1999 World Snooker Championship

The 1999 World Snooker Championship (also referred to as the 1999 Embassy World Snooker Championship for the purposes of sponsorship) was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 17 April and 3 May 1999 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England.

Embassy World Snooker Championship
Tournament information
Dates17 April – 3 May 1999 (1999-04-17 – 1999-05-03)
VenueCrucible Theatre
CitySheffield
CountryEngland
OrganisationWPBSA
FormatRanking event
Total prize fund£1,400,000
Winner's share£230,000
Highest break John Higgins (SCO) (142)
Final
Champion Stephen Hendry (SCO)
Runner-up Mark Williams (WAL)
Score18–11
1998
2000

John Higgins was the defending champion, but he lost in the semi-finals 10–17 against Mark Williams and became another World Champion who fell to the "Crucible curse" and could not defend his first World title.

Stephen Hendry won his seventh and final World title by defeating Mark Williams in the final by 18 frames to 11.[1] The tournament was sponsored by cigarette manufacturer Embassy.

Tournament summary edit

  • Stephen Hendry won the world title for a seventh time, a record in the modern era, beating Ray Reardon and Steve Davis' six titles. Hendry won all his titles in the 1990s while Davis won his six in the 1980s and Reardon won his in the 1970s.[2]
  • During his first round match, Steve James compiled the 500th century break at the Crucible in frame seven.[3]
  • Ronnie O'Sullivan came close to a maximum break in his semi-final match with Hendry. He missed the last pink to the middle pocket and his break ended at 134.[4]
  • O'Sullivan and Hendry made the most century breaks in a single match at the World Championship with eight.[5] The two players also made 4 centuries in 4 frames, with two tons each, the first time this has happened in any ranking event.
  • Dominic Dale scored 167 points in one frame in his match against Nigel Bond. He earned 44 penalty points and then made a century break, setting a record for the highest number of points scored in one frame during professional competition. Dale's record stood for over 22 years until Jimmy Robertson scored 178 points in a single frame at the 2021 Scottish Open.[6][7]

Prize fund edit

The breakdown of prize money for this year is shown below:[8][9][10]

Main draw edit

Shown below are the results for each round. The numbers in parentheses beside some of the players are their seeding ranks (each championship has 16 seeds and 16 qualifiers).[8][9][11][12]

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
17 April
John Higgins (1)10
22, 23 & 24 April
Gerard Greene2
John Higgins (1)13
19 & 20 April
Mark King (16)4
Mark King (16)10
27 & 28 April
Darren Morgan8
John Higgins (1)13
21 & 22 April
Stephen Lee (9)6
Stephen Lee (9)10
25 & 26 April
John Lardner7
Stephen Lee (9)13
21 April
Alan McManus (8)7
Alan McManus (8)10
29, 30 April & 1 May
Jimmy White7
John Higgins (1)10
20 April
Mark Williams (5)17
Mark Williams (5)10
24, 25 & 26 April
Ian McCulloch4
Mark Williams (5)13
18 & 19 April
Nick Walker7
Alain Robidoux (12)6
27 & 28 April
Nick Walker10
Mark Williams (5)13
17 & 18 April
Ken Doherty (4)9
Nigel Bond (13)10
23 & 24 April
Dominic Dale6
Nigel Bond (13)11
18 & 19 April
Ken Doherty (4)13
Ken Doherty (4)10
2 & 3 May
Steve James3
Mark Williams (5)11
21 & 22 April
Stephen Hendry (2)18
Ronnie O'Sullivan (3)10
24, 25 & 26 April
Leo Fernandez3
Ronnie O'Sullivan (3)13
20 & 21 April
Joe Perry8
Steve Davis (14)9
27 & 28 April
Joe Perry10
Ronnie O'Sullivan (3)13
17 & 18 April
John Parrott (6)9
Anthony Hamilton (11)9
22 & 23 April
Chris Small10
Chris Small12
17 & 18 April
John Parrott (6)13
John Parrott (6)10
29, 30 April & 1 May
Terry Murphy8
Ronnie O'Sullivan (3)13
19 April
Stephen Hendry (2)17
Peter Ebdon (7)7
23 & 24 April
Matthew Stevens10
Matthew Stevens13
17 & 18 April
Tony Drago (10)8
Tony Drago (10)10
27 & 28 April
Fergal O'Brien4
Matthew Stevens5
19 & 20 April
Stephen Hendry (2)13
James Wattana (15)10
25 & 26 April
Marco Fu8
James Wattana (15)7
20 & 21 April
Stephen Hendry (2)13
Stephen Hendry (2)10
Paul Hunter8
Final (Best of 35 frames) Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, 2 & 3 May 1999. Referee: Colin Brinded[13]
Mark Williams (5)
 Wales
11–18Stephen Hendry (2)
 Scotland
47–82, 6–120, 16–51, 60–77, 75–0, 16–101, 73–16, 92–24, 24–77, 15–76, 65–20, 4–133, 75–49, 67–30, 22–64, 23–100, 85–51, 72–32, 0–78, 84–29, 10–106, 13–71, 62–75, 48–60, 45–72, 19–71, 89–0, 73–67, 40–88Century breaks: 2 (Hendry 2)

