1988 World Snooker Championship

Professional snooker tournament December 2019 May 2011 1988 Embassy World Snooker Championship 1988 04 16 1988 05 2 y Crucible Theatre Sheffield England WPBSA Ranking event £475,000 £95,000 Steve James ENG (140) Steve Davis ENG Terry Griffiths WAL 18–11 1987 1989 The 1988 World Snooker Championship, also known as the 1988 Embassy World Snooker Championship for sponsorship reasons, was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 16 April to 2 May 1988 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. Organised by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), it was the sixth and final ranking event of the 1987–88 snooker season and the twelfth consecutive World Snooker Championship to be held at the Crucible, the first tournament there having taken place in 1977. A five-round qualifying event for the championship was held at the Preston Guild Hall from 22 March to 2 April 1988 for 113 players, 16 of whom reached the main stage, where they met the 16 invited seeded players. The tournament was broadcast in the United Kingdom by the BBC, and was sponsored by the Embassy cigarette company. The winner received £95,000 from the total prize fund of £475,000. The defending champion was Steve Davis, who had previously won the World Championship four times. He met the 1979 champion Terry Griffiths in the final, which was a best-of-35-frames match. Davis won the match 18–11 after the pair had been level at 8–8 at the end of the first day of the final. Steve James scored the championship's highest break, a 140, in his first-round match. There were 18 century breaks compiled during the championship. Overview The World Snooker Championship is an annual professional snooker tournament organised by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA).John Nauright Sarah Zipp Routledge Handbook of Global Sport Luke J. Harris 21. Snooker and billiards https://books.google.com/books?id=htTHDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT277 3 January 2020 Taylor & Francis Abingdon 978-1-138-88723-7 227–237 5 September 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200905220525/https://books.google.com/books?id=htTHDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT277 live Founded in the late 19th century by British Army soldiers stationed in India,Victoria R. Williams Weird Sports and Wacky Games around the World: From Buzkashi to Zorbing https://books.google.com/books?id=lpDdBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA286 28 April 2015 ABC-CLIO Santa Barbara 978-1-61069-639-5 286 5 September 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200905220523/https://books.google.com/books?id=lpDdBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA286 live the cue sport gained popularity in the British Isles in the 1920s and 1930s. In the modern era, which 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 Telegraph London 5 May 2009 13 April 2020 registration 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 live it has become increasingly popular worldwide, especially in East and Southeast Asian nations such as China, Hong Kong and Thailand.The Rise Of China wst.tv World Snooker 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 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 Joe Davis won the first World Championship in 1927, organised by the Billiards Association and Control Council, the final match being held at Camkin's Hall in Birmingham, England.Clive Everton Black Farce and Cue Ball Wizards: The Inside Story of the Snooker World 2012 Mainstream Publishing Edinburgh 978-1-78057-568-1 23History of Snooker – a Timeline https://www.wpbsa.com/about/history/ wpbsa World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association 21 October 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190418140049/https://www.wpbsa.com/about/history/ 18 April 2019 live Since 1977, the event has been held at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England.Gary Clarke A Billiards and Snooker Compendium Rothersthorpe https://books.google.com/books?id=-1gXfvMbyJAC&pg=PA36 2008 Paragon Publishing 978-1-899820-46-7 36 5 September 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200905220524/https://books.google.com/books?id=-1gXfvMbyJAC&pg=PA36 live The 1988 championship featured 32 professional players competing in one-on-one snooker matches in a single-elimination format, each match played over several frames. These competitors in the main tournament were