1996 World Snooker Championship tournament, one short of his record of 12 set the previous year. 1996 World Snooker Championship The 1996 World Snooker Championship (also referred to as the 1996 Embassy World Snooker Championship for the purposes of sponsorship) was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 20 April–6 May 1996 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. Stephen Hendry won his sixth World Championship by defeating Peter Ebdon 18-12 equalling the modern day record of Steve Davis and Ray Reardon. The tournament was sponsored by cigarette manufacturer Embassy. Legendary BBC commentator Ted Lowe retired after the conclusion of the final.
World Snooker Championship centuries in a professional match was set in the semi-final between Ding Junhui and Alan McManus, with Ding also setting a new record of seven centuries by one player in a World Championship match. Mark Selby and Marco Fu set a new record for the longest frame of snooker ever played at the Crucible, 76 minutes 11 seconds. Prize money for the 2017 Championship was a record £1,750,000 with the winner receiving £375,000. Prize money for first-round losers was a record £16,000, exceeding the £15,000 players received in 2003. In a high-quality and tightly contested semi-final, defending champion Mark Selby