1977 World Snooker Championship

Professional snooker tournament November 2023 April 2023 1977 Embassy World Snooker Championship 1977 04 18 1977 04 30 y Crucible Theatre Sheffield England WPBSA Ranking event £17,000 £6,000 John Spencer ENG (135) John Spencer ENG Cliff Thorburn CAN 25–21 1976 1978 The 1977 World Snooker Championship (officially known as the 1977 Embassy World Snooker Championship) was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 18 to 30 April 1977 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. It was the first time that the World Snooker Championship was held at the Crucible, which has hosted it annually ever since, becoming known as the "spiritual home of snooker". The tournament featured 16 competitors, the top eight players from the 1976–77 snooker world rankings and another eight players who came through a qualifying competition held from 28 March to 7 April 1977 at Hounslow Civic Centre and Fisher's Snooker Centre, Acton. Sponsored by cigarette manufacturer Embassy, the tournament was the only ranking event of the 1976–77 snooker season. The defending champion was Ray Reardon, who had won the championship every year from 1973 to 1976, but he lost by 6 frame frames to 13 against John Spencer in the quarter-finals. Spencer, who had previously won the tournament in 1969 and 1971, claimed the third and last world title of his career by defeating Cliff Thorburn 25–21 in the final. Spencer became the first player to win the championship using a two-piece cue. As champion, he received UK 6,000 1977 eq yes £ from the prize fund of £17,000. The championship produced six century breaks, the highest of which was a 135 by Spencer in the sixth frame of his semi-final match against John Pulman. The tournament was considered a success by contemporaries, selling more than 20,000 tickets across its thirteen days at the 980-seat Crucible and producing a financial surplus. Commentators credited the venue and Mike Watterson's promotion with putting the championship on a stable footing for the future. Later economic-impact assessments estimated the tournament's annual benefit to Sheffield's local economy at £2.6–4.5 million. Overview The inaugural 1927 World Snooker Championship, then known as the Professional Championship of Snooker, took place at various venues in England between November 1926 and May 1927.Everton 1986 50 After a post-war decline and being contested on a challenge basis during the 1960s, the World Snooker Championship reverted to an annual knockout tournament for the 1969 edition.Nunns Hector Hendon David Full history https://wpbsa.com/about-us/history/full-history/ World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association 31 March 2024 31 March 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240331092827/https://wpbsa.com/about-us/history/full-history/ live thumb|The Crucible Theatre in 2005|alt=An exterior view of The Crucible Threatre In the 1977 championship, 16 professional players competed in one-on-one snooker matches in a single-elimination format, each match being played over several frames. Ray Reardon was the defending champion, having defeated Alex Higgins 27–16 in the final of the 1976 World Snooker Championship. The top-eight players in the 1976–77 snooker world rankings were exempted to the main tournament, where they each faced a player from a qualifying competition.Everton 1993 50 The championship was organised by the governing body for professional snooker, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA),Harris 2020 227–237 and promoted by Mike Watterson,Morrison 1989 36 with sponsorship by cigarette brand Embassy.Andrew Mackenzie Final Curtain: Last World Snooker Championship to be held away from the Crucible (1976) https://www.scotsman.com/sport/andrew-mackenzie-final-curtain-last-world-snooker-championship-be-held-away-crucible-1976-2442638 The Scotsman 16 April 2010 27 July 2021 27 July 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210727204700/https://www.scotsman.com/sport/andrew-mackenzie-final-curtain-last-world-snooker-championship-be-held-away-crucible-1976-2442638 live Watterson had business interests in the motor trade and recycling business, and since 1972 had also promoted snooker exhibition matches involving Higgins, Reardon, and, most often, Fred Davis and John Pulman.Nunns 2017 24Watterson Mike Mike Watterson The first