selected using a combination of the top players in the snooker world rankings and the winners of a pre-tournament qualification stage that took place at Preston Guild Hall from 22 March to 2 April 1988. The qualifying competition consisted of five knockout rounds, all contested as the best-of-19-frames, including a single preliminary round match. There were 113 players involved in the qualifying competition, which produced 16 players who each faced one of the top 16 players in the world rankings in the first round of the main event.200Crucible Draw And Format wst.tv World Snooker 9 April 2018 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 rounds held at the Crucible Theatre were broadcast in the United Kingdom by the BBC. Weekend TV Daily Mirror London 16 April 1988 16 It's the start of 17 days' coverage of the Embassy World Championships The 1988 championship was sponsored by cigarette brand Embassy, and was also referred to as the Embassy World Snooker Championship.Embassy bow out on high note Snooker Scene June 2005 Everton's News Agency Birmingham 3 Prize fund The tournament featured a total prize fund of £475,000, with £95,000 being awarded to the winner.Downer Chris Crucible Almanac 2019 Bournemouth146 The prize money allocation is shown below. An award of £90,000 would have been made to a player making a maximum break.146 Main tournament Winner: £95,000 Runner-up: £57,000 Semi-finalists: £28,000 Quarter-finalists: £14,250 Last 16: £7,125 Last 32: £4,007.81 Highest break: £9,500 Qualifying Fourth qualifying round: £3,117.19 Third qualifying round: £1,632.81 Highest break: £2,375 Tournament summary Qualifying Qualifying matches took place at Preston Guild Hall from 22 March to 2 April 1988.1988 Sports diary: snooker, billiards The Guardian London 2 January 1988 15 The qualifying competition consisted of five knockout rounds, including a single preliminary round match, starting with 113 players, and all qualifying matches were played as best-of-19-frames.200 American pool player Steve Mizerak made his professional snooker debut in the preliminary round, losing 3–10 to Anthony Harris.Harris stuns pool king Sandwell Evening Mail 23 March 1988 37 On the first day of the qualifying competition, Billy Kelly established a new record highest break for world championship qualifying, compiling a 141 in the sixth frame of his match against Tony Kearney.Kelly breaks record Evening Herald Dublin 23 March 1988 55 Kelly won 10–4, concluding with a 76 break in the 14th frame.Mancunian Irish clash Evening Herald Dublin 24 March 1988 55 Alain Robidoux had walkovers against Frank Jonik, who withdrew due to problems with his back, and Robbie Grace, who was unable to travel from South Africa, which meant Robidoux earned a ranking merit point that enabled him to gain full professional status for the following season.Everton Clive Canadian in by the back door The Guardian London 2 January 1988 20 He lost 2–10 to Bill Oliver in the third round. Dene O'Kane, a quarter-finalist in 1987, led 9–8 against Eddie Sinclair but lost 9–10.O'Kane goes The Times London 30 March 1988 46 Oliver eliminated six-time champion Ray Reardon 10–4 before losing 6–10 to Cliff Wilson.Hughes beaten Aberdeen Press and Journal Aberdeen 2 April 1988 24 It was the first time in his career that Reardon had failed to qualify for the main event. Returning to snooker after a four-month absence during which he had been treated in a Canadian clinic for cocaine addiction, Kirk Stevens defeated Mark Bennett 10–7.Stevens wins The Times London 2 April 1988 36 Eight-time champion Fred Davis, aged 74, progressed past Jack Fitzmaurice, 10–8, and Jim Bear, 10–4, before losing 3–10 to John Campbell in the last qualifying round. 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 live26–27 John Spencer, three-times world champion, was eliminated 7–10 by Warren King at the same stage.Acteson Steve Snooker: Notoriety cast aside in Crucible rehearsal The Times London 6 April 1988 38 Four players, Steve James, Bob Chaperon, Tony Drago and Peter Francisco, qualified for the main event for the first time.Acteson Steve Odds stacked in favour of Davis The Times London 15 April 1988 34 James received a walkover against Terry Whitthread in the first round, and eliminated Joe O'Boye, Paddy Browne and Eugene Hughes; Chaperon defeated Robert Marshall, Tommy Murphy and David Taylor; Drago won against Tony Chappel; and Francisco eliminated Robby Foldvari.26–27 First round The first round took place between 16 and 21 April, each match played over two session sessions as the best of 19 frames.26–27 Davis, who had won three of the five ranking events during the season leading up to the world championship, was Coral bookmakers' pre-tournament favourite to win, with odds of 5/4. Stephen Hendry, winner of the other two ranking tournaments, was the second favourite at 4/1. They were followed by Jimmy White at 8/1 and John Parrott at 10/1. thumb|Tony Drago (pictured in 2012) made his World Championship debut.