2006 UK Championship

Last updated

2006 Maplin UK Championship
Tournament information
Dates4–17 December 2006 (2006-12-04 – 2006-12-17)
Venue Barbican Centre
City York
CountryEngland
Organisation World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association
Format Ranking event
Total prize fund£552,500
Winner's share£77,000
Highest breakFlag of England.svg  David Gray  (ENG) (146)
Flag of England.svg  Mark King  (ENG) (146)
Final
ChampionFlag of England.svg  Peter Ebdon  (ENG)
Runner-upFlag of Scotland.svg  Stephen Hendry  (SCO)
Score10–6
← 2005
2007 →

The 2006 UK Championship (officially the 2006 Maplin 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.

Contents

Peter Ebdon won the tournament, defeating the five-time UK champion Stephen Hendry 10 frames to 6 in the final. It was Ebdon's first UK Championship win and his seventh career ranking title. He was the ninth player in history to win both the UK Championship and the World Snooker Championship. In the semi-finals Ebdon beat John Higgins 9–7 and Hendry defeated fellow Scot Graeme Dott by the same scoreline. David Gray and Mark King both achieved the tournament's highest breaks with individual breaks of 146. The tournament followed the Grand Prix and preceded the Malta Cup.

Background

The Barbican Centre, where the tournament was held The Barbican Centre (geograph 5053201).jpg
The Barbican Centre, where the tournament was held

The tournament was created as the United Kingdom Professional Snooker Championship in 1977 and was open to residents in the United Kingdom and holders of British passports. Seven years later all professional players were allowed to enter and snooker's governing body, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), granted the tournament ranking status. [1] It is considered to be snooker's second most important ranking tournament behind the World Snooker Championship and is one of three of the sport's Triple Crown events. [2]

The 2006 tournament was held from 4 to 17 December 2006 at the Barbican Centre in York, North Yorkshire. [3] It was the third of seven WPBSA ranking events in the 2006/2007 season, following the Grand Prix and preceding the Malta Cup. [3] The defending UK champion was Ding Junhui, who beat Steve Davis 10–6 in the previous year's final. [1] Sponsored by the electronics retailer Maplin for the first time, [4] the 2006 tournament was the 30th time it had been held. [1] The competition had a total prize fund of £552,500, [5] and was broadcast on the BBC in the United Kingdom and Eurosport in Europe. [3] All matches held between 4 and 16 December were the best-of-17- frames until the final on 17 December. [6]

Prize fund

The breakdown of prize money for this year is shown below: [5]

Tournament summary

Qualifying

The qualifying rounds were played between players on the main tour ranked 33 and lower for one of 32 places in the final stage at Pontin's in Prestatyn, from 14 to 19 November. [6] [7] John Parrott, the 1991 world champion, beat David Gilbert 9–8 after coming from 8–5 behind to earn a spot in the first round. [8] The other successful qualifiers included Barry Pinches, Michael Judge, Jamie Burnett and Robin Hull. [6] [7]

Round one

The 16 first-round matches were between players ranked 17–32 and those who had made it through the qualifying stage from 4 to 5 December. [5] [6] Ryan Day came from 3–0 down to beat Liu Song 9–5 with a match-winning break of 130. [9] 2004 runner up David Gray was helped by breaks of 131, 81 and 68 to defeat Pinches 9–2, [10] while Stuart Bingham emerged a 9–8 winner over Rory McLeod from 7–5 and 8–7 down. [11] Mark Selby defeated Parrott 9–1 with breaks of 110, 104, 59 and 57 to lead 7–1 entering the evening session and Selby took less than half an hour in the second to give Parrott his biggest career defeat since his 18–3 loss to Davis in the final of the 1989 World Snooker Championship. [12] [13] Of the other first day matches Mark King beat Adrian Gunnell 9–4, [11] and Joe Perry led Judge 7–1 overnight with breaks of 125, 93, 75, 66 and 60. [10] Perry took 26 minutes the next day to claim two straight frames and win 9–1. [14] Rod Lawler prevailed 9–7 over Anthony Hamilton in a match lasting more than 81⁄2 hours, [15] and world number 35 Dave Harold defeated Robert Milkins 9–7 with a match-winning break of 102. [16]

