2008 World Snooker Championship

Overview

The World Snooker Championship is an annual cue sport tournament and the official world championship of the game of snooker. Founded in the late 19th century by British Army soldiers stationed in India, the sport became popular in Great Britain. In modern times it has been played worldwide, especially in East and Southeast Asian nations such as China, Hong Kong and Thailand. The 2008 event was sponsored by 888.com.

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

Format

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. It featured a 32-player main draw held at the Crucible Theatre, as well as a qualifying draw that was played at Prestatyn Sands Pontin's from 6 to 11 January. This was the 32nd consecutive year that the tournament had been staged at the Crucible.

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

Prize fund

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

• Winner: £250,000
• Runner-up: £125,000
• Semi-final: £52,000
• Quarter-final: £22,000
• Last 16: £14,000
• Last 32: £10,600
• Last 48: £7,400
• Last 64: £4,500
• Stage one highest break: £1,000
• Stage two highest break: £10,000
• Stage one maximum break: £5,000
• Stage two maximum break: £147,000
• Total: £1,050,000

Tournament summary

Early rounds

The first round was played between 20 and 24 April as the best of 19 frames, held over two . Defending champion John Higgins defeated Matthew Stevens 10–5, but the 2007 runner-up Mark Selby was knocked out by qualifier Mark King 10–8. Ding Junhui's 10–9 victory over Marco Fu was his first ever win at the Crucible. Stephen Maguire took the first eight frames of his first-round match against Anthony Hamilton, before Hamilton won frame nine. Maguire won the match 10–3. Three players were making their debuts at the event; Jamie Cope, Liu Chuang and Liang Wenbo. One of the three debutants, Wenbo, progressed to the second round 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. Cope lost in a to Peter Ebdon, despite having led 5–2 earlier in the match.

The second round was played from 24 to 28 April as the best of 25 frames, held over three sessions. 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. Ronnie O'Sullivan made a maximum break against Mark Williams in the final frame of his 13–7 win. The achievement made O'Sullivan the first player to have scored three 147s at the venue. Williams, ranked 12th in the world before the tournament, fell out of the top 16 after his second-round loss. Hendry reached the quarter-finals for the 17th time in his career, after a 13–7 win over Ding Junhui. Maguire also won the first eight frames of his second-round clash with Neil Robertson, which he won 13–7. Leading 12–10, Liang Wenbo punched the air in celebration as he potted . However, his opponent, Joe Swail earned the he required to win the frame and also won the next to force the match into a deciding frame. Swail missed a , allowing Wenbo to win the match 13–12. Afterwards, 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. He also accused Liang of unprofessional conduct for not pointing out the referee's mistake.

Later rounds (quarter-finals, semi-finals, final)

The quarter-finals were played on 29 and 30 April as the best of 25 frames held over three sessions. Carter made a maximum break in his 13–9 win over Ebdon. His opponent came very close to a maximum of his own just a frame earlier, but narrowly missed the 15th black. Just minutes before, on the other table, Stephen Hendry attempted a maximum of his own but also missed the 15th red. 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. Wenbo was the first player from mainland China to reach the quarter-finals of the World Championship, but he lost 7–13 to O'Sullivan. Perry defeated Maguire 13–12 on a deciding frame.

The semi-finals were played from 1 to 3 May as the best of 33 frames. 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 stage in the match, O'Sullivan had scored 448 points without reply. This was the first time Hendry had lost every frame in a full session at the Crucible. O'Sullivan won the match 17–6 with a . Carter reached his first ranking final by defeating Perry 17–15.

The final was played on 4 and 5 May between O'Sullivan and Carter. Both finalists were English for the first time since the 1991 event, when John Parrott defeated Jimmy White 18–11. O'Sullivan led 11–5 after the first day's play and won the match 18–8. 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". The win also gave O'Sullivan the top spot in the world rankings.