|alt=Tony Drago playing snooker. Davis won a closely contested match against John Virgo, finally prevailing 10–8. Mike Hallett was 8–1 ahead of Chaperon at the end of their first session, and completed a 10–2 victory.Acteson Steve Mouth-watering prospect for the Scottish prince The Times London 18 April 1988 42 Alex Higgins, who won the competition in 1972 and 1982, had been banned (in April 1987) from the first two ranking events of the season, as part of a punishment imposed by the WPBSA for behaviour including headbutting the tournament director at the 1986 UK Championship.Acteson Steve Higgins slips off edge of the world The Times London 19 April 1988 47Friskin Sydney Higgins banned for six months and fined £12,000 The Times London 7 April 1987 47 He trailed Drago 2–7 after their first session, and after being defeated 2–10, lost his place in the elite top 16 of the snooker world rankings for the first time since rankings were introduced in 1976.In the ranking list for 1988/1989, Higgins was placed at 17th, two points behind 16th-ranked Cliff Wilson. WPBSA world rankings Snooker Scene Everton's News Agency Birmingham June 1988 24–25 The 1985 champion Taylor was 4–5 behind to Bill Werbeniuk as their first session ended. After their second session the following morning was stopped due to over-running as a result of lengthy tactical exchanges and several delays while Werbeniuk visited the toilet during frames, eventually prevailed 10–8 when it was reconvened.Everton Clive Higgins pays high price The Guardian London 19 April 1988 18 This was Werbeniuk's last appearance at the World Snooker Championship finals.Bill Werbeniuk at the World Championships http://www.snookerdatabase.co.uk/PlayerDetails.aspx?PlayerKey=84&tourns=WC&plStat=1 Snooker Database 11 May 2012 7 January 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210107005204/https://www.snookerdatabase.co.uk/PlayerDetails.aspx?PlayerKey=84&tourns=WC&plStat=1#PlayerResults live Joe Johnson, champion in 1986 and runner-up in 1987, knocked out Wilson 10–7.Everton Clive Johnson prevails The Guardian London 20 April 1988 15 Nine days after suffering a serious road traffic accident that wrote off his car, James compiled a break of 140, and another of 104, on his way to defeating Rex Williams 10–6.A jackpot for James Cue World June 1988 9 Snooker Publications Birmingham 0268-9871 In the opening frame against King, Parrott produced a break of 80, which turned out to be his only break above 40 as he won 10–4. Cliff Thorburn, the champion in 1980 and the first player to make a maximum break in the championship, in 1983,Crucible's top 10 moments https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/in_depth/2001/world_snooker_championship/1244064.stm BBC Sport 12 April 2001 7 January 2021 25 January 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080125024214/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/in_depth/2001/world_snooker_championship/1244064.stm live was only able to compete after his lawyers managed to postpone a disciplinary hearing relating to his failed drug test at the 1988 British Open.Everton Clive Thorburn still there The Guardian London 22 April 1988 18 He eliminated Stevens, who had undergone voluntary treatment for cocaine addiction and fell from fourth place to outside the top 32 in the rankings during the season. Thorburn won the match 10–6.Health warning The Province Vancouver, British Columbia 21 April 1988 69 From 3–3 against Wayne Jones, Neal Foulds led 6–3 at the end of the first session and progressed by winning 10–7. Doug Mountjoy recorded a 10–6 win against Barry West, and Willie Thorne won by the same score against Peter Francisco. Steve Longworth won only a single frame as he went out 1–10 to the 1979 champion Terry Griffiths. Tony Knowles eliminated Danny Fowler 10–8.26–27 Silvino Francisco made breaks of 91, 109 and 105 against Eddie Charlton in their first session, but still ended it 4–5 behind. Charlton, playing with a cue stick that he had only started using earlier that year, won 10–7. Hendry led Dean Reynolds 6–3 and 7–6, taking the last three frames to progress at 10–6. After winning the first seven frames against Campbell, White achieved a 10–3 victory. Second round thumb|upright=0.75|Jimmy White (pictured in 2016) won his second round match against Stephen Hendry 13–12.