Highest break by Williams: 89
Highest break by Hendry: 132

47–82, 6–120, 16–51, 60–77, 75–0, 16–101, 73–16, 92–24, 24–77, 15–76, 65–20, 4–133, 75–49, 67–30, 22–64, 23–100, 85–51, 72–32, 0–78, 84–29, 10–106, 13–71, 62–75, 48–60, 45–72, 19–71, 89–0, 73–67, 40–88
Stephen Hendry wins the 1999 Embassy World Snooker Championship

Century breaks edit

There were 53 century breaks in the championship.[14] The highest break was 142 made by John Higgins and 143 made by both Stephen Maguire and Barry Pinches at the televised and the qualifying stages respectively.[8]

Qualifying edit

The qualifying matches were held between 3 January and 20 March 1999 at the Newport Centre in Newport, Wales.

Round 1–2 edit

Round 1
(Best of 19 frames)
Round 1
(Best of 19 frames)
Round 2
(Best of 19 frames)
Ryan Day 10–5 Neil Selman Paul Davison 10–6 Ryan Day Lee Richardson 10–4 Paul Davison
Barry Hawkins 10–3 Sean Lanigan Barry Hawkins 10–3 Micky Roughan Alfie Burden 10–4 Barry Hawkins
Bjorn Haneveer 10–5 Steve Harrison Bjorn Haneveer 10–3 Adrian Rosa Bjorn Haneveer 10–9 Stefan Mazrocis
Colm Gilcreest 10–4 David McDonnell Colm Gilcreest 10–4 Eddie Manning Gary Ponting 10–7 Colm Gilcreest
Damian Massey 10–6 Grant Conquest Damian Massey 10–8 Philip Williams John Lardner 10–4 Damian Massey
Stuart Bingham 10–5 Joe Delaney Stuart Bingham 10–6 Alan Burnett Stuart Bingham 10–6 Martin Dziewialtowski
Robin Hull 10–8 Brian Roswell Robin Hull 10–4 Stephen Murphy Robin Hull 10–8 Peter McCullagh
Nick Dyson 10–5 Tai Pichit Nick Dyson 10–9 Oliver King John Read 10–4 Nick Dyson
Barry Pinches 10–3 Jeff Cundy Barry Pinches 10–6 Jason Weston Barry Pinches 10–2 Anthony Davies
Kristján Helgason 10–6 Ali Carter Kristján Helgason 10–8 Simon Bedford Troy Shaw 10–7 Kristján Helgason
Rory McLeod 10–7 Mark Farnsworth Rory McLeod 10–7 Barry Mapstone Nick Walker 10–6 Rory McLeod
Jamie Bodle 10–8 Richard Jones Nick Terry 10–6 Jamie Bodle Nick Terry 10–6 Stuart Pettman
Malcolm Bilclough 10–7 Mike Henson Chris Shade 10–7 Malcolm Bilclough Chris Shade 10–2 Wayne Brown
Joe Jogia 10–6 Bob Chaperon Joe Jogia 10–4 Jason Wallace Leigh Griffin 10–5 Joe Jogia
Guo Hua 10–3 Stuart Mann Craig Harrison 10–8 Guo Hua Craig Harrison 10–7 Wayne Jones
Ian Sargent 10–6 Surinder Gill Munraj Pal 10–8 Ian Sargent Craig MacGillivray 10–7 Munraj Pal
Neil Robertson 10–8 Johl Younger Leo Fernandez 10–5 Neil Robertson Leo Fernandez 10–5 Steve Judd
Stephen Maguire 10–6 Adrian Gunnell Stephen Maguire 10–9 Mark Fenton Stephen Maguire 10–8 Sean Storey
Mark Johnston-Allen 10–6 John Burns Mark Johnston-Allen 10–5 Antony Bolsover Joe Perry 10–4 Mark Johnston-Allen
Eddie Barker 10–8 Keith Boon Nigel Gilbert 10–9 Eddie Barker Nigel Gilbert 10–7 Ian Brumby
Gary Thomson 10–7 Dermot McGlinchey Patrick Wallace 10–8 Gary Thomson David Finbow 10–3 Patrick Wallace
Geoff Dunn 10–3 Paul Cavney Paul McPhillips 10–9 Geoff Dunn Paul McPhillips 10–6 Jimmy Michie
Avtar Sohanpal 10–9 Mike Dunn Tony Knowles 10–7 Avtar Sohanpal Tony Knowles 10–5 Marcus Campbell
Kirk Stevens 10–8 Gary Lees Joe Grech 10–6 Kirk Stevens Joe Grech 10–6 Karl Payne
John Whitty 10–8 Mehmet Husnu John Whitty 10–8 James Reynolds Stephen O'Connor 10–8 John Whitty
Les Dodd 10–8 John Giles Darryn Walker 10–8 Les Dodd Chris Scanlon 10–9 Darryn Walker
Sam Chong 10–3 Paul Clarke Paul Sweeny 10–5 Sam Chong Paul Sweeny 10–6 Mark Bennett
Mike Hallett 10–4 Andy Neck Robert Milkins 10–7 Mike Hallett Robert Milkins 10–6 Mark Gray
Craig Roper 10–5 Mark Miller David McLellan 10–7 Craig Roper Matthew Couch 10–5 David McLellan
Matt Wilson 10–6 Stuart Reardon Michael Holt 10–7 Matt Wilson Michael Holt 10–7 Darren Clarke

