1987 World Snooker Championship

Professional snooker tournament May 2020 1987 Embassy World Snooker Championship File:1987 World Snooker Championship official poster.jpg 1987 04 18 1987 05 4 y Crucible Theatre Sheffield England WPBSA Ranking event £400,000 £80,000 Steve Davis ENG (127) Steve Davis ENG Joe Johnson ENG 18–14 1986 1988 The 1987 World Snooker Championship (also referred to as the 1987 Embassy World Snooker Championship for the purpose of sponsorship) was a professional snooker tournament that took place between 18 April and 4 May 1987 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. It was the sixth and final ranking event of the 1986–87 snooker season. The championship was the 1987 edition of the World Snooker Championship, first held in 1927, and had 32 participants. The highest ranked 16 players were awarded a place in the first round draw, whilst a pre-tournament qualification event for 104 professionals was held between 26 March and 4 April at the Preston Guild Hall for the remaining places. The tournament was sponsored by cigarette manufacturer Embassy and had a prize fund of £400,000 with the winner receiving £80,000. Since his 1986 victory, Joe Johnson had experienced a disappointing season leading up to the 1987 Championship, and bookmakers considered it unlikely that he would retain the title. Johnson did reach the final, a rematch of the previous year's final against Steve Davis. Davis won his fourth championship by defeating Johnson 18 frames to 14. A total of 18 century breaks were made during the tournament, the highest of which was 127 made by Davis in the first frame of the final. Stephen Hendry, aged 18, became the youngest player to win a match in the tournament's history since it moved to the Crucible in 1977, whilst it was the last time that six-times champion Ray Reardon appeared. Overview The World Snooker Championship is a professional tournament and the official world championship of the game of snooker.World Snooker Championship to stay in UK Matchroom Sport 19 January 2015 4 October 2019 http://www.matchroomsport.com/news/world-snooker-championship-stay-uk/ https://web.archive.org/web/20190416164401/http://www.matchroomsport.com/news/world-snooker-championship-stay-uk/ 16 April 2019 live Founded in the late 19th century by British Army soldiers stationed in India,http://www.snookerheritage.co.uk/normans-articles/days-of-old/origins-of-snooker/ Origins of Snooker Peter Clare 2008 snookerheritage.co.uk Billiard and Snooker Heritage Collection 8 February 2017 live https://web.archive.org/web/20170103150005/http://snookerheritage.co.uk/normans-articles/days-of-old/origins-of-snooker/ 3 January 2017 the sport was popular in the British Isles.The Rise Of China worldsnooker.com World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association 26 February 2018 13 March 2019 http://www.worldsnooker.com/the-rise-of-china/ https://web.archive.org/web/20180419145915/http://www.worldsnooker.com/the-rise-of-china/ 19 April 2018 live However, in the modern era it has become increasingly popular worldwide, especially in East and Southeast Asian nations such as China, Hong Kong and Thailand.modernera The "modern era" of snooker is understood to have started in 1969, when the World Championship reverted to a knockout format. John Higgins eyes more crucible titles https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/snooker/5276218/John-Higgins-eyes-more-Crucible-titles.html The Daily Telegraph London 5 May 2009 13 April 2020 registration "the modern era, which began in 1969 when the World Championship became a knockout event." https://web.archive.org/web/20100430020307/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/snooker/5276218/John-Higgins-eyes-more-Crucible-titles.html 30 April 2010 liveWilson Bill 24 April 2015 Snooker looks to cue up more big breaks in China https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-32429022 BBC News 9 May 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200305033819/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-32429022 5 March 2020 liveAgence France-Presse 17 March 2018 Snooker world champion, Hongkonger Ng On-yee aims to change image of male-dominated game https://hongkongfp.com/2018/03/17/snooker-world-champion-hongkonger-ng-yee-aims-change-image-male-dominated-game/ Hong Kong Free Press 9 May 2020 The 1987 championship featured 32 professional players competing in one-on-one snooker matches in a single elimination format, each played over several frames. The 32 competitors in the main tournament were selected using a combination of the top players in the world snooker rankings and a pre-tournament qualification stage.2019 Betfred World Snooker Championship worldsnooker.com World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association 6 March 2019 http://www.worldsnooker.com/tickets/2019-betfred-world-snooker-championship/ https://web.archive.org/web/20180712014048/http://www.worldsnooker.com/tickets/2019-betfred-world-snooker-championship/ 12 July 2018 live Crucible Draw And Format worldsnooker.com World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association 9 April 2019 17 April 2019 http://www.worldsnooker.com/crucible-draw-format/ https://web.archive.org/web/20180417192039/http://www.worldsnooker.com/crucible-draw-format/ 17 April 2018 