Main draw

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

Best of 19 frames Best of 25 frames Best of 25 frames Best of 33 frames Best of 35 frames |19 April|SCO John Higgins (1)|10 |WAL Matthew Stevens|5 |20 & 21 April|WAL Ryan Day (16)|10 |IRL Michael Judge|6 |22 April|PRC Ding Junhui (9)|10 |HKG Marco Fu|9 |20 & 21 April|SCO Stephen Hendry (8)|10 |NIR Mark Allen|9 |23 & 24 April|ENG Ronnie O'Sullivan (5)|10 |PRC Liu Chuang|5 |21 & 22 April|WAL Mark Williams (12)|10 |ENG Mark Davis|3 |19 & 20 April|ENG Stephen Lee (13)|4 |NIR Joe Swail|10 |23 April|IRL Ken Doherty (4)|5 |PRC Liang Wenbo|10 |22 & 23 April|ENG Shaun Murphy (3)|10 |ENG Dave Harold|3 |19 & 20 April|ENG Ali Carter (14)|10 |ENG Barry Hawkins|9 |21 & 22 April|ENG Mark Selby (11)|8 |ENG Mark King|10 |19 & 20 April|ENG Peter Ebdon (6)|10 |ENG Jamie Cope|9 |19 & 20 April|AUS Neil Robertson (7)|10 |ENG Nigel Bond|4 |23 & 24 April|SCO Stephen Maguire (10)|10 |ENG Anthony Hamilton|3 |21 April|ENG Steve Davis (15)|8 |ENG Stuart Bingham|10 |22 & 23 April|SCO Graeme Dott (2)|7 |ENG Joe Perry|10 |24, 25 & 26 April|SCO John Higgins (1)|9 |WAL Ryan Day (16)|13 |25 & 26 April|PRC Ding Junhui (9)|7 |SCO Stephen Hendry (8)|13 |26, 27 & 28 April|ENG Ronnie O'Sullivan (5)|13 |WAL Mark Williams (12)|7 |27 & 28 April|NIR Joe Swail|12 |CHN Liang Wenbo|13 |25 & 26 April|ENG Shaun Murphy (3)|4 |ENG Ali Carter (14)|13 |24 & 25 April|ENG Mark King|9 |ENG Peter Ebdon (6)|13 |26, 27 & 28 April|AUS Neil Robertson (7)|7 |SCO Stephen Maguire (10)|13 |27 & 28 April|ENG Stuart Bingham|9 |ENG Joe Perry|13 |29 & 30 April|WAL Ryan Day (16)|7 |SCO Stephen Hendry (8)|13 |29 & 30 April|ENG Ronnie O'Sullivan (5)|13 |CHN Liang Wenbo|7 |29 & 30 April|ENG Ali Carter (14)|13 |ENG Peter Ebdon (6)|9 |29 & 30 April|SCO Stephen Maguire (10)|12 |ENG Joe Perry|13 |1 & 2 May|SCO Stephen Hendry (8)|6 |ENG Ronnie O'Sullivan (5)|17 |1, 2 & 3 May|ENG Ali Carter (14)|17 |ENG Joe Perry|15 |4 & 5 May|ENG Ronnie O'Sullivan (5)|18|ENG Ali Carter (14)|8

|(Best of 35 frames) Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, 4 May & 5 May 2008. Referee: Jan Verhaas | Ronnie O'Sullivan (5)

| 18–8 | Ali Carter (14)

| 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 |ENG Ronnie O'Sullivan wins the 2008 888.com World Snooker Championship |Best of 19 frames |Best of 25 frames |Best of 25 frames |Best of 33 frames

Qualification

Preliminary qualifying

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

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Qualifying

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.

