World Snooker Championship successive title. There were 48 century breaks during the final stages, a new record. In the first round of 1997 championship Ronnie O'Sullivan made the fastest maximum break in snooker history, taking just 5 minutes and 20 seconds. The final was between Stephen Hendry and Irishman Ken Doherty. Doherty led 15–7 before Hendry won 5 frames in a row. Doherty then won the next three frames to win 18–12, ending Hendry's winning run of 29 consecutive matches. Stephen Hendry lost to Jimmy White in the first round of the 1998 championship. Doherty reached the final again meeting 22-year-old John Higgins.
1975 World Snooker Championship Brisbane with the final in Melbourne. There was controversy about the seedings. John Spencer was seeded 8 which meant that he met Ray Reardon in the quarter-final. Alex Higgins was also in the top half of the draw while Eddie Charlton was in the bottom half of the draw. David Taylor made the highest break of the tournament with 128. The final was decided on the final frame, with Reardon winning 31–30. The breakdown of prize money for this year is shown below: Number in (parentheses) indicates seeding. Source: Source: 1975 World Snooker Championship The 1975 World Snooker Championship was