2004 British Open

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2004 British Open
Tournament information
Dates8–14 November 2004 (2004-11-08 2004-11-14)
Venue Brighton Centre
City Brighton
CountryEngland
Organisation WPBSA
Format Ranking event
Total prize fund £200,000
Winner's share£30,000
Highest breakFlag of Scotland.svg  John Higgins  (SCO) (144)
Final
ChampionFlag of Scotland.svg  John Higgins  (SCO)
Runner-upFlag of Scotland.svg  Stephen Maguire  (SCO)
Score9–6
2003
2021

The 2004 British Open was the 2004 edition of the British Open snooker tournament, held from 8 to 14 November 2004 at Brighton Centre, Brighton, England. John Higgins won the tournament, defeating Stephen Maguire nine frames to six in the all-Scottish final to lift his first ranking-event title since the 2001 edition of this event. In the semi-finals, Higgins defeated Shaun Murphy 6–0 and Maguire defeated Ronnie O'Sullivan 6–1. The defending champion Stephen Hendry lost in the quarter-finals. Higgins made the highest tournament break with his two breaks of 144. The tournament was the second of eight WPBSA ranking events in the 2004/2005 snooker season, following the Grand Prix in October, which was won by O'Sullivan. It preceded the third ranking event of the season, the UK Championship.

Contents

Tournament summary

Ronnie O'Sullivan, the world number one and world champion Stephen Maguire, Ronnie O'Sullivan, and Michaela Tabb at German Masters Snooker Final (DerHexer) 2012-02-05 05 cropped.jpg
Ronnie O'Sullivan, the world number one and world champion

The 2004 British Open was the second ranking event of the 2004/2005 snooker season, [1] after the Grand Prix in October, which was won by world number one Ronnie O'Sullivan—the 2004 and two-time world champion—who defeated Ian McCulloch 9–5 in the final. [2] [3] It preceded the UK Championship. [4]

The defending champion was seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry who defeated O'Sullivan 9–6 in last year's final. [5] Hendry was still angry at his loss at the Grand Prix to McCulloch, explaining, "The way I felt at the Grand Prix was down to the fact that I know what I'm still capable of". [6] The total prize fund was £200,000 [7] and the host broadcaster was Eurosport. [1] [8] O'Sullivan was considered the favourite, with his mentor Ray Reardon saying "Ronnie is in the form of his life and looks very close to being unstoppable at the moment". [9] Although few top players reached the final eight in the Grand Prix, O'Sullivan said he would not be surprised if they performed well in this tournament. [9]

Qualifying

The qualifying rounds were played between players ranked lower than 32 for one of 16 places in the final stage, at Pontin's Snooker Centre, Prestatyn, Wales. The matches were best-of-9 frames until the semi-finals. Highly regarded 17-year-old Chinese player Ding Junhui, in his professional first season, won his sixth consecutive match when he beat Robin Hull 5–2. [10] [11] The other successful qualifiers included the likes of Shaun Murphy, Mark Selby, Neil Robertson, and Ryan Day.

Round 1

The 16 first-round matches were between players ranked 17–32 and those who had made it through the qualifying stage. In this round, Ding took 63 minutes to whitewash 5–0 Malta's Tony Drago—who turned professional before Ding was born—outscoring Drago 463–73, for his first appearance in the last 32 of a ranking tournament. [11] European Open winner Stephen Maguire defeated Australian Robertson 5–3, while world number 48 Murphy beat McCulloch 5–2. Michael Holt, in his first season in the top 32, beat Dave Harold 5–2, and Mark King defeated Selby by the same scoreline. Ali Carter whitewashed Belgian's number one Bjorn Haneveer 5–0 in 76 minutes, while Barry Hawkins prevailed 5–4 over Joe Perry, despite the latter making the highest break so far with a 133. [12] John Parrott made a century break in his 5–3 victory over Jamie Burnett, while Joe Jogia won four consecutive frames to overcome Joe Swail 5–4. [13]

