Wikipedia

2008 World Snooker Championship

The 2008 World Snooker Championship (also referred to as the 2008 888.com World Snooker Championship for the purposes of sponsorship) 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.

2008 888.com World Snooker Championship
Tournament information
Dates19 April – 5 May 2008 (2008-04-19 – 2008-05-05)
VenueCrucible Theatre
CitySheffield
CountryEngland
OrganisationWPBSA
FormatRanking event
Total prize fund£1,050,000
Winner's share£250,000
Highest break Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) (147)
 Ali Carter (ENG) (147)
Final
Champion Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG)
Runner-up Ali Carter (ENG)
Score18–8
← 2007
2009 →

Qualifying for the event took place between 6 and 11 January at Pontin's in Prestatyn, Wales. Sixteen players progressed from a four-round qualification tournament to meet a further sixteen seeded players. John Higgins was the defending champion who had won his second championship the previous year, defeating Mark Selby in the final 18–13. This year, Higgins lost in the second round 9–13 to Ryan Day. Ronnie O'Sullivan defeated Ali Carter in the final 18–8 to win his 20th ranking title.

Overview

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The World Snooker Championship is an annual cue sport tournament and the official world championship of the game of snooker.[1] Founded in the late 19th century by British Army soldiers stationed in India,[2] the sport was popular in Great Britain.[3] In modern times it has been played worldwide, especially in East and Southeast Asian nations such as China, Hong Kong and Thailand.[4] The event was sponsored by 888.com.[5]

In the 2008 tournament, 32 professional players competed in one-on-one snooker matches played over several frames, using a single-elimination tournament format.[6] The 32 players were selected for the event using the snooker world rankings and a pre-tournament qualification competition.[7] In 1927, the first world championship was won by Joe Davis. The event's final took place in Camkin's Hall, Birmingham, England.[5][8] Since 1977, the event has been held at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England.[9] The event was organised by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association.[10][11] Scotsman John Higgins was the defending champion, having defeated Mark Selby 18–13 in the previous years final.[12]

Format

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The 2008 World Snooker Championship took place from 19 April to 5 May 2008 in Sheffield, England. The tournament was the last of seven ranking events in the 2007–08 snooker season on the World Snooker Tour.[13] It featured a 32-player main draw that was held at the Crucible Theatre, as well as a qualifying draw that was played at the Pontin's, Prestatyn Sands, from 6 to 11 January.[6] This was the 32nd consecutive year that the tournament had been staged at the Crucible.[14]

The top 16 players in the latest world rankings automatically qualified for the main draw as seeded players.[15][a] Higgins was seeded first overall as the defending champion, and the remaining 15 seeds were allocated based on the latest world rankings.[15] The number of frames required to win a match increased throughout the tournament. The first round consisted of best-of-19-frames matches, with the final match being played over a maximum of 35 frames.[16] All 16 non-seeded spots in the main draw were filled with players from the qualifying rounds.[6] The event was broadcast by the BBC and Eurosport in Europe.[16]

Prize fund

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The breakdown of prize money for this year is shown below:[6][17]

Tournament summary

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Early rounds

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The first round was played between 20 and 24 April as the best of 19 frames, held over two sessions.[18] Defending champion John Higgins defeated Matthew Stevens 10–5,[19] but runner-up Mark Selby was knocked out by qualifier Mark King 10–8.[20][21] Ding Junhui's 10–9 victory over Marco Fu was his first ever win at the Crucible.[22] Stephen Maguire took the first eight frames in the first session of his first round match against Anthony Hamilton, before Hamilton won frame 9. Maguire won the match 10–3.[6] Three players were making their debuts at the event; Jamie Cope,[23] Liu Chuang[24] and Liang Wenbo.[25] Of the three, Wenbo won their first round match, as he defeated Ken Doherty 10–5. The defeat caused Doherty to drop out of the top 16 of the World Rankings for the first time since the 1992/93 season.[26] Cope lost in a deciding frame to Peter Ebdon, despite having led 5–2 earlier in the match.[27]