live The tournament was promoted by WPBSA Promotions, a subsidiary of professional snooker governing body the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA).Everton Clive 6 May 1987 Hearn bid for championship The Guardian London 33 Joe Davis won the first World Championship in 1927, the final match being held in Camkin's Hall, Birmingham, England.History of Snooker – a Timeline https://www.wpbsa.com/about/history/ wpbsa.com World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association 21 October 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190418140049/https://www.wpbsa.com/about/history/ 18 April 2019 liveWatkins Janie 1927 World Professional Championship http://www.globalsnookercentre.co.uk/files/Results/27world.htm globalsnookercentre.co.uk Global Snooker Centre 2004 29 February 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20041010103752/http://www.globalsnookercentre.co.uk/files/Results/27world.htm 10 October 2004 Since 1977, the event has been held in the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England.1392311 The Crucible Theatre 3 December 2013 yesWorld Championship – Roll of Honour http://www.global-snooker.com/professional-tournaments-archive-world-championship-roll-of-honour.asp global-snooker.com Global Snooker Centre 18 March 2013 usurped https://web.archive.org/web/20120222034318/http://www.global-snooker.com/professional-tournaments-archive-world-championship-roll-of-honour.asp 22 February 2012 Format The championship was held from 18 April to 4 May 1987 at the Crucible, the 11th time that the tournament was held at the venue.Downer Chris Crucible Almanac 1987 2019 Bournemouth 4–25 It was the last ranking event of the 1986–87 snooker season on the World Snooker Tour.Hale Janice 1987 Rothmans Snooker Yearbook 1987–88 Aylesbury Queen Anne Press 0-356-14690-1 13–14 There were a total of 120 entrants from the tour, and the competition's main draw had 32 participants. A four-round knockout qualifying competition was held at Preston Guild Hall from 26 March to 4 April which produced the 16 qualifying players who progressed into the main draw to play the top 16 seeds. The top 16 players in the latest world rankings automatically qualified for the main draw as seeded players.If the defending champion was ranked outside the top 16 in the world rankings as an automatic qualifier.Caulfield David On This Day in Crucible History: May 4 – Steve Davis Reclaims Crown snookerhq.com SnookerHQ 4 May 2019 25 May 2020 https://snookerhq.com/2019/05/04/on-this-day-in-crucible-history-may-4-steve-davis-reclaims-crown/ https://web.archive.org/web/20200503123828/https://snookerhq.com/2019/05/04/on-this-day-in-crucible-history-may-4-steve-davis-reclaims-crown/ 3 May 2020 live As defending champion, Joe Johnson was seeded first for the event; the remaining 15 seeds were allocated based on the players' world ranking positions. Matches in the first round of the main draw were played as best-of-19-frames, meaning 10 frames were required to win the match. The number of frames needed to win a match increased to 13 in the second round and quarter-finals, and 16 in the semi-finals; the final match was played as best-of-35-frames.Hale Janice 1991 Rothmans Snooker Yearbook 1991–92 Aylesbury Queen Anne Press 0-356-19747-6 29, 103, 3561987 World Championships Results Grid http://snookerdatabase.co.uk/EventResultGrid.aspx?EventKey=25 snookerdatabase.co.uk Snooker Database 28 October 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20110827123257/http://snookerdatabase.co.uk/EventResultGrid.aspx?EventKey=25 27 August 2011 live Prize fund The event featured a prize fund of £400,000 with the winner receiving £80,000. The breakdown of prize money for the event is shown below:World Championship 1987 http://www.global-snooker.com/professional-snooker-tournaments-archive-world-championship-1987.asp global-snooker.com Global Snooker 28 October 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20101228170628/http://www.global-snooker.com/professional-snooker-tournaments-archive-world-championship-1987.asp 28 December 2010 usurped Winner: £80,000 Runner-up: £48,000 Semi-finals: £24,000 Quarter-finals: £12,000 Last 16: £6,000 Last 32: £3,375 Fourth qualifying round: £2,625 Third qualifying round: £1,375 Highest break: £8,000 Highest break in qualifying: £2,000 Maximum break: £80,000 Total: £400,000 Tournament summary The defending champion, Joe Johnson, had failed to reach as far as the quarter-finals of a major tournament in the 1986–87 snooker season after winning the 1986 World Championship.Williams Luke Gadsby Paul 2005 Masters of the Baize Edinburgh Mainstream 1-84018-872-3 140–141 This record was described by The Sydney Morning Herald Les Wheeler as "disappointing" and by Clive Everton as a "poor" season.Wheeler Les 16 April 1987 King to meet the world no 1 38 The Sydney Morning Herald AustraliaEverton Clive 2012 Black farce and cue ball wizards Mainstream Edinburgh 978-1-78057-568-1 104 Sydney Friskin of The Times reported that Johnson prepared for the Championship by practising diligently, and that the cyst on his back that previously troubled him had been removed.Friskin Sydney Snooker: Memories of the Crucible that haunt Davis The Times London 17 April 1987 20 Johnson started the event as a bookmakers' outsider, priced at 66–1 against