Round 2

The winners of round 1 went through to face members of the top 16. Ding continued his run, defeating Jimmy White 5–1 to make the last 16 of a ranking event for the first time. Ding called the win his most satisfying to date and White commended his opponent's performance, saying, "He's dangerous and he's improved a hell of a lot this year". [14] Elsewhere, Maguire whitewashed UK champion Matthew Stevens 5–0, outscoring him 427–68. [14] O'Sullivan extended his unbeaten run to 12 matches when he defeated Parrott 5–2, in a match that lasted two hours and 28 minutes and which featured a lot of tactical, disjointed exchanges. [15] [16] He was not satisfied with his performance, however: "I was awful—if I keep playing like that they'll have to call the nuthouse to come and collect me". [15] 1997 world champion Ken Doherty, who was ranked seventh but had slipped to fifteenth in the provisional rankings, defeated Quinten Hann 5–1, after Hann had smashed the red balls from his break-off shot at 0–4 down, from which he fluked a red and made an 89 break. [15] [17] John Higgins, a three-time champion who first won in 1995, beat Drew Henry 5–1, and said he would withdraw from the tournament if his pregnant wife went into labour. [18] [19] Hendry beat Robert Milkins 5–1, and dismissed suggestions that the loss at the Grand Prix had inspired him to play better at this tournament. [20] Murphy defeated world number four Paul Hunter 5–3 for his second last-16 appearance in a ranking event, and attributed the win to his happiness off the table; Murphy—a Christian since the age of 17—said, "My girlfriend Claire is a wonderful woman. We've become engaged and we're involved with a tremendous church in Rotherham". [21] [22] Two-time world champion and world number two Mark Williams—who became a father in May and had slipped to eighth in the provisional rankings—claimed a 5–1 victory over Jogia in 89 minutes. [21] [23] In a hard-fought contest, Stephen Lee defeated King 5–4. [16] The other winners were Carter, Andy Hicks, Anthony Hamilton, Hawkins, Barry Pinches, Holt, and Stuart Bingham.

Round 3

In the last 16, O'Sullivan compiled two century breaks to whitewash Lee 5–0 for his 13th consecutive win and his 9th consecutive quarter-final. [24] Regarding comments he made about his retirement after his previous match, O'Sullivan said, "There's no point quoting me because what I say from one day to the next will be different". [25] Maguire made a total clearance of 140 in his 5–2 win over Ding, while Hamilton defeated Williams 5–3 for his fourth consecutive win over the world number two. [24] Hendry, whose last tournament victory was this event last year, made four breaks over 60 in his 5–2 win over Carter to set up a match with Higgins, who made the highest break so far with a 141 in his 5–3 win over Pinches. [26] Doherty became the fifth member of the top eight to lose when he was defeated 4–5 by Hicks, while Hawkins defeated Bingham 5–4 and Murphy beat Holt 5–3. [1] [27]

Quarter-finals

In the quarter-finals, O'Sullivan defeated Hicks 5–1 in a match in which Hicks made a few errors. After the match, O'Sullivan attributed his success to his mentor Reardon. [28] Maguire made three consecutive century breaks from 2–0 up to whitewash Hamilton 5–0, setting up a semi-final clash with O'Sullivan. Maguire won the first two frames on the black, the second after trailing 0–74 and requiring two snookers . [29] Maguire said that he played brilliant, like in practice, [28] and Hamilton said his opponent was a "proper talent". [29] Higgins defeated Hendry 5–2 in a low-quality match in which Higgins won the first three frames with a high break of 30. Hendry won the next two with breaks of 66 and 58, but Higgins closed the match with breaks of 85 and 79. Higgins said he was willing to risk a possible fine by attending to his wife if she gave birth. [30] [31] Murphy beat fellow qualifier Hawkins 5–3 to reach his first ranking semi-final, with Higgins as the opponent. [29]

