1985 World Snooker Championship Joe Johnson in the first round was at the time the joint third-highest break in the Championship's history, tied with Willie Thorne in 1982. 1985 World Snooker Championship The 1985 World Snooker Championship (also referred to as the 1985 Embassy World Snooker Championship for the purposes of sponsorship) was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 12 and 28 April 1985 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. Defending champion Steve Davis was unable to make it three world titles in a row, as he lost 17–18 against Dennis Taylor in the final. The tournament was sponsored by
John Spencer (snooker player) 1970s as snooker emerged from a phase of obscurity to become one of Britain’s most popular sports. From 1969 to 1978, only three players defeated Spencer in the World Championship (Ray Reardon, Alex Higgins and Perrie Mans) and from 1973 to 1977 he did not lose a World Championship match by more than two frames. Pivotal in the rise of snooker as one of Britain's most popular sports was the 1972 World Championship final. As defending champion in the 1972 event, Spencer beat Fred Davis 31–21 and Eddie Charlton 37–32, before facing championship debutant Alex Higgins in the final. The