|alt=Jimmy White seated and holding his snooker cue. The second round, which took place between 21 and 25 April, was played as best-of-25-frames matches spread over three sessions.26–27 Davis finished a 13–1 defeat of Hallett with a break of 106. This result matched the heaviest defeat ever recorded in the world snooker championship at the Crucible, Davis's 18–6 victory over Thorburn in the 1983 final.Acteson Steve Mean Davis shows killer touch The Times London 23 April 1988 42 Drago, having defeated a former world champion in the first round, knocked out another in the second round,Discipline Cue World June 1988 8 Snooker Publications Birmingham 0268-9871 winning 13–5 against Dennis Taylor.26–27 James compiled a break of 112 in the last frame of the first session against Johnson and led 7–1.26–27 During the second session, he increased this to 11–3. Johnson won the last two frames of the second session, and the first four frames of the third session, before James took two consecutive frames to qualify 13–9. Thorburn defeated Parrott 13–10, after the pair had been level at 6–6 and 7–7. Embassy world professional championship – Davis from first to last Snooker Scene Everton's News Agency Birmingham June 1988 5–17 Foulds equaled Davis's record for an emphatic victory at the Crucible, and had a break of 102, eliminating Mountjoy 13–1; Mountjoy's failure to progress further meant that he lost his place in the top 16 of the rankings.Acteson Steve James wins rearguard action The Times London 26 April 1988 48 Griffiths reached the quarter-finals for the fifth year in succession, going from 9–9 to 13–9 against Thorne and concluding with a 101 break in the 22nd frame. Knowles led Charlton 12–4 as they started the third session, and won 13–7. White finished the first session against Hendry 5–3 ahead, the pair both preferring attempts to pot balls rather than play safety shots. White added the first frame of the second session, before Hendry won six frames in a row, including breaks of 52, 79, 125, 56 and 101, thus led 9–6. White took the final frame of the second session. In the third session, Hendry claimed the first frame to lead 10–7. White replied with breaks of 62, 50, 78 and 71, to take the lead at 11–10. A 108 break from Hendry made it 11–11, but he scored no points in the 23rd frame as White moved ahead again. On a break of 43 in the 24th frame, White miscue miscued, and Hendry won the frame after a break of 48. In the deciding frame, White started a break of 86 by pot potting a long-range red ball, and prevailed 13–12 in the match.Hendon David Snooker Scene's 50 Classic Matches Snooker Scene Birmingham 2015 1988 World Championship second round at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield B0178F3O16 In all, the match featured twenty breaks of 50 or more, including three century breaks.Corrigan Peter White hot in the Crucible The Observer London 24 April 1988 18 The match was re-shown on BBC Two on 23 April 2020 in a series called Crucible Classics shown in place of the 2020 World Snooker Championship which was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.World Snooker Championship: Stephen Hendry & Steve Davis relive Crucible classics https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/52294986 Shamoon Hafez Owen Phillips 17 April 2020 BBC Sport 23 April 2020 22 April 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200422205555/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/52294986 live It was the first of seven Crucible matches between White and Hendry over the following decade, including four finals, White losing each encounter until their seventh world championship clash in 1998. Quarter-finals thumb|upright=0.8|Cliff Thorburn (pictured in 2007) progressed to the semi-finals by defeating qualifier Steve James 13–11.