World Snooker Championships

[mickjj]

In 1977 the event moved to the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, UK, and the BBC started providing major television coverage. The Crucible provides a unique atmosphere to the tournament, both for spectators and live television viewers. The venue seats fewer than a thousand people with the front row of seats only a few feet from the players. This was about the time snooker started attracting very large television audiences, and for most fans The Crucible is synonymous with snooker. The most successful players at The Crucible are Steve Davis, who won six times in the 1980s, and Stephen Hendry, who won seven times in the 1990s. Recently, the tournament has been more open, with five different winners in the last five years (2002-06). The most famous final occurred in 1985, when Dennis Taylor beat Steve Davis 18-17 in one of the most closely contested matches of all time. It finished at 00:19 but was superseded as the latest finish to a final by the 2006 final (00:53).

Crucible's top 10 moments

1. Terry Griffiths beats Eddie Charlton in the semi-final in 1979

On his way to becoming world champion in 1979, Terry Griffiths grafted out a famous semi-final victory against Eddie Charlton.

The game went into the small hours of the morning, with Griffiths finally winning 19-17.

When BBC presenter David Vine approached the winner for an interview straight after the match, the Welshman's response owed more to bemusement and relief than measured choice of words.

"I'm in the final now, you know!" he said, a quote forever immortalised in snooker history.

He then went on to beat Dennis Taylor 24-16 in the final.

2. Cliff Thorburn wins the 1980 final during the storming of the Iranian Embassy

The 1980 final will be remembered for two things.

One: Cliff Thorburn becoming the first non-British snooker player ever to win the world championship.

And two: The coverage of the final being interrupted by the storming of the Iranian Embassy in London.

The Canadian beat Alex Higgins in a close 18-16 battle, but midway through the intriguing clash, the BBC suddenly broadcast live footage of the SAS entering the Iranian Embassy.

There were scenes of choas in the press box, all of whom were blissfully unaware of events elsewhere in the country and from the television audience - some of whom believed they were watching a film.

3. Alex Higgins beating Jimmy White in the semi-final in 1982

Higgins was on the verge of defeat with the score 15-14 to another crowd favourite, Jimmy White.

Needing all 69 points left on the table to keep his hopes of reaching the final alive, Higgins then produced the clearance of his life under intense pressure.

His final place was wrapped up in the final frame as a jubilant Crucible crowd rose to their feet to acknowledge Higgin's performance.

4. Alex Higgins wins the world title in 1982

Higgins won his second world title - his first at the Crucible - with yet another memorable performance, beating six-time champion Ray Reardon 18-15.

In true Higgins style, he made victory the more difficult after leading 10-7 overnight.

Two careless and extravagant shots gave Reardon the opportunity to take the match to 15-15 going into the final session.

However, a moment of brilliance captured the title when the 33-year-old, wearing an unforgettable green shirt with brown collars, hit a 135 break.

He then burst into tears when presented with the trophy, beckoning his wife Lyn and daughter Laura to join him in his moment of adulation.

5. Cliff Thorburn scores the first 147 at the 1983 World Championships

The Canadian made Crucible history when he became the first player to record a 147 in the World Championships.

An opening fluked red off the cushion enabled him to achieve the feat in a second round match against Terry Griffiths.

As the final black went in, Thorburn sank to his knees and thrust the cue aloft in celebration.

Thorburn eventually lost the final 18-6 to an unstoppable Steve Davis - but etched his name forever in snooker history.

6. Dennis Taylor beating Steve Davis in the 1985 final

Described by snooker purists as the greatest match of all time and witnessed by a record 18.5m viewers.

With Davis leading 17-15 going into the final session of day two, the reigning champion needed only one frame to win his fourth world title.

But Taylor won the next two frames, setting up a dramatic final finale - and all this with the time approaching midnight.

With all the reds down, Davis potted the green to take a 62-44 lead.

Under intense pressure, Taylor then potted brown to pink to leave the scores at 62-59 with only the black remaining.

His long pot was missed, leaving Davis a relatively easy shot to claim the title.

Incredibly, he missed and Taylor returned to the table and potted the black, raising his cue high above his head for snooker's most famous celebration.

7. Joe Johnson wins the world title in 1986

Before Johnson won the world title in 1986, he had never won a match at the Crucible.

And with bookmakers offering odds of 150/1 for him to become the champion, they were certain the record would not change.

But after seeing off Terry Griffiths 13-12 in a tight quarter-final, he then went on to beat Tony Knowles in the semis.

Steve Davis was up next, keen to avenge the previous year's final defeat to Dennis Taylor.

Bradford-born Johnson then produced the performance of his life to beat Davis 18-12 - and make the bookmakers slash his odds for the next year.

8. Stephen Hendry becomes the youngest player ever to win the world title

Hendry announced his intention to dominate snooker in the 90s just as his idol Steve Davis did in the 1980s.

That year he had already secured the UK Championship, Dubai Classic and Asian Open titles, adding the Scottish and Wembley Masters.

The most coveted and prestigious crown arrived after the defeat of hapless Jimmy White 18-12 - surpassing Alex Higgins as the youngest ever world champion at the age of 21.

9. Stephen Hendry beating Jimmy White final in 1994

The eternal bridesmaid was only a few points away from finally stepping down the aisle after four previously failed attempts.

The final was another epic finale, with neither player going more than two frames in front after White took the lead at 10-9 until the score came to 17-17.

When Hendry failed to register a sizeable total, "The Whirlwind" stepped up and promptly began to clear the table.

But when he missed the straight black, a stunned - and fiercely partisan - Crucible crowd then watched the reigning champion take the remaining points to record his fourth world title.

10. Ronnie O'Sullivan's fastest 147, April 1997

Ronnie O'Sullivan left his indelible mark on the 1997 championship by posting the fastest 147 break in snooker history.

It took "The Rocket" only five minutes and 20 seconds to notch up only the fourth ever maximum break scored at the Crucible.

His feat earned him �147,000 in the process - working out to be �515 per second.

"I went for it when I had made nine, the reds opened perfectly," he said after his 10-6 victory over Mick Price in the first round.

"But I would swap the 147 if I could win the title", he said, but was beaten 13-12 in the semi-finals by Darren Morgan.

[Guest tsavo]

When Eric Sykes appeared in a play at the Crucible, he walked on stage, looked around and said, "First time I've played in a Snooker Hall" Got a great laugh but the theatre Manageress sent a note to the Producer complaining about the comment.

[Guest transit]

As the 30"th anniversary of the World Snooker Championships in Sheffield gets under way today ,what memorable memories do you have from over the years?

[Sheffield History]

Does anyone have any more information on the sheffield snooker at the crucible theatre ?