'It makes me so angry!' To qualify for that would be incredible. He competed in the World Amateur Championship that year, setting a record for being the youngest entrant ever.. Tribute to Stephen Hendry. He also had lost in the final in 1997, snapping a string of 30 straight wins in that event. You put all that work in to get the record but if he does then fair play because he's taken the game to another level. Steve Davis says he cannot imagine anyone bettering Stephen Hendry's tally of seven World Championship titles. Due tohis early success, Hendry earned the nickname The Golden Boy. His continued dominance led him to also become known as The Ice Man and The King of the Crucible. Even though he failed to defend his world championship title in 1991, Hendry struck back the following year, taking down White once again in the final of the 1992 World Snooker Championship. This is generally known as the start of the 'modern era'. In typical fashion, the 100th point of his 1000th century was secured left-handed, and O'Sullivan - to continued, rapturous applause - went on to clear the table fully, even the white finding its way to the pocket to deny what would've been a 141. He has played a partial schedule in 2021 and 2022, never making it past the second round of a tournament. Ronnie O'Sullivan records 776th century to break Stephen Hendry's record. Just 16 when he joined the circuit, he was completely driven from the start. The year was 1996. As an added bonus, here's how he equalled Stephen Hendry's century break record of 775 against Ricky Walden Ronnie O'Sullivan's incredible career in numbers, RONNIE O'SULLIVAN WINS HIS SIXTH WORLD SNOOKER TITLE AT THE CRUCIBLE, Ronnie O'Sullivan wins UK Championship 1993, B&H Masters 1995 Final: Ronnie O'Sullivan Vs John Higgins Part 2, SNOOKER UK CHAMP 1997 final O`Sullivan vs Hendry part 2, Stephen Hendry 147 v Ronnie O'Sullivan Decider Charity Challenge 1997, 2001 World Snooker Championship Final Ronnie O'Sullivan vs John Higgins, 2004 World Snooker Championship Final Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Graeme Dott Session 4 (BBC), 2005 Snooker the Masters Final Ronnie O'Sullivan vs John Higgins Frame 9-13, DECIDER O'Sullivan v Selby SF 2007 UK Championship, 2007 Snooker UK Championship Final Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Stephen Maguire Frame 9-12, Ronnie's 147 v Williams at the 2008 World Championship, 2008 World Snooker Championship Final Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Ali Carter Frame 21-24, 2009 Snooker The Masters Final Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Mark Selby Frame 13-18, Ronnie O'Sullivan v Ali Carter 2012 World Championship, Amazing 2013 World Championship Final | O'Sullivan - Hawkins, Selby v O'Sullivan FINAL FRAME 2014 Masters HD1080p. As if to underline how disappointing the comeback has been, the man himself did not enter the event. He is much older and less driven, and the game has moved on with far more players capable now of playing to a high standard. Ronnie O'Sullivan v Barry Hawkins | FINAL 2016 Dafabet Masters Session 1, Joe Perry vs Ronnie O'Sullivan Masters 2017 (Final)( Session 2), Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Shaun Murphy - 2017 UK Championship, THE BEST OF 2018 UK FINAL! "For me - and I've said it since 1990 - he's the greatest player ever to lift a snooker cue. Stephen Hendry has admitted he did not want Ronnie OSullivan to equal his haul of seven World Championship titles, and does not want him to surpass their now joint-record. Maybe they need another talisman to look up to, but the Hendrys of this world are rare. Ronnie O'Sullivan (1992-) 6x Worlds, 7x UK champ, 7x Masters, 37 ranking titles, 1061 centuries, 15 147s Stephen Hendry (1985-2012) 7x Worlds, 5x UK champ, 6x Masters, 36 ranking titles, 775 centuries, 11 147s Who is the GOAT? RT for Ronnie Like for Hendry pic.twitter.com/S4MiKoDhHG. Hendrys seven world titles all came during his dominant spell in the 1990s, which also included eight consecutive seasons as world No. However, when pressed for a more serious answer he replied: "I've never bothered about records, I've never performed well if I'm going for stuff like that. Ronnie O'sullivan 147 Break vs. Mark Selby, Ronnie O'Sullivan v Mark Williams 147 break, Snooker Ronnie O'Sullivan - Ding Junhui 147 Break, Ronnie O'Sullivan 13th 147 Maximum vs Matthew Selt UK Championship 2014 {BBC 720p HD}, 147 Classics: Ronnie O'Sullivan in China | Snooker | Eurosport, 147 Classics: Ronnie O'Sullivan | Snooker | Eurosport. Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan jointly hold the record for the most World Snooker Championship titles with seven. O'Sullivan's inactivity in the previous season had saw him slump down to 19 in the rankings but his status as world champion earned him a spot in the Masters field. "It was a mixture of embarrassment, anger, frustration, sadness, everything," Stephen Hendry says as he remembers how his dominance of snooker unravelled into, in his mind . This is a shame as the audience at the Meadowbank Centre would surely love to salute him. Technically, the most successful player at the world championship is. While anarchy reigned on the big screen, another Scotsman was at the peak of his powers, monopolising TV time as he swept all before him. ", Ronnie O'Sullivan has won seven world titles, CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO WATCH ALL THE CRUCIBLE 147s, Crucible Champions: A look at every winner, Crucible memories: White a People's Champion, Joint most World Championships (7, equal with Stephen Hendry), Oldest ever world champion (46 years, 148 days), Youngest ever ranking winner (17 years, 358 days UK Championship, 1993), Joint most Crucible appearances (30, equal with Steve Davis), Most consecutive Crucible appearances (30), Most Crucible match wins (74 from 97 matches), Joint most Crucible 147s (3, level with Stephen Hendry). Walter Donaldson became the world champion in the post-war era, but for a long time, Scotland lagged behind the other UK nations. Although he remained a fixture in the sports top 10 rankings, he was unable to equal the heights he had reached in the previous decade. A ranking tournament is one that counts towards snooker's world rankings, which were introduced in the 1976-77 season. Fellow Glaswegian Anthony McGill has won two and Edinburghs Chris Small, forced to retire in 2005 due to a chronic back condition, one. Hendry, O'Sullivan, Davis and the players with the most trophies, Is Ronnie O'Sullivan snooker's GOAT? pic.twitter.com/kkjnHt983m. By the end of the Millennium, the legendary Scotsman had completed his haul of 18 Triple Crowns, which were all compiled since 1989 and included five UK Championships and six Masters crowns, while hed only win a further four ranking titles so hes had over 20 years of watching his milestones being eroded away. Ronnie O'Sullivan - 2018 China Open - Elliot Slessor, 15. He hadn't been at his fluent best earlier in the tournament but managed three century breaks and 10 above 50 when the trophy was on the line. But despite trailing 16-14, he brilliantly won three frames on the trot to complete a remarkable day of semi-final snooker before wiping the floor with Kyren Wilson 18-8 in front of the returning, adoring, Crucible crowd. Mon Oct 15 2018 - 13:17. During this period in the early 1990s, a wave of Scottish talent flooded the professional ranks. **Hendry resumed playing in 2021 after nine years out, but his future on the tour is unclear. The age of professionalism in Scottish snooker came courtesy of a shy teenager who possessed a laser-like focus rarely witnessed before or since. Hendry changed the way snooker was played, ushering in a more attacking era and. McManus would win the Masters itself in 1994. 2005: Wins his 36th and most recent ranking title at the Malta Cup. Hendry was 30 and the extraordinary intensity he had given to be the best seemed to wane. Hendry had observed Steve Davis aloofness, the way he set himself apart from his rivals. Four years later, he turned professional. He claimed the number one ranking in 1990 and held it until White defeated him at the world championship in 1998. It was one of six tons he managed in the final - another record - and his victory at the age of 37 meant he was the oldest player since Ray Reardon in 1978 to become world champion. 2023 Eurosport, a Warner Bros. The winner of this weeks Scottish Open receives the Stephen Hendry trophy. Some were more successful than others but they became regular faces on the circuit. After being ranked number one in the world for eight consecutive seasons, he lost the top spot with a first-round loss in the 1998 world championship. 2014 UK Championship Final: Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Judd Trump DECIDER! The Romford potter has amassed 52 more Crucible centuries (179 vs 127) to take his astonishing overall career tally to 1,061 compared to Scotsman's mark of 775 - which is second on the all-time list - while 15 of those were maximums. In 1996, with an 1812 victory over Peter Ebdon, Hendry captured his sixth world championship, a feat only two other players (Ray Reardon in the 1970s and Steve Davis in the 1980s) had achieved in the modern era. Ronnie O'Sullivan - 1999 Welsh Open v James Wattana, 3. O'Sullivan's longevity at the top is almost as remarkable as his breathtaking standard of play and his mind-boggling collection of