|alt=Cliff Thorburn playing snooker The quarter-finals were played as best-of-25-frames matches over three sessions on 26 and 27 April.26–27 Davis led Drago 3–2, and then won the next four frames scoring a total of 271 points while Drago scored none. Drago took the tenth frame, but from 3–7 was later one frame from defeat at 3–12. In the 16th frame, Davis snooker snookered himself while on a break of 61, and Drago recovered to win that frame. The third session consisted of a single frame, as Davis completed a 13–4 victory.Acteson Steve Drago outclassed by masterly Davis The Times London 27 April 1988 46 After the eight frames of the first session between Thorburn and James, the score was 4–4. James, who the bookmakers had rated a 500/1 outsider to win the tournament at the start, was still level at 6–6 but lost 11–13. During the match, he compiled a break of 103, his fourth century break of the competition. Griffiths reached the quarter-finals for the first time since he won the title in 1979 by eliminating Foulds 13–9, having been 1–3 behind. White lost the opening frame but took a 7–1 lead over Knowles in their first session. After extending this lead to 10–2, White later commented "I did the worst thing possible. I started playing to the crowd."Giant killers are beaten Cue World June 1988 6–7 Snooker Publications Birmingham 0268-9871 Knowles won four consecutive frames, compiling a break of 124 in the process, to trail 6–10. White responded by winning the next three to progress 13–6. Semi-finals The semi-finals took place between 28 and 30 April as best-of-31-frames matches played over four sessions.26–27 Thorburn won the first frame against Davis with a clearance of 32, but lost the second on a re-spotted black despite having made a break of 62. Davis took the next three frames, one with a break of 103, and ended the first session 4–3 ahead after Thorburn won the last two frames.Acteson Steve Thorburn squanders gilt-edged chances The Times London 29 April 1988 40 During the second session, the players were level at 6–6 before Davis moved into an 8–6 lead, increasing this to 11–6 by taking the first three frames of the third session. Breaks of 77 and 49 in the 18th frame, and a narrow win in the 19th frame, saw Thorburn move to 8–11. Thorburn led by 57 points in the twentieth frame but conceded 4 points by accidentally missing the red balls when playing a safety shot, and Davis compiled a break of 54 to clinch the frame by a single point, finishing the session 14–8 ahead after winning the last two frames.Acteson Steve Davis pins down Thorburn The Times London 30 April 1988 42 Davis won the first two frames of the fourth session to complete a 16–8 victory.Ross Alasdair 'I'll be back' snooker loser Thorburn says Toronto Star Ontario 1 May 1988 G9 White won the first two frames against Griffiths, compiling a break of 83 in the second, and made it 3–1 after Griffiths had won the third frame. Griffiths reduced White's advantage to one frame with a fifth frame break of 114. In the next frame, Griffiths missed a red to allow White in and gain the frame. Griffiths won the following two frames and the first session ended level at 4–4. During the second session, White compiled breaks of 44, 77, and 83 while gaining a 7–6 lead. Griffiths replied with breaks of 32, 71, and 61 during the session's last two frames, and took the lead at 8–7. The third session included a 119 break from White in the 17th frame and saw Griffiths increase his lead to 12–10.26–27 Griffiths fluke fluked a red in the first frame of the fourth session and went on to compile a winning break of 78. White responded with a 69 break to gain the following frame, making it 13–11 to Griffiths. After potting a re-spotted black to go 14–11 ahead, Griffiths added the following two frames, winning 16–11.Corrigan Peter Hale Janice Terry blacks out White The Observer London 1 May 1988 19 Final The final between Davis and Griffiths took place on 1 and 2 May, as a best-of-35-frames match played over four sessions.26–27 It was Davis's sixth successive final,Everton Clive Davis makes if five with a flourish The Guardian London 3 May 1988 10 and Griffith's first since his win in 1979.Terry Smith 1988 Benson and Hedges Snooker Year Aylesbury Pelham Books 978-0-7207-1830-0 106–109 Fifth Davis had won fifteen of the previous nineteen matches between the pair. Griffiths won the first frame before missing an easy blue ball in the second frame that allowed Davis in to equalise at 1–1. Davis then won the next four frames, Griffiths taking the last frame of the first afternoon session to finish it 2–5 behind.Morrison Ian 1989 Snooker: records, facts and champions Guinness Superlatives Ltd Enfield 978-0-85112-364-6 42 In the second session, Griffiths won the first frame after a break of 34. Davis followed this by taking the next two frames with breaks of 83 and 81 to lead 7–3. Griffiths equalised at 7–7, making breaks of 30, 49, 63 and 55. Davis took the lead back with a break of 66 in the 15th frame, but a fluke on a red by Griffiths and a later miss on a red by Davis contributed to Griffiths equalising at 8–8 at the session's end.Acteson Steve Snooker: Fiery Griffiths breathes life into the final The Times London 3 May 1988 28 Griffiths suggested that getting back to 88 after the second session was like winning the football pools.Benson and Hedges Snooker Year Smith, Terry 107 The Season in Depth November 1988 Penguin Books, Limited 0720718309 fifth thumb|Steve Davis (pictured in 2014) won his fifth world title.