Mike Dunn took five out of six final frames to defeat James Wattana 9–5 and claim a place in the second round. [15] [16] Gerard Greene received a walkover to the next round after his opponent, world number 27 Marco Fu, withdrew from the tournament to represent Hong Kong at the 2006 Asia Games in Qatar at his country's behest. [17] Joe Swail tied 4–4 with Joe Delaney overnight and both players shared six frames before Swail won the last two for a 9–7 win. [15] Ricky Walden led Ian McCulloch 5–4 before McCulloch took two consecutive frames. Walden then achieved breaks of 68, 112, 45 and 70 to secure a 9–6 win and his second over McCulloch. [18] In the game between Alan McManus and Marcus Campbell, McManus led 4–0 before coming back from Campbell's challenge to win 9–5. [19] Of the other first round matches, Burnett compiled breaks of 110 and 104 in his 9–3 victory over Andy Hicks, while Hull produced breaks of 104 and 120 in a 9–5 win against Nigel Bond, [15] and Scott MacKenzie whitewashed Michael Holt 9–0 after breaks of 65 and 109. [20]

Round two

The winners of round one went through to face members of the top 16 in the second round staged from 6 to 10 December. [5] [6] Peter Ebdon compiled four century breaks and three half centuries that included a match-winning 124 to beat Selby 9–6. [21] [22] Although he achieved a 146 clearance in the ninth frame of his match, Gray lost 5–9 to the 2003 champion Matthew Stevens, [22] while Perry defeated Barry Hawkins 9–4. [23] Bingham defeated Ali Carter 9–8, a match in which Carter had a frame docked. Carter was tied at 6–6 when he spent the mid-session interval in his dressing room discussing tactics with his coach Terry Griffiths. Carter was deemed to have returned to the table late by the referee Olivier Marteel and Bingham was awarded frame 13. [24] Walden began his match against the 2001 tournament winner Ronnie O'Sullivan with breaks of 80 and 67 before O'Sullivan tied at 2–2 and both players concluded the first session 4–4. [23] O'Sullivan led 7–4 but breaks of 102, 93, 85 and 79 put Walden into the lead before O'Sullivan forced a final frame decider, [25] which he took with a 23rd season century break of 108 to win 9–8. [26]

Tied at 4–4 after his opening session Davis beat Burnett 9–5, while Hull was a surprise winner over Robertson winning five consecutive frames to claim a 9–4 victory. Shaun Murphy, the 2005 world champion, fell 6–2 behind McManus at the interval and could not recover as McManus won 9–3. [27] Mark Williams, a two-time world champion, progressed to round three by beating Greene 9–7. Another world champion, John Higgins, emulated Gray's 146 clearance in a 9–4 victory over King, and Stephen Lee defeated Lawler 9–6. [28] Breaks of 107, 86, 82 and 66 enabled Stephen Maguire to overcome Swail 9–8 in the second session. [29] Five-time UK champion Stephen Hendry led Harold 7–3 before the latter won four successive frames with two century breaks of 115 and 111 to equal the score at 7–7. Hendry's match-high breaks of 88 and 82 in the 14th and 15th frames earned him a 9–7 victory. [30]

Graeme Dott, the world champion, won the first six frames of his match against fellow Scot MacKenzie within one hour, compiling century breaks of 100, 107 and 112 to win 9–2. [31] Ding, fatigued from having arrived in the United Kingdom on 8 December after winning three gold medals at the 2006 Qatar Asian Games, beat Day 9–7 in a tightly contested match. Tied at 4–4, both players exchanged frames with four in a row decided on the black ball . Day missed a difficult shot into the middle pocket from his position and Ding made a game-winning clearance of 57 to win. Fourth seed Ken Doherty held a 7–1 advantage over his opponent Dunn and claimed frames nine and ten with breaks of 87 and 58 in 22 minutes to win 9–1 and progression to the third round. [32]