Round 1

Rounds 2–5 Best of 19 frames Best of 19 frames Best of 19 frames Best of 19 frames | team-width=150px | RD1-team01 = ENG Alex Davies | RD1-score01 = 10 | RD1-team02 = AUS Steve Mifsud | RD1-score02 = 2 | RD1-team03 = ENG Mark Joyce | RD1-score03 = 10 | RD1-team04 = NIR Patrick Wallace | RD1-score04 = 8 | RD1-team05 = SCO James McBain | RD1-score05 = 10 | RD1-team06 = BEL Kevin Van Hove | RD1-score06 = 2 | RD1-team07 = CHN Tian Pengfei | RD1-score07 = 10 | RD1-team08 = ENG Ashley Wright | RD1-score08 = 4 | RD1-team09 = ENG Munraj Pal | RD1-score09 = 8 | RD1-team10 = CHN Xiao Guodong | RD1-score10 = 10 | RD1-team11 = ENG Matthew Selt | RD1-score11 = 10 | RD1-team12 = SCO Fraser Patrick | RD1-score12 = 6 | RD1-team13 = CHN Liu Song | RD1-score13 = 10 | RD1-team14 = ENG Jimmy Robertson | RD1-score14 = 6 | RD1-team15 = NOR Kurt Maflin | RD1-score15 = 9 | RD1-team16 = WAL Gareth Coppack | RD1-score16 = 10 | RD1-team17 = ENG Shailesh Jogia | RD1-score17 = 4 | RD1-team18 = WAL Michael White | RD1-score18 = 10 | RD1-team19 = ENG Lee Spick | RD1-score19 = 9 | RD1-team20 = IRL Rodney Goggins | RD1-score20 = 10 | RD1-team21 = ENG Jamie O'Neill | RD1-score21 = 8 | RD1-team22 = ENG Martin Gould | RD1-score22 = 10 | RD1-team23 = CHN Liang Wenbo | RD1-score23 = 10 | RD1-team24 = ENG Ben Woollaston | RD1-score24 = 3 | RD1-team25 = WAL Lee Walker | RD1-score25 = 9 | RD1-team26 = CHN Liu Chuang | RD1-score26 = 10 | RD1-team27 = IRL Leo Fernandez | RD1-score27 = 10 | RD1-team28 = ENG Alfred Burden | RD1-score28 = 4 | RD1-team29 = IRL David Morris | RD1-score29 = 9 | RD1-team30 = THA Supoj Saenla | RD1-score30 = 10 | RD1-team31 = MLT Tony Drago | RD1-score31 = 9 | RD1-team32 = THA I Kachaiwong | RD1-score32 = 10 | RD2-team01 = WAL Ian Preece | RD2-score01 = 10 | RD2-team02 = ENG Alex Davies | RD2-score02 = 9 | RD2-team03 = ENG Jimmy Michie | RD2-score03 = 10 | RD2-team04 = ENG Mark Joyce | RD2-score04 = 4 | RD2-team05 = SCO Marcus Campbell | RD2-score05 = 9 | RD2-team06 = SCO James McBain | RD2-score06 = 10 | RD2-team07 = ENG Mike Dunn | RD2-score07 = 10 | RD2-team08 = CHN Tian Pengfei | RD2-score08 = 2 | RD2-team09 = ENG David Roe | RD2-score09 = 10 | RD2-team10 = CHN Xiao Guodong | RD2-score10 = 5 | RD2-team11 = ENG Jimmy White | RD2-score11 = 10 | RD2-team12 = ENG Matthew Selt | RD2-score12 = 4 | RD2-team13 = SCO Scott MacKenzie | RD2-score13 = 10 | RD2-team14 = CHN Liu Song | RD2-score14 = 5 | RD2-team15 = WAL Paul Davies | RD2-score15 = 8 | RD2-team16 = WAL Gareth Coppack | RD2-score16 = 10 | RD2-team17 = ENG Barry Pinches | RD2-score17 = 10 | RD2-team18 = WAL Michael White | RD2-score18 = 4 | RD2-team19 = ENG Judd Trump | RD2-score19 = 10 | RD2-team20 = IRL Rodney Goggins | RD2-score20 = 4 | RD2-team21 = ENG Stuart Pettman | RD2-score21 = 4 | RD2-team22 = ENG Martin Gould | RD2-score22 = 10 | RD2-team23 = ENG Rod Lawler | RD2-score23 = 6 | RD2-team24 = CHN Liang Wenbo | RD2-score24 = 10 | RD2-team25 = IRL Joe Delaney | RD2-score25 = 5 | RD2-team26 = CHN Liu Chuang | RD2-score26 = 10 | RD2-team27 = SCO Drew Henry | RD2-score27 = 2 | RD2-team28 = IRL Leo Fernandez | RD2-score28 = 10 | RD2-team29 = FIN Robin Hull | RD2-score29 = | RD2-team30 = THA Supoj Saenla | RD2-score30 = W/O | RD2-team31 = ENG Tom Ford | RD2-score31 = 5 | RD2-team32 = THA I Kachaiwong | RD2-score32 = 10 | RD3-team01 = ENG Adrian Gunnell | RD3-score01 = 10 | RD3-team02 = WAL Ian Preece | RD3-score02 = 9 | RD3-team03 = IRL Michael Judge | RD3-score03 = 10 | RD3-team04 = ENG Jimmy Michie | RD3-score04 = 6 | RD3-team05 = IRL Fergal O'Brien | RD3-score05 = 10 | RD3-team06 = SCO James McBain | RD3-score06 = 4 | RD3-team07 = ENG Andrew Norman | RD3-score07 = 2 | RD3-team08 = ENG Mike Dunn | RD3-score08 = 10 | RD3-team09 = ENG Andy Hicks | RD3-score09 = 10 | RD3-team10 = ENG David Roe | RD3-score10 = 5 | RD3-team11 = ENG A Higginson | RD3-score11 = 7 | RD3-team12 = ENG Jimmy White | RD3-score12 = 10 | RD3-team13 = THA James Wattana | RD3-score13 = 8 | RD3-team14 = SCO Scott MacKenzie | RD3-score14 = 10 | RD3-team15 = ENG John Parrott | RD3-score15 = 10 | RD3-team16 = WAL Gareth Coppack | RD3-score16 = 3 | RD3-team17 = ENG Robert Milkins | RD3-score17 = 4 | RD3-team18 = ENG Barry Pinches | RD3-score18 = 10 | RD3-team19 = SCO Jamie Burnett | RD3-score19 = 2 | RD3-team20 = ENG Judd Trump | RD3-score20 = 10 | RD3-team21 = ENG Rory McLeod | RD3-score21 = 10 | RD3-team22 = ENG Martin Gould | RD3-score22 = 8 | RD3-team23 = ENG Dave Gilbert | RD3-score23 = 3 | RD3-team24 = CHN Liang Wenbo | RD3-score24 = 10 | RD3-team25 = ENG David Gray | RD3-score25 = 5 | RD3-team26 = CHN Liu Chuang | RD3-score26 = 10 | RD3-team27 = ENG Mark Davis | RD3-score27 = 10 | RD3-team28 = IRL Leo Fernandez | RD3-score28 = 9 | RD3-team29 = SCO Alan McManus | RD3-score29 = 10 | RD3-team30 = THA Supoj Saenla | RD3-score30 = 2 | RD3-team31 = ENG Ricky Walden | RD3-score31 = 10 | RD3-team32 = THA I Kachaiwong | RD3-score32 = 4 | RD4-team01 = England Stuart Bingham | RD4-score01 = 10 | RD4-team02 = ENG Adrian Gunnell | RD4-score02 = 3 | RD4-team03 = England Michael Holt | RD4-score03 = 6 | RD4-team04 = IRL Michael Judge | RD4-score04 = 10 | RD4-team05 = England Jamie Cope | RD4-score05 = 10 | RD4-team06 = IRL Fergal O'Brien | RD4-score06 = 5 | RD4-team07 = England Dave Harold | RD4-score07 = 10 | RD4-team08 = ENG Mike Dunn | RD4-score08 = 4 | RD4-team09 = England Barry Hawkins | RD4-score09 = 10 | RD4-team10 = ENG Andy Hicks | RD4-score10 = 8 | RD4-team11 = England Mark King | RD4-score11 = 10 | RD4-team12 = ENG Jimmy White | RD4-score12 = 3 | RD4-team13 = England Anthony Hamilton | RD4-score13 = 10 | RD4-team14 = SCO Scott MacKenzie | RD4-score14 = 2 | RD4-team15 = England Joe Perry | RD4-score15 = 10 | RD4-team16 = ENG John Parrott | RD4-score16 = 8 | RD4-team17 = England Nigel Bond | RD4-score17 = 10 | RD4-team18 = ENG Barry Pinches | RD4-score18 = 7 | RD4-team19 = Northern Ireland Joe Swail | RD4-score19 = 10 | RD4-team20 = ENG Judd Trump | RD4-score20 = 9 | RD4-team21 = WAL Matthew Stevens | RD4-score21 = 10 | RD4-team22 = ENG Rory McLeod | RD4-score22 = 5 | RD4-team23 = England Ian McCulloch | RD4-score23 = 5 | RD4-team24 = CHN Liang Wenbo | RD4-score24 = 10 | RD4-team25 = WAL Dominic Dale | RD4-score25 = 9 | RD4-team26 = CHN Liu Chuang | RD4-score26 = 10 | RD4-team27 = Northern Ireland Gerard Greene | RD4-score27 = 2 | RD4-team28 = ENG Mark Davis | RD4-score28 = 10 | RD4-team29 = Hong Kong Marco Fu | RD4-score29 = 10 | RD4-team30 = SCO Alan McManus | RD4-score30 = 3 | RD4-team31 = Northern Ireland Mark Allen | RD4-score31 = 10 | RD4-team32 = ENG Ricky Walden | RD4-score32 = 8

