'97 Review
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Liverpool Victoria Championship [ 1997 Result ] [ Contacts ] [ Snooker Index ]
1997, sees the twentieth anniversary of one of the world's major ranking tournaments, the UK Snooker Championship.
History of the event
The first Championship was held in Blackpool in 1977 at the Tower Circus. It was won by Patsy Fagan. Until 1983, it was purely a British Tournament but since 1984 it has been open to overseas players. This, and its longer match format, have made it second only to the World Championship in terms of prestige.
Only three players have won the event more than once - Doug Mountjoy (1978 and 1988), Stephen Hendry (1989/ 90/ 94/ 95 and 1996) and Steve Davis (1980/ 81/ 84/ 85/ 86 and 1987). Hendry became the youngest UK Champion in 1989 at 20 years of age while Mountjoy was the oldest at 46 in 1988.
There have been many exciting moments and maximum breaks have been recorded by Willie Thorne (1987), Peter Ebdon (1992) and Stephen Hendry (1995). One of the most memorable finals featured Steve Davis and Alex Higgins in 1983. Davis was leading 7 - 0, but Higgins went on to clinch the title, 16 - 15.
Previous Winners
| 1977 | Patsy Fagan |
| 1978 | Doug Mountjoy |
| 1979 | John Virgo |
| 1980-1 | Steve Davis |
| 1982 | Terry Griffiths |
| 1983 | Alex Higgins |
| 1984-7 | Steve Davis |
| 1988 | Doug Mountjoy |
| 1989-90 | Stephen Hendry |
| 1991 | John Parrott |
| 1992 | Jimmy White |
| 1993 | Ronnie O'Sullivan |
| 1994-96 | Stephen Hendry |
In its first year, the Championship was held at Blackpool Tower Circus. It moved to the Guild Hall, Preston in 1978, where it has been held ever since.
Players
Although there are hundreds of entries - in 1996 there were 446 - 96 players have successfully won places in the 1997 competition. Sixty four players take part in the First Round. The winners of this round meet 32 higher ranking players in the Second Round. For example, the Defending Champion, Stephen Hendry, meets the winner of the match between Michael Judge and John Read. Other top names to watch out for in the Second Round include Peter Ebdon, Ronnie O'Sullivan (winner in 1993), Jimmy White (winner in 1992), Steve Davis, John Parrot and Ken Doherty (the 1997 World Champion).
The Rounds
There are four rounds followed by quarter finals, semi finals and the final
Round 1: 64 players
Round 2: 64 players (including all the top ranking names)
Round 3: 32 players
Round 4: 16 players
Quarter Finals: 8 players
Semi Finals: 4 players
Final: 2 players
In a dramatic final, Ronnie O'Sullivan overturned Stephen Hendry's 5 - 4 lead, to win 10 - 6.
Contacts and Further Information
For information and booking details contact:
The Guild Hall
Lancaster Road
Preston PR1 1HT
Telephone 01772 258858 (Mon-Sat 10.00am-8.00pm)
For statistical information see:
Professional Snooker Tournaments and
Top Rankings
[ 1997 Result ] [ Contacts ] [ Snooker Index ]