records, titles and century milestones. The rate at which he's been losing his records hasnt been lost on Hendry, who was teased by Hazel Irvine and Steve Davis while on punditry duty about OSullivan potentially reaching 16 centuries at a single World Championship. He's going to be winning this a few times and the other guys better get their act together. Corrections? . Hendrys streak cooled in the 2000s, but he remained competitive, even reclaiming his No. He has won 36 full-ranking titles to date, including 18 Triple Crown titles bettered only by OSullivan as well as having compiled 11 maximum breaks during his career. Hendry jokes with ref, The seven-time world champion accepted a two-year wild card from former World Snooker Tour chairman Barry Hearn at the outset of the 2020/21 season and played his first match since the 2012 World Championship when he lost 4-1 to. 'He could pot everyone off the table' - Trump on Hendry in his prime, 'Hendry is right on Jimmy' - O'Sullivan agrees White should relax with snooker. Ronnie O'Sullivan - 2018 English Open - Allan Taylor. He had never intended to be like his old rival Jimmy White and enter every event. Eight years on from his initial retirement from the professional sport at the age of 43 at the end of the 2011/12 season . "Jimmy White would probably feel that even though he's not at the cutting edge any more, he's enjoyed the challenge of trying to stay within the game, and I've enjoyed the same challenge, but obviously Stephen didn't. Discovery company. Never, ever a dull moment watching Ronnie.pic.twitter.com/wIryNNsPha, Trying to get Ronnie O'Sullivan enthused about the excitement and romance of his own storylines is a tough gig. Updates? Higgins was also 19 and just like O'Sullivan 12 months earlier, came through a qualifying event ranked 51 in the world. I didnt want Ronnie to equal my record and I dont want him to beat my record, why would I? Hendry said on the WST Podcast. Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan jointly hold the record for the most World Snooker Championship titles with seven. His triumph, which came a quarter of a century after he won his first United Kingdom crown as a 17-year-old, also saw O'Sullivan nudge ahead of Stephen Hendry with 19 Triple Crown titles - comprising the World and UK Championships and the Masters. He'd previously brushed aside Dott (6-3), Ding Junhui (6-2) and Jimmy White (6-1) as he continued to dazzle the crowds. Although they've both thrilled the Sheffield crowd with three 147s apiece at snooker's spiritual home, the Rocket's incomprehensibly brilliant maiden maximum in five minutes eight seconds will never be surpassed and it speaks volumes that the closest anyone has ever got is O'Sullivan himself when clocking six minutes and 30 seconds against Marco Fu in 2003. In 2006, however, he demonstrated that he still possessed the talent that made him such a force in the 1990s when he claimed the number one ranking once again. Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry has announced his retirement from snooker after a heavy 13-2 defeat by Stephen Maguire at the Crucible. Earlier in the tournament he'd beaten Marcus Campbell (10-4), Ali Carter (13-8), Stuart Bingham (13-4) and Judd Trump 17-11. Ronnie O'Sullivan - 2007 Northern Ireland Trophy - Ali Carter, 8. The 43-year-old, who . Eight months on from cementing his status as a sporting superstar for life with his five minute and eight second maximum at the Crucible, O'Sullivan picked up his second UK crown after claiming a 9-6 victory over Hendry in the final, ending the Scotsman's three-year grip on the trophy in the process. Top 5 Ranked Men's Snooker Players Of All Time. At 20, he captured the Masters and UK Championship, and at 21 was crowned the youngest ever world champion. O'Sullivan came into the Masters on the back of losing the UK Championship final to Mark Selby but bounced back with wins over Liang Wenbo (6-5), Neil Robertson (6-3) and Marco Fu (6-4) before successfully defending his crown with a 10-7 triumph over Joe Perry. The groan of appreciation from Stephen Hendry accompanies it perfectly. Evans slams 'disgusting' prize money in women's snooker as Baipat claims world title, Hendry had stated his main aim was to come through four qualifying rounds to return to the Crucible, scene of his finest moments in the sport, when he embarked upon his comeback after working with much-lauded SightRight coach, "I know that kind of means nothing, but when I first started with Stephen Feeney, I wanted to get back to enjoying playing snooker again even if it was on the practice table,". Fast forward to the 2012 World Championship, which he lost to Stephen Maguire, after which he announced his retirement. His 