Overseas edit

Overseas Round
(Best of 19 frames)
Stuart Bingham 10–4 Shawn Budd
Marco Fu 10–0 Gareth Chilcott
Mario Geudens 10–8 Patrick Delsemme
Robin Hull 10–0 Tom Finstad
Stephen Maguire 10–7 Phaitoon Phonbun
Barry Pinches 10–3 Richard Somauroo

Round 1 edit

Round 1
(Best of 19 frames)
Gerard Greene 10–3 Lee Richardson
Alfie Burden 10–4 Dene O'Kane
Nick Pearce 10–7 Bjorn Haneveer
Gary Ponting 10–5 David Roe
John Lardner 10–5 Neal Foulds
Quinten Hann 10–8 Stuart Bingham
Joe Johnson 10–7 Robin Hull
Dean Reynolds 10–4 John Read
Ian McCulloch 10–9 Barry Pinches
Peter Lines 10–8 Troy Shaw
Nick Walker 10–3 Dennis Taylor
Rod Lawler 10–3 Nick Terry
Mark Davis 10–4 Chris Shade
Leigh Griffin 10–6 Lee Walker
Steve James 10–5 Craig Harrison
Craig MacGillivray 10–8 Tony Chappel
Leo Fernandez 10–9 Paul Davies
Bradley Jones 10–7 Stephen Maguire
Joe Perry 10–8 Mick Price
Nigel Gilbert 10–9 Joe Swail
David Finbow 10–5 Jason Prince
Drew Henry 10–6 Paul McPhillips
Michael Judge 10–4 Tony Knowles
Mario Geudens 10–6 Tony Jones
Jonathan Birch 10–2 Joe Grech
Stephen O'Connor 10–5 David Gray
Chris Scanlon 10–7 Shokat Ali
Paul Sweeny 10–0 Willie Thorne
Marco Fu 10–1 Jason Ferguson
Robert Milkins 10–6 Karl Broughton
Euan Henderson 10–6 Matthew Couch
Paul Wykes 10–8 Michael Holt

Round 2–3 edit

[8]

Round 2
(Best of 19 frames)
Round 3
(Best of 19 frames)
Gerard Greene 10–8 Alfie Burden Gerard Greene 10–2 Andy Hicks
Nick Pearce 10–7 Gary Ponting Darren Morgan 10–9 Nick Pearce
John Lardner 10–8 Quinten Hann John Lardner 10–2 Martin Clark
Dean Reynolds 10–5 Joe Johnson Jimmy White 10–7 Dean Reynolds
Ian McCulloch 10–6 Peter Lines Ian McCulloch 10–9 Gary Wilkinson
Nick Walker 10–8 Rod Lawler Nick Walker 10–6 Jamie Burnett
Leigh Griffin 10–5 Mark Davis Dominic Dale 10–6 Leigh Griffin
Steve James 10–5 Craig MacGillivray Steve James 10–6 Billy Snaddon
Leo Fernandez 10–9 Bradley Jones Leo Fernandez 10–5 Brian Morgan
Joe Perry 10–6 Nigel Gilbert Joe Perry 10–7 Dave Harold
David Finbow 10–8 Drew Henry Chris Small 10–2 David Finbow
Michael Judge 10–6 Mario Geudens Terry Murphy 10–9 Michael Judge
Jonathan Birch 10–7 Stephen O'Connor Matthew Stevens 10–6 Jonathan Birch
Chris Scanlon 10–5 Paul Sweeny Fergal O'Brien 10–7 Chris Scanlon
Marco Fu 10–4 Robert Milkins Marco Fu 10–4 Graeme Dott
Euan Henderson 10–8 Paul Wykes Paul Hunter 10–5 Euan Henderson

References edit