"Qualifying took place between 11 and 18 April 2018 at the English Institute of Sport, also in Sheffield, in a 12-table set-up. All matches were best of 19 frames. A total of 113 tour players (ranked outside the top 16, including Invitational Tour Card holders Ken Doherty and Jimmy White) were joined by 15 amateur players who had achieved success through the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) qualifying criteria. Among the 131 World Snooker Tour players, only Boonyarit Keattikun and Kritsanut Lertsattayathorn (both from Thailand) did not participate in the qualifying rounds. The following 15 amateur players were"
"Amateur Snooker Championships. Higgins turned professional at the age of 22, winning the World Championship at his first attempt in 1972, against John Spencer winning 37–32. Higgins was then the youngest ever winner of the title, a record retained until Stephen Hendry's 1990 victory at the age of 21. In April 1976, Higgins reached the final again and faced Ray Reardon. Higgins led 11–9, but Reardon made four centuries and seven breaks over 60 to pull away and win the title for the fifth time with the score of 27–16. Higgins was also the runner-up to Cliff Thorburn in 1980,"
"1980 World Snooker Championship The 1980 World Snooker Championship (also known as the 1980 Embassy World Snooker Championship for the purposes of sponsorship) was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 22 April and 5 May 1980 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. Cliff Thorburn won in the final 18–16 against Alex Higgins. The tournament was sponsored by cigarette manufacturer Embassy. The breakdown of prize money for this year is shown below: Numbers in (parentheses) indicate seedings. Source: There were 11 century breaks at the championship. Kirk Stevens and Steve Davis shared the high break prize when"
"would compete in money matches in many venues. His natural aptitude for snooker led to a successful amateur career. After winning the English Amateur Championship in 1979, a year later he became the youngest ever winner of the World Amateur Snooker Championship, aged 18, a record since surpassed by Ian Preece and Hossein Vafaei. With a host of major titles and achievements, including ten ranking tournaments, White's overall record ranks him well up the list of snooker's most successful players. The BBC describes him as a ""legend"". A left-hander, he reached the World Professional Championship Final on six occasions (1984,"
"ranking tournaments in 1988 after failing a drug test. He is the father of two children, Jamie and Andrew. Thorburn won around C$2.5 million in prize money during his 25-year career but also received a considerable income from ""inter alia"" billiards equipment endorsements, exhibition games, a snooker instruction book and an autobiography, ""Playing for Keeps"", published in 1987. Cliff Thorburn Clifford Charles Devlin ""Cliff"" Thorburn (born January 16, 1948) is a Canadian retired professional snooker player. He won the World Snooker Championship in 1980, the first player from outside the United Kingdom to win the title in the sport's modern"
"Cliff Thorburn Clifford Charles Devlin ""Cliff"" Thorburn (born January 16, 1948) is a Canadian retired professional snooker player. He won the World Snooker Championship in 1980, the first player from outside the United Kingdom to win the title in the sport's modern era. He was also ranked number one that year. In 1983, Thorburn became the first player to compile a maximum break at the World Championship. He is one of two snooker players inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, the other being George Chenier. His slow, determined style of play earned him the nickname ""The Grinder"". Thorburn first"
"to win the World Snooker Championship all won a championship in their 40s, the last of which was Reardon. It was forty years until another player in their 40s would win the title, when Mark Williams achieved the feat aged 43 in 2018. The 1979 championship was won by Terry Griffiths. Griffiths had only been a professional for 7 months and played two qualifying matches to reach the Crucible. In the semi-final Griffiths was trailing 16–17 to Eddie Charlton, before winning 19–17 at 1.40 am, and then beat Dennis Taylor 24–16 in the final, winning the record first prize of"
"they both made a 136 break. It was the first time the highest break went to two players. There was also a £5,000 bonus for compiling a higher break than the championship record of 142. 1980 World Snooker Championship The 1980 World Snooker Championship (also known as the 1980 Embassy World Snooker Championship for the purposes of sponsorship) was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 22 April and 5 May 1980 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. Cliff Thorburn won in the final 18–16 against Alex Higgins. The tournament was sponsored by cigarette manufacturer Embassy. The"