Semi-finals

In the semi-finals, now best-of-11, Higgins took 73 minutes to whitewash Murphy 6–0, scoring breaks of 58, 114, 57, 89, and completing the victory with a total clearance of 144, the highest break so far. The time of 73 minutes was only two minutes slower than the quickest best-of-11 match—the semi-finals of the 1993 International Open between Hendry and Dave Harold—and Higgins outscored Murphy 566–72. [32] [33] In the first three frames, Murphy managed to score a total of 10 points. In the fourth, Murphy broke down on a break of 50 before Higgins fluked a yellow, enabling him to make a 57 break. He then fortuitously snooked Murphy on the pink, which Higgins potted to make it 4–0. An 89 break extended Higgins' lead, before he finished the match with a 144 break. [34] Higgins attributed his performance to a shortening of his cue. [32] [33]

In the other semi-final, Maguire ended O'Sullivan's 14-match unbeaten run with a 6–1 victory to earn a place in the final against Higgins. Maguire made century breaks in the first two frames, becoming the first player to make five consecutive century breaks (including the three made in his previous match). Maguire won the third on the pink after O'Sullivan missed the yellow. O'Sullivan won the next with a break of 51, before Maguire made a break of 71 in each of the final two frames. After the match, O'Sullivan—who had won all three previous encounters against Maguire—said, "I've never seen anything like that on a snooker table before ... He's a great player, probably the best in the world at the moment", [32] [33] and even before the match, O'Sullivan had described Maguire as "of the young ones, definitely the best". [8] The defeat meant that Reardon lost the £100 bet he placed at 150–1 that O'Sullivan would win all eight of the season's ranking events. [35]

Final

In the all-Scottish best-of-17 final, Higgins defeated Maguire 9–6 for a record-equalling fourth title. Of the victory, Higgins said it was the most important of his career. He had not won a ranking title since his 2001 victory at this event and had lost his previous six finals. It was his 25th major title and his 16th ranking title, and it earned him £30,000 in prize money. [18] [36]

In the afternoon session, Maguire took the first frame, but Higgins won the next three, compiling a 100 break in the third. Breaks of 72, 55, and 76 allowed Maguire to regain the lead, before Higgins took the eighth after Maguire missed a straightforward red to leave it 4–4 at the end of the first session. In the evening session, Higgins took the ninth, before Maguire made two breaks over 50 in the 10th. Higgins then made two consecutive century breaks, including a 144 in the 11th, which equalled his own highest break. He continued his run with a break of 68 in the 13th, before Maguire pulled one back in the next. A 97 break gave Higgins the victory. [18] [36] [37]

All tournament, Higgins had been anticipating the birth of his child and on 24 November, Higgins became a father for the second time when his wife gave birth to a son, Oliver, shortly after his loss at the UK Championship. [38]

Prize fund

The breakdown of prize money for this year is shown below: [39]

Main draw

Numbers to the left of the players are the tournament seedings. Players in bold are the match winners. [1] [27]