winning the tournament.Terry Smith 1987 Benson and Hedges Snooker Year Aylesbury Pelham Books 0-7207-1797-3 76–80 Fourth Leading up to the event, Neal Foulds had been the most successful player of the season, having gained the most ranking points during the season, ahead of Steve Davis. Twelve days before the start of the tournament, the two-times world champion Alex Higgins was fined £12,000 and given a six-month ban from tournaments by the WPBSA. The ban started on 5 May, the day after the final of the 1987 World Snooker Championship. The penalties resulted from a number of incidents, the most serious of which was headbutting Paul Hatherall, a WPBSA tournament director, at the 1986 UK Championship.Friskin Sydney Higgins banned for six months and fined £12,000 The Times London 7 April 1987 44 Qualifying thumb|alt=An image of the Preston Guild Hall|The Preston Guild Hall hosted qualifying for the event. There were four rounds of qualifying, with higher ranked players seeded into the later rounds, and 104 entrants which took place at the Preston Guild Hall between 25 March and 4 April 1987. The 16 winners in the fourth round progressed to play the tournament's top 16 seeds at the Crucible. All qualifying matches were best-of-19 frames held over two sessions. There were 24 matches scheduled in the first qualifying round, but Frank Jonik, Eddie McLaughlin, Sakchai Sim Ngam and Omprakesh Agrawal all withdrew, meaning that their opponents received walkovers.Downer Chris Crucible Almanac 1987 qualifying rounds 2019 199 Bournemouth The 11-time pool world champion,http://www.bca-pool.com/cgi/site/framegate.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bca-pool.com%2Findustry%2Fhof%2Fhof.shtml&cat=I https://web.archive.org/web/20070331115017/http://www.bca-pool.com/cgi/site/framegate.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bca-pool.com%2Findustry%2Fhof%2Fhof.shtml&cat=I bca-pool.com Billiard Congress of America The BCA Hall of Fame 31 March 2007 14 June 2021 Jim Rempe, made a break of 104 in defeating Martin Smith 10–9. Pool king hits a snooker century Aberdeen Evening Express 28 March 1987 11 Veteran professional Bernard Bennett suffered the only whitewash of the first round, failing to win a frame against Billy Kelly. In the second round, there were 32 matches. The youngest player in the competition, Stephen Hendry, made a break of 108 during his 10–7 defeat of Mike Darrington. Highest break for Hendry Dundee Courier 30 March 1987 14 Eight-times champion Fred Davis lost 5–10 to Ken Owers. Another former champion, John Spencer, who had won the title three times, eliminated Roger Bales 10–3. Sport In Brief: Davis loses – Snooker The Times London 1 April 1987 42 Tributes to cue king Fred Davis http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/79178.stm BBC Sport 16 April 1998 11 May 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20110503211009/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sport/79178.stm 3 May 2011 live Trailing after the first session of his qualifying match 3–5, Jimmy van Rensberg was taken to hospital with a suspected heart attack. However, he was later discharged and went on to win 10–6. Regular Shorts The Sydney Morning Herald Australia 37 2 April 1987 The third round consisted of 16 matches between winners from the second round. Hendry led 8–1 against Rempe at the end of their first session, with Rempe winning three consecutive frames in their second session before Hendry won the match 10–4. Gino Rigitano conceded the 11th frame of his match against Steve Newbury when there were still enough balls on the table for him to win, and when 4–9 down decided not to play the next frame, thereby losing 4–10. Hendry takes a step nearer Irish Independent Sydney, Australia 14 3 April 1987 There were two 10–0 whitewashes: by Jon Wright over Mark Wildman and by Tony Jones over van Rensberg. The fourth round also featured 16 matches, with 16 players seeded into the round each meeting one of the third round winners. For the first time since turning professional, John Spencer failed to qualify for the event, as he was defeated 5–10 by Barry West. Bill Werbeniuk and Eddie Charlton also failed to qualify for the competition for the first time. Werbeniuk lost 8–10 to Mark Bennett and Charlton was defeated 4–10 by Warren King. The only match to go to a deciding frame in round four was John Virgo's 10–9 win over Tony Jones.Hayton Eric Dee John 2004 The CueSport Book of Professional Snooker: The Complete Record & History Rose Villa Publications 978-0-9548549-0-4 37–39 Dene O'Kane scored five century breaks across his three matches, a new record, including a 132. He received £2,000 for this break, the highest during qualifying. First round thumb|upright=0.85|alt=Stephen Hendry ready to play a shot on a red ball|Stephen Hendry (pictured in 2011) became the youngest player ever to win a match in the main stage of the tournament. The first round of the main tournament was held from 18 to 23 April with matches played as the best-of-19 frames over two sessions. Regular Shorts The Sydney Morning Herald Australia 35 20 April 1987 Snooker: Thorne suffers as Hendry makes history The Times London 17 April 1987 40 Snooker: Knowles and Meo depart as the surprises continue The Times London 22 April 1987 40 Friskin Sydney Snooker: Foulds revels