"playing again the current world champion Terry Griffiths making his Pot Black debut and Reardon went on to reach the final losing to Eddie Charlton 1-2 who himself won his third title equalling the record with John Spencer. 1980 Pot Black The 1980 Pot Black was a professional invitational snooker tournament, which was held in the Pebble Mill Studios in Birmingham. 8 players were competing in 2 four player groups. The matches were now only one-frame shoot-outs in the group stages, 2 frame aggregate scores in the semi-finals and the best of 3 frames in the final. Broadcasts were on"
"the tour, but was beaten 4–2 by Duane Jones. Alex Davies (snooker player) Alex Davies (born 27 July 1987 in Essex, England) is a former professional snooker player from Holland-on-Sea in Essex. He is the youngest person ever to win the English Amateur Championship, in 2003. Davies began his professional career by playing Challenge Tour in 2003, at the time the second-level professional tour. Davies was on the WPBSA Main Tour for the 2007/2008 season, but dropped off. In May 2013, he returned to the main tour by winning five matches at the Q School event one concluding with a"
"the 1970s, the challenges began to return. Rex Williams was dominant in this period. The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association had been formed by 1980, and attempted to control the professional billiards game on a tournament basis. Fred Davis won at the age of 67 to become World Champion. During the 1980s, (and again in 2003), the championship has been played on many shorter games. Since 1980, the title has been held almost annually. Mike Russell has been the most successful player in that era, closely followed by Geet Sethi. A small number of Australian players had some success"
"Amateur Snooker Championship) on 25 October 2003 in Jiangmen, China. He was 18 years old, and became the youngest Indian to win the title, his first world title. A decade later, as a 28-year-old, at the IBSF World 6-Red World Snooker Championship in Sharm-El-Sheik, Egypt, he won one of the amateur world titles (on debut in the short format). As a new player on the tour, Advani would need to win four matches to reach the main stage of the ranking events. He did this in just his fourth attempt, when qualifying for the International Championship. He defeated Craig Steadman"
"the resident professional at a snooker club in Sydney. After gaining Australian citizenship, he represented his new country at the Snooker World Cup in 1979. Gary Owen (snooker player) Gary Owen (born 1929 in Tumble, Carmarthenshire, Wales; died 1995 in Brisbane, Australia) was a Welsh snooker player. Owen first emerged as the inaugural British Under-16 champion in 1944 and reached the final of the prestigious English Amateur championship six years later. He then gave up competitive play for a number of years, returning only in the early sixties. In 1963 he matched the achievement of his brother Marcus, winning the"
"young poker player named Stu Ungar made his first ever poker tournament appearance at the SBOP Main Event. When Stu was knocked out in 34th place (out of 41), nobody noticed. It was the only tournament he would play before entering the World Series of Poker a few months later. In May 1980, he won the WSOP Main Event becoming the youngest player in that tournament's short history. 1980 Super Bowl of Poker The Super Bowl of Poker (also known as Amarillo Slim's Super Bowl of Poker or SBOP) was the second most prestigious poker tournament in the world during"
"Alex Davies (snooker player) Alex Davies (born 27 July 1987 in Essex, England) is a former professional snooker player from Holland-on-Sea in Essex. He is the youngest person ever to win the English Amateur Championship, in 2003. Davies began his professional career by playing Challenge Tour in 2003, at the time the second-level professional tour. Davies was on the WPBSA Main Tour for the 2007/2008 season, but dropped off. In May 2013, he returned to the main tour by winning five matches at the Q School event one concluding with a 4–1 win over Mitchell Travis to earn a place"
"Alex Higgins Alexander Gordon Higgins (18 March 1949 – 24 July 2010) was a Northern Irish professional snooker player, who is remembered as one of the most iconic figures in the game. Nicknamed Hurricane Higgins because of his fast play, he was World Champion in 1972 and 1982, and runner-up in 1976 and 1980. He won the UK Championship in 1983 and the Masters in 1978 and 1981, making him one of ten players to have completed snooker's Triple Crown. He was also World Doubles champion with Jimmy White in 1984, and won the World Cup three times with the"
