World Snooker Cueing

The World Snooker Championship is the highlight of the annual snooker calendar. The tournament is held in the legendary Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England and the world’s best snooker players take part in the event. It’s also the most significant snooker tournament for World Snooker rankings points, prize money and prestige.

The event has a prestigious history in the game and the first World Snooker Championship was held in 1927. Unlike the modern day tournament it was held in a number of venues with the final staged in Birmingham’s Camkin Hall and won by Joe Davis who also helped with the events organisation. Davis went on to win every World Snooker Championship until he was finally beaten in 1940 when he was beaten by his younger brother Fred. It was the last until after the war 1946 when Davis won the tournament again setting a record yet to be beaten of 15 career World Snooker Championship victories.

World Championship Trophy

By 1947 Joe Davis had retired from World Snooker and there was a new Champion, Walter Donaldson. However, the following three years were taken by Joe’s brother Fred who returned to winning ways getting both the 1948, 1948 and 1951 World Snooker trophies. In 1952 there were two Championships due to a Governing body bureaucracy of the BA&CC (the Billiards Association and Control Council) and unrest between some of players. The tournament that had popular support and was most widely considered the official World Snooker Championship was named the World Matchplay tournament which continued until 1957, the offshoot only took place once. Horace Lindrum an Australian won the 1952 World Championship against Clark McConachy a New Zealander.

Between 1958 and 1963 the shrinking popularity of snooker caused the tournament longest period of hiatus. It wasn’t until 1964 that the sport regained it’s former popularity and it continued on a challenge basis. The new format last until 1968 and was dominated by a player called John Pulman who was undefeated in 7 matches. Because of the World Snooker challenge format matches weren’t regular and sometimes took place more than once in a year.

Entrance To The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

In 1969 snooker’s popularity was back on the increase and the World Championship returned to a knockout format, won by John Spencer. The following year, Ray Reardon, snooker first legendary player dominated the event winning it six times the World Snooker Championship six times between 1970-78. Ray Reardon’s long standing reputation in the sport was in part due to his dominance of the first golden age of snooker. Sponsorship from Embassy, a cigarette brand that was synonymous with the sport, BBC television coverage and a change of venue to the Crucible Theatre all contributed to snooker’s explosion in popularity. Over 40 years later the Crucible is still used to showcase snookers most prestigious event because of its unique atmosphere and qualities as a live venue and venue for television. Despite housing less than a thousand people the Crucible is snooker’s number one venue.

Crucible Theatre Two Tables

The Crucible has been the stage where snooker is becoming a truly international sport but is still dominated by players from the United Kingdom and Ireland. Steve Davis, an English player, won the World Snooker Championship there six times in the 1980′s followed by Stephen Hendry, a Scot who won the Championship seven times. Between 2000 and 2009 the tournament has been won by six different players but all of British or Irish origin. The latest influx of talent from around the World, particularly China and Thailand has seen players including; Marco Fu, Ding Junhui, Liang Wenbo, Lui Song, Jin Long, Li Hang and Thai Atthasit Mahitthi enter the World Snooker Rankings.

The Crucible Theatre will remain the venue of the World Snooker Championship until 2014 and BetFred are the currently the sports sponsors after legislation ended snookers sponsorship ties with cigarette companies.