in his freedom after Virgo opens the door The Times London 23 April 1987 40 Friskin Sydney Snooker: Thorburn goes under to O'Kane The Times London 24 April 1987 38 Defending champion Joe Johnson played Eugene Hughes, with the match going to a deciding frame and Johnson winning 10–9. Regular Shorts The Sydney Morning Herald Australia 35 20 April 1987 Steve Davis was 7–1 ahead of Warren King at the end of their first session, but King then won six of the next seven frames to reduce Davis's lead to one frame at 8–7. Davis narrowly won frame 16 with a break of 63, then completed a 10–7 victory in frame 17, where he successfully gained enough foul points from King, despite snookers required requiring snookers. Murdo MacLeod defeated Rex Williams 10–5, despite Williams making the highest break of the first round, a 112. Snooker: White hits back with top break The Times London 27 April 1987 36 Snooker: Thorne's patience is tested The Times London 20 April 1987 28 The win made MacLeod the first Scottish player to secure a victory at the Crucible Theatre.1987: Davis' revenge on Johnson BBC Sport 7 April 2004 25 May 2020 http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/snooker/3557639.stm https://web.archive.org/web/20140517122042/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/snooker/3557639.stm 17 May 2014 live Stephen Hendry met veteran player Willie Thorne, led 5–4 at the end of their first session, and then took the first four frames in the second, before Thorne won three in a row. Hendry took the 17th frame to achieve a 10–7 win. Snooker: Thorne suffers as Hendry makes history The Times London 17 April 1987 40 At age 18 years and 97 days, Hendry became the youngest-ever player to win a World Championship match at the Crucible.Downer Chris Crucible Almanac 2012 132 Steve Longworth led 5–4 after the first session of his match, and won five successive frames to defeat Kirk Stevens 10–5. Terry Griffiths also progressed from a 5–4 interval lead to a 10–4 win, against Jim Wych. Alex Higgins, due to start a six-month ban after the Championship, eliminated first-year professional Jon Wright 10–6. Jimmy White led Dean Reynolds 5–4 at the end of their first session. Reynolds won the first two frames of the second session both on re-spotted black respotted blacks, before White went on to win 10–8. Snooker: Knowles and Meo depart as the surprises continue The Times London 22 April 1987 40 From 7–8, White made breaks of 70, 75 and 59 to win the three frames he needed to progress. O'Kane, 39th in the rankings, won nine frames in a row against second-ranked player Cliff Thorburn to win 10–5. Thorburn's cue tip split during the sixth frame and was not replaced until after the end of the first session. He was unable to win a frame after the tip was broken. Embassy world professional snooker championship Snooker Scene Halesowen 5–19 Everton's News Agency June 1987 Six-time champion Ray Reardon defeated debutant Barry West 10–5.Ray Reardon World Championship results http://www.snookerdatabase.co.uk/PlayerDetails.aspx?PlayerKey=58&tourns=WC&plStat=2 snookerdatabase.co.uk Snooker Database 10 May 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20160305030324/http://www.snookerdatabase.co.uk/playerdetails.aspx?playerkey=58&plstat=2&tourns=wc#PlayerResults 5 March 2016 live Fourth seed Tony Knowles lost 6–10 to Mike Hallett, having led 6–5, and 11th seed Tony Meo lost 8–10 to John Parrott. Silvino Francisco and John Campbell played only eight of their scheduled nine frames in the first session, due to slow play, with Francisco leading 5–3 when they started the following session. Francisco won five consecutive frames at the start of the second session to complete a 10–3 win.Friskin Sydney Snooker: Foulds revels in his freedom after Virgo opens the door The Times London 23 April 1987 40 Doug Mountjoy led David Taylor 6–3 after their first session, and won 10–6. The 1985 champion Dennis Taylor led Bennett 8–1 before winning 10–4.Friskin Sydney Snooker: Thorburn goes under to O'Kane The Times London 24 April 1987 38 Neal Foulds led John Virgo 7–2 after their first session and won 10–4. Second round The second round was played from 23 to 27 April with matches as the best-of-25 frames held over three sessions.Friskin Sydney Snooker: Thorburn goes under to O'Kane The Times London 24 April 1987 38 Friskin Sydney Snooker: Davis on brink of victory The Times London 25 April 1987 42 Snooker: White hits back with top break The Times London 27 April 1987 36 Friskin Sydney Snooker: White has to work for victory The Times London 28 April 1987 40 Johnson led MacLeod 6–2 and 10–6 after the first two sessions, winning 13–7.Friskin Sydney Snooker: Davis on brink of victory The Times London 25 April 1987 42 Hendry and Longworth were level at 4–4 after their first session, with Hendry then opening up a 7–4 lead with breaks of 96, 54 and 89, and finishing the second session 10–6 ahead after winning the 16th frame on a re-spotted black. Later trailing by six frames, Longworth won the 19th with a 103 break, before Hendry completed a 13–7 victory. Francisco and Hallett were at 8–8 after their second session before Hallett won three frames in a row, with breaks of 84, 47, 35 and 93. He also won the 20th frame, after requiring foul shots from Francisco, to lead 12–8, and clinched victory