The second round was played from 24 to 28 April as the best of 25 frames, held over three sessions.[18] Defending champion Higgins was defeated by Ryan Day 9–13. This was the first time Day had progressed to the quarter-finals at the event.[28] Ronnie O'Sullivan made a maximum break against Mark Williams in the final frame of his 13–7 win.[29] That achievement made O'Sullivan the first player to have scored three 147s at the venue. Williams, ranked twelfth in the world before the tournament, fell out of the top 16 after the loss.[30] Hendry reached the quarter-finals for the seventeenth time in his career, after a 13–7 win over Ding Junhui.[31] Maguire also won the first eight frames of the match in his second round clash with Neil Robertson, which he won 13–7.[6] Leading at 12–10, Liang Wenbo punched the air in celebration as he potted match ball. However, his opponent, Joe Swail earned the snookers he required, and also won the next frame to force the match into a deciding frame. Swail missed a brown ball allowing Wenbo to win the match 13–12. After the match, Swail complained bitterly that in the final frame the referee had incorrectly replaced the cue ball after calling a miss, giving Liang an easier escape from a snooker, and accused Liang of unprofessional conduct for not pointing out the referee's mistake.[32]

Later rounds (Quarter-finals–final)

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Ronnie O'Sullivan won the event, his third win at the event

The quarter-finals were played on 29 and 30 April as the best of 25 frames held over three sessions.[18] Carter made a maximum break in his 13–9 win over Ebdon.[33] His opponent came very close to a maximum of his own just a frame earlier, but narrowly missed the fifteenth black. Just minutes before on the other table, Stephen Hendry was also attempting a maximum of his own but also missed the fifteenth red.[34] Hendry reached the 12th Crucible semi-final of his career after a 13–7 win over Day, setting a record for one-table appearances that still stands.[35] Wenbo was the first player from mainland China to reach the quarter-finals of the world championships, but lost 7–13 to O'Sullivan.[34] Perry defeated Maguire on a deciding frame 13–12.[36]

The semi-finals were played from the 1 to 3 May as the best of 33 frames.[18] After tying the first session 4–4, O'Sullivan completed an 8–0 whitewash over Hendry in their second session, and won the first frame of session three, meaning that O'Sullivan had won twelve consecutive frames from 1–4 down to 13–4 in front. At one point O'Sullivan scored 448 points without reply. This was the first time Hendry had lost every frame in a full session at the Crucible.[37] O'Sullivan won the match 17–6 with a session to spare.[38] Carter reached his first ranking final by defeating Perry 17–15.[39]

The final was played on 4 and 5 May between O'Sullivan and Carter.[18] Both men were English for the first time since the 1991 event, when John Parrott defeated Jimmy White 18–11.[40] O'Sullivan led 11–5 after the first day's play and won the match 18–8.[41] This was O'Sullivan's third world championship joining Steve Davis and Hendry having won more than two World titles at the Crucible; and was his 20th career ranking title.[40][42] In post-match interviews, both players admitted to not having played particularly well, with O'Sullivan commenting "Ali and I are disappointed not to put on a better performance". Carter's performance was described as "jaded".[41] The win also gave O'Sullivan the top spot in the world rankings.[43]

Main draw

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Shown below are the results for each round. The numbers in parentheses beside some of the players are their seeding ranks.[6][7]

