For the 200th post on Snooker Shorts, I thought I would share some of my favourite snooker memories over the years and the ones which resonated the most. There have been many matches, moments and tournaments over the decades which stand the test of time and even though making an entire list would be endless, I’m going to highlight a few below.
World Championship 2020 Semi-Final Finish (click here to read)
It’s easily one of my favourite days in snooker history. Kyren Wilson and Anthony McGill battled until the very end of their semi-final contest, with a final frame decider that included a number of twists and turns resulting in a 103-83 score line favouring Wilson. Subsequently, Ronnie O’Sullivan fought from 16-14 down to overthrow Mark Selby in three of the best and dramatic frames you could ever hope to watch.
Alex Higgins 69 Break (click here to read)
Continuing the semi-final theme, WSC 1982 saw one of the greatest breaks that still holds true to this day. As opposed to a carefully crafted break with precise positioning, Alex Higgins produced a spectacular contribution that involved some of the wildest single pots that you wouldn’t see in matches of current standards. And that blue. You know which one.
Black Ball Masters Final 1998
Mark Williams vs. Stephen Hendry at the 1998 Masters was one of the most crowd-involved matches I have ever heard. Hendry was on the cusp of winning his 7th Masters title with a 9-6 lead and despite Williams staging a comeback, Hendry still had the lead in the deciding frame. Nevertheless, a young Williams was able to force a re-spotted black which eventually went his way after Hendry’s failed attempt to left middle.
World Championship Final 1985
The golden age of snooker contained the match that many still consider to this day as snooker’s greatest moment. 18.5 million viewers were up past midnight, eager to see the epic finish between Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor as they fought to the deciding frame, spending almost 30 minutes alone on the final colours. Eventually, Davis overcut an attempt on the black to clinch the match/title after Taylor’s various attempts at potting from any position. However, Taylor was able to hold his nerve to pot the black needed to secure the 1985 WSC.
Ronnie O’Sullivan 1000th Century (click here to read)
A very memorable moment for such a historic milestone which occurred during the Players Championship 2019, as broadcasters and fans alike were counting down the centuries as O’Sullivan was closing in on the famous 1000 landmark. Indeed, the magical moment happened during the winning frame which turned a tame and civil snooker crowd into one that rivalled a football stadium.
Marco Fu World Championship 2017 (click here to read)
Fu’s first two round matches at WSC 2017 are among the finest things I have witnessed. In Round 1, Fu was heavily down and seemingly out against Luca Brecel with deficits of 5-0 and 7-1, but in the evening session was able to stage a monumental comeback to progress with a 10-9 victory. Following this win, Fu had an equally enthralling contest against Neil Robertson in Round 2 where he was similarly on the back foot but was able to keep with his opponent through to the end of the match where he turned a 10-8 deficit into a 13-11 triumph.
Ronnie O’Sullivan Overtakes Stephen Hendry
O’Sullivan broke records when he won his first ranking title at the age of 17, and 25 years later he was still doing the same thing at the same event as he overtook Hendry’s major tally of 18. O’Sullivan also broke Davis’s record of 6 UK titles as well as a number of milestones for successfully defending the championship. This achievement was met with a joyous reaction from the participating crowd as O’Sullivan jumped into the audience to celebrate amongst them.
How many of these memories do you recall? Of course, there are many more moments that I would add to this list but this is Snooker ‘Shorts’ at the end of the day so I had to keep things limited. Which memorable snooker moments would you add to this list?
I’m not sure how many Shorts you’ve read over the past couple of years, but thanks for reading No. 200. Happy New Year and see you in the next one!
Like this Short? Click here to read: The Old Snooker Ranking System (#100)
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