"Jimmy White James Warren White, (born 2 May 1962) is an English professional snooker player who now competes with an invitational tour card. Nicknamed ""The Whirlwind"" because of his fluid, attacking style of play and popularly referred to as the ""People's Champion"", White is a six times World Championship finalist, the 1980 World Amateur Champion, 2009 Six-red Grand Prix champion, 2010 World Seniors Champion and 1984 World Doubles champion with Alex Higgins. White's non-world championship achievements include the UK Championship, the Masters and the Nations Cup. A two-time winner of both the World Cup and the British Open, White was"
"Fred Davis (snooker player) Fred Davis, (14 August 1913 – 16 April 1998) was an English professional player of snooker and billiards, one of only two players ever to win the world title in both, the other being his brother Joe. He was one of the most popular personalities in the game, with a professional career which lasted from 1929 to 1993. He was an 8-time World Snooker Champion. Born in Chesterfield in Derbyshire, Davis was originally a billiards player; he called billiards 'his first love' and he won the British Boys Under 16 Billiards Championship in 1929. He turned"
"136 at the 1989 Grand Prix. Towards the end of his life, Wilson suffered from a number of problems with his back, knee and heart, eventually developing an 'inoperable disease of the liver and pancreas'. Although he continued to play professionally, recording a century break in the 1994 International Open in January 1994, he succumbed in May of that year, aged 60. Cliff Wilson Cliff Wilson (10 May 193421 May 1994) was a Welsh professional snooker player. He became 1978 World Amateur Champion. After turning professional he got into the world's top 16 in 1988 at the age of 54,"
"This was however abandoned and the single frame final returned in 1975. From 1978 to 1986 and in 1991 the final was decided over three frames. In 1991 a ""time-frame"" format was added, which limited the time each player could spend at the table. A junior version, called Junior Pot Black, ran from 1981 to 1983 and that was also revived in 1991, for a single year. It was won by Dean Reynolds, John Parrott (twice) and Ronnie O'Sullivan. The event was revived as a side event to the World Snooker Championship, with the final played on the main match"
"champions Fred Davis and Ray Reardon before losing to Les Dodd in the round of 32. At the 1991 Grand Prix, Rowing led world champion Stephen Hendry 4-2 before eventually losing 5-4 in the round of 64. At the 1996 International Open Rowing defeated Doug Mountjoy and Tony Knowles before losing to Tony Drago in the round of 32. Mark Rowing Mark Rowing (born April 10, 1958) is a former professional snooker player from Doncaster. He won the English Amateur Snooker title in 1987 before turning professional and reached a highest ranking of 57 in the world. He won the"
"Cliff Wilson Cliff Wilson (10 May 193421 May 1994) was a Welsh professional snooker player. He became 1978 World Amateur Champion. After turning professional he got into the world's top 16 in 1988 at the age of 54, despite very poor eyesight and a number of other ailments. Wilson was a talented amateur snooker player who grew up in the same town, Tredegar, as his friend and snooker rival Ray Reardon. He won the National Under-19 Championship in 1952 and 1953 and the Welsh Amateur Championship in 1956. Snooker's popularity was on the wane during the 1950s and it was"
"1980 Masters (snooker) The 1980 Benson & Hedges Masters was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place from Tuesday 5th to Saturday 9 February 1980 at the Wembley Conference Centre in London, England. 10 players were invited for the tournament. The event had previously been played from Monday to Friday but was switched to have a Saturday finish. Terry Griffiths won the Masters by beating Alex Higgins, just 9 months after winning the World Championship. Higgins made his third final in a row. Griffiths won the title by 9–5 with a break of 131. An attendance of 2,323 attended"
"1980, aged 58. Warren Simpson Warren Alwyn Simpson (died 1980) was an Australian professional snooker player. After winning several amateur championships at state and national level, Simpson turned professional in the early 1960s. He reached the final of the 1971 World Snooker Championship, losing 37–29 to John Spencer which was played in Sydney, Australia in November 1970. Simpson competed in three further World Championships between 1973 and 1975. In 1974, despite suffering from influenza, he discharged himself from hospital to play in his match against Bernard Bennett, but went on to lose 8–2. He suffered from diabetes for many years"
"1980 Pot Black The 1980 Pot Black was a professional invitational snooker tournament, which was held in the Pebble Mill Studios in Birmingham. 8 players were competing in 2 four player groups. The matches were now only one-frame shoot-outs in the group stages, 2 frame aggregate scores in the semi-finals and the best of 3 frames in the final. Broadcasts were on BBC2 and started at 21:00 on Friday 4 January 1980. Alan Weeks presented the programme with Ted Lowe as commentator and Sydney Lee as referee. The first programme of the series featured reigning Pot Black champion Ray Reardon"