First round
Best of 19 frames		Second round
Best of 25 frames		Quarter-finals
Best of 25 frames		Semi-finals
Best of 33 frames		Final
Best of 35 frames
19 April
  John Higgins (1)10
24, 25 & 26 April
  Matthew Stevens5
  John Higgins (1)9
20 & 21 April
  Ryan Day (16)13
  Ryan Day (16)10
29 & 30 April
  Michael Judge6
  Ryan Day (16)7
22 April
  Stephen Hendry (8)13
  Ding Junhui (9)10
25 & 26 April
  Marco Fu9
  Ding Junhui (9)7
20 & 21 April
  Stephen Hendry (8)13
  Stephen Hendry (8)10
1 & 2 May
  Mark Allen9
  Stephen Hendry (8)6
23 & 24 April
  Ronnie O'Sullivan (5)17
  Ronnie O'Sullivan (5)10
26, 27 & 28 April
  Liu Chuang5
  Ronnie O'Sullivan (5)13
21 & 22 April
  Mark Williams (12)7
  Mark Williams (12)10
29 & 30 April
  Mark Davis3
  Ronnie O'Sullivan (5)13
19 & 20 April
  Liang Wenbo7
  Stephen Lee (13)4
27 & 28 April
  Joe Swail10
  Joe Swail12
23 April
  Liang Wenbo13
  Ken Doherty (4)5
4 & 5 May
  Liang Wenbo10
  Ronnie O'Sullivan (5)18
22 & 23 April
  Ali Carter (14)8
  Shaun Murphy (3)10
25 & 26 April
  Dave Harold3
  Shaun Murphy (3)4
19 & 20 April
  Ali Carter (14)13
  Ali Carter (14)10
29 & 30 April
  Barry Hawkins9
  Ali Carter (14)13
21 & 22 April
  Peter Ebdon (6)9
  Mark Selby (11)8
24 & 25 April
  Mark King10
  Mark King9
19 & 20 April
  Peter Ebdon (6)13
  Peter Ebdon (6)10
1, 2 & 3 May
  Jamie Cope9
  Ali Carter (14)17
19 & 20 April
  Joe Perry15
  Neil Robertson (7)10
26, 27 & 28 April
  Nigel Bond4
  Neil Robertson (7)7
23 & 24 April
  Stephen Maguire (10)13
  Stephen Maguire (10)10
29 & 30 April
  Anthony Hamilton3
  Stephen Maguire (10)12
21 April
  Joe Perry13
  Steve Davis (15)8
27 & 28 April
  Stuart Bingham10
  Stuart Bingham9
22 & 23 April
  Joe Perry13
  Graeme Dott (2)7
  Joe Perry10
Final (Best of 35 frames) Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, 4 May & 5 May 2008. Referee: Jan Verhaas[44]
Ronnie O'Sullivan (5)
  England 		18–8 Ali Carter (14)
  England
81–56, 127–0, 99–0, 0–104, 86–4, 62–76, 65–18, 73–0, 78–0, 36–60, 86–4, 28–93, 45–80, 123–0, 77–32, 110–5, 66–48, 74–0, 25–64, 85–0, 0–84, 58–42, 4–89, 68–39, 75–32, 62–16 Century breaks: 2
(O'Sullivan 1, Carter 1)

Highest break by O'Sullivan: 106
Highest break by Carter: 104

81–56, 127–0, 99–0, 0–104, 86–4, 62–76, 65–18, 73–0, 78–0, 36–60, 86–4, 28–93, 45–80, 123–0, 77–32, 110–5, 66–48, 74–0, 25–64, 85–0, 0–84, 58–42, 4–89, 68–39, 75–32, 62–16
  Ronnie O'Sullivan wins the 2008 888.com World Snooker Championship

Qualification

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Preliminary qualifying

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The preliminary qualifying rounds for the tournament took place at Pontin's in Prestatyn, Wales between 3 and 5 January 2008.[6][45]

Round 1

  Phil Seaton 5–2   Donald Newcombe

Round 2

  Colin Mitchell 5–4   Phil Seaton
  Les Dodd 1–5   David Singh
  Adam Osbourne 0–5   Sean Storey
  Tony Knowles 5–1   Ali Bassiri
  Neil Selman 5–1   John Wilson
  Ian Stark 5–4   Del Smith
  Tony Brown 5–1   Christopher Flight
  Stephen Ormerod w/o–w/d   Paul Wykes

Round 3

  Colin Mitchell 5–3   David Singh
  Sean Storey 5–0   Tony Knowles
  Neil Selman 4–5   Ian Stark
  Tony Brown 3–5   Stephen Ormerod

Qualifying

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The qualifying rounds 1–4 for the tournament took place at Pontin's in Prestatyn, Wales between 6 and 11 January 2008. The final round of qualifying took place at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield between 7 and 10 March.[6][45]

Round 1

  Patrick Wallace 10–1   Sean Storey
  Jimmy Robertson 10–5   Stephen Ormerod
  Rodney Goggins 10–4   Ian Stark
  Liu Chuang 10–0   Colin Mitchell