Round three

The third round was held from 11 to 12 December. [5] Breaks of 128, 121 and 105 enabled Higgins to lead Lee 7–1 in a match delayed by 20 minutes to enable players and officials to watch Paul Hunter's widow Lyndsey receive the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Helen Rollason Award on his behalf. [33] Higgins made another century break in the second session to beat Lee 9–2. [34] Ebdon moved 6–2 ahead of Bingham despite missing the penultimate red ball when it appeared he would achieve a maximum break but he won 9–4. O'Sullivan constructed a 5–3 lead over Maguire and used several mistakes from his opponent in the second session to win 9–3. [33] [34] Doherty lead Perry 5–1, [34] but the latter responded in the second session to claim six of the next seven frames to win 9–5. [35] Dott ended the first session of his match with Hull 7–1 with breaks of 90, 73 and 66. [33] He won the first two frames of the following session to make the quarter-finals 9–1. [36]

Ding led the first session of his match against Stevens 5–3 from breaks of 111, 100 and 92 while his opponent compiled breaks of 82, 74 and 66. [34] He won 9–5 and spoke of his relief to have won because his Asian Games schedule affected his stability and confidence. [37] Davis defeated McManus 9–7; the match ended 20 minutes after midnight and the final frame lasted 46 minutes. [37] [38] In the final third round match, breaks of 103, 117 and 73 enabled Hendry to lead Williams 6–2. Williams improved his form to take three of the first four frames of the second session and be 6–5 behind. Hendry claimed three more frames with a match-winning break of 92 to qualify for the quarter-finals 9–6. [39]

Quarter-finals

The quarter-finals were played on 13 and 14 December. [5] Ebdon won four successive frames to lead Ding 4–0 and was 6–2 ahead after the first session. Ding won the evening session's first two frames with breaks of 110 and 82 and came from 40–0 behind in frame 11 with a 59 clearance. Ebdon won frame 12 after a shot battle with Ding and outscored his opponent 212–4 in the following two frames to win the match 9–5. [40] Higgins came from 66–0 behind Perry to claim frame three with a 69 clearance and took the sixth with a 47 clearance after Perry missed a shot on the black ball. [41] Perry accumulated breaks of 100 and 128 in the second session but Higgins won the match 9–3 with a 106 break in the 12th frame. [40]

Hendry won 9–1 against O'Sullivan, a match which O'Sullivan defaulted. [42] Trailing 1–4 and 24–0 in front during frame six after potting the black ball and after missing a red to a corner pocket , [43] O'Sullivan declared the match over. He shook hands with Hendry and referee Jan Verhaas. [44] O'Sullivan left the Barbican Arena after wishing Hendry well in his dressing room. [42] Tournament director Mike Ganley confirmed O'Sullivan had forfeited the match and O'Sullivan later apologised to Hendry and his fans in a statement. [44] O'Sullivan was fined £20,800 and docked 900 ranking points by the WPBSA's disciplinary committee in May 2007. [45] The last quarter-final saw Dott overcome Davis 9–6. He came from 3–2 behind to lead the first session 5–3 after breaks of 78, 83 and 65. [46] Breaks of 52 and 61 enabled Dott to get within a frame of victory before Davis won two successive frames to make it 8–6. Dott's 116 break secured him a semi-final berth. [47]

Semi-finals

Both the semi-finals were held on 15 and 16 December. [5] Both Ebdon and Higgins were level at 4–4 after the first session that had seven breaks over 60, including 97, 76 and 132 from Ebdon. Higgins led 5–4 but he missed a tricky shot on a red ball and Ebdon cleared the table to force a re-spotted black ball to again equal the score before going 6–5 ahead. [48] In frame 14, Higgins missed a straightforward red ball while on a break of 49 and the frame was taken by Ebdon. He won a disjointed frame 15 to claim victory at 9–7 and enter his first UK Championship final since the 1995 tournament. [49] Post-match, Ebdon considered the victory the most important of his career and praised the quality of the match, "This win means so much to me because I have got so much respect for John. He's a wonderful ambassador for the game. You have to play top class when you play John." [48] Higgins said that considered the game's decisive point to have been when he was leading 5–4 and attributed his loss to a lack of concentration, "But take nothing away from Peter. He played very well all through the match and thoroughly deserved to win." [48]