Century breaks

Televised stage centuries

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.

• 147, 140, 138, 135, 133, 126, 123, 109, 106, 102, 102, 100 Ronnie O'Sullivan
• 147, 128, 128, 106, 104, 100 Ali Carter
• 143, 113, 109, 103 Peter Ebdon
• 140, 124, 112, 112, 110 Stephen Hendry
• 137 Stuart Bingham
• 133, 105 Joe Swail
• 132, 127, 121, 110, 104, 102 Joe Perry
• 131, 118, 112, 110, 100 Stephen Maguire
• 126, 101 Jamie Cope
• 126 Graeme Dott
• 125 Nigel Bond
• 123, 104 Liang Wenbo
• 121, 116, 112 Mark King
• 120, 103 John Higgins
• 114, 113 Ding Junhui
• 112 Matthew Stevens
• 108 Mark Selby
• 104 Ryan Day
• 104 Michael Judge
• 103, 100 Marco Fu
• 102 Mark Allen
• 102 Anthony Hamilton
• 102 Shaun Murphy

Qualifying stage centuries

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

• 139, 113, 103 Patrick Wallace
• 138 Leo Fernandez
• 138 Gerard Greene
• 137 Mark Davis
• 136, 112, 105, 101 Liang Wenbo
• 135 Rod Lawler
• 132, 110 Dominic Dale
• 132, 103 Andy Hicks
• 129, 100 Alex Davies
• 127 Xiao Guodong
• 126 Robert Milkins
• 123, 107 Matthew Stevens
• 122 Rory McLeod
• 119 Adrian Gunnell
• 118 Michael White
• 116 Marco Fu
• 112 Jamie Burnett
• 112 Fergal O'Brien
• 110 Tom Ford
• 109 Michael Judge
• 109 Ian McCulloch
• 109 Steve Mifsud
• 109 Munraj Pal
• 108 Liu Chuang
• 106 David Roe
• 105 Marcus Campbell
• 104 Mark Allen
• 104 Tian Pengfei
• 103 Jamie O'Neill
• 102, 101, 100 Ian Preece
• 101 James McBain
• 101 Joe Perry
• 101 Jimmy White
• 100 Anthony Hamilton

Notes

References

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