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.
1982 World Snooker Championship 16 qualifiers). There were 10 century breaks at the championship, the highest being 143 by Willie Thorne. There was also a £5,000 bonus for compiling a higher break than the championship record of 145. 1982 World Snooker Championship The 1982 World Snooker Championship (also known as the 1982 Embassy World Snooker Championship for sponsorship purposes) was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 30 April and 16 May 1982 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. Alex Higgins won in the final 18–15 against Ray Reardon. The tournament was sponsored by cigarette manufacturer Embassy. The breakdown of prize