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.
1976 World Snooker Championship Taylor. Earlier in the week Eddie Charlton had compiled a break of 137; however, it did not count as a record because the table was not up to standard. Numbers in (parentheses) indicate seeding. Sources: 1976 World Snooker Championship The 1976 World Snooker Championship (also known as the 1976 Embassy World Snooker Championship for sponsorship purposes) was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place at two venues. This was the first world championship to be sponsored by Embassy; their sponsorship lasted for the next 30 years. Ray Reardon won in the final 27–16 against Alex Higgins. The leading 14