Held in the Barbican Centre in York, the UK snooker Championships are a headline event in the snooker calendar.
The tournament has been hosted in a number of different venues since its first edition back in 1977 with Ronnie O’Sullivan the most successful player in the history the UK Championships with seven titles.
Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry follow O’Sullivan at six and five titles respectively.
O’Sullivan, arguably the greatest snooker player ever, was victorious at the UK Championship 2018. Last season’s wasn’t a classic, but The Rocket certainly features on our list of the greatest UK Championship finals…
2014: Ronnie O'Sullivan 10-9 Judd Trump
O’Sullivan’s fifth UK Championship title was the most eventful final he’s played in the tournament.
Facing the immensely talented Judd Trump, the snooker was fast-paced and the standard incredibly high. O’Sullivan pulled away to a 5-1 lead and looked to be on his way to an easy victory.
Trump quickly nipped that in the bud, though, winning the final two frames of the session to leave it poised at 5-3.
The Rocket got back into rhythm after that, building a 9-4 lead, which looked unassailable. Four straight frames for Trump turned the match on its head with O’Sullivan helpless to Trump’s supreme break building.
O’Sullivan made a clutch break of 51 to snatch the deciding frame and his fifth UK Championship.
1983: Alex Higgins 16-15 Steve Davis
Alex Higgins and Steve Davis were long-time rivals. Higgins a charismatic entertainer, Davis a master of safety. The pair had two world titles apiece when they clashed in the 1983 UK Championship final.
Davis established a 7-0 lead and looked to have as good as secured the trophy for a third time. Higgins, a thrilling break builder and talented potter, had other ideas.
The Hurricane blew Davis away, notching clearance after clearance to level the match at 8-8 and 12-12. It eventually reached 15-15, setting up a decisive frame.
What followed might the most famous match in tournament history. Davis missed a long pot, setting Higgins up. Continuing the way he’d played in the second half of the match, Higgins won the frame to secure the most improbable of victories.
2010: John Higgins 10-9 Mark Williams
John Higgins has achieved it all in his career. Nothing comes close to the comeback against Mark Williams in the 2010 UK Championship final, however.
With Williams searching for his third UK crown, Higgins was not only up against it – he was almost out of the match altogether at 9-5 down. Having got it back to 9-7, Higgins needed a snooker to keep his title hopes alive. He got it.
The final frame swung one way and the other. It eventually got to a tactical battle on the colours, and Higgins took a risk, opting for a double on the brown. He sunk the brown and potted the blue and pink to defy the odds and lift the trophy.
Some online betting backers of Higgins will have celebrated as much as he did when he won the 19th frame.
2002: Mark Williams 10-9 Ken Doherty
Ken Doherty was thrashed 10-1 by Ronnie O’Sullivan in 2001. He made his way back to the final for a meeting with Welshman Mark Williams in 2002; Williams had defeated Peter Ebdon and Stephen Hendry on his route to the final.
Williams and Doherty played some of their best snooker in the 2002 final. Doherty was renowned for his safety game, and the very best of it was on show as he tried to reign in the long potting of Williams.
It was safety that let Doherty down in the deciding 19th frame, however, as he went in-off. Williams proceeded to clear the table after knocking down a long red and win his second UK crown.
1979: John Virgo 14-13 Terry Griffiths
John Virgo only has one major title to his name and it came in dramatic fashion. Having led 11-7, Virgo made a mistake that could’ve been a career destroyer.
Failing to check the start time of a session, Virgo turned up late and was docked two frames as a result, putting the score to 11-9.
Terry Griffiths took advantage of a flustered Virgo to tie the score at 11-11. It was a best-of-five match for the title.
Virgo pulled himself together after the timing mishap to outdo reigning world champion Griffiths in the final sets, winning a decider to secure his only major.
1990: Stephen Hendry 16-15 Steve Davis
Stephen Hendry got the better of Steve Davis in a cracking final in 1989. Hendry proved himself as the real deal in ’89 and Davis came back looking for revenge in the 1990 final meeting.
The two best players in the sport duelled all the way to a decider. Davis took a 15-14 lead, putting him a single frame away from toppling Hendry.
In the 30th frame, Davis had a golden opportunity to seal the match, but he went into the pack and it didn’t work out – his break ended and Hendry cleared up to send it to a deciding 31st frame.
The drama was lacking in the final frame, but that was no fault of Davis’. Hendry cruised his way to a break of 98 to defend his title.
*Credit for the main photo belongs to Kin Cheung / AP Photo*