|alt=Steve Davis seated, with his arms crossed. Davis missed some easy pots at the start of the third session, but still won the first three frames to lead 11–8 as Griffiths made several errors. Griffiths took the 20th frame with a break of 46, but Davis restored a three-frame advantage with breaks of 33 and 36 in the 21st frame. In the 22nd frame, Griffiths laid a snooker and obtained the penalty points from Davis that he would have required to win the frame, but then missed in an attempt to pot the black ball and lost the frame as Davis moved to a 13–9 lead. A break of 57 by Griffiths won him a frame to reduce Davis's lead to 13–10, and he led 41–0 in the next frame before Davis compiled a 92 break to lead 14–10 at the end of the session. In the fourth session, Davis won the opening frame after making a break of 46, and then won two of the next three frames with breaks of 118 and 123.Acteson Steve Snooker: Davis is on top of the world for fifth time The Times London 3 May 1988 42 In the 29th frame, Griffiths missed a black from its spot, and Davis went on to win the frame with a break of 66 and take the title, achieving victory at 18–11.26–27 Clive Everton, who played in the qualifying rounds of the tournament, wrote in The Guardian that, despite Griffiths equalising at 7–7 by winning four consecutive frames, "it was not a vintage final." The Benson and Hedges Snooker Year report of the championship concluded that "The final was never a classic but merely emphasized Davis's superiority and grip on the world of professional snooker." Griffiths, who was the oldest world snooker championship finalist since Reardon in 1982, said "My long potting got me to the final. But in the end it let me down. Steve's safety is so good that you have to make the long potting count and I didn't which was the most disappointing part of my performance in the final." This was Davis's fifth world championship win, leaving him one behind Reardon's record total of six titles in the modern era. Davis commented "You are always delighted to win a world championship, and I'm not thinking about records. All I know is I keep coming back to the World Championship, which is two and a half weeks of agony and turmoil and trauma." It was Davis's fourth win in six ranking tournaments in the 1987–88 snooker season, a period in which he also won the 1988 Masters and the 1988 Irish Masters,1988: Davis does it again https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/snooker/2953961.stm BBC Sport 18 April 2003 6 January 2021 7 January 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210107005228/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/snooker/2953961.stm live and he became first player to win all of the snooker "Triple Crown" events in a single season.Sports Personality: Snooker legend Steve Davis wins in 1988 https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/sports-personality/24672185 BBC Sport 19 November 2013 16 August 2021 25 May 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210525054905/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/sports-personality/24672185 live His prize money earnings for the season were £425,000,Unbeatable Cue World June 1988 5 Snooker Publications Birmingham 0268-9871 and he retained his top position in the end-of-year rankings with 59 points, ahead of White in second on 44 points. Griffiths, with 33 points, was fifth, one place higher than in the previous ranking list.Ranking Positions 1988–89 – Highest breaks 1987–88 Cue World June 1988 15 Snooker Publications Birmingham 0268-9871 Main draw Shown below are the results for each round. The numbers in brackets denote player seedings; match winners are denoted in bold.26–27 numbered 175 First roundBest of 19 frames Second roundBest of 25 frames Quarter-finalsBest of 25 frames Semi-finalsBest of 31 frames FinalBest of 35 frames 