16 centuries in the 2002 world championship also set a record. Career Total Statistics Tournament Record Most Frequent Opponents Rounds Reached Century Frequency Centuries per Season Graph Ranking History Prize Money History. Technically, the most successful player at the world championship is Joe Davis, who won 15 consecutive titles from 1927 to 1946. With Judd, we all knew he wasn't playing his best. Just by being here as world number one no less the Romford man was setting a record for most consecutive Crucible appearances with 30, a tally that is level with Steve Davis overall record. #snooker #bbcsnooker pic.twitter.com/dgKOL1QXhs, Ronnie O'Sullivan doing this to trail Mark Selby 16-14 in a World Championship semi-final but still ends up winning 17-16 in a match of the ages. Once again, Hendry was setting records, with an unprecedented seventh world title. His swashbuckling professional career spanning 28 glorious years has taken snooker fans to mesmerising heights and even at the age of 44, his continued brilliance and popularity across all generations is keeping him very much at the forefront of the sport. The 1989-90 season was the beginning of Stephen Hendrys period of dominance, both in major tournaments and atop the world rankings. Bio. The result gained revenge from losing a deciding frame in that year's Charity Challenge final, in which Hendry scored an iconic maximum break. While his comments about needing to lose one arm to drop out of the world's top 50 were still going viral, it looked as though he'd bow out when supposedly playing recklessly against Mark Selby in the semi-final. At the first World Team Cup in 1979, there was not even a Scottish team. Mark Selby has been playing around 280 minutes to lead 5-4. - Hendry and Robertson not impressed with how some pros train, Hendry: O'Sullivan is the only player that doesnt speak to anyone. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. "One thing you never stop missing as a sportsman is the buzz you get from a crowd. OSullivan beat Judd Trump to win his seventh World Championship, I couldnt care less what Stephen Hendry or anyone else says Allen on slow-play critics, Why theres no hiding place for anyone at the Shoot Out, he was fined several times in the last 12 months. After the 1999 world championship, Hendrys fortunes faded once more. After Hendry lost the top ranking in 2007, his play began to decline, and in 2012 he retired suddenly following his loss in the quarterfinals of the snooker world championship. O'Sullivan may well still be a solitary world title shy of Hendry's historic mark of seven after his 18-8 victory over Kyren Wilson drew him level with Steve Davis and Ray Reardon, but few can possibly dispute the Rocket's unofficial status as the greatest snooker player of all time. pic.twitter.com/l31qIFsXDp, Ronnie O'Sullivan wins his match 10-1 in 108 minutes. The Scot finished as the year-end rankings leader for eight seasons in a row from 1989/90 to 1996/97. Stephen Hendry has admitted he did not want Ronnie O'Sullivan to equal his haul of seven World Championship titles, and does not want him to surpass their now joint-record. O'Sullivan was riding on a crest of a wave by the end of the year and after edging out Peter Ebdon 9-8 in the quarter-finals and Mark Williams 9-6 in the semis, the Rocket destroyed Ken Doherty 10-1 to land his third UK title. "Hopefully, if I can keep getting better and keep improving, my technique becomes reliable and I can get to a better pace, then next year will be the goal to get back to the Crucible," he said after his win over old foe White last year. He was employed on a lucrative contract promoting cue sports in China and enjoyed punditry and leisure time spent playing golf, but nothing can compare with the thrill of competition. From March 1990 to January 1991, Hendry won 5 straight titles and 36 consecutive matches to post the longest unbeaten string in the sports history. Stephen Hendry believes Mark Selby to be a greater threat to his record of seven World Snooker Championship titles than Ronnie O'Sullivan, says Steve Davis. Discovery company. Final report: Ronnie O'Sullivan 18-8 Kyren Wilson, CLICK HERE FOR EVERY 147 BREAK IN SNOOKER HISTORY, WATCH ALL THE CRUCIBLE MAXIMUM BREAKS IN HISTOR, Richard Mann's story of the snooker season, Sporting Life exclusive: Neil Robertson interview, Nick Metcalfe on a decade of World Championship finals, World Championship memories: White always a People's Champion, World Championship memories: O'Sullivan's finest hour, World Championship memories: Higgins prevails but Trump grows, World Championship memories: Joe Johnson: The biggest shock, World Championship memories: 1984 World Championship stands