Steve Davis is an English retired professional snooker player. He is best known for dominating the sport during the 1980s, when he reached eight World Snooker Championship finals in nine years, won six world titles, and held the world number one ranking for seven consecutive seasons. The first player to make an officially recognised maximum break in professional competition, and the first to earn £1 million in career prize money, he famously was runner-up to Dennis Taylor in one of the sport's most memorable matches, the 1985 World Snooker Championship final. Its dramatic black-ball conclusion attracted 18.5 million viewers, setting UK records for any broadcast after midnight and any broadcast on BBC Two that still stand to this day. Davis was named the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year in 1988 and remains the only snooker player to win the award.
Stephen Gordon Hendry is a Scottish professional snooker player and a commentator for the BBC and ITV. As a seven-time World Champion, he is the most successful player in the modern era of the World Snooker Championship and holds the record for the most seasons as world number one. His first world title in 1990, at the age of 21, made him the youngest-ever World Champion.
Graham Miles was an English snooker player.
Anthony Christian Meo, professionally known as Tony Meo is a retired English snooker player. He won the 1989 British Open by defeating Dean Reynolds 13–6 in the final, and was runner-up to Steve Davis at the 1984 Classic. He won four World Doubles Championship titles, partnering Davis, and the 1983 World Team Classic representing England alongside Davis and Tony Knowles.
Terence Martin Griffiths is a Welsh retired professional snooker player and current snooker coach and pundit. In his second professional tournament, he became world champion when he won the 1979 World Snooker Championship. He was the second qualifier to win the title after Alex Higgins achieved the feat in 1972; only Shaun Murphy has done it since, winning the title in 2005. Griffiths defeated Dennis Taylor by 24 frames to 16 in the final. Nine years later, in 1988, Griffiths reached the final of the competition again. He was tied with Steve Davis at 8–8, but lost the match 11–18.
Clifford Charles DevlinThorburn is a Canadian retired professional snooker player. Nicknamed "The Grinder" because of his slow, determined style of play, he won the World Snooker Championship in 1980, defeating Alex Higgins 18–16 in the final to become the first world champion in the sport's modern era from outside the United Kingdom.
William Joseph Thorne was an English professional snooker player. He won one ranking title, the 1985 Classic. He also reached the final of the 1985 UK Championship, losing 16–14 to Steve Davis after leading 13–8. He was noted for his break-building, and was among the first players to compile 100 century breaks. He earned the nickname "Mr Maximum". After retiring as a player, Thorne became a snooker commentator, primarily for the BBC.
The Scottish Open is a ranking professional snooker tournament held in the United Kingdom. The tournament had many name changes in its history, as the tournament was formerly called International Open, Matchroom Trophy and Players Championship. Apart from a hiatus in the 1990/1991 and 1991/1992 seasons, the tournament remained a ranking event until 2003/2004. In the 2012/2013 season the tournament was added back to the calendar as part of the Players Tour Championship minor-ranking series. The most recent champion is Luca Brecel.
Desmond Rex Williams is a retired English professional snooker and billiards player. He was the second player to make an official maximum break, achieving this in an exhibition match in December 1965. Williams won the World Professional Billiards Championship from Clark McConachy in 1968, the first time that the title had been contested since 1951. Williams retained the title in several challenge matches in the 1970s, and, after losing it to Fred Davis in 1980, regained it from 1982 to 1983.
Kirk Stevens is a Canadian former professional snooker player.
Anthony Knowles is an English former professional snooker player. He won the 1982 International Open and the 1983 Professional Players Tournament, and was a three times semi-finalist in the World Professional Snooker Championship in the 1980s. His highest world ranking was second, in the 1984/85 season.
Since 1927 the World Snooker Championship had been played as a single-elimination tournament, but between 1964 and 1968, it was defended over seven challenge matches. Following a hiatus after the 1957 World Professional Match-play Championship, the event was revived by Rex Williams on a challenge basis, with the champion being opposed by prominent players. This began in 1964, organised by the Billiards Association and Control Council. The 1957 champion John Pulman contested and won all seven challenge matches against various opponents in the next five years, until the tournament reverted to a knock-out format in 1969.
The 1983 Professional Players Tournament was a professional ranking snooker tournament which took place between 3 September and 21 October 1983.
The Scottish Professional Championship was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament which was open only for Scottish players. The final champion was John Higgins.
The 1986 Langs Supreme Scottish Masters was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place between 18 and 21 September 1986 at the Hospitality Inn in Glasgow, Scotland.
The 1984 Jameson International Open was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 24 September to 7 October 1984 at the Eldon Square Recreation Centre in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England.
The 2018 World Seniors Championship was an invitational senior snooker tournament, taking place at the Baths Hall in Scunthorpe, England, from 21 to 24 March 2018. Qualifying for the tournament was open to non-tour players, aged 40 and over on 1 January 2018.
The Matchroom Professional Championship was a non-ranking snooker tournament staged between 1986 and 1988. All three editions were held at Cliffs Pavilion in Southend-on-Sea. In its final year the tournament was sponsored by LEP.
The 1987 Matchroom Professional Championship was the second edition of the professional invitational snooker tournament which took place in November 1987 in Southend-on-Sea, England.
The 1988 LEP Matchroom Professional Championship was the third and final edition of the professional invitational snooker tournament which took place in October 1988 in Southend-on-Sea, England.
Willie Thorne (ENG)