16 April Steve Davis ENG (1) 10 John Virgo ENG 8 16 & 17 April Mike Hallett ENG (16) 10 Bob Chaperon CAN 2 17 & 18 April Alex Higgins NIR (9) 2 Tony Drago MLT 10 17 & 18 April Dennis Taylor NIR (8) 10 Bill Werbeniuk CAN 8 18 & 19 April Joe Johnson ENG (5) 10 Cliff Wilson WAL 7 19 & 20 April Rex Williams ENG (12) 6 Steve James ENG 10 19 & 20 April John Parrott ENG (13) 10 Warren King AUS 4 20 & 21 April Cliff Thorburn CAN (4) 10 Kirk Stevens CAN 6 20 & 21 April Neal Foulds ENG (3) 10 Wayne Jones WAL 7 20 April Doug Mountjoy WAL (14) 10 Barry West ENG 6 19 April Willie Thorne ENG (11) 10 Peter Francisco RSA 1982 6 18 & 19 April Terry Griffiths WAL (6) 10 Steve Longworth ENG 1 17 & 18 April Tony Knowles ENG (7) 10 Danny Fowler ENG 8 17 & 18 April Silvino Francisco RSA 1982 (10) 7 Eddie Charlton AUS 10 16 & 17 April Dean Reynolds ENG (15) 6 Stephen Hendry SCO 10 16 April Jimmy White ENG (2) 10 John Campbell AUS 3 21 & 22 April England Steve Davis (1) 13 England Mike Hallett (16) 1 22 & 23 April Malta Tony Drago 13 Northern Ireland Dennis Taylor (8) 5 23, 24 & 25 April England Joe Johnson (5) 9 England Steve James 13 24 & 25 April England John Parrott (13) 10 Canada Cliff Thorburn (4) 13 24 & 25 April England Neal Foulds (3) 13 Wales Doug Mountjoy (14) 1 23, 24 & 25 April England Willie Thorne (11) 9 Wales Terry Griffiths (6) 13 22 & 23 April England Tony Knowles (7) 13 Australia Eddie Charlton 7 21, 22 & 23 April Scotland Stephen Hendry 12 England Jimmy White (2) 13 26 & 27 April England Steve Davis (1) 13 Malta Tony Drago 4 26 & 27 April England Steve James 11 Canada Cliff Thorburn (4) 13 26 & 27 April England Neal Foulds (3) 9 Wales Terry Griffiths (6) 13 26 & 27 April England Tony Knowles (7) 6 England Jimmy White (2) 13 28, 29 & 30 April England Steve Davis (1) 16 Canada Cliff Thorburn (4) 8 28, 29 & 30 April Wales Terry Griffiths (6) 16 England Jimmy White (2) 11 1 & 2 May England Steve Davis (1) 18 Wales Terry Griffiths (6) 11 (Best of 35 frames) Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, 1 & 2 May 1988.Referee: John Williams.26–27, 159 Steve Davis (1)England ENG 18–11 Terry Griffiths (6) Davis Griffiths 46 71frame winner 53frame winner 52 64frame winner 21 76frame winner 25 80frame winner 22 78frame winner (61) 0 1 86frame winner (50) N/A N/A 56 60frame winner 83frame winner (83) 6 81frame winner (81) 0 22 79frame winner 9 82frame winner (63) 60 (59) 63frame winner (55) 61 70frame winner (57) 67frame winner (66) 9 8 111frame winner (65) 60frame winner 53 56frame winner 33 74frame winner 8 10 68frame winner 70frame winner 9 79frame winner 31 9 78frame winner (57) 92frame winner (92) 41 70frame winner 46 118frame winner (118) 4 28 87frame winner 123frame winner (123) 1 66frame winner (66) 35 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 5–2 8–8 14–10 18–11 123 65 2 0 7 6 Numbers in parentheses denote breaks of 50 or more in the frame. Qualifying A preliminary round match, and four rounds of qualification for the main draw, were played at the Guild Hall in Preston, England from 22 March to 2 April 1988. Match winners are denoted in bold.200 Preliminary roundBest of 19 framesPlayerScorePlayerAnthony Harris ENG 10–3 Steve Mizerak USA 4 16 4 4 175 First qualifying roundBest of 19 frames Second qualifying roundBest of 19 frames Third qualifying roundBest of 19 frames Fourth qualifying roundBest of 19 frames Paul Gibson ENG 10 Dessie Sheehan IRL 9 Mick Fisher ENG 4 Anthony Harris ENG 10 Colin Roscoe WAL 10 Eddie McLaughlin SCO 1 Robert Marshall ENG w.o. Greg Jenkins AUS Withdrawn w.d. Graham Miles ENG 10 Dennis Hughes ENG 3 Nigel Gilbert ENG 10 John Rea SCO 5 Ian Williamson ENG w.o. Joe Cagianello CAN Withdrawn w.d. Brian Rowswell ENG 10 Paul Thornley CAN 7 Bill Oliver ENG 10 Dave Chalmers ENG 9 Alain Robidoux CAN w.o. Frank Jonik CAN Withdrawn w.d. Billy Kelly IRL 10 Tony Kearney IRL 4 Steve James ENG w.o. Terry Whitthread ENG Withdrawn w.d. Paul Watchorn IRL 10 Matt Gibson SCO 7 Martin Clark ENG 10 Mike Darrington ENG 5 Gino Rigitano CAN 10 John Dunning ENG 7 Jason Smith ENG 10 Jim Donnelly SCO 4 Glen Wilkinson AUS 10 Clive Everton WAL 2 Mario Morra CAN 10 Steve Meakin ENG 5 Martin Smith ENG 10 Vic Harris ENG 6 Eric Lawlor ENG w.o. Jimmy van Rensberg RSA 1982 Withdrawn w.d. Bernie Mikkelsen CAN 10 Jackie Rea NIR 3 Robby Foldvari AUS 10 Jim Rempe USA 4 Jim Meadowcroft ENG 10 Bernard Bennett ENG 5 Dave Gilbert ENG 10 Derek Heaton ENG 2 Paul Medati ENG 10 Gary Wilkinson ENG 9 Ian Black SCO w.o. John Hargreaves ENG Withdrawn w.d. Patsy