Last 48
Best of 9 frames
Last 32
Best of 9 frames
Last 16
Best of 9 frames
Quarter-finals
Best of 9 frames
Semi-finals
Best of 11 frames
Final
Best of 17 frames
1Flag of Scotland.svg  Stephen Hendry  (SCO)5
28Flag of England.svg  Robert Milkins  (ENG)528Flag of England.svg  Robert Milkins  (ENG)1
1Flag of Scotland.svg  Stephen Hendry  (SCO)5
52Flag of England.svg  David Roe  (ENG)3
19Flag of England.svg  Ali Carter  (ENG)4
10Flag of Scotland.svg  Alan McManus  (SCO)2
19Flag of England.svg  Ali Carter  (ENG)519Flag of England.svg  Ali Carter  (ENG)5
1Flag of Scotland.svg  Stephen Hendry  (SCO)2
53Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Bjorn Haneveer  (BEL)0
5Flag of Scotland.svg  John Higgins  (SCO)5
14Flag of England.svg  David Gray  (ENG)3
21Flag of England.svg  Barry Pinches  (ENG)521Flag of England.svg  Barry Pinches  (ENG)5
21Flag of England.svg  Barry Pinches  (ENG)3
35Flag of England.svg  Nigel Bond  (ENG)2
5Flag of Scotland.svg  John Higgins  (SCO)5
5Flag of Scotland.svg  John Higgins  (SCO)5
27Flag of Scotland.svg  Drew Henry  (SCO)527Flag of Scotland.svg  Drew Henry  (SCO)1
5Flag of Scotland.svg  John Higgins  (SCO)6
40Flag of England.svg  Mark Davis  (ENG)4
48Flag of England.svg  Shaun Murphy  (ENG)0
8Flag of England.svg  Peter Ebdon  (ENG)3
20Flag of England.svg  Joe Perry  (ENG)443Flag of England.svg  Barry Hawkins  (ENG)5
43Flag of England.svg  Barry Hawkins  (ENG)5
43Flag of England.svg  Barry Hawkins  (ENG)5
37Flag of England.svg  Stuart Bingham  (ENG)4
13Flag of England.svg  Steve Davis  (ENG)4
26Ulster Banner.svg  Gerard Greene  (NIR)137Flag of England.svg  Stuart Bingham  (ENG)5
43Flag of England.svg  Barry Hawkins  (ENG)3
37Flag of England.svg  Stuart Bingham  (ENG)5
48Flag of England.svg  Shaun Murphy  (ENG)5
15Flag of Scotland.svg  Graeme Dott  (SCO)1
29Flag of England.svg  Michael Holt  (ENG)529Flag of England.svg  Michael Holt  (ENG)5
29Flag of England.svg  Michael Holt  (ENG)3
34Flag of England.svg  Dave Harold  (ENG)2
48Flag of England.svg  Shaun Murphy  (ENG)5
4Flag of England.svg  Paul Hunter  (ENG)3
17Flag of England.svg  Ian McCulloch  (ENG)248Flag of England.svg  Shaun Murphy  (ENG)5
5Flag of Scotland.svg  John Higgins  (SCO)9
48Flag of England.svg  Shaun Murphy  (ENG)5
24Flag of Scotland.svg  Stephen Maguire  (SCO)6
3Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Mark Williams  (WAL)5
30Ulster Banner.svg  Joe Swail  (NIR)4Flag of England.svg  Joe Jogia  (ENG)1
3Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Mark Williams  (WAL)3
Flag of England.svg  Joe Jogia  (ENG)5
25Flag of England.svg  Anthony Hamilton  (ENG)5
12Flag of Scotland.svg  Chris Small  (SCO)2
25Flag of England.svg  Anthony Hamilton  (ENG)525Flag of England.svg  Anthony Hamilton  (ENG)5
25Flag of England.svg  Anthony Hamilton  (ENG)0
58Flag of England.svg  Mike Dunn  (ENG)1
24Flag of Scotland.svg  Stephen Maguire  (SCO)5
11Flag of England.svg  Jimmy White  (ENG)1
22Flag of Malta.svg  Tony Drago  (MLT)076Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Ding Junhui  (CHN)5
76Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Ding Junhui  (CHN)2
76Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Ding Junhui  (CHN)5
24Flag of Scotland.svg  Stephen Maguire  (SCO)5
6Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Matthew Stevens  (WAL)0
24Flag of Scotland.svg  Stephen Maguire  (SCO)524Flag of Scotland.svg  Stephen Maguire  (SCO)5
24Flag of Scotland.svg  Stephen Maguire  (SCO)6
68Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Neil Robertson  (AUS)3
2Flag of England.svg  Ronnie O'Sullivan  (ENG)1
7Flag of Ireland.svg  Ken Doherty  (IRL)5
18Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Quinten Hann  (AUS)518Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Quinten Hann  (AUS)1
7Flag of Ireland.svg  Ken Doherty  (IRL)4
45Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Ryan Day  (WAL)3
50Flag of England.svg  Andy Hicks  (ENG)5
16Flag of Hong Kong.svg  Marco Fu  (HKG)2
32Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Dominic Dale  (WAL)050Flag of England.svg  Andy Hicks  (ENG)5
50Flag of England.svg  Andy Hicks  (ENG)1
50Flag of England.svg  Andy Hicks  (ENG)5
2Flag of England.svg  Ronnie O'Sullivan  (ENG)5
9Flag of England.svg  Stephen Lee  (ENG)5
23Flag of England.svg  Mark King  (ENG)523Flag of England.svg  Mark King  (ENG)4
9Flag of England.svg  Stephen Lee  (ENG)0
36Flag of England.svg  Mark Selby  (ENG)2
2Flag of England.svg  Ronnie O'Sullivan  (ENG)5
2Flag of England.svg  Ronnie O'Sullivan  (ENG)5
31Flag of England.svg  John Parrott  (ENG)531Flag of England.svg  John Parrott  (ENG)2
49Flag of Scotland.svg  Jamie Burnett  (SCO)3