The other semi-final was between Hendry and his fellow Scot Dott. Trailing 5–3 after the first session Dott won four frames in a row with breaks of 96, 92 and 85 to take the lead as he accumulated 203 unanswered points. Hendry compiled a 111 clearance and a break of 50 to go level at 7–7. [50] [51] Hendry claimed frame 16 with a score of 61–25 and a break of 93 in the next earned him a place in the final alongside Ebdon at 9–7. [52] It was Hendry's record-breaking 10th appearance in the final of the UK Championship and his first since the 2005 China Open. [51] Hendry said additional practice in the past two to three weeks improved his playing, "I'm so close to playing at my best – it's a pleasure to be competing again. Peter is playing fantastic snooker and is very hard to beat over a long match. But I'm just delighted to be in a final and have a chance of winning a tournament – I can't believe it." [51]

Final

The best-of-19 frames final happened on 17 December. [5] [6] In the afternoon session Hendry took 1 hour and 31 minutes to lead 3–1 with breaks of 51 and 59, [53] [54] but his lead was narrowed by one frame after Ebdon missed a shot leading 66–0 and Hendry did not win frame five. [54] Ebdon moved 4–3 in front with a break of 83, [51] and a then season-high clearance of 135. [55] Hendry ended the first session at 4–4 after Ebdon made a double shot error. [51] The evening session's first four frames were won by Ebdon through consistent potting and him playing tight safety shots , [54] as Hendry's long-shot potting accuracy lowered and made errors on simple shots, which appeared to affect his confidence. [55] Nonetheless, Hendry took frame 13 on the pink ball and won the next with his only century break of the match, a 116 clearance, to be two frames behind Ebdon at 8–6. Hendry missed a straightforward red ball in the 15th frame and Ebdon won it with a break of 43 before following it up with a break of 70 in the next frame to win the match 10–6 and his first UK Championship title. [53] [56]

Peter Ebdon (pictured in 2018) won his first UK Championship tournament and the seventh ranking title of his career. Peter Ebdon PHC 2018-6.jpg
Peter Ebdon (pictured in 2018) won his first UK Championship tournament and the seventh ranking title of his career.

It was his fifth career victory over Hendry in 19 meetings. Aged 36, Ebdon was the oldest UK Championship title winner since Doug Mountjoy in 1988. [56] He also won the seventh ranking title of his career and his first since the 2004 Irish Masters. [54] [56] Ebdon joined Davis, Griffiths, Alex Higgins, Parrott, Hendry, Higgins, Williams and O'Sullivan as the ninth player to win both the UK Championship and the World Snooker Championship. [57] He earned £77,000 prize money, [58] and moved from tenth to fourth in the provisional world rankings. [59]

Post-match, a tearful Ebdon dedicated the win to his Dubai-based family and commented, "This just means so much. It's a tournament I have worked so hard for. I always knew it was going to be tough against Stephen. He played some good safety in the first session, then I found a bit of rhythm and then Stephen inexplicably started to miss balls." [53] Hendry bemoaned his poor performance but praised Ebdon, "I picked the one day of the week when I didn't want to play like that. I had a great chance to go 4–1 up but from then on Peter was by far the better player and dominated the match. For some reason I couldn't pot a long ball – sometimes that just happens. Peter didn't play as well as he can either. We've both had better matches." [57]

Main draw

Numbers to the left of the players' names are the tournament seedings. Players in bold indicate match winners. [3] [6] [60]