Fagan IRL 10 David Greaves ENG 3 Eddie Sinclair SCO 10 Pascal Burke IRL 2 David Roe ENG 10 Bert Demarco SCO 2 Jim Chambers ENG 10 Mike Watterson ENG 3 Jim Bear CAN 10 Derek Mienie RSA 1982 4 Jack Fitzmaurice ENG 10 Maurice Parkin ENG 6 Marcel Gauvreau CAN 9 Paul Gibson ENG 10 Steve Duggan ENG 10 Anthony Harris ENG 4 Tommy Murphy NIR 10 Colin Roscoe WAL 8 Bob Chaperon CAN 10 Robert Marshall ENG 3 Roger Bales ENG 7 Graham Miles ENG 10 Tony Chappel WAL 10 Nigel Gilbert ENG 8 Malcolm Bradley ENG 10 Ian Williamson ENG 9 Bill Werbeniuk CAN 10 Brian Rowswell ENG 6 Ray Reardon WAL 6 Bill Oliver ENG 10 Robbie Grace RSA 1982 Withdrawn w.d. Alain Robidoux CAN w.o. Paddy Browne IRL 10 Billy Kelly IRL 8 Joe O'Boye ENG 7 Steve James ENG 10 Warren King AUS 10 Paul Watchorn IRL 4 George Scott ENG 4 Martin Clark ENG 10 Mark Bennett WAL 10 Gino Rigitano CAN 4 Jim Wych CAN 10 Jason Smith ENG 3 Wayne Jones WAL 10 Glen Wilkinson AUS 4 Ray Edmonds ENG 8 Mario Morra CAN 10 Jack McLaughlin NIR 3 Martin Smith ENG 10 Steve Newbury WAL 10 Eric Lawlor ENG 3 Mark Wildman ENG 10 Bernie Mikkelsen CAN 5 Tony Jones ENG 9 Robby Foldvari AUS 10 Graham Cripsey ENG 10 Jim Meadowcroft ENG 3 Pat Houlihan ENG w.o. Dave Gilbert ENG Withdrawn w.d. Les Dodd ENG 10 Paul Medati ENG 6 Danny Fowler ENG 10 Ian Black SCO 1 Bob Harris ENG 10 Patsy Fagan IRL 1 Dene O'Kane NZL 9 Eddie Sinclair SCO 10 Ken Owers ENG 10 David Roe ENG 7 Jon Wright ENG 10 Jim Chambers ENG 2 Geoff Foulds ENG 2 Jim Bear CAN 10 Fred Davis ENG 10 Jack Fitzmaurice ENG 8 Paul Gibson ENG 9 Steve Duggan ENG 10 Tommy Murphy NIR 5 Bob Chaperon CAN 10 Graham Miles ENG 7 Tony Chappel WAL 10 Malcolm Bradley ENG 8 Bill Werbeniuk CAN 10 Bill Oliver ENG 10 Alain Robidoux CAN 2 Paddy Browne IRL 1 Steve James ENG 10 Warren King AUS 10 Martin Clark ENG 9 Mark Bennett WAL 10 Jim Wych CAN 5 Wayne Jones WAL 10 Mario Morra CAN 8 Martin Smith ENG 9 Steve Newbury WAL 10 Mark Wildman ENG 1 Robby Foldvari AUS 10 Graham Cripsey ENG 10 Pat Houlihan ENG 4 Les Dodd ENG 8 Danny Fowler ENG 10 Bob Harris ENG 10 Eddie Sinclair SCO 0 Ken Owers ENG 8 Jon Wright ENG 10 Jim Bear CAN 4 Fred Davis ENG 10 John Virgo ENG 10 Steve Duggan ENG 5 David Taylor ENG 6 Bob Chaperon CAN 10 Tony Drago MLT 10 Tony Chappel WAL 7 Tony Meo ENG 4 Bill Werbeniuk CAN 10 Cliff Wilson WAL 10 Bill Oliver ENG 6 Eugene Hughes IRL 6 Steve James ENG 10 John Spencer ENG 7 Warren King AUS 10 Kirk Stevens CAN 10 Mark Bennett WAL 7 Dave Martin ENG 5 Wayne Jones WAL 10 Barry West ENG 10 Steve Newbury WAL 8 Peter Francisco RSA 1982 10 Robby Foldvari AUS 5 Steve Longworth ENG 10 Graham Cripsey ENG 2 Murdo MacLeod SCO 3 Danny Fowler ENG 10 Eddie Charlton AUS 10 Bob Harris ENG 4 Stephen Hendry SCO 10 Jon Wright ENG 4 John Campbell AUS 10 Fred Davis ENG 3 Century breaks There were 18 century breaks in the championship, the highest being 140 compiled by Steve James.Crucible Centuries http://www.snooker.org/Plr/wc_centuries.shtml Snooker.org 7 March 2012 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110523045039/http://www.snooker.org/plr/wc_centuries.shtml 23 May 2011 162 James's performance at the championship earned him the WPBSA's Most Memorable Performance of the Year award, and he shared the Association's Highest Televised Break of the Year award with Steve Davis, who had compiled a break of 140 at the 1987 International Open.Was the dinner worth £47,000? Snooker Scene February 1989 Everton's News Agency Birmingham 16Davis wins first 1987–88 Ranking Tournament Snooker Scene November 1987 Everton's News Agency Birmingham 6–13 140, 112, 104, 103 Steve James 125, 108, 101 Stephen Hendry 124 Tony Knowles 123, 118, 106, 104 Steve Davis 119 Jimmy White 114, 101 Terry Griffiths 109, 105 Silvino Francisco 102 Neal Foulds Qualifying stages There were 20 century breaks in the qualifying stages, Embassy world snooker: survival of the qualifiers Snooker Scene Everton's News Agency Birmingham May 1988 8–13 the highest of which was 141 compiled by Billy Kelly. 141 Billy Kelly 132 Steve James 131 Wayne Jones 125 Barry West 120, 109 Bill Werbeniuk 113 David Roe 112, 104 Matt Gibson 110, 100 David Taylor 108 Peter Francisco 105 Patsy Fagan 104 John Spencer 104, 102 Dene O'Kane 102 Gary Wilkinson 100 Tony Chappel 100 Tommy Murphy 100 Robby Foldvari Notes References Category:1988 in snooker Category:1988 in English sport Category:1980s in Sheffield Category:April 1988 sports events in the United Kingdom Category:May 1988 sports events in the United Kingdom Category:Sports competitions in Sheffield 1988