Final

The bold text denotes winning frame scores and the winning finalist. [1] [27]

Final: Best of 17 frames. [27] Referee: Jan Verhaas.
The Brighton Centre, Brighton, England. 14 November 2004. [1] [27]
John Higgins (5)
Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland
9–6 Stephen Maguire (24)
Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland
Afternoon: 39–81 (77), 61–26, 100–29 (100), 79–1, 0–72 (72), 17–95 (55), 20–91 (76), 72–19 (53)
Evening:64–10, 13–110 (56, 54), 144–0 (144), 107–0 (107), 74–50 (68), 1–93 (50), 104–0 (97)
144Highest break77
3Century breaks0
650+ breaks7

Qualifying

Qualifying for the tournament took place between 2 and 4 November 2004 at Pontins in Prestatyn, Wales. Players in bold indicate match winners. [27]

Round 1
Best of 9 frames
Round 2
Best of 9 frames
Round 3
Best of 9 frames
Flag of England.svg  Andrew Norman  (ENG)4Flag of England.svg  David Roe  (ENG)5Flag of Ireland.svg  Michael Judge  (IRL)3
Flag of Scotland.svg  Hugh Abernethy  (SCO)5Flag of Scotland.svg  Hugh Abernethy  (SCO)3Flag of England.svg  David Roe  (ENG)5
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Darren Morgan  (WAL)4Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Bjorn Haneveer  (BEL)5Ulster Banner.svg  Patrick Wallace  (NIR)4
Flag of England.svg  Adam Davies  (ENG)5Flag of England.svg  Adam Davies  (ENG)1Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Bjorn Haneveer  (BEL)5
Flag of England.svg  Rory McLeod  (ENG)w/oFlag of England.svg  Sean Storey  (ENG)5Flag of England.svg  Nigel Bond  (ENG)5
Flag of England.svg  Mark Gray  (ENG)w/dFlag of England.svg  Rory McLeod  (ENG)3Flag of England.svg  Sean Storey  (ENG)1
Flag of England.svg  Alfie Burden  (ENG)w/oFlag of Scotland.svg  Marcus Campbell  (SCO)5Flag of England.svg  Mark Davis  (ENG)5
Flag of England.svg  Steve James  (ENG)w/dFlag of England.svg  Alfie Burden  (ENG)3Flag of Scotland.svg  Marcus Campbell  (SCO)1
Flag of England.svg  Tom Ford  (ENG)5Flag of England.svg  Jonathan Birch  (ENG)0Flag of England.svg  Barry Hawkins  (ENG)5
Ulster Banner.svg Sean O'Neill (NIR)4Flag of England.svg  Tom Ford  (ENG)5Flag of England.svg  Tom Ford  (ENG)0
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Paul Davies  (WAL)5Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Anthony Davies  (WAL)3Flag of England.svg  Stuart Bingham  (ENG)5
Flag of England.svg  Mike Hallett  (ENG)3Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Paul Davies  (WAL)5Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Paul Davies  (WAL)4
Flag of Pakistan.svg  Shokat Ali  (PAK)5Flag of England.svg  Rod Lawler  (ENG)5Flag of England.svg  Dave Harold  (ENG)5
Flag of England.svg  Gary Wilson  (ENG)2Flag of Pakistan.svg  Shokat Ali  (PAK)1Flag of England.svg  Rod Lawler  (ENG)1
Flag of England.svg  Ricky Walden  (ENG)4Flag of England.svg  Adrian Gunnell  (ENG)5Flag of England.svg  Shaun Murphy  (ENG)5
Flag of England.svg  Paul Davison  (ENG)5Flag of England.svg  Paul Davison  (ENG)3Flag of England.svg  Adrian Gunnell  (ENG)0
Flag of England.svg  Craig Butler  (ENG)2Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Lee Walker  (WAL)0Flag of England.svg  Stuart Pettman  (ENG)3
Flag of England.svg  Joe Jogia  (ENG)5Flag of England.svg  Joe Jogia  (ENG)5Flag of England.svg  Joe Jogia  (ENG)5
Flag of England.svg  Paul Wykes  (ENG)4Flag of England.svg  Mike Dunn  (ENG)5Flag of Ireland.svg  Fergal O'Brien  (IRL)2