Last 48
Best of 17 frames		Last 32
Best of 17 frames		Last 16
Best of 17 frames		Quarter-finals
Best of 17 frames		Semi-finals
Best of 17 frames		Final
Best of 19 frames
1Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Ding Junhui  (CHN)9
18Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Ryan Day  (WAL)918Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Ryan Day  (WAL)7
1 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Ding Junhui 9
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Liu Song  (CHN)5
15 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Matthew Stevens 5
15Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Matthew Stevens  (WAL)9
24Flag of England.svg  David Gray  (ENG)924Flag of England.svg  David Gray  (ENG)5
1 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Ding Junhui 5
33Flag of England.svg  Barry Pinches  (ENG)2
8 Flag of England.svg Peter Ebdon 9
16Flag of England.svg  Ali Carter  (ENG)8
25Flag of England.svg  Stuart Bingham  (ENG)925Flag of England.svg  Stuart Bingham  (ENG)9
25 Flag of England.svg Stuart Bingham 4
49Flag of England.svg  Rory McLeod  (ENG)8
8 Flag of England.svg Peter Ebdon 9
8Flag of England.svg  Peter Ebdon  (ENG)9
28Flag of England.svg  Mark Selby  (ENG)928Flag of England.svg  Mark Selby  (ENG)6
8 Flag of England.svg Peter Ebdon 9
42Flag of England.svg  John Parrott  (ENG)1
6 Flag of Scotland.svg John Higgins 7
6Flag of Scotland.svg  John Higgins  (SCO)9
29Flag of England.svg  Mark King  (ENG)929Flag of England.svg  Mark King  (ENG)4
6 Flag of Scotland.svg John Higgins 9
40Flag of England.svg  Adrian Gunnell  (ENG)4
11 Flag of England.svg Stephen Lee 2
11Flag of England.svg  Stephen Lee  (ENG)9
17Flag of England.svg  Anthony Hamilton  (ENG)746Flag of England.svg  Rod Lawler  (ENG)6
6 Flag of Scotland.svg John Higgins 9
46Flag of England.svg  Rod Lawler  (ENG)9
19 Flag of England.svg Joe Perry 3
13Flag of England.svg  Barry Hawkins  (ENG)4
19Flag of England.svg  Joe Perry  (ENG)919Flag of England.svg  Joe Perry  (ENG)9
19 Flag of England.svg Joe Perry 9
43Flag of Ireland.svg  Michael Judge  (IRL)1
4 Flag of Ireland.svg Ken Doherty 6
4Flag of Ireland.svg  Ken Doherty  (IRL)9
26Flag of Thailand.svg  James Wattana  (THA)553Flag of England.svg  Mike Dunn  (ENG)1
8 Flag of England.svg Peter Ebdon 10
53Flag of England.svg  Mike Dunn  (ENG)9
3 Flag of Scotland.svg Stephen Hendry 6
3Flag of Scotland.svg  Stephen Hendry  (SCO)9
32Flag of England.svg  Robert Milkins  (ENG)735Flag of England.svg  Dave Harold  (ENG)7
3 Flag of Scotland.svg Stephen Hendry 9
35Flag of England.svg  Dave Harold  (ENG)9
9 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Mark Williams 6
9Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Mark Williams  (WAL)9
23Flag of Hong Kong.svg  Marco Fu  (HKG)w/d38Ulster Banner.svg  Gerard Greene  (NIR)7
3 Flag of Scotland.svg Stephen Hendry 9 [lower-alpha 1]
38Ulster Banner.svg  Gerard Greene  (NIR)w/o
5 Flag of England.svg Ronnie O'Sullivan 1
10Flag of Scotland.svg  Stephen Maguire  (SCO)9
30Ulster Banner.svg  Joe Swail  (NIR)930Ulster Banner.svg  Joe Swail  (NIR)8
10 Flag of Scotland.svg Stephen Maguire 3
63Flag of Ireland.svg  Joe Delaney  (IRL)7
5 Flag of England.svg Ronnie O'Sullivan 9
5Flag of England.svg  Ronnie O'Sullivan  (ENG)9
27Flag of England.svg  Ian McCulloch  (ENG)636Flag of England.svg  Ricky Walden  (ENG)8
3 Flag of Scotland.svg Stephen Hendry 9
36Flag of England.svg  Ricky Walden  (ENG)9
2 Flag of Scotland.svg Graeme Dott 7
7Flag of England.svg  Shaun Murphy  (ENG)3
20Flag of Scotland.svg  Alan McManus  (SCO)920Flag of Scotland.svg  Alan McManus  (SCO)9
Flag of Scotland.svg Alan McManus 7
48Flag of Scotland.svg  Marcus Campbell  (SCO)5
12 Flag of England.svg Steve Davis 9
12Flag of England.svg  Steve Davis  (ENG)9
31Flag of England.svg  Andy Hicks  (ENG)354Flag of Scotland.svg  Jamie Burnett  (SCO)5
12 Flag of England.svg Steve Davis 6
54Flag of Scotland.svg  Jamie Burnett  (SCO)9
2 Flag of Scotland.svg Graeme Dott 9
14Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Neil Robertson  (AUS)5
21Flag of England.svg  Nigel Bond  (ENG)550Flag of Finland.svg  Robin Hull  (FIN)9
50 Flag of Finland.svg Robin Hull 1
50Flag of Finland.svg  Robin Hull  (FIN)9
2 Flag of Scotland.svg Graeme Dott 9
2Flag of Scotland.svg  Graeme Dott  (SCO)9
22Flag of England.svg  Michael Holt  (ENG)059Flag of Scotland.svg  Scott MacKenzie  (SCO)2
59Flag of Scotland.svg  Scott MacKenzie  (SCO)9

