by Pink Ball » 10 Apr 2020 Read
In the end, 20 first-round matches were nominated. These will now be narrowed down to 16 'winners', which will make up the first round of the All-Star World Championship.
You may choose up to 16 matches in your vote.
You have one week.
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Pink Ball
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by PLtheRef » 10 Apr 2020 Read
Despite being able to choose 16, I went with six.
Jimmy White 10 - 4 Stephen Hendry - 1998
Stephen Hendry arrives at the Crucible Theatre knowing that for the first time in four years, his World Number One spot is up for grabs despite runs to the Finals of the British Open (shortly before the World Championship) and the UK Championship) and a title in Thailand. For Hendry, a win in his First Round match will ensure that he retains the number 1 spot for a ninth successive year. Did pulling arguably one of the two toughest draws from the qualifiers put the pressure on more.
Despite not being a close encounter this makes it I feel on the basis one of the nostalgia between the two, this is White's first ranking win over Hendry since the 1991 UK Championship Semi-Final at Preston and comes a decade after his previous win over the then six-times World Champion.
After so many near misses at the Crucible because of his opponent, White hits the ground running, a century in the first frame, pinching the second frame with contributions of 31 and 39 in response to a 67 from Hendry. Six more contributions over 30 in the four frames either side of the interval sees the Englishman lead 6-0 on his way to an 8-1 overnight lead and a Crucible stunned.
On the following evening, despite breaks of 72, and 76 from the defending champion to reduce the gap to four frames, White crucially takes the last before the interval to go one away from a famous victory which arrives in the following frame.
I'll add the others later - Stats courtesy of the Crucible Almanac and CueTracker
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PLtheRef
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by KrazeeEyezKilla » 11 Apr 2020 Read
I remember both sessions of White-Hendry being on in the evening and this in an era before the red button. There was an hour of live coverage from 7 to 8 and it ended just as Hendry made it 4-8 and I was convinced he was going to win. I kept checking ceefax but it didn't update for ages until it showed White had won.
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KrazeeEyezKilla
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by SnookerEd25 » 11 Apr 2020 Read
I remember when they launched BBC Choice (the forerunner of BBC3) in 1998, and one of the pulls for me was the fact that they would show live evening session coverage for all the BBCs tournaments; it was such a treat at the time, now of course the norm. Unfortunately, didn't launch until September 98 but the 99 WC was the first that could be watched in something close to its entirety. It was heaven.
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SnookerEd25
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by vodkadiet1 » 14 Apr 2020 Read
Jimmy White's debut should have a mention.
He ran eventual Champion Steve Davis close. In fact it was The Nugget's toughest match that year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFkr9n2wPWM
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vodkadiet1
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