Flag of England.svg  Ben Woollaston  (ENG)5Flag of England.svg  Ben Woollaston  (ENG)2Flag of England.svg  Mike Dunn  (ENG)5
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Ding Junhui  (CHN)5Flag of England.svg  Jimmy Michie  (ENG)2Flag of Finland.svg  Robin Hull  (FIN)2
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Jin Long  (CHN)3Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Ding Junhui  (CHN)5Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Ding Junhui  (CHN)5
Flag of Ireland.svg  Leo Fernandez  (IRL)2Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Neil Robertson  (AUS)5Flag of England.svg  Brian Morgan  (ENG)2
Flag of Ireland.svg David McDonnell (IRL)5Flag of Ireland.svg David McDonnell (IRL)2Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Neil Robertson  (AUS)5
Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Stefan Mazrocis  (NED)4Flag of England.svg  Nick Walker  (ENG)5Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Ryan Day  (WAL)5
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Liu Song  (CHN)5Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Liu Song  (CHN)3Flag of England.svg  Nick Walker  (ENG)1
Flag of England.svg  Simon Bedford  (ENG)5Flag of England.svg  Andy Hicks  (ENG)5Flag of Thailand.svg  James Wattana  (THA)3
Flag of England.svg David Hall (ENG)0Flag of England.svg  Simon Bedford  (ENG)1Flag of England.svg  Andy Hicks  (ENG)5
Flag of Ireland.svg  Joe Delaney  (IRL)5Flag of England.svg  Gary Wilkinson  (ENG)3Flag of England.svg  Mark Selby  (ENG)5
Flag of England.svg  Brian Salmon  (ENG)3Flag of Ireland.svg  Joe Delaney  (IRL)5Flag of Ireland.svg  Joe Delaney  (IRL)2
Flag of Scotland.svg  Scott MacKenzie  (SCO)5Flag of Scotland.svg  Jamie Burnett  (SCO)5Flag of England.svg  Nick Dyson  (ENG)4
Flag of Ireland.svg  Rodney Goggins  (IRL)3Flag of Scotland.svg  Scott MacKenzie  (SCO)4Flag of Scotland.svg  Jamie Burnett  (SCO)5

Century breaks

Qualifying stage centuries

A total of 13 players compiled a total of 14 century breaks during the qualifying stages of the 2004 British Open. [27]

Televised stage centuries

There were 33 century breaks compiled by 17 different players during the course of the main rounds of the 2004 British Open. [27]

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The 2006 UK Championship was the 2006 edition of the UK Championship, a professional snooker tournament that is one of the sport's three Triple Crown events. It was held from 4 to 17 December 2006 at the Barbican Centre in York, North Yorkshire. The competition was the third of seven World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) ranking events in the 2006/2007 season and the 30th edition of the tournament. It was broadcast in the United Kingdom and Europe on the BBC and Eurosport.

The 2007 Malta Cup was the 2007 edition of the Malta Cup snooker tournament, held from 28 January to 4 February 2007 at the Hilton Conference Center in Portomaso, Malta. The tournament was the fourth of seven World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) ranking events in the 2006/2007 season, the 200th world ranking tournament and the 16th edition of the event. It was the third time that the competition was called the Malta Cup, which was renamed from the European Open, first held in 1989. The tournament was broadcast in the United Kingdom and Europe by Eurosport.

