Last week, David Hendon, Alain McManus and Neil Fultz picked what they considered to be the most exciting three British Championship finals, and this time it was the turn of snooker journalist Hector Norns and WST podcast host Michael McMaran to pick what they saw as the best British Championship final.
Hector Nance
When asked to pick the top three finalists of the most exciting British Championship final in his mind, the reporter's first reaction was to ask for the first five games instead of the first three – of course, this idea was rejected without hesitation. In the mind of this snooker reporter, even a cursory review of memory or a glance at the name of the champion engraved on the trophy is enough to remind people of how many tragedies and joys there were on the night the trophy was lifted.
The highlights of the impressive game vary, sometimes because of the drama of the game itself, sometimes because of the intensity of the game, and some of the more profound things behind the competition.
"It's too difficult for me to choose just three games. Stephen Hendry scored a 7-stroke breaker in 1994's 10:5 win over Ken Dahdi, setting a record for 19 innings of a match that is still unsurpassed. Hendry's two victories over Steve Davis in 1989 and 1990 were the most intense rivalries between the old and new kings. Willie Thorne's brilliant performance before losing the blue ball with a 13-8 lead against Steve Davis in the 1985 final is also a legend. John Higgins in the 2010 final. Behind the five-game winning streak of 10-9 victory over Mark Williams was not only a roar after his return from the ban, but also a consolation to his seriously ill father. ”
1. 1983 – Alex Higgins 16:15 Steve Davis
"After all this deliberation, the first match I chose was the final between Alex Higgins and Steve Davis in 1983. This game ignited my passion for snooker, and that passion persists to this day. As a big fan of Higgins at the time, Higgins himself, in a generally unpopular situation, began a thrilling Jedi counterattack from 0:7 behind and eventually won 16:15, and it has to be said that this game can be said to be the greatest victory of his turbulent career. ”
2. 1992 – Ronnie O'Sullivan 10:6 Stephen Hendry
"The second game I chose the final between Ronnie O'Sullivan and Stephen Hendry in 1993, which is indeed a game that seems more far-reaching today, 30 years later. It was a night of real hits for sports superstars, with world number one Hendry losing 6-10 to fledgling O'Sullivan. From that moment on, no one could take their eyes off O'Sullivan. ”
3. 2020 – Neil Robertson 10:9 Judd Trump
"The last and most recent final, the exciting final between Neil Robertson and Judd Trump at the 2020 British Championships. Both men in the final were successful that season, and incredibly never did the difference between the two sides in the entire game without more than one inning. Trump had a good chance to finish the game with a 9-8 lead, but he conceded a red ball that tied Robertson. Arguably, Robertson and Trump's match was the most dramatic final in the tournament since Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor fought in the World Championship final to the decider in 1985. After a series of inexplicable twists, Trump finally missed the powder ball when he needed to complete the clearance, allowing Robertson, who had almost surrendered, to finally win the game in disbelief. ”
Michael McMullen
1. 1990 – Stephen Hendry 16:15 Steve Davis
Hendry went into action in the first five innings to take a 7-2 lead. But it can't be ignored that Davis himself twice established a 7-2 lead in the four-stage finals in his heyday, so Davis understood better than anyone how he could turn the tide. Sure enough, Davis chased the score to 15:14, but in the 30th set he failed to seize the lead, allowing Hendry to win the game with 57 points to reverse the set and force the game into the decider. Round 30 can be said to contain all the elements of the game you can imagine. The same can be said of the way Hendry won the decider, simply and neatly scoring 98 points, killing the game. It's often said that this is a landmark game in which Hendry replaces Davis as the "new king" of snooker, but in fact the showdown between the old and new kings has intensified as early as the previous season. Much of the content of this final set the tone for Hendry's performance over the next decade, which was the "golden" years that belonged to Hendry.
2. 2010 – John Higgins 10:9 Mark Williams
Williams was in full swing, leading 9-5 just one step away from his third British Championship title. In a "big three" final, the trailing side can do it against a situation that requires five consecutive sets to reverse, but Higgins is certainly one of the few who can. Although Williams still had a chance to end the game, the situation became increasingly difficult as Higgins continued to put pressure on. Being able to push someone like Williams into a desperate situation was a feat in itself, and the engaging struggle culminated in Higgins' 10-9 win. It was also the only time in Higgins' career that he had won both the World Championship and the British Championship in the same season.
3. 1983 – Alex Higgins 16:15 Steve Davis
The two of them are so different that whenever these two people meet, the smoke of war will spread throughout the place. While the rivalry between them has become a legend in history, it is clear that the clash between them is davis more dominant, which is rare between two star players of the same era. So every time Higgins wins his rare victory, it's a big news, but none of them are as exciting as the 1983 finals. Davis excelled in his 7-0 lead, but strangely enough, he took a sharp turn for the rest of his game, winning just one of the next nine innings. Higgins pulled the score to 8:8 when the two sides returned to the same running line, and then Higgins took the lead for the first time in the game at 12:11, but Higgins did not win in one fell swoop, but it was the two sides who fought fiercely until the decider before he won the championship at 16:15. It can be said that the shadow caused by this match on Davis remained haunting until 5 years later (Davis lost 3-9 to Hendry in the final of the 1988 British Championship).