at 13–9 to reach his first World Championship quarter-final.Everton Clive 28 April 1987 Parrott brought to earth by White The Guardian London 32 Foulds led Taylor 5–3 after their first session, Snooker: White hits back with top break The Times London 27 April 1987 36 and won the match 13–10. O'Kane eliminated another top-16 player with a victory over Mountjoy. Foulds puts Taylor out Dundee Courier 12 28 April 1987 Mountjoy led 3–0, but O'Kane then won the next six frames, and won 13–5. White made a break of 114 in his match against Parrott, the highest in that year's championship to that point, and won 13–11. Five of the frames had been decided on the black, with White winning four of them. Taylor is tamed Irish Independent 28 April 1987 14Friskin Sydney Snooker: White has to work for victory The Times London 28 April 1987 40 Higgins led Griffiths 6–3 after the first session but Griffiths won four frames in a row and the match was tied at 8–8. Griffiths went on to defeat Higgins 13–10. Six-times winner of the event Reardon led 3–1 but lost 12 of the next 13 frames as he was eliminated 4–13 by Davis.Barry West World Championship results http://www.snookerdatabase.co.uk/PlayerDetails.aspx?PlayerKey=130&tourns=WC&plStat=2 snookerdatabase.co.uk Snooker Database 10 June 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20160305172422/http://www.snookerdatabase.co.uk/playerdetails.aspx?playerkey=130&plstat=2&tourns=wc#PlayerResults 5 March 2016 live After the tournament, Reardon dropped out of the top 16 in the end-of-season world rankings, moving down from 15 to 38.Ranking History http://www.snooker.org/rnk/history.asp snooker.org Årdalen, Hermund 10 May 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20181219070820/http://www.snooker.org/Rnk/history.asp 19 December 2018 live Quarter-finals thumb|upright=0.8|Neal Foulds (pictured in 2015) reached the semi-finals for the only time in his career by defeating Mike Hallett 13–9. The quarter-final matches were played over three sessions, in best-of-25 frames, on 28 and 29 April.Friskin Sydney Snooker: White fends off late charge The Times London 29 April 1987 46Friskin Sydney Snooker: Johnson is taken to brink The Times London 30 April 1987 48 Johnson led Hendry 8–1 and 12–8, before Hendry won four frames in a row to take the match to a deciding frame at 12–12. In the final frame, after Hendry failed to pot a red ball, Johnson made a break of 46 to take the frame and match 13–12. Hallett compiled two century breaks in the first session of his match against Foulds, who also constructed a century break, with their first session ending at 4–4. Davis on a go slow Newcastle Journal 29 April 1987 13 Foulds then opened up a lead, leading 10–6 and 12–7 before winning at 13–9. Davis, White confrontation in semi-final Irish Independent 30 April 1987 18 Davis was 4–3 ahead of Griffiths after their first session, and 10–5 ahead by the end of the second. He wrapped up a 13–5 win and with breaks of 62, 86 and 51 in three frames in the final session. It was the fifth time that Davis had defeated Griffiths at the World Championship, and the largest winning margin of those encounters. White won all eight frames in the first session in his match against O'Kane, and after winning the first frame of the second session, led 9–0. O'Kane then won five consecutive frames, before White took four of the following five frames to win 13–6. Hendry's heartbreak Aberdeen Press and Journal 30 April 1987 28 Semi-finals The semi-final matches were played as the best-of-31 frames, held over four sessions, from 30 April to 2 May.Friskin Sydney Snooker: Foulds battles his way out of trouble The Times London 1 May 1987 42 Friskin Sydney Snooker: Johnson is on song for final The Times London 2 May 1987 44 Happy Johnson through as Davis defeats White Sunday Independent Dublin 3 May 1987 27 Johnson met Foulds in the first semi-final. The pair were tied at 3–3, but Foulds missed a pot on the black ball in frame seven allowing Johnson to take a one-frame lead after the first session. Seven-up for Neal and Joe Liverpool Echo 1 May 1987 62 In frame eight, Foulds made a break of 48 to win the frame, and won frame nine, despite requiring foul shots. Johnson made breaks of 47 in each of the next two frames to lead 6–5.Friskin Sydney Snooker: Johnson is on song for final The Times London 2 May 1987 44 Foulds took the next before Johnson, with his fourth break of 47 in four frames, took the lead again. Foulds won the last frame of the session with a break of 45 to leave them all square at 7–7 after two sessions, and made a break of 114 in the 15th frame to go one ahead before Johnson won seven frames in a row to lead 14–8.Friskin Sydney Snooker: Foulds battles his way out of trouble The Times London 1 May 1987 42 After this, Foulds won frame 23, but Johnson won the next two frames to win the match 16–9 to reach his second final. Davis and White had been level at 4–4 after their first session, with Davis winning the first four of their second session to lead 8–4 and finishing that session 9–6 ahead. In the first frame of the third session, White was on course to make a maximum break, having potted ten reds and nine blacks, but missed the tenth black. After this, Davis required White to make foul shots in order to gain the necessary penalty points from them for