The 2005 UK Championship was a professional snooker tournament and the 2005 edition of the UK Championship. It was held at the Barbican Centre in York, North Yorkshire, England from 5 to 18 December 2005. The competition was the second of six World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association ranking events in the 2005–06 snooker season, the first of the three Triple Crown events, and the tournament's 29th edition. It preceded the Malta Cup and followed the Grand Prix. It was broadcast in the United Kingdom and Europe on the BBC and Eurosport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2005 Masters (snooker)</span> Professional non-ranking snooker tournament, Feb 2005

The 2005 Masters was the 2005 edition of the non-ranking Masters professional snooker tournament. It was held from 13 to 20 February 2005 at the Wembley Conference Centre, London. The tournament was the 31st staging of the competition and was the sixth of nine World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) main tour events in the 2004/2005 season. The tournament was broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC and by Eurosport in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 World Snooker Championship</span> Snooker tournament

The 2008 World Snooker Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place between 19 April and 5 May 2008 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. It was the 32nd consecutive year that the World Snooker Championship was held at the Crucible Theatre, and the seventh and final ranking event of the 2007–08 snooker season. The tournament was organised by World Snooker, and sponsored by betting company 888.com. The tournament featured a total prize fund of £1,050,000 with £250,000 being awarded to the winner.

The 2009 World Snooker Championship was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 18 April and 4 May at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. This was the first time that the World Snooker Championship had been sponsored by Betfred.

The 2004 Snooker Grand Prix was the 2004 edition of the Grand Prix snooker tournament and was held from 2 to 10 October 2004 at the Guild Hall in Preston, England. World number one Ronnie O'Sullivan won the tournament defeating Ian McCulloch by nine frames to five (9–5) in the final. In the semi-finals O'Sullivan defeated Paul Hunter 6–3 and McCulloch beat Michael Judge 6–1. Mark Williams, who won the same event under the name LG Cup the year before, lost in the first round. John Higgins made the highest break with a 147. The 64-man tournament was the first of eight World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) ranking events in the 2004/2005 snooker season and the next event following last season's World Championship, which was won by O'Sullivan. It preceded the second ranking event of the season, the British Open.

The 2004 European Open was the 2004 edition of the European Open snooker tournament, held from 1 to 6 March 2004, at the Hilton Conference Centre, Portomaso, Malta. It was the final year the event was known as European Open, as the event was renamed to Malta Cup in next year. Stephen Maguire defeated Jimmy White by nine frames to three (9–3) in the final to claim his first ranking-event title, transforming him from "talented underachiever into a world-ranking event winner", according to The Times. In the semi-finals Maguire defeated Stephen Lee and White beat Tony Drago. The tournament was the fifth of eight WPBSA ranking events in the 2003/2004 season, following the Welsh Open and preceding the Irish Masters.

The 2012 World Snooker Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 21 April to 7 May 2012 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. It was the 36th consecutive year that the World Snooker Championship had been held at the Crucible and the last ranking event of the 2011–12 snooker season. The event was broadcast in the United Kingdom by the BBC, and in Europe by Eurosport.

The 2017 World Snooker Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 15 April to 1 May 2017 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. It was the 19th and final ranking event of the 2016–17 season which followed the China Open. It was the 41st consecutive year that the World Snooker Championship had been held at the Crucible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Professional snooker career of Ronnie O'Sullivan</span>

Ronnie O'Sullivan started his professional snooker career in 1992 and is widely considered one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. His play and accomplishments are described by some peers and pundits as being the greatest in the modern era of snooker. O'Sullivan is a seven-time world champion, and holds many records, including the fastest maximum break in professional competition; the highest number of century breaks; the highest number of maximum breaks, and the most Triple Crown event titles (21).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 UK Championship</span> First triple crown event of 2019/2020 snooker season

The 2019 UK Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 26 November to 8 December 2019 in the Barbican Centre, York, England. The 43rd edition of the UK Championship, it was the seventh ranking tournament and the first Triple Crown event of the 2019–20 season. The event was broadcast on BBC Sport in the United Kingdom and on Eurosport throughout Europe. The tournament was sponsored by betting company Betway.

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