Crucible – and after Snooker Scene February 2019 29–31 Pulman was staying with Watterson in August 1976 when he mentioned that the WPBSA had no sponsor, venue, promoter or television deal for the 1977 World Championship.Nunns 2017 24 Watterson, despite not having a venue or sponsor lined up, made an offer to the WPBSA to promote the championship, which he personally underwrote.Nunns 2017 24 The WPBSA accepted his bid in November 1976.Nunns 2017 24 Watterson chose the Crucible as the venue after his wife Carol saw a play there and recommended it,1977: Spencer sparkles in Sheffield 18 April 2003 BBC Sport https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/snooker/2953737.stm 1 April 2022 8 April 2004 https://web.archive.org/web/20040408121005/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/snooker/2953737.stm live World Snooker Championship Trivia http://www.embassysnooker.com/trivia.html Embassy Snooker https://web.archive.org/web/20041204143354/http://www.embassysnooker.com/trivia.html 4 December 2004 25 May 2012 and he booked the venue at a cost of £6,600.Mike Watterson The Times 16 March 2019 88 After arranging the dates of television coverage with the BBC, in February 1977 Watterson persuaded Peter Dyke of 1976 championship sponsors W.D. & H.O. Wills to sponsor the 1977 edition under its Embassy cigarette brand; Embassy were hesitant to repeat their sponsorship because they had experienced problems dealing with the previous promoter and were not familiar with Watterson. Audience ticket prices ranged from UK 0.75 1982 eq yes £ to £3.50.[Advertisement for the] Embassy world professional snooker championship Huddersfield Daily Examiner 14 April 1977 https://www.newspapers.com/article/huddersfield-daily-examiner-hdead/193763055/ 11 Newspapers.com Highlights of the semi-finals and final were broadcast on the national television channel BBC2.Everton 1981 8BBC2 Coventry Evening Telegraph 28 April 1977 15 https://www.newspapers.com/article/coventry-evening-telegraph-bbc2/193763610/ Newspapers.comBBC2 Coventry Evening Telegraph 30 April 1977 10 https://www.newspapers.com/article/coventry-evening-telegraph-bbc2/193763688/ Newspapers.com There were three sessions of play scheduled each day except for 25, 27 and 30 April when there were two sessions.Downer 2019 4–5 Up to the quarter-finals, there was play on two snooker tables concurrently.Everton Clive Fagan picks pocket The Guardian 19 April 1977 20 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-guardian-faganpocket/194076104/ Newspapers.comJones Rhys 'That's the Crucible!' – Odd moment Kyren Wilson's cue hits advertising board in opening match at World Snooker Championship 19 April 2025 24 March 2026 https://www.tntsports.co.uk/snooker/halo-world-championship/2024-2025/watch-kyren-wilson-cue-catches-advertising-board-world-championship-lei-peifan_sto23174861/story.shtml TNT Sports 25 July 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250725030749/https://www.tntsports.co.uk/snooker/halo-world-championship/2024-2025/watch-kyren-wilson-cue-catches-advertising-board-world-championship-lei-peifan_sto23174861/story.shtml live Two Karnehm & Hillman Windsor Royal snooker tables were installed in the arena; a freestanding wooden partition was used to divide the arena into two match areas.Watson Kemp 1988 76 Prize fund The breakdown of prize money for 1977 was:Downer 2019 146 Winner: £6,000 Runner-up: £2,000 Semi-final: £1,200 Quarter-final: £750 Last 16: £350 Highest break: £500 Total: £17,000 Tournament summary thumb|alt=A theatre with two snooker tables on the stage|The Crucible Theatre (pictured during the 2024 World Snooker Championship) has been the venue for the World Snooker Championship since 1977. Qualifying The WPBSA first published official world rankings for players on the main tour for the 1976–77 season. Players' performances in the previous three World Snooker Championships—1974, 1975, and 1976—contributed to their points totals. These rankings were used for seedings for the tournament. As defending champion, Reardon was seeded first and was also number one on the ranking list.Turner Chris World Professional Championship http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/world.html https://web.archive.org/web/20130416080933/http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/world.html 16 April 2013 Chris Turner's Snooker Archive 