Final

Scores in bold indicate winning frame scores and the winning competitor. Breaks over 50 are shown in brackets. [3] [6]

Final: Best of 19 frames [6] Referee: Jan Verhaas [61]
Barbican Centre, York, England, 17 December 2006. [3] [6]
Peter Ebdon (8)
Flag of England.svg  England 		10–6 Stephen Hendry (3)
Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland
Afternoon: 0–89 (51), 59–47, 38–59 (59), 48–60, 66–22 (60), 83–0 (83), 135–0 (135), 49–77 (52)
Evening:68–34, 79–33, 52–7, 72–35 (64), 51–59, 1–116 (116), 75–5, 70–1 (70)
135Highest break116
1Century breaks1
550+ breaks4

Qualifying

The qualifying took place between 14 and 19 November at Pontins in Prestatyn. Players in bold denote match winners. [6] [7]

Round 1
Best of 17 frames		Round 2
Best of 17 frames		Round 3
Best of 17 frames
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Liu Song  (CHN)9Flag of England.svg  Joe Jogia  (ENG)7Flag of Scotland.svg  Drew Henry  (SCO)8
Ulster Banner.svg Dermot McGlinchey (NIR)5Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Liu Song  (CHN)9Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Liu Song  (CHN)9
Flag of England.svg  Chris Melling  (ENG)3Ulster Banner.svg  Mark Allen  (NIR)9Flag of England.svg  Barry Pinches  (ENG)9
Flag of England.svg  James Leadbetter  (ENG)9Flag of England.svg  James Leadbetter  (ENG)5Ulster Banner.svg  Mark Allen  (NIR)4
Flag of England.svg  Lee Spick  (ENG)8Flag of England.svg  Rory McLeod  (ENG)9Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Dominic Dale  (WAL)7
Flag of Thailand.svg  Passakorn Suwannawat  (THA)9Flag of Thailand.svg  Passakorn Suwannawat  (THA)4Flag of England.svg  Rory McLeod  (ENG)9
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Tian Pengfei  (CHN)9Flag of England.svg  David Gilbert  (ENG)9Flag of England.svg  John Parrott  (ENG)9
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg  Mohammed Shehab  (UAE)6Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Tian Pengfei  (CHN)3Flag of England.svg  David Gilbert  (ENG)8
Flag of England.svg  Paul Wykes  (ENG)7Flag of Pakistan.svg  Shokat Ali  (PAK)4Flag of England.svg  Adrian Gunnell  (ENG)9
Flag of England.svg  Sean Storey  (ENG)9Flag of England.svg  Sean Storey  (ENG)9Flag of England.svg  Sean Storey  (ENG)8
Flag of England.svg  Judd Trump  (ENG)9Flag of England.svg  David Roe  (ENG)2Flag of England.svg  Rod Lawler  (ENG)9
Flag of Germany.svg  Patrick Einsle  (GER)0Flag of England.svg  Judd Trump  (ENG)9Flag of England.svg  Judd Trump  (ENG)7
Flag of Scotland.svg  Robert Stephen  (SCO)4Flag of England.svg  Andrew Norman  (ENG)5Flag of Ireland.svg  Michael Judge  (IRL)9
Flag of England.svg  Peter Lines  (ENG)9Flag of England.svg  Peter Lines  (ENG)9Flag of England.svg  Peter Lines  (ENG)1
Flag of England.svg  Chris Norbury  (ENG)6Flag of England.svg  Mike Dunn  (ENG)9Flag of England.svg  Mark Davis  (ENG)5
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Jamie Jones  (WAL)9Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Jamie Jones  (WAL)4Flag of England.svg  Mike Dunn  (ENG)9
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Ian Preece  (WAL)9Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Paul Davies  (WAL)8Flag of England.svg  Dave Harold  (ENG)9
Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Roy Stolk  (NLD)8Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Ian Preece  (WAL)9Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Ian Preece  (WAL)3
Flag of England.svg  Alfie Burden  (ENG)4Flag of England.svg  Jimmy Michie  (ENG)9Ulster Banner.svg  Gerard Greene  (NIR)9
Flag of England.svg  Ben Woollaston  (ENG)9Flag of England.svg  Ben Woollaston  (ENG)5Flag of England.svg  Jimmy Michie  (ENG)7
Flag of England.svg  Andrew Higginson  (ENG)9Flag of Ireland.svg  Joe Delaney  (IRL)9Flag of Ireland.svg  Fergal O'Brien  (IRL)7
Flag of Scotland.svg  Mark Boyle  (SCO)4Flag of England.svg  Andrew Higginson  (ENG)5Flag of Ireland.svg  Joe Delaney  (IRL)9
Flag of England.svg  Paul Davison  (ENG)5Flag of Malta.svg  Tony Drago  (MLT)9Flag of England.svg  Ricky Walden  (ENG)9
Flag of Thailand.svg  Issara Kachaiwong  (THA)9Flag of Thailand.svg  Issara Kachaiwong  (THA)7Flag of Malta.svg  Tony Drago  (MLT)1
Flag of England.svg  Lee Page  (ENG)5Flag of England.svg  Stuart Pettman  (ENG)6Flag of Scotland.svg  Marcus Campbell  (SCO)9
Flag of Ireland.svg  David Morris  (IRL)9Flag of Ireland.svg  David Morris  (IRL)9Flag of Ireland.svg  David Morris  (IRL)8
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Liang Wenbo  (CHN)9Flag of Scotland.svg  Jamie Burnett  (SCO)9Flag of England.svg  Jamie Cope  (ENG)4
Flag of Malta.svg  Alex Borg  (MLT)4Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Liang Wenbo  (CHN)7Flag of Scotland.svg  Jamie Burnett  (SCO)9
Flag of England.svg  Mark Joyce  (ENG)6Flag of Finland.svg  Robin Hull  (FIN)9Flag of England.svg  Jimmy White  (ENG)4
Flag of England.svg  Jeff Cundy  (ENG)9Flag of England.svg  Jeff Cundy  (ENG)8Flag of Finland.svg  Robin Hull  (FIN)9
Flag of England.svg  Matthew Couch  (ENG)6Flag of Scotland.svg  Scott MacKenzie  (SCO)9Flag of England.svg  Tom Ford  (ENG)7
Flag of New Zealand.svg  Dene O'Kane  (NZL)9Flag of New Zealand.svg  Dene O'Kane  (NZL)3Flag of Scotland.svg  Scott MacKenzie  (SCO)9