Davis to win the frame. Aided by a fluke fluked black, and by a free ball following a foul by White, Davis eventually won the frame by one point. John Hennessey in Pot Black magazine wrote that "at that moment White lost the chance of claiming his first world title," adding that White's father later said that losing the frame affected White badly during the following three.Hennessey John June 1987 And all the king's men help put Davis together again Pot Black London Pot Black Publishing 6 However, White later compiled a 119 break, the new highest in the competition, overtaking his earlier 114 in the second round, and ended the third session 9–13 behind. Happy Johnson through as Davis defeats White Sunday Independent Dublin 3 May 1987 27 White took the first frame of the fourth session, but lost three of the following four frame as Davis won the match 16–11, concluding with a 74 break in the 27th frame. Final thumb|alt=Steve Davis about to play a shot|Steve Davis (pictured in 2008) won his fourth world title, defeating Joe Johnson 18–14. The final was played as a best-of-35 frames match held over four sessions between Davis and Johnson on 3 and 4 May 1987.Friskin Sydney Snooker: Johnson stages a comeback to put Davis under threat The Times London 4 May 1987 28Friskin Sydney Snooker: Davis avenges defeat and regains the title The Times London 5 May 1987 40 It was the first time that the same two players had met in the final at the Crucible for the second year in a row.Turner Chris A brief history of the 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 cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk Chris Turner's Snooker Archive 2008 24 February 2011 The last time that two players had met in consecutive finals at the World Championship was when Fred Davis and John Pulman had both reached the final in 1955 and 1956, played at the Tower Circus, Blackpool. The next time it would happen was when Hendry and White met in three consecutive finals between 1992 and 1994.Hall of Fame http://www.snooker.org/Trn/hof.asp?pEvent=World snooker.org Årdalen, Hermund 24 February 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20190728220548/http://www.snooker.org/trn/hof.asp?pEvent=World 28 July 2019 live This was also the first time that the final had been contested by the top two seeds of the tournament.Downer Chris Crucible Almanac 2012 121 The final was refereed by Len Ganley, the second time he had taken charge of the World Championship final.Triple Crown Final Referees wst.tv World Snooker 5 April 2021 https://wst.tv/corporate/referees/triple-crown-final-referees/ https://web.archive.org/web/20200111143925/https://wst.tv/corporate/referees/triple-crown-final-referees/ dead 11 January 2020 Downer Chris Crucible Almanac 2012 143 In frame one, Davis compiled a 127 break, which remained the highest break of that year's tournament. Johnson responded winning three frames in a row followed by Davis taking two to level at 3-3. Johnson was 4–3 ahead at the end of the first session. Davis added three successive frames to lead 6–4 at the start of the second session, then Johnson won the 11th frame with a break of 101 before falling three behind as Davis won the next two frames. Johnson was behind in the 14th frame but won it with a break of 73. The last two frames of the session were both won with the aid of fluked reds: the 15th frame by Davis, and the last of the day by Johnson, the day finishing with Davis leading 9–7. On the second day, Johnson won the first frame of the third session to reduce Davis's lead to one frame. Davis then took four consecutive frames to lead 13–8, but missed the last red ball when on a break of 52. Johnson then cleared up to the black, which Davis would have required to level the scores in the frame. However, Davis left the black in a position that it could be potted from, and Johnson won the frame. Davis won the next frame, to lead 14–9 at the end of the third session. Johnson made a break of 52 in the first frame of the fourth session, but failed on an attempt to pot a red, which gave Davis an opportunity. Davis then made a break of 35, but left an easy green ball for Johnson, who cleared to the pink ball to win. In the next frame, Johnson made a break of 62, and then Davis attempted a clearance, but missed the yellow ball. Johnson potted the yellow from distance and cleared to the blue, with Davis then conceding the frame. Johnson led 50–0 in the next frame, and with both players making a number of errors Davis left him an easy brown that allowed Johnson in to win his fourth consecutive frame to move to one behind at 13–14. Davis had breaks of 64 and 40 to lead 15–13, a break of 73 to help make it 16–13, and 17–13 winning frame 30, decided on the final colours. Johnson won another frame, with a break of 67, before Davis clinched victory with a break of 73 to make it 18–14, achieving his fourth World Championship title. After the match, Davis said: "Winning this is better than 1981 because I've experienced getting beat in the final and its horrible."Everton Clive 1993 The Embassy Book of World Snooker Bloomsbury London 0-7475-1610-3 116–119 Aftermath During the tournament, there were reports that Foulds and WPBSA chairman Williams were taking beta blockers. These were banned under International Olympic Committee rules, but not