24 February 2011Official rankings Snooker Scene August 1976 10 Originally, the top fourteen players were due to be seeded into the last-16 round, but the WPBSA members voted 11–10 to change this so that only the top eight players were exempted to the last-16.Everton 1993 50 The draw for the tournament was conducted by journalist Janice Hale at Albany Hotel, Birmingham.New qualifying system Snooker Scene February 1977 18 The 1977 World Championship was the only ranking event of the 1976–77 season.Official world rankings Snooker Scene June 1978 28 Qualifying matches were scheduled from 28 March to 7 April 1977, and took place at Hounslow Civic Centre and Fisher's Snooker Centre, Acton.Everton Clive Relief from Embassy The Guardian 16 February 1977 25 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-guardian-relief/193999787/ Newspapers.com 23 April 2026 23 March 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20260423094253/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-guardian-relief/193999787/ live Embassy world professional snooker championship Snooker Scene March 1977 5 In the first round, John Virgo beat Roy Andrewartha 11–1. In the next round, Virgo won four consecutive frames to go from 7–6 against John Dunning to win 11–6. Willie Thorne won six consecutive frames to complete an 11–4 defeat of Bernard Bennett. Jim Meadowcroft gained a 6–3 lead against Patsy Fagan but lost 9–11 after the pair had been level at 8–8. David Taylor defeated David Greaves 11–0 and made a century break in the fourth frame. There were two other 11–0 defeats: by Cliff Thorburn against Chris Ross and by Dennis Taylor against Jack Karnehm. Veteran Jackie Rea was 8–6 and later 9–8 ahead of Masters champion Doug Mountjoy, a first-season professional who was the reigning World Amateur Champion. Mountjoy took three consecutive frames to win the match 11–9. Maurice Parkin withdrew from the tournament due to illness, giving John Pulman a win by default.Everton 1993 50Green Trevor Embassy world professional snooker championship: qualifying section at Hounslow Civic Centre Snooker Scene May 1977 7–9 Fagan and Virgo, both playing in their first professional tournament, qualified to make their World Championship debuts. Mountjoy, in his first season as a professional, also qualified for a Championship debut.Mountjoy starts world title bid South Wales Argus 14 April 1977 19 https://www.newspapers.com/article/south-wales-argus-mountjoystarts/194077755/ Newspapers.com First round The first round took place from 18 to 21 April; each match was played over three sessions as the best of 25 frames.Downer 2019 4–5 Reardon, who had won the championship each year from 1973 to 1976, was the bookmakers' favourite to win the tournament, with odds of 11/4.favourite Evening Sentinel 18 April 1977 8 https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-sentinel-rayfave/194228191/ Newspapers.com The 1973 runner-up Eddie Charlton was second-favourite at 7/2, followed by 1969 and 1971 champion John Spencer at 7/1.Hall of Fame https://www.snooker.org/trn/hof.asp?pEvent=World Snooker.org 26 March 2026 14 April 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250414210556/https://www.snooker.org/trn/hof.asp?pEvent=World live Reardon and Fagan each won four frames in their first session,World champion held to 4–4 by Fagan The Times 19 April 1977 8 before Reardon opened a 10–7 lead during the second session and won the match 13–7 the following day.Reardon reaches last eight The Times 20 April 1977 10 Spencer was three frames behind Virgo at 1–4 and 4–7 but won three successive frames to equalise both times, and won the match 13–9. Virgo later wrote that when he was leading 4–1 and had asked the refreee to clean the cue ball, the cue ball had been replaced wrongly, making Virgo's planned attempt at a pot impossible. Having lost that frame, Virgo added, he was "unable to shake off my sense of injustice, lost the next two after that."Virgo 2017 122 Despite losing, Virgo was satisfied with his own standard of play during the match.Virgo 2017 122 Graham Miles was one frame in front of Thorne at 4–3 after their first session, and from 5–4 ahead, Miles won eight consecutive frames to win the match. Pulman led his fellow former world champion Fred Davis 5–3, and then 11–6, winning 13–12.Last frame to Pulman The Sydney Morning Herald 21 April 1977 17 