 where the Crucible holds the second WSC following a successful event in the prior year. John Spencer was the defending champion and aimed to keep that crown. Little did he know (along with the rest of us) was that he would be the first to succumb to what is now commonly known as the ‘Crucible Curse’.

This championship was significant because of the players involved. As mentioned earlier, John Spencer sought to defend his crown however fell short in the first round to eventual runner-up, Perrie Mans (13-8). Spencer could at least take some solace in doubling his tournament earnings by compiling the highest break of 138. Willie Thorne, Alex Higgins and Doug Mountjoy are also among those that fell in the first round.

Fred Davis famously reached the semi-finals of the WSC in 1978 at age 64, watched by his brother Joe. Davis beat Dennis Taylor, Patsy Fagan as well as John Virgo in qualifying to reach his last semi-final appearance in a World Championship. There would be a battle for third place between the semi-finalists which Eddie Charlton would win in a best-of-13 (first to 7) contest. Davis would reach the quarter-finals in the following year then struggle to get to these later stages as the years went on.

The 1978 final would be contested by 5x pre-Crucible champion, Ray Reardon who fought to secure a world title at Sheffield, which would be home to the WSC for at least the next 40 years; and Perrie Mans, who dominated the South African Professional Championship and would achieve one of his career highlights by reaching the final of the World Championship.

The final was played over a best-of-49 (first to 25) match, which would be one of the last WSC’s to be contested over a longer format. It was a closely fought contest following the first day and after the score-line reached 10-10, Reardon started to pull away at 13-11, 18-14 and eventually 25-18 as he further etched his names into the snooker history books.

This victory would secure Reardon’s sixth World Championship trophy, a number that would only be matched or passed by the likes of Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan in the decades that followed. Reardon became the oldest winner of the WSC at 45 years old, a record previously held by Joe Davis. Despite having successful ventures in the World Championships to follow, 1978 would be the last year that Reardon lifted the trophy as he showed his class during this tournament proving that venue was irrelevant to him and that he was indeed, the best.

WSC 1978 was the first championship to be fully covered by the BBC, with an overwhelmingly positive audience response (close to 7 million viewers). It was a response such that, it required TV scheduling be cleared in order to broadcast the final live for those at home to witness.

Fun fact: Ray Reardon was 7-2 down to Doug Mountjoy in the first round, before mounting a comeback that would see him through to the second round with a 13-9 victory.

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Snooker's Class of 1992 (2010s) – Throwback

Finally, to wrap up this mini-series of Throwback posts, we’ll have a look at the most recent decade involving the three established champions from the coveted Class of ’92 era. After twenty years, you’d think there was a decline or a noticeable performance drop however, Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins and Mark Williams still prove that age is but a number as they continued expanding their already extensive trophy cabinets.

From 2010-19, the Class of ’92 amassed an incredible 30 ranking titles between them as well as 17 non-ranking titles. Their Triple Crown endeavours included 4 World Championships, 4 Masters and 4 UK Championships, some of which were accomplished in extraordinary manners. Showing that they were still forces to be reckoned with, these three individuals continued to be the torch bearers for the game as they halted the tracks for any newcomers aiming to dominate the sport.

Williams won 6 ranking titles plus the Seniors during the 2010s although, most of his success came in the 2017/18 season where he was able to end his six year trophy drought by claiming three titles in the season – the most impressive being his third World Championship in 2018. Closing out a terrific season against his fellow compatriot Higgins, Williams went from a serious retirement consideration to one of his best seasons, all while winning the sport’s biggest prize fifteen years after his last.

On the other side of the coin, Higgins did well to capture 10 ranking titles during the decade, topped with a further 6 non-ranking victories. Higgins won the UK Championship at the turn of the decade in the deciding frame against Williams, and followed this in 2011 with his fourth World Championship against a young riser in Judd Trump. Higgins did well to add to his trophy cabinet during this period, but his competitiveness really shone through towards the end of the decade as he reached three successive WSC finals in 2017-19. Despite coming out on the wrong end of each of these finals, Higgins displayed a fierce resolve and match-play that still holds back all top contenders.

Lastly, O’Sullivan managed to accumulate a remarkable 14 ranking and 10 non-ranking titles during this period which included two World Championships, three Masters and three UKs. The most impressive of his feats had to be his WSC triumph in 2013 (click here to see why) considering he took an entire year out from competition just to return and ‘steal’ the world title. Imagine how many more trophies he would’ve won that season had he competed? Showing moments of brilliance throughout the decade, including his five ranking titles in 2017/18, as well as his historic UK Championship/18th Triple Crown in 2018, O’Sullivan continued to cement his legacy as possibly the greatest of all time.

The most inspiring thing about the Class of ’92 is that many expected them to get phased out by the likes of Ding, Robertson, Selby and Trump who were coming through as the next top contenders. And while these players did find success during the 2010s, the Class of ’92 had their hands on a fair share of silverware. Not only that, but there hasn’t been drastic dip in their match-play; if anything, they’ve found themselves doing quite well in the most recent of times as they comfortably hang around the Top 16.

So my question to you is how long do you think it will take before the rest of the field can push aside the Class of ’92? Because as it stands, it’s only really the top handful of elite players that can consistently beat these veterans. A rising age is normally associated with a decline in performance with sport however, O’Sullivan, Higgins and Williams continue to push the boundaries of their limitless winning powers.