"defeated Tomasz Skalski 7–5 in the final of the 2015 championship. Belgian Amateur Championship (snooker) The Belgian Amateur Championship is an annual snooker competition played in the Belgium and is the highest ranking amateur event in the Belgium. The competition was established in 1984, and was won by Mario Lannoye who would go on to win six of the first eight championships. Lannoye's six championships still stands as a record which he shares with Bjorn Haneveer who won his sixth championship in 2007. Luca Brecel became the youngest winner in the history of championship in 2010 at the age of"
"snooker. Small and his wife Clare have four children. Chris Small Christopher ""Chris"" Small (born 26 September 1973) is a retired Scottish professional snooker player and now a qualified snooker coach. His playing career was ended by the spinal condition ankylosing spondylitis. At age 15, Small was the number 1 under-19 player in Scotland. He turned professional the following year. In 1992, he won the Benson & Hedges Championship, defeating Alan McManus in the final, and in 1995 he reached the Semi-finals of the Welsh Open, and was again a semi-finalist at the 1998 Grand Prix event. His greatest achievement"
"2018 final to achieve the longest gap between titles in the event's history, thirty years after first winning in 1988. Many former champions have gone on to play on the world tour such as Alain Robidoux, Kirk Stevens, Bob Chaperon, Jim Wych, Bill Werbeniuk and most notably Cliff Thorburn who won the competition in 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977 and 2001, eventually going on to become the first player in the modern era from outside the United Kingdom to win the World Snooker Championship in 1980. Canadian Amateur Championship (snooker) The Canadian Amateur Championship (occasionally known as the Canadian Open"
"Yan Bingtao Yan Bingtao (born 16 February 2000) is a Chinese professional snooker player. He is the youngest player to win the Amateur World Snooker Championship, his 8–7 victory over Muhammad Sajjad in the final of the 2014 event earning him a place on the sport's main tour. Having qualified to compete on the main tour for the 2015/2016 season, Yan was unable to obtain a UK Visa, and decided to dedicate the year to completing his education in China; when he resumed his career in 2016, he became the first active professional to have been born in the 2000s."
"Belgian Amateur Championship (snooker) The Belgian Amateur Championship is an annual snooker competition played in the Belgium and is the highest ranking amateur event in the Belgium. The competition was established in 1984, and was won by Mario Lannoye who would go on to win six of the first eight championships. Lannoye's six championships still stands as a record which he shares with Bjorn Haneveer who won his sixth championship in 2007. Luca Brecel became the youngest winner in the history of championship in 2010 at the age of 14 years. The championship is currently held by Peter Bullen who"
"Tony Knowles (snooker player) Anthony ""Tony"" Knowles (born 13 June 1955, in Bolton, Lancashire) is an English former professional snooker player. He was a three times semi-finalist in the World Professional Snooker Championship in the 1980s. Knowles began playing snooker at the age of 3 on the tables at the social club run by his father, Kevin. He went on to win the UK Junior Championship twice, in 1972 and in 1974, and continued to study graphic art. Knowles's application was twice turned down, leading him to threaten the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association with legal action before being"
"as not to cause confusion between with the 2006 IBSF World Snooker Championship due to be held in Amman, Jordan later that year, with the winner of the World Grand Prix qualifying for the vacant place on World Snooker Tour 2006/07 season. The tournament was won by 14-year old Michael White who defeated 24th seed Mark Boyle 11–5 in the final, in doing so White became the youngest winner in the tournaments history. Despite being the runner-up Boyle was awarded with World Tour qualification place due to White's age at the time. White would go on to join the World"
"snooker pro and top coach but above all a true gent and lovely guy. RIP Vic."" Vic Harris (snooker player) Vic Harris (16 August 1945 – 10 March 2015) was an English snooker player who was born in Westcliffe-on-Sea, Essex and turned professional in 1981. He identified Steve Davis as a future world champion at the age of 12, and was the first to spot the talent of the Tony Drago when Drago won the Maltese amateur title in 1984. Harris competed in the professional UK Championship in 1981, 1982, and 1987. He won the English Amateur Championship in 1981."