Rounds 2–5

Round 2
Best of 19 frames		Round 3
Best of 19 frames		Round 4
Best of 19 frames		Round 5
Best of 19 frames
  Alex Davies10  Ian Preece10  Adrian Gunnell10  Stuart Bingham10
  Steve Mifsud2  Alex Davies9  Ian Preece9  Adrian Gunnell3
  Mark Joyce10  Jimmy Michie10  Michael Judge10  Michael Holt6
  Patrick Wallace8  Mark Joyce4  Jimmy Michie6  Michael Judge10
  James McBain10  Marcus Campbell9  Fergal O'Brien10  Jamie Cope10
  Kevin Van Hove2  James McBain10  James McBain4  Fergal O'Brien5
  Tian Pengfei10  Mike Dunn10  Andrew Norman2  Dave Harold10
  Ashley Wright4  Tian Pengfei2  Mike Dunn10  Mike Dunn4
  Munraj Pal8  David Roe10  Andy Hicks10  Barry Hawkins10
  Xiao Guodong10  Xiao Guodong5  David Roe5  Andy Hicks8
  Matthew Selt10  Jimmy White10  A Higginson7  Mark King10
  Fraser Patrick6  Matthew Selt4  Jimmy White10  Jimmy White3
  Liu Song10  Scott MacKenzie10  James Wattana8  Anthony Hamilton10
  Jimmy Robertson6  Liu Song5  Scott MacKenzie10  Scott MacKenzie2
  Kurt Maflin9  Paul Davies8  John Parrott10  Joe Perry10
  Gareth Coppack10  Gareth Coppack10  Gareth Coppack3  John Parrott8
  Shailesh Jogia4  Barry Pinches10  Robert Milkins4  Nigel Bond10
  Michael White10  Michael White4  Barry Pinches10  Barry Pinches7
  Lee Spick9  Judd Trump10  Jamie Burnett2  Joe Swail10
  Rodney Goggins10  Rodney Goggins4  Judd Trump10  Judd Trump9
  Jamie O'Neill8  Stuart Pettman4  Rory McLeod10  Matthew Stevens10
  Martin Gould10  Martin Gould10  Martin Gould8  Rory McLeod5
  Liang Wenbo10  Rod Lawler6  Dave Gilbert3  Ian McCulloch5
  Ben Woollaston3  Liang Wenbo10  Liang Wenbo10  Liang Wenbo10
  Lee Walker9  Joe Delaney5  David Gray5  Dominic Dale9
  Liu Chuang10  Liu Chuang10  Liu Chuang10  Liu Chuang10
  Leo Fernandez10  Drew Henry2  Mark Davis10  Gerard Greene2
  Alfred Burden4  Leo Fernandez10  Leo Fernandez9  Mark Davis10
  David Morris9  Robin Hull  Alan McManus10  Marco Fu10
  Supoj Saenla10  Supoj SaenlaW/O  Supoj Saenla2  Alan McManus3
  Tony Drago9  Tom Ford5  Ricky Walden10  Mark Allen10
  I Kachaiwong10  I Kachaiwong10  I Kachaiwong4  Ricky Walden8

Century breaks

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Televised stage centuries

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The highest break received a prize of £10,000, and a maximum break received a prize of £147,000 – a total of £157,000. This prize was shared, as two players made a 147, winning £78,500 each. In total there were 63 century breaks made at this year's world championships. O'Sullivan and Carter both made a maximum break during the event.[6]

Qualifying stage centuries

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The highest break in qualifying was a 139 made by Patrick Wallace.[6]

Notes

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  1. ^ In the event of the defending champion being ranked outside the top 16, he would replace the player ranked world number 16 as an automatic qualifier.[15]