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sydney-morning-herald-lastframe/193763856/ Newspapers.com Davis later wrote that he felt "unaccountably out of touch", while Pulman "played better than I had seen for about five years".Davis 1983 38 Charlton won seven of the first eight frames against David Taylor, made a 105 break in the 12th frame and progressed to the next round with a 13–5 win. Thorburn won seven successive frames during his 13–6 defeat of Rex Williams. Dennis Taylor concluded a 13–11 win against Perrie Mans with a break of 76, the highest of their match, in the 24th frame. The second seed Alex Higgins was 9–7 ahead of Mountjoy after two sessions but Mountjoy won the opening frame of their third session with a 102 break, and then four of the following five frames. Higgins won the following two frames and led by 36 points in the deciding frame. Higgins missed an attempt to pot the pink ball, and a break of 31 by Mountjoy immediately afterwards terminated when he failed to bank shot double the final black ball. Two visit visits later, Mountjoy potted the black to win the match.Mountjoy chases new title The Times 22 April 1977 15 Quarter-finals upright=0.5|alt=Dennis Taylor holding a large tropjy|thumb|Dennis Taylor, (pictured in 2025 holding the Championship Trophy] reached the semi-finals in 1977. The quarter-finals were played as best-of-25-frames matches over three sessions on 23 and 24 April.Downer 2019 4–5 Reardon was never ahead of Spencer, who won the match 13–6. The Snooker Scene match-report assessment said: "Even when the title was slipping away from [Reardon] he never seemed able to focus his concentration and stop making mistakes".16 Reardon later reflected that although he had been confident of retaining the title going into the tournament, he "was too relaxed and the adrenalin was not flowing" when he played Spencer.Reardon Buxton 1982 124 Pulman reached the semi-finals for the first time since 1970 by defeating Miles 13–10. The reporter for Snooker Scene said Pulman played "the smooth, attractive snooker of his great days" in the final session.16 Thorburn and Charlton were level several times at 3–3, 7–7, 10–10 and 11–11. Charlton won the 23rd frame on the final black but lost the match when Thorburn claimed the next two frames to win the match 13–12. Mountjoy won the first three frames of his match against Dennis Taylor but then lost the next five frames.Fine start for Mountjoy The Times 23 April 1977 7 Each player won four frames in the second session and then Taylor won the opening frame in the third session to lead 10–7. Mountjoy won the next two frames, each on the final black ball, but lost the 20th frame after he went in-off the last black. Taylor won 13–11. Semi-finals The semi-finals took place from 24 to 27 April as best-of-35-frames matches played over five sessions.Downer 2019 4–5 Pulman took a 3–0 lead but Spencer recovered to 3–3 and compiled a clearance total clearance of 135 in the sixth frame. Pulman then went ahead 7–3 before Spencer levelled the match by winning the next four frames. Spencer went on to lead 13–9 and 16–12, and won 18–16, qualifying for the final for the first time since 1972.Everton Clive Old master restored The Guardian 25 April 1977 17 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-guardian-omr/193763961/ Newspapers.com Thorburn led 4–3 after the first session and was level at 7–7 with Taylor after the second session. At the start of the third session, Thorburn made a 100 break, which included a cocked-hat double on the final red ball, and led 12–9 at the close of the penultimate day. Taylor added three frames to his tally at the start of the fourth session to equalise, and four frames later, the pair were again level at 14–14. Four frames into the last session, they were at 16–16. Thorburn made a break of 111 in the 33rd frame, during which the only time he potted the black ball was at the end, then took a lead of 80–0 points in the 34th frame, which ended 98–30, meaning Thorburn qualified for the final for the first time.Everton Clive Two-piece success The Guardian 26 April 1977 20 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-guardian-2ps/193764043/ Newspapers.com Final thumb|Cliff Thorburn (pictured in 2007) reached the final for the first time, and was runner-up to John Spencer.