See you in ten years for the 2020s Throwback!

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Snooker's Class of 1992 (2000s) – Throwback

Continuing on with the Class of ’92 appreciation, we turn into the next century as we observe the impact Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins and Mark Williams had on the following decade during the 2000s. Spoiler alert: it involves numerous Triple Crowns. Not only that, but here we can really see how these three juggernauts took over snooker as their own playground.

During the 2000s, O’Sullivan, Higgins and Williams secured a combined 32 ranking titles and a further 26 non-ranking events. This included an impressive 16 Triple Crown trophies, of which 7 were World Championships. As we look at each player below, we can really see the effect that they had throughout this decade and how they took the spotlight away from the rest of the field.

Starting with Higgins, he accumulated 8 ranking events (plus another 8 non-ranking) over the course of the 2000s which included his two World Championships towards the end of the decade, the first of which was against a young up-and-comer by the name of Mark Selby. He was able to win the UK Championship in 2000 (against Williams, no less) and reach back-to-back Masters finals against O’Sullivan, the latter resulting in one of the finest highlights of the decade.

Williams was able to capture 9 ranking titles during this decade which commenced with a strong start to his venture. He became the World Champion at the start of the century in 2000 and followed this with a stellar 2002/03 campaign where he won the entire Triple Crown catalogue. He became the only player beside Hendry and Davis to accomplish this, and no one has since been able to achieve this. Williams’ run throughout the 2000s included the UK Championship in 2002 as well as the Masters in 2003.

Lastly, similar to how Higgins contributed a significant number of wins to the totals in the 1990s, O’Sullivan managed to bring 15 ranking titles and 16 non-ranking victories to the table in the 2000s. It proved to be a prosperous decade for O’Sullivan in the 2000s as he claimed his first WSC in 2001, followed by triumphs in 2004 and 2008. He also added 3 Masters (2005, 07, 09) and 2 UK Championships (2001, 07), whilst establishing himself as the person to beat.

The 2000s was a real stomping ground for the Class of ’92. During the ten year span, O’Sullivan, Williams and Higgins won 7 out of the 10 World Championships. They also provided countless highlights such as the 2006 Masters final, the 2008 WSC 147 (click here to read why it’s my favourite maximum) and Williams’ form to capture all majors within a single season. Propelling themselves from their already impressive success of the 1990s, these three legends went onto establish themselves as multiple Triple Crown champions in the following decade. But it didn’t just stop there…

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Snooker's Class of 1992 (1990s) – Throwback

The infamous Class of ’92 have withstood the test of time in snooker better than anyone else in the sport. Despite being over 40 years old, Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins and Mark Williams are still displaying their fortitude as they continue to win tournaments and make major finals, whilst staying around the top of the rankings. But how much of an impact did these three make in their formative years?

During the 1990s, O’Sullivan, Higgins and Williams won a combined 26 ranking titles, along with a further 15 non-ranking trophies. This doesn’t take into account the numerous other finals that they also contested. Their triumphs also included 8 Triple Crowns, all which was achieved during the decade of Stephen Hendry, as well as during their early 20s (or in some cases, even younger than that!).

O’Sullivan contributed 7 of the total 26 ranking titles accumulated in the 1990s, one of which included his historic UK Championship in 1993 where he became the youngest player to win a ranking tile – a record still held to this day. He added another UK title in 1997 as well as a Masters in 1995 where he beat fellow rival Higgins. And of course, how could one possibly forget his effortless 5:08 maximum break during the WSC in 1997?

Williams matched O’Sullivan’s 7 ranking titles during the 1990s although his victories started from 1996 with the Welsh Open. While Williams hadn’t reached the peak of the early 2000s, he was still proving to be quite the force as he captured the UK title in 1999 and the memorable Masters victory against Hendry the year prior. At such a young age, Williams was showing his impressive ability as he was able to reach the semi-finals of the WSC in 1998 and then the final in 1999. And we all know what happened in the following year.

Lastly, Higgins, who perhaps was the most impressive of the three during the 1990s. Out of the 26 ranking titles, Higgins was responsible for 12 of them alone, almost matching the combined efforts of O’Sullivan and Williams. Higgins proved to be such a devastating competitor as he won three ranking titles in a single season as a teenager in 1994/95. He became the only one of the Class of ’92 to complete the Triple Crown before the turn of the century as he secured the World and UK Championship in 1998, then the Masters in 1999.

The most impressive thing about these three legends are the ages at which they were accomplishing these feats. In their early to mid-twenties, they were already displaying tremendous all-round match-play, something which takes most players years to hone in. I think they really have spoiled the perception of future generations because of this, due to the fact that expectations are placed highly for newcomers that make their way into the scene.

For example, Judd Trump didn’t really hit his stride until his thirties, which it still a very young age in the sport, but I think because of the likes of the Class of ’92, many expected him to be in this position at a significantly younger age. In actual fact, Trump is probably at the normal point of the progression curve in his career. As are many other players on the circuit.

John Parrott spoke about it quite well during the Crucible’s 40th year anniversary documentary in that the game struggles to have players like O’Sullivan, Higgins and Williams coming in at all, let alone in packs of three like they did in 1992. There certainly won’t be another calibre of these three, and I think the fact that they all came in at the same time is what enabled them to achieve what they did during the 1990s.

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