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.
1936 World Snooker Championship 1936 World Snooker Championship The 1936 World Snooker Championship was a snooker tournament mostly held at the Thurston's Hall in London, England. There were a record thirteen entries; a significant increase from the five in the previous year and just two in 1934. Joe Davis won the Championship for the tenth time in a row, beating Horace Lindrum in the final. The final signalled that snooker became a major game, with the Daily Mail Gold Cup switching from billiards to snooker and "The Billiard Player" changing its name to "Billiards and Snooker" in October 1936. Horace Lindrum became the first