Century breaks

Televised stage centuries

A total of 72 century breaks were achieved by 27 different players during the course of the 2006 UK Championship. [6]

Qualifying stage centuries

A total of 27 different players made a total of 40 century breaks in the course of the qualifying rounds of the event. [6]

Notes

  1. ↑ Ronnie O'Sullivan forfeited his quarter-final match against Stephen Hendry by walking out when Hendry was ahead 4–1. The match was handed to Hendry as a 9–1 victory as a result of O'Sullivan's default. [44]

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The World Snooker Championship is the longest-running and most prestigious tournament in professional snooker. It is also the richest, with total prize money of £2,395,000 in 2023, including £500,000 for the winner. First held in 1927, it is now one of the three tournaments that make up snooker's Triple Crown Series. The reigning world champion is Luca Brecel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Ebdon</span> Retired English snooker player, 2002 world champion

Peter David Ebdon is an English retired professional snooker player who is a former world champion and current coach. Ebdon won nine ranking titles during his career, placing him in joint 12th position on the all-time list of ranking tournament winners. He won two Triple Crown titles, the 2002 World Snooker Championship and the 2006 UK Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graeme Dott</span> Scottish professional snooker player, 2006 world champion

Graeme Dott is a Scottish professional snooker player and snooker coach from Larkhall. He turned professional in 1994 and first entered the top 16 in 2001. He has won two ranking titles, the 2006 World Snooker Championship and the 2007 China Open, and was runner-up in the World Championships of 2004 and 2010. He reached number 2 in the world rankings in 2007, but a subsequent episode of clinical depression seriously affected his form, causing him to drop to number 28 for the 2009–10 season. He then recovered his form, regained his top-16 ranking, and reached a third World Championship final. In 2011, he published his autobiography, Frame of Mind: The Autobiography of the World Snooker Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 World Snooker Championship</span> Snooker tournament

The 2006 World Snooker Championship was a professional ranking snooker tournament that was held at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. It started on 15 April 2006 and was scheduled to finish on 1 May 2006, but continued into the early hours of 2 May, ending at 12:52 a.m. BST. The final broke the record for the latest finish time in a World Snooker Championship final – 29 minutes later than the 1985 final – although it was not the longest-ever final.