|alt=Cliff Thorburn playing snooker in 2007 The tournament's final between John Spencer and Cliff Thorburn took place from 28 to 30 April as the best of 49 frames.Downer 2019 4–5 John Smyth was the referee.Downer 2019 159 Spencer won his third world title by defeating Thorburn 25–21. The first session ended with Spencer 4–2 ahead after he won the opening three frames,Embassy world professional championship Snooker Scene June 1977 12–19 and he extended his lead to 5–2 before Thorburn won four of the next five frames to leave the score at 6–6.Thorburn and Spencer level The Daily Telegraph 29 April 1977 34 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-telegraph/193764181/ Newspapers.com Thorburn took the lead in the match for the first time by winning the first two frames of the evening session. Spencer made a break of 54 to win frame 15, followed by a 97 clearance to draw level at 8–8. After Thorburn won frame 17, Spencer compiled a break of 105 in the 18th frame, meaning that the pair were tied at 9–9 at the conclusion of the first day. Downer 2019 4–5 During the fourth session, Thorburn won the last three frames to establish a 13–11 advantage.Snooker players tied Star-Phoenix Saskatoon 30 April 1977 17 https://www.newspapers.com/article/star-phoenix/193764405/ Newspapers.com Reuters He added the first two frames of the afternoon session to lead 15–11, but then Spencer won the next three frames. In the final frame of the session, Spencer had a 46-point lead but Thorburn recovered and had a chance to win the frame by potting the final pink; he missed his attempt to pot it, and Spencer won on the final black for 15–15. In the second day's evening session, Thorburn won frame 31 and Spencer won frame 32. Thorburn led by 58–0 in frame 33 but Spencer won it with a clearance of 78. Spencer progressed into an 18–16 lead and led 34–0 in the next frame, which he lost when Thorburn made a break of 75. Thorburn won the next frame as well, meaning that the players were level at 18–18 going into the last day.Everton 1993 50 Spencer won the first three frames of the third day, and Thorburn won the following two frames. Spencer won the 42nd frame with a break of 67 to lead 22–20 at the end of the penultimate session after Thorburn had missed potting a black off black spot its spot in the last frame of the session; Thorburn commented afterwards that "I should be used to these balls by now but it just refused my mind as I was playing it whether I could hold position for the next red just by running through it or whether I needed a touch of running side". Thorburn narrowed his deficit to one frame at 21–22 but Spencer won the next frame with a break of 43, and the following frame by steadily building a points advantage. In frame 46, a break of 51 gave Spencer a substantial lead and Thorburn conceded the frame and match while there were still two reds left on the table. Spencer claimed his third world title with a 25–21 victory.Everton 1993 50 The trophy was presented to Spencer by John Goodchap, Chief Accountant of Embassy brand owners W.D. & H.O. Wills. Spencer was the first player to win the title with a two-piece cue. His previous cue was smashed in a car accident just before the 1974 Norwich Union Open; despite repairs, Spencer was not confident about using it so he purchased a new, two-piece implement whilst on tour in Canada. Having made several century breaks with the new cue following his return to England, Spencer decided to use it for the championship only two months before the tournament. A few months after his victory, he replaced it with a different, Japanese-made cue.Everton 1993 50Then and Now: John Spencer http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/25022010/58/john-spencer.html Eurosport UK 11 May 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20121007052229/http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/25022010/58/john-spencer.html 7 October 2012 live Snooker historian Clive Everton wrote Spencer "exploded two myths" by winning with a two-piece cue, a type of implement that was generally seen as suitable for pool but not snooker, and having only used it for two months, when most professional players thought it took many months to become proficient with a new cue.Everton 1993 50 Thorburn also used a two-piece cue for the match as was common in his native Canada.Everton 1993 50 An article in Snooker Scene contrasted Spencer's playing style