World Snooker Championship 1977 – Throwback

In a time where the average house price was just over £13000, the Ford Fiesta had just gone on sale and Rocky won Best Picture; so began the first World Championship of the Modern Era. Let’s find out more about the 1977 Embassy World Championship, shall we?

WSC 1977 was the first to be held at the famous Crucible Theatre and was won by John Spencer (his third title) in a best-of-49 endeavour against Cliff Thorburn. Click here if you want to read my ‘Brief History of The Crucible’ short to find out more about this venue. Spencer won £6000 for his victory that year beating players including Ray Reardon, John Pulman and Cliff Thorburn in the final.

There were many famous debutants in the World Championship that year including Patsy Fagan and (now commentators) John Virgo, Willie Thorne and Doug Mountjoy. Doug Mountjoy was the only one of these contestants to make it (barely) past their first round match.

There were only 6 centuries made in the 1977 WSC and four of them were made by the two finalists. This was also the year that World Rankings were introduced. Of course, it wasn’t a prize money system that we’re used to seeing today. Back then, the points system were set by the governing body.

Although, it may not seem like an eventful championship, it was the beginning of a sense of familiarity and consistency going forward in the snooker environment. 22 years later, the World Championship is still held at the Crucible, setting the standard that we’re all used to seeing today; and the success of the 1977 WSC was a key contributor to this.

Fun fact: John Spencer was aged 41 when he won the WSC this year and was the oldest Crucible champion until Ray Reardon won in 1978.

Why are Snooker tables heated?

I’m sure when you’re watching any televised snooker match you see a small display at the foot of the table with a number; typically either 45 or 50 (mostly the latter). This pretty much refers to the temperature at which the table is heated, kind of. Most of you already knew this; but this is for the uneducated (and also the bored).

The basis for heating a snooker table is simply to reduce the amount of friction on the table. If a snooker table wasn’t heated and was left to survive on its own throughout the course of a tournament then it would inevitably become too cold and damp to play on. It would also cause quite an uneven surface. Now, I don’t need to tell you why that is a bad idea. Actually, I might. On a 12ft+ table, long shots would be an absolute nightmare.

Keeping a table warm and dry helps with the ‘run of the ball’ by providing quick play as well as consistency. Left without under-table heaters, the table would have to adjust to the changing temperatures of the surrounding environment which would cause minor (but noticeable) contractions in the cloth that snooker is played on. That’s pretty much it.

This leads to what choice of temperature should be chosen for the heaters. Most of you (including myself) would probably think that 50 degrees would be far too hot to play on. However, because the slates that snooker tables are primarily made from are so thick, it is only approximately 20 or so degrees when the heat actually reaches to the top of the table.

Fun fact: a lot of local clubs that don’t have table heaters tend to just iron their tables in order to keep them running smooth.

Playing Snooker vs. Playing Pool

Over the weekend, I played some snooker at my local club and the following day, some pool (billiards) at one of the tables at a Tenpin bowling alley. Playing the two quite closely after each other opened my eyes to some of the differences between the two cue sports. Now, I am by no means an expert (or even adequate) at either sport; however, I have played both leisurely for quite some years and I think I provide the perspective similar to someone who is brand new to both sports.

For someone who has never played either sport, pool is definitely the easier one to play. I find myself potting ridiculous shots that I could never dream of on a snooker table. Cue action and technique is far more forgiving in a game of pool, as well are the pockets – which is probably why pool is such a more popular sport to the general masses.

On the other hand, potting a single shot in snooker is significantly more difficult than in a game of pool. The longer table and tighter pockets encourage a consistent, still cue action which can take a while to perfect. This can cause 2 complete novices to spend huge amounts of time trying to complete a single frame due to the difficulty in potting a ball.

Everyone will have differing experiences when it comes to both sports – and even when I played English Pool on a table at my old workplace, I found myself playing surprisingly well. But then I jump on a snooker table, and I can’t pot to save my life. Literally, I would be so screwed if I ever had to.

I’m not going to delve into which cue sport takes more skill because they both have their merits. Clearly, the editor for Snooker Shorts will have a biased opinion (although I think I’m remaining pretty objective so far) but I think stringing together a nice break in snooker is far more satisfying than clearing up a pool table. In my opinion pool is easy to learn, difficult to master; while snooker is difficult to learn, and even more difficult to master.

What do you think?

What is the Q School?

A lot of the time you may hear commentators reference ‘Q school’ during matches, particularly when watching new players compete in tournaments. But what is the nature of the Q School in the snooker environment and how does it affect newer players?

The Q School is essentially the formal qualifying procedure for the main snooker tour. It’s held before the start of a new season; in this case, Q School concluded at the beginning of June. Those who emerge successful out of Q School will gain a place on the main snooker circuit with a 2-year tour card. And a tour card is what allows players to enter tournaments.

There is no prize money for Q School, since it is effectively an application for getting on the main tour. Entrants pay a fixed fee and play through a series of playoffs and if they win their respective bracket, they qualify for a tour card. These can be rigorous considering the level of competition these days – in this season’s Q School, entrants had to go through 6 rounds of best-of-7 competition to win a tour card.

This season has the most qualifiers since Q School’s inception, with 16 players obtaining a tour card. This consists of 12 players winning their brackets and an additional 4 players qualifying through Order of Merit, where consistent, high performers in the playoffs rank highly enough to earn a place on the tour.

The Q School is a chance to showcase new talent going into the upcoming season. Winning a tour card gives these players an opportunity to perform on the stages with the players they have probably looked up to for years.