The 2005 World Snooker Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. The tournament started on 16 April, and ended on 2 May 2005. The event was the eighth and final world ranking event of the 2004–05 snooker season, following the 2005 China Open. The event was organised by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Due to laws banning advertising cigarettes in Great Britain, this was the last time the event was sponsored by the cigarette company Embassy. The event had a prize fund of £1,121,800, with the winner receiving £250,000.

The 2004 World Snooker Championship was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 17 April and 3 May 2004 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England.

The 2003 World Snooker Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 19 April to 5 May 2003 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. It was the final ranking event of the 2002–03 snooker season. This was the 27th consecutive year that the World Snooker Championship had been held at the Crucible, marking the 26th anniversary of the first staging of the event at this venue. The championships were sponsored by cigarette manufacturer Embassy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2002 World Snooker Championship</span> Snooker tournament, held April/May 2002

The 2002 World Snooker Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 20 April to 6 May 2002 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. It was the final ranking event of the 2001–02 snooker season. This was the 26th consecutive year that the World Snooker Championship had been held at the Crucible, marking the 25th anniversary of the first staging of the event at this venue. The championship was sponsored by cigarette manufacturer Embassy.

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.

The 2004 Masters was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament held in February 2004. It was the 30th staging of the Masters tournament, one of three Triple Crown events on the Snooker Tour, the eighth of fifteen World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) events in the 2003/2004 season, and was held at the Wembley Conference Centre in London, United Kingdom from 1 to 8 February 2004. The tournament was broadcast in the United Kingdom by the BBC.

<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 2011 World Snooker Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place between 16 April and 2 May 2011 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. It was the 35th consecutive year that the World Snooker Championship had been held at the Crucible and was the last ranking event of the 2010–11 snooker season. The event was organised by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association and had a total prize fund of £1,111,000, with £250,000 going to the winner of the event. The tournament was sponsored by sports betting company Betfred.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 World Snooker Championship</span> Snooker tournament, held 2013

The 2013 World Snooker Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 20 April to 6 May 2013 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. It was the 37th consecutive year the Crucible had hosted the World Snooker Championship; the 2013 event was the last ranking tournament of the 2012–13 snooker season. Sports betting company Betfair sponsored the event for the first time.

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.

The 2001 Irish Masters was a professional invitational snooker tournament which was held at the Citywest Hotel in Saggart, Dublin, from 27 March to 1 April. It was the 24th Irish Masters and the fifth and final World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association invitational event in the 2000–01 snooker season. The tournament was co-sponsored by the Health Promotion Unit and the Office of Tobacco Control of the Department of Health and Children and hotel group Citywest.

The 2001 Scottish Masters was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament which took place at the Thistle Hotel in Glasgow, Scotland, from 18 to 23 September 2001. It was the first time the tournament was played in Glasgow since the 1989 edition. The competition was the second of four invitational World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) events of the 2001–02 season. It was broadcast on BBC Scotland and Eurosport and was sponsored by the cigarette brand Regal.

<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 (22).

References

  1. 1 2 3 "A Brief History of the UK Championship". Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 30 September 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  2. ↑ "Betway UK Championship". World Snooker. Archived from the original on 15 May 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Maplin Electronics UK Championship 2006". Snooker.org. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  4. ↑ "ABTA Conference brief: Maplin Electronics to sponsor World Snooker". Campaign . 6 December 2006. Archived from the original on 16 February 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "2006 UK Championship – Draw". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 24 December 2008. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
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  9. ↑ "Day books clash with defending champion". South Wales Echo . 5 December 2006. Archived from the original on 16 February 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
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  14. ↑ "Superb Perry thumps Judge in York". BBC Sport. 5 December 2006. Archived from the original on 7 December 2006. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
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