in his earlier World Championship victories, which featured "aggressive" long pot long potting, to the way he played in 1977, which included fewer long pots and consistent mid-distance potting, and praised his "coolness and steadiness of nerve" and his choice of shots to play.How Spencer came back Snooker Scene June 1977 5 The same magazine described Thorburn's strengths at the tournament as "concentration and consistency".How Thorburn made it Snooker Scene June 1977 7 Everton later wrote that Thorburn "admitted that he was psychologically not quite ready to win" a world championship.Everton 2012 54 Thorburn himself commented in his 1987 autobiography, written with Everton, that towards the end of the match "I felt myself slipping... I don't think it was through nerves but it was all just a bit too much for me."Thorburn Everton 1987 61 Spencer wrote that he "felt that my determination had carried me through".Spencer 1978 11 Reception and legacy Having sessions in the morning, at 11 am, was unusual in professional snooker.Hendon 2025 82 Virgo later remarked that snooker players were "the sort of people who got up at that time."Hendon 2025 82 The crowd was seated closer to the players than at other tournaments, and, according to Taylor, many of the players disliked the two-table setup because of the lack of space.Hendon 2025 82–83 Thorne wrote that "The two-table set-up was very cramped and claustrophobic".Thorne 2011 91 Taylor himself liked the venue.Hendon 2025 83 He compared the atmosphere to a church, and thought that using the Crucible was "an inspired move."Taylor 1986 81 Reardon called the Crucible "fantastic, a proper venue." He added that "All the other venues weren't."Hendon 2025 80 In Spencer's 2005 autobiography, he wrote that "the Crucible did more for snooker than any player did."Spencer 2005 67 Thorburn also praised the venue for being "perfectly shaped... I was mesmerised to be there."Hendon 2025 82 Joe Davis considered the venue to be "an absolutely perfect setting", and the Billiards and Snooker Control Council referred to the 1977 championship as "in many ways the most successful ever staged."Watson Kemp 1988 78 Over 20,000 audience tickets were sold for matches at the 980-seat Crucible,Everton 1986 111Everton 2012 54 and the event made a surplus of £12,000. Everton remarked that Watterson had promoted with "an efficiency and flair" unprecedented in snooker and provided "an important foundation" for the championship's future.Everton 2012 54 There was little coverage of the tournament in the national press.A great snooker success story Snooker Scene June 1977 3 As of 2026, the championship has been held at the Crucible each year since 1977, and it is expected to continue there until at least 2045, apart from in 2029 when redevelopment works are scheduled.Alastair Telfer Revamped Crucible to host World Championship until 2045 https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/articles/cy71drmdn10o BBC Sport 24 March 2026 25 March 2026 24 March 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20260324205138/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/articles/cy71drmdn10o live Embassy remained as the championship sponsors until 2005, when UK law prevented tobacco companies from sponsoring sporting events.Andrew Mackenzie Final Curtain: Last World Snooker Championship to be held away from the Crucible (1976) https://www.scotsman.com/sport/andrew-mackenzie-final-curtain-last-world-snooker-championship-be-held-away-crucible-1976-2442638 The Scotsman 16 April 2010 27 July 2021 27 July 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210727230304/https://www.scotsman.com/sport/andrew-mackenzie-final-curtain-last-world-snooker-championship-be-held-away-crucible-1976-2442638 live Nick Hunter, executive producer of the BBC TV coverage, persuaded Aubrey Singer, the controller of BBC2, to televise the entire championship from 1978 onwards.Everton 2012 54Watterson Mike Building on a success Snooker Scene March 2016 38–39 The Crucible Theatre has become known as "the spiritual home of snooker".World snooker championship 2022 – when is Crucible main draw, how to watch with Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump in action https://www.eurosport.com/snooker/world-championship/2021-2022/world-championship-2022-how-to-watch-as-mark-selby-looks-to-defend-title-with-ronnie-o-sullivan-judd_sto8864182/story.shtml