prohibited in snooker.Goodbody John Friskin Sydney Snooker player, 23, admits using heart drug The Times London 24 April 1987 1 Colin Moynihan, a Member of the British Parliament, called for Williams to resign and any players using beta blockers to withdraw from competing.Goodbody John MP in call for Williams to resign his post The Times London 27 April 1987 36 In November 1987, the WPBSA was suspended from using the Sports Council's drug-testing facilities until the use of beta blockers was banned from the sport. Moynihan wrote to Williams supporting the ban that had been proposed by the Sports Council's Drug Advisory Group.Goodbody John snooker pays penalty for failing to act The Times London 25 November 1987 48 Williams resigned as WPBSA chairman in November 1987, having received criticism over the drug testing issue as well as over his personal business connections with promoters Barry Hearn and Frank Warren.Acteson Steve Snooker: Williams makes the break The Times London 30 November 1987 40 The WPBSA voted to ban the use of beta blockers, other than cardioselective types, in January 1988, with the ban to come into effect from the start of the 1988–89 snooker season.Acteson Steve Beta-blocker ban may mean the end for Williams The Times London 8 January 1988 32 Main draw Shown below are the results for the tournament. The numbers in brackets denote players seedings, whilst players in bold are match winners.Embassy World Championship http://www.snookerscene.co.uk/page.php?id=36 https://web.archive.org/web/20130124071753/http://www.snookerscene.co.uk/page.php?id=36 24 January 2013 snookerscene.co.uk Snooker Scene 6 March 2012Downer Chris Crucible Almanac 2012 24–25 numbered First roundBest of 19 frames Second roundBest of 25 frames Quarter-finalsBest of 25 frames Semi-finalsBest of 31 frames FinalBest of 35 frames 18 April Joe Johnson ENG (1) 10 Eugene Hughes IRL 9 18 & 19 April Rex Williams ENG (16) 5 Murdo MacLeod SCO 10 19 & 20 April Kirk Stevens CAN (9) 4 Steve Longworth ENG 10 19 & 20 April Willie Thorne ENG (8) 7 Stephen Hendry SCO 10 20 & 21 April Tony Knowles ENG (5) 6 Mike Hallett ENG 10 21 & 22 April Silvino Francisco RSA 1982 (12) 10 John Campbell AUS 3 21 & 22 April Neal Foulds ENG (13) 10 John Virgo ENG 4 22 & 23 April Dennis Taylor NIR (4) 10 Mark Bennett WAL 4 22 & 23 April Cliff Thorburn CAN (3) 5 Dene O'Kane NZL 10 22 April Doug Mountjoy WAL (14) 10 David Taylor ENG 5 21 April Tony Meo ENG (11) 8 John Parrott ENG 10 20 & 21 April Jimmy White ENG (6) 10 Dean Reynolds ENG 8 19 & 20 April Alex Higgins NIR (7) 10 Jon Wright ENG 6 19 & 20 April Terry Griffiths WAL (10) 10 Jim Wych CAN 4 18 & 19 April Ray Reardon WAL (15) 10 Barry West ENG 5 18 April Steve Davis ENG (2) 10 Warren King AUS 7 23 & 24 April England Joe Johnson (1) 13 Scotland Murdo MacLeod 7 24 & 25 April England Steve Longworth 7 Scotland Stephen Hendry 13 25, 26 & 27 April England Mike Hallett 13 South Africa 1982 Silvino Francisco (12) 9 26 & 27 April England Neal Foulds (13) 13 Northern Ireland Dennis Taylor (4) 10 26 & 27 April New Zealand Dene O'Kane 13 Wales Doug Mountjoy (14) 5 25, 26 & 27 April England John Parrott 11 England Jimmy White (6) 13 24 & 25 April Northern Ireland Alex Higgins (7) 10 Wales Terry Griffiths (10) 13 23, 24 & 25 April Wales Ray Reardon (15) 4 England Steve Davis (2) 13 28 & 29 April England Joe Johnson (1) 13 Scotland Stephen Hendry 12 28 & 29 April England Mike Hallett 9 England Neal Foulds (13) 13 28 & 29 April New Zealand Dene O'Kane 6 England Jimmy White (6) 13 28 & 29 April Wales Terry Griffiths (10) 5 England Steve Davis (2) 13 30 April 1 & 2 May England Joe Johnson (1) 16 England Neal Foulds (13) 9 30 April 1 & 2 May England Jimmy White (6) 11 England Steve Davis (2) 16 3 & 4 May England Joe Johnson (1) 14 England Steve Davis (2) 18 (Best of 35 frames) Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, 3 & 4 May 1987. Referee: Len Ganley Joe Johnson (1) 14–18 Steve Davis (2) 0–128, 61–53, 74–69, 71–2, 1–77, 12–83, 66–57, 8–69, 35–82, 5–79, 118–15, 25–77, 0–91, 76–44, 7–88, 70–6, 68–34, 0–69, 0–80, 24–81, 24–68, 66–52, 0–77, 75–22, 70–53, 76–44, 73–59, 0–104, 6–113, 33–91, 77–34, 0–78 Century breaks: 2 (Johnson 1, Davis 1) Highest break by Johnson: 101 Highest break by Davis: 127 0–128, 61–53, 74–69, 71–2, 1–77, 12–83, 66–57, 8–69, 35–82, 5–79, 118–15, 25–77, 0–91, 76–44, 7–88, 70–6, 68–34, 0–69, 0–80, 24–81, 24–68, 66–52, 0–77, 75–22, 70–53, 76–44, 73–59, 0–104, 6–113, 33–91, 77–34, 0–78 England Steve Davis wins the 1987 Embassy World Snooker Championship Best of 19 frames Best of 25 frames Best of 25 frames Best of 31 frames Qualifying The qualifying stages took place at the Preston Guild Hall between 25 March and 4 April 1987. Results from the qualification event are shown below. Players shown in bold denote match winners. April 1987 Embassy world professional snooker championship: the draw Pot Black Westcliff-on-Sea Pot Black Publishing 16Smyth Karen May 1987 The Embassy world qualifiers Pot Black Westcliff-on-Sea Pot Black Publishing 28–30 4 16 4 4 200 Round 1Best of 19 frames Round 2Best of 19 frames Round 3Best of 19 frames Round 4Best of 19 frames Jim Bear CAN 10 Jackie Rea NIR 5 Frank Jonik CAN Tony Kearney IRL w.o. Eddie Sinclair SCO Bye Mike Watterson ENG 2 Steve James ENG 10 Greg Jenkins AUS 10 Robbie Grace RSA 1982 9 Paul Thornley