References

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  1. ^ "Why Sheffield truly is the 'home of snooker' as World Championship gets underway". thestar.co.uk. 18 April 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  2. ^ Clare, Peter (2008). "Origins of Snooker". Billiard & Snooker Heritage Collection. Archived from the original on 3 January 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  3. ^ Everton, Clive (1991). Snooker and Billiards: Techniques, Tactics and Training (Crowood Sports Guides). The Crowood Press. Chapter 1. ISBN 978-1-85223-480-5
  4. ^ "The Rise Of China – World Snooker". World Snooker. 26 February 2018. Archived from the original on 19 April 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  5. ^ a b Turner, Chris. "World Professional Championship". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "World Snooker Championship 2008". Global Snooker. Archived from the original on 10 March 2011. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  7. ^ a b "888.Com World Championship 2008". Snooker.org. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  8. ^ "1927 World Professional Championship". globalsnookercentre.co.uk. Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 10 October 2004. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  9. ^ Historic England. "The Crucible Theatre (1392311)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  10. ^ Digital, TLC. "World Snooker Championship Betting Tips & Odds Guide (2020)". ThePuntersPage.com. Archived from the original on 4 October 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  11. ^ Gratton, Chris; Solberg, Harry Arne (11 June 2007). The Economics of Sports Broadcasting. Routledge. ISBN 9781134325603. Archived from the original on 11 August 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2020 – via Google Books.
  12. ^ "Higgins beats brave Selby in epic". BBC Sport. 8 May 2007. Archived from the original on 23 April 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  13. ^ "The 2007/2008 Season". Snooker.org. Archived from the original on 27 March 2010. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
  14. ^ "History". worldsnooker.com. Archived from the original on 25 June 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  15. ^ a b c Everton, Clive. "2008 World Snooker Championship". Snooker Scene. No. April 2008.
  16. ^ a b "WWW Snooker: 888.Com World Championship 2008". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  17. ^ Downer, Chris (2012). Crucible Almanac. p. 130.
  18. ^ a b c d e "Drawsheet/ Results". worldsnooker.com. Archived from the original on 11 July 2008. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  19. ^ Casey, Phil. "Higgins wary of Stevens threat". Sporting Life. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  20. ^ Roopanarine, Les (22 April 2008). "King reigns supreme as Selby makes early exit". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  21. ^ King, John (20 April 2008). "Red has Matt feeling blue". Sunday Mirror on Find Articles. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  22. ^ "Ding Junhui". betfred.com. Betfred. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  23. ^ "Higgins shrugs off early nerves to thwart Stevens' fightback". The Independent on Sunday. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  24. ^ "End Of The World For White". Global Snooker. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  25. ^ "Liang stuns Doherty; Liu hangs on". China Internet Information Center. Archived from the original on 9 February 2011. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  26. ^ Everton, Clive (24 April 2008). "Liang downs off-form Doherty". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  27. ^ "Snooker: Allen edges Hendry towards exit". The Guardian. 21 April 2008. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  28. ^ Yates, Phil (27 April 2008). "Cut of the cloth leaves Higgins out and angry". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  29. ^ Everton, Clive (28 April 2008). "O'Sullivan hits maximum to complete win". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  30. ^ "World Rankings 2008/2009". Snooker.org. Archived from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
  31. ^ Yates, Phil (28 April 2008). "Steady approach gets Stephen Hendry to last eight". The Times. Retrieved 12 September 2011.[dead link‍]
  32. ^ "Liang edges out Swail in classic". BBC Sport. 28 April 2008. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  33. ^ "Carter seals semi-final place". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 30 April 2008. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  34. ^ a b Everton, Clive (30 April 2008). "Carter's 'pure adrenaline rush' takes him to a maximum". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 11 February 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  35. ^ "O'Sullivan joins Carter, Perry and Hendry in semi-finals". Yorkshire Post. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  36. ^ "Maguire regrets discounting Perry". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 1 May 2008. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  37. ^ "O'Sullivan sends Hendry reeling". The Guardian. London. 2 May 2008. Archived from the original on 16 September 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  38. ^ Humphries, Adrian. "Brilliant Rocket 7–1 to win with a session to spare". Racing Post on TheFreeLibrary.com. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  39. ^ "Carter holds nerve to make final". BBC. 3 May 2008. Archived from the original on 22 November 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  40. ^ a b Turner, Chris. "World Professional Championship". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 April 2013. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  41. ^ a b "O'Sullivan wins third world title". BBC Sport. 5 May 2008. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  42. ^ "O'Sullivan completes world hat-trick". worldsnooker.com. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Archived from the original on 8 May 2008. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  43. ^ "O'Sullivan top of the world". worldsnooker.com. Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 16 May 2008.
  44. ^ Downer, Chris (2012). Crucible Almanac. p. 143.
  45. ^ a b Årdalen, Hermund. "888.com World Championship Qualifiers 2 (2008) - snooker.org". snooker.org. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
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