Eurosport 4 April 2022 5 April 202225 April 2025 Mark Allen hits 147 then loses as Barry Hearn warns Crucible 'not fit for purpose' https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/apr/25/world-snooker-championship-mark-allen-wakelin-williams-higgins-zhao 30 March 2026 The Guardian In 2017, researchers from Sheffield Hallam University's Sport Industry Research Centre estimated that the Championship had benefited Sheffield's economy by £100m over 40 years, and had an annual positive economic benefit of £2.6m.World Snooker Championship has boosted Sheffield's economy by £100m over 40 years https://www.itv.com/news/calendar/2017-04-13/world-snooker-championship-has-boosted-sheffields-economy-by-100m-over-40-years ITV News 13 April 2017 23 March 2026 17 April 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170417084830/http://www.itv.com/news/calendar/2017-04-13/world-snooker-championship-has-boosted-sheffields-economy-by-100m-over-40-years/ live In 2025, Sheffield City Council assessed the economic benefit of the championship to the city as £4.5m a year.Events are 'really big business' for Sheffield https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/news/2025/events-are-really-big-business-sheffield 30 April 2025 23 March 2026 Sheffield City Council 23 March 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20260323114537/https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/news/2025/events-are-really-big-business-sheffield live Before 1977, the Crucible Theatre had been struggling financially, and Tedd George, son of the Crucible's first artistic director Colin George, later wrote that staging the tournament raised the venue's profile and "secured the theatre's financial stability."Hendon 2025 80 Main draw The results for the tournament are shown below. The numbers in brackets denote player seedings and match winners are denoted in bold.Downer 2019 4–5Everton Clive Better chance for the lesser men The Guardian 26 January 1977 17 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-guardian-bclm/193761734/ Newspapers.com 200 yes 18 & 19 April Ray Reardon WAL (1) 13 Patsy Fagan IRL 7 18 & 19 April John Spencer ENG (8) 13 John Virgo ENG 9 18 & 19 April Graham Miles ENG (5) 13 Willie Thorne ENG 4 18 & 19 April Fred Davis ENG (4) 12 John Pulman ENG 13 20 & 21 April Eddie Charlton AUS (3) 13 David Taylor ENG 5 20 & 21 April Rex Williams ENG (6) 6 Cliff Thorburn CAN 13 20 & 21 April Perrie Mans RSA 1928 (7) 11 Dennis Taylor NIR 13 20 & 21 April Alex Higgins NIR (2) 12 Doug Mountjoy WAL 13 22 & 23 April Ray Reardon WAL (1) 6 John Spencer ENG (8) 13 22 & 23 April Graham Miles ENG (5) 10 John Pulman ENG 13 22 & 23 April Eddie Charlton AUS (3) 12 Cliff Thorburn CAN 13 22 & 23 April Dennis Taylor NIR 13 Doug Mountjoy WAL 11 24, 25, 26 & 27 April John Spencer ENG (8) 18 John Pulman ENG 16 24, 25, 26 & 27 April Cliff Thorburn CAN 18 Dennis Taylor NIR 16 28, 29, & 30 April John Spencer ENG (8) 25 Cliff Thorburn CAN 21 Last 16Best of 25 frames Quarter-finalsBest of 25 frames Semi-finalsBest of 35 frames FinalBest of 49 frames no Final Details for the final are shown below.Downer 2019 4–5 Numbers in bold and with a frame winner symbol represent frame-winning scores. Numbers in brackets and italics represent breaks of 50 or more. Final: Best-of-49 frames. Crucible Theatre, Sheffield. 28–30 April 1977. Referee: John Smyth.John Spencer ENG 25–21 Cliff Thorburn CAN First session, 28 April, 11:00a.m. startFrame 1 2 3 4 5 6 Spencer 63frame winner 98frame winner 79frame winner 41 28 73frame winner Thorburn 49 21 24 46frame winner 94frame winner 13 Frames (Spencer first) 1–0 2–0 3–0 3–1 3–2 4–2 Second session, 28 April, 3:15p.m. startFrame 7 8 9 10 11 12 Spencer 70frame winner (68) 39 11 29 87frame winner (75) 32 Thorburn 46 77frame winner 72frame winner 64frame winner 21 70frame winner Frames (Spencer first) 5–2 5–3 5–4 5–5 6–5 6–6 Third session, 28 April, 7:30p.m. startFrame 13 14 15 16 17 18 Spencer 41 51 84frame winner (54) 105frame winner (97) 44 118frame winner (105) Thorburn 90frame winner 62frame winner 40 21 69frame winner 0 Frames (Spencer first) 6–7 6–8 7–8 8–8 8–9 9–9 Fourth session, 29 April, 11:00a.m. startFrame 19 20 21 22 23 24 Spencer 60 71frame winner 73frame winner 33 53 38 Thorburn 71frame winner 31 45 85frame winner 85frame winner (58) 70frame winner Frames (Spencer