out, World Championship: 6 (2001, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2020), UK Championship: 7* (1993, 1997, 2001, 2007, 2014, 2017, 2018), Masters: 7* (1995, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2014, 2016, 2017), Century breaks: 1,061* (179 at Crucible*). Hendry, 43, retired on Tuesday after a 13-2 quarter-final defeat by Stephen Maguire . His top break of 141 was the highest in a World Championship final, beating O'Sullivan's previous best mark of 139 in 2001. WPBSA Head Office: World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, 75 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2NT, Victories in Sheffield for Hendry and Wallace, White and Doherty to Meet in World Seniors Final. Twelve months earlier, the Rocket hit the headlines for the wrong reasons at the Barbican when forfeiting his quarter-final against Stephen Hendry when trailing 4-1 in the first to nine frames. He retired as a player following a 13-2 loss to fellow Scot, He last played a competitive match on the main tour in November, losing 6-1 to. I wouldn't say it's the wrong decision - it's just down to the individual.". He remains the only player to have compiled a 147 break during the one-table stage of the semi-finals of the World Championship (1995). He has played only a handful of events and found victories hard to come by. O'Sullivan set to pass another Hendry record The 53-year-old, who first lifted the famous trophy aged 21, quipped: "Well he cant become the youngest world champion, not even Ronnie can do that., Davis replied: But he is playing like Benjamin Button.. I'm enjoying the process.". After three semi-final defeats in the 1990s and a shock 10-9 defeat to David Gray in round one of the Millennium edition, O'Sullivan reached his first Crucible final by overcoming Andy Hicks (10-2), Dave Harold (13-6), Peter Ebdon (13-6) and Joe Swail (17-11) before an absorbing 18-14 victory over 1998 champion John Higgins. Article bookmarked. Ronnie O'Sullivan's sixth World Championship broke Stephen Hendry's record for the most career ranking titles and also extended his all-time Triple Crown tally to 20. Indeed OSullivans time span of winning major titles which now stands at 29 years is testament to the astounding longevity of his greatness compared to anyone whos ever picked up a cue, Hendry included. MORE:Is Ronnie O'Sullivan snooker's GOAT? Ronnie O'Sullivan's first TV appearance aged just 14 in 1990, making a break of 75. "You could still have business interests and still play, but he's chosen not to. Remarkably, just like against Selby, this would be a match-winning 147 as he beat Mark Williams 13-7 in round two before seeing off Liang Wenbo (13-7) and Stephen Hendry (17-6) to reach the final. In recognition of his excellence in the sport, Hendry was knighted, receiving a MBE recognition in 1994. We share it, its alright to share that, Hendrys a legend of the game, an absolute legend of the game. But in 2014,. What TV channel is 2022 World Snooker Championship final? Victories in the Scottish Open and the Irish Masters rebuilt his confidence, and at the 1999 world championship he survived an especially tough draw to reach the final, in which he defeated Mark Williams 1811. On either side of this triumph, he appeared in two other Crucible finals. Selby clinched his fourth triumph this . Tai Chengzhe/Visual China Group via Getty Images. He managed it in six minutes and there was an amusing moment at the end when he removed the sponsor logo from his waistcoat! The record was previously set by Stephen Hendry back in 1999. Stephen Hendry, (born January 13, 1969, Edinburgh, Scotland), Scottish snooker player who won a record seven world titles and dominated the game throughout the 1990s. We look back at his 28 years of astonishing milestones, achievements statistics, maximum breaks, and fan-pleasing antics. Ronnie O'Sullivan - 1997 World Championship v Mick Price, 2. Earlier breaks of 116 and 105 had moved OSullivan onto 999 and any speculation that he would wait for the World Championship to reach a thousand was ended with a sumptuous 134. Following the 1996 world championship, Hendrys play slipped. pic.twitter.com/jWWr6mfcAd. 1995: Beats Nigel Bond in the World Championship final. However, this latest unforgettable run at an empty Crucible began with an astonishing 10-1 triumph over Thepchaiya Un-Nooh in just 108 minutes - the quickest best-of-19 frame match ever by 41 minutes - but he had to battle much harder to see off Ding Junhui and Mark Williams 13-10. Ronnie O'Sullivan's 18-13 win over Judd Trump at the Crucible Theatre in the World Snooker Championship final in 2022 earned him the biggest prize in the sport for a record-equalling seventh time.