CAN 6 David Greaves ENG 10 Mike Darrington ENG 10 Bert Demarco SCO 6 Martin Smith ENG 9 Jim Rempe USA 10 Gino Rigitano CAN 10 Paddy Morgan AUS 0 Les Dodd ENG Bye Colin Roscoe WAL 10 Terry Whitthread ENG 2 Mario Morra CAN 10 Paul Gibson ENG 6 Eddie McLauglin SCO Dave Chalmers ENG w.o. Jack McLaughlin NIR Bye John Hargreaves ENG 6 Mark Bennett WAL 10 Jim Donnelly SCO Bye Ian Williamson ENG Bye Dave Gilbert ENG Bye Billy Kelly IRL 10 Bernard Bennett ENG 0 Jim Meadowcroft ENG 10 Derek Mienie RSA 1982 3 Geoff Foulds ENG 10 Paul Watchorn IRL 6 Dennis Hughes ENG 10 Maurice Parkin ENG 5 Bill Oliver ENG 10 Pascal Burke IRL 5 John Dunning ENG 10 Joe Cagianello CAN 7 Robby Foldvari AUS Bye Pat Houlihan ENG 4 Jon Wright ENG 10 Sakchai Sim Ngam THA Brian Rowswell ENG w.o. Dessie Sheehan IRL 6 Nigel Gilbert ENG 10 Roger Bales ENG Bye Jack Fitzmaurice ENG 10 Clive Everton ENG 2 David Roe ENG w.o. Omprakesh Agrawal IND Mick Fisher ENG 5 Ken Owers ENG 10 Marcel Gauvreau CAN 10 Jim Bear CAN 3 Paul Medati ENG 10 Tony Kearney IRL 8 Tony Drago MLT 9 Eddie Sinclair SCO 10 Ray Edmonds ENG 10 Steve James ENG 1 Tommy Murphy NIR 10 Greg Jenkins AUS 4 Graham Miles ENG 10 David Greaves ENG 7 Stephen Hendry SCO 10 Mike Darrington ENG 7 John Rea SCO 9 Jim Rempe USA 10 Vic Harris ENG 6 Gino Rigitano CAN 10 Steve Newbury WAL 10 Les Dodd ENG 7 Steve Duggan ENG 10 Colin Roscoe WAL 7 Tony Chappel WAL 10 Mario Morra CAN 8 Tony Jones ENG 10 Dave Chalmers ENG 1 Jimmy van Rensberg RSA 1982 10 Jack McLaughlin NIR 6 Bernie Mikkelsen CAN 4 Mark Bennett WAL 10 Wayne Jones WAL 10 Jim Donnelly SCO 3 Ian Black SCO 10 Ian Williamson ENG 8 Dene O'Kane NZL 10 Dave Gilbert ENG 2 Matt Gibson SCO 10 Billy Kelly IRL 9 Graham Cripsey ENG 10 Jim Meadowcroft ENG 9 Danny Fowler ENG 10 Geoff Foulds ENG 6 Bob Harris ENG 10 Dennis Hughes ENG 2 Patsy Fagan IRL 2 Bill Oliver ENG 10 George Scott ENG 10 John Dunning ENG 7 Mark Wildman ENG 10 Robby Foldvari AUS 5 Paddy Browne IRL 6 Jon Wright ENG 10 Malcolm Bradley ENG 10 Brian Rowswell ENG 6 Joe O'Boye IRL 10 Nigel Gilbert ENG 5 John Spencer ENG 10 Roger Bales ENG 2 Bob Chaperon CAN 10 Jack Fitzmaurice ENG 2 Warren King AUS 10 David Roe ENG 4 Fred Davis ENG 5 Ken Owers ENG 10 Marcel Gauvreau CAN 3 Paul Medati ENG 10 Eddie Sinclair SCO 6 Ray Edmonds ENG 10 Tommy Murphy NIR 10 Graham Miles ENG 7 Stephen Hendry SCO 10 Jim Rempe USA 4 Gino Rigitano CAN 4 Steve Newbury WAL 10 Steve Duggan ENG 3 Tony Chappel WAL 10 Tony Jones ENG 10 Jimmy van Rensberg RSA 1982 0 Mark Bennett WAL 10 Wayne Jones WAL 3 Ian Black SCO 2 Dene O'Kane NZL 10 Matt Gibson SCO 4 Graham Cripsey ENG 10 Danny Fowler ENG 10 Bob Harris ENG 5 Bill Oliver ENG 10 George Scott ENG 5 Mark Wildman ENG 0 Jon Wright ENG 10 Malcolm Bradley ENG 10 Joe O'Boye IRL 7 John Spencer ENG 10 Bob Chaperon CAN 4 Warren King AUS 10 Ken Owers ENG 4 Eugene Hughes IRL 10 Paul Medati ENG 2 Murdo MacLeod SCO 10 Ray Edmonds ENG 7 Steve Longworth ENG 10 Tommy Murphy NIR 2 Dave Martin ENG 7 Stephen Hendry SCO 10 Mike Hallett ENG 10 Steve Newbury WAL 4 John Campbell AUS 10 Tony Chappel WAL 6 John Virgo ENG 10 Tony Jones ENG 9 Bill Werbeniuk CAN 8 Mark Bennett WAL 10 Peter Francisco RSA 1982 5 Dene O'Kane NZL 10 David Taylor ENG 10 Graham Cripsey ENG 7 John Parrott ENG 10 Danny Fowler ENG 3 Dean Reynolds ENG 10 Bill Oliver ENG 7 Cliff Wilson WAL 4 Jon Wright ENG 10 Jim Wych CAN 10 Malcolm Bradley ENG 7 Barry West ENG 10 John Spencer ENG 5 Eddie Charlton AUS 4 Warren King AUS 10 Century breaks There were 18 century breaks at the championship. The highest was a 127 made by Steve Davis in the first frame of the final. This was the lowest world championship high break since the event moved to the Crucible Theatre in 1977. The highest break in 1977 was 135 by John Spencer, which was the lowest to be the highest break at the world championship until 1986, when Davis's 134 was the highest.Crucible Centuries http://www.snooker.org/Plr/wc_centuries.shtml snooker.org Årdalen, Hermund 2 May 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110523045039/http://www.snooker.org/plr/wc_centuries.shtml 23 May 2011 deadKastner Hugo Snooker – Spieler, Regeln & Rekorde May 2011 http://www.hugo-kastner.at/snooker_crucible_records_mai11.pdf hugo-kastner.at 27 May 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20131203014834/http://www.hugo-kastner.at/snooker_crucible_records_mai11.pdf 3 December 2013 liveDowner Chris Crucible Almanac The breaks: Crucible centuries by year 2019 162 Bournemouth 127 Steve Davis 119, 114 Jimmy White 112 Rex Williams 109, 106, 105, 102 Neal Foulds 108, 102, 101 Joe Johnson 105, 103 Mike Hallett 103 Stephen Hendry 103 Steve Longworth 101 John Virgo 100 Tony Meo 100 Ray Reardon Qualifying There were 17 century breaks during the qualifying competition, the highest of which was 132 made by Dene O'Kane. Embassy world championship (qualifying): Road from Preston leads to Sheffield Snooker Scene Halesowen 14–21 Everton's News Agency May 1987 132, 130, 109, 101, 100 Dene O'Kane 125 Paul Medati 115 John Parrott 110 John Spencer 108, 105 Stephen Hendry 108 Mark Bennett 108 Bill Oliver 107 Joe O'Boye 105 Jim Rempe 104 John Campbell 100 Graham Cripsey 100 Gino Rigitano Notes References 1987 1987 World Championship World Snooker Championship Category:Sports competitions in Sheffield World Snooker Championship World Snooker Championship