first) 9–10 10–10 11–10 11–11 11–12 11–13 Fifth session, 29 April, 3:15p.m. startFrame 25 26 27 28 29 30 Spencer 38 48 87frame winner 90frame winner 81frame winner 63frame winner Thorburn 58frame winner 77frame winner (77) 31 40 20 58 Frames (Spencer first) 11–14 11–15 12–15 13–15 14–15 15–15 Sixth session, 29 April, 7:30p.m. startFrame 31 32 33 34 35 36 Spencer 29 59frame winner 78frame winner (78) 70frame winner 39 46 Thorburn 82frame winner 26 58 44 75frame winner (75) 85frame winner Frames (Spencer first) 15–16 16–16 17–16 18–16 18–17 18–18 Seventh session, 30 April, 11:00a.m. startFrame 37 38 39 40 41 42 Spencer 93frame winner 64frame winner 74frame winner 9 36 107frame winner (67) Thorburn 20 51 21 83frame winner (58) 72frame winner 20 Frames (Spencer first) 19–18 20–18 21–18 21–19 21–20 22–20 Eighth session, 30 April, 2:30p.m. startFrame 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 Spencer 17 83frame winner 69frame winner 72frame winner (51) Thorburn 74frame winner 14 36 12 Frames (Spencer first) 22–21 23–21 24–21 25–21 105 Highest break 77 1 Century breaks 0 7 Other 50+ breaks 4John Spencer won the 1977 World Snooker Championship Qualifying draw Results for the qualifying rounds are shown below. Bold text denotes match winners.Hayton Dee 2004 146Downer 2019 197 +Round 1 (Best of 21 frames)PlayerScorePlayer John Virgo ENG 11–1 Roy Andrewartha WAL +Round 2 (Best of 21 frames)PlayerScorePlayer Patsy Fagan IRL 11–9 Jim Meadowcroft ENG John Virgo ENG11–6 John Dunning ENG Willie Thorne ENG 11–4 Bernard Bennett ENG John Pulman ENG w/o walkover–w/d withdrew Maurice Parkin ENG David Taylor ENG 11–0 David Greaves ENG Cliff Thorburn CAN 11–0 Chris Ross SCO Dennis Taylor NIR 11–0 Jack Karnehm ENG Doug Mountjoy WAL 11–9 Jackie Rea NIR Century breaks There were six century breaks at the championship. The highest break of the tournament was 135, which was made by John Spencer.Downer 2019 162 135, 105 John Spencer 111, 100 Cliff Thorburn 105 Eddie Charlton 102 Doug Mountjoy References Books Davis Fred Fred Davis (snooker player) Talking Snooker A&C Black London 1983 1979 978-0-7136-2409-0 Downer Chris Crucible Almanac Bournemouth 2019 self-published Clive Everton Everton Clive 1981 The Guinness Book of Snooker Guinness Superlatives Enfield 978-0-85112-230-4 Everton Clive 1986 The History of Snooker and Billiards Partridge Press Haywards Heath 978-1-85225-013-3 Everton Clive 1993 The Embassy Book of World Snooker Bloomsbury London 978-0-7475-1610-1 47–50 Clive Everton Black Farce and Cue Ball Wizards: The Inside Story of the Snooker World 2012 Mainstream Publishing Edinburgh 978-1-78057-568-1 John Nauright Sarah Zipp Routledge Handbook of Global Sport Luke J. Harris 21. Snooker and billiards 2020 Taylor & Francis Abingdon 978-1-032-33723-4 227–237 Eric Hayton Dee John The CueSport Book of Professional Snooker: The Complete Record & History 2004 Rose Villa Publications London 978-0-9548549-0-4 Hendon David 2025 Pots of Gold: a History of Snooker Swift Press London 978-1-80075-353-2 Kindle Morrison Ian 1989 Snooker: Records, Facts and Champions Guinness Superlatives Enfield 978-0-85112-364-6 Nunns Hector The Crucible's Greatest Matches: Forty Years of Snooker's World Championship in Sheffield 2017 Pitch Publishing Worthing 978-1-78531-284-7 Reardon Ray Buxton Peter Ray Reardon Ray Reardon 1982 David & Charles Newton Abbott 978-0-7153-8262-2 Spencer John John Spencer (snooker player) Spencer on Snooker Revised 1978 Cassell London 978-0-304-30119-5 Spencer John Out of the Blue – Into the Black: The Autobiography of John Spencer Parrs Wood Press Manchester 2005 978-1-903158-63-0 Taylor Dennis Dennis Taylor Frame by Frame: My Own Story 1986 1985 Futura Publications 978-0-7088-3148-9 London Thorburn Cliff Cliff Thorburn Everton Clive Playing for Keeps 1987 Partridge Press Haywards Heath 978-1-85225-011-9 Thorne Willie Willie Thorne Taking a Punt on My Life 2011 Vision Sports Kingston upon Thames 978-1-907637-17-9 Virgo John John Virgo Say Goodnight, J.V. 2017 London John Blake 978-1-78606-444-8 Watson Jeremy Kemp Geoff Snooker's Crucible: How Sheffield became the Snooker Capital of the World 1988 Sheffield City Libraries Sheffield 978-0-86321-079-2 Category:World Snooker Championships Category:1970s in Sheffield World Championship World Snooker Championship Category:Sports competitions in Sheffield World Snooker Championship