By Elliott West
Introduction
With the anticipation of Stephen Hendry’s return to the main tour after a period of retirement, it seems fitting to write a piece about one of his notorious victories on the day he plays at the Gibraltar Open against Matthew Selt. In 1988, Stephen Hendry was a mere eighteen years of age and was fast becoming a rival to the Steve Davis era. This tournament was memorable for many reasons, one being Steve Davis’s defeat in the first round at the hands of Ray Reardon, suffering a 5-0 drubbing in the last 64.
With Davis out of the equation, the path was clear to get his hands on this title and he faced an in-form Mike Hallett in the final! However this was one of several occasions when Hendry turned on the dynamic tap and outfoxed his opponent. The ‘Golden Bairn’ became Hallett’s bogeyman and on this occasion, was steamrolled into submission with a barrage of breaks that proved just too strong for Mike, losing the match 13-2. A cruel end to someone who had partnered Hendry at the World Doubles Championship the previous December and had already received a 9-0 whitewash by Steve Davis at the Masters in the previous month, January.
The Tournament
Held at the Assembly Rooms in Derby between 21st February and the 6th March, 1988, the British Open offered an attractive £60,000 for the victor and one where Stephen Hendry seized the high break prize after he made a 118 break, earning him £6,000. This was an event with the usual players of the period but didn’t ignite properly until the quarter- final stage. Ray Reardon who had sensationally knocked out Steve Davis, fell foul in his next match against David Roe, where he lost 2-5 in the last 32 stage. With Reardon out, the veteran cause had to rely on John Spencer and Rex Williams to keep their cause alive and ironically they both drew each other in the last 16. Rex got the better of John in a close encounter, winning 5-4. A winning streak that ended in his encounter with Cliff Thorburn, losing 5-2 in the quarter-finals.
Quarter-Finals (Best of 9 frames)
Jimmy White v Stephen Hendry 4-5
The quarter-finals produced one of the greatest matches over the short distance format. Stephen Hendry was up against the then holder of the title, Jimmy White. White got off to a flying start, clocking up a 3-0 lead, thanks to breaks of 82, 62 and 64. However this lead was quickly chipped away by his opponent and before White could blink, the Scot had a 4-3 lead, thanks to crucial breaks of 49, 48 and 46.
In a match that was always going to be a thriller, Hendry had victory in his sights in the eighth frame, having a 59-6 lead in the frame but broke down at the crucial point. White responded with a 55 break and forced a deciding frame. Into the decider and Jimmy led the frame 40-21 but missed a crucial black. Stephen, who must have thought he was heading for the exit door, sprung to his feet and held the frame 50-41 and then 53-43.
With just the last four colours remaining, Jimmy potted the brown and blue to go one point ahead but then mistimed a safety shot and allowed Hendry back in, Stephen potted the pink and the black. Raising an arm in the air, the Scot felt elated and felt lucky to be the victor. Commenting later, he remarked:
“To come back from 3-1 down in a major quarter-final and with all the pressure on me ,must rank as the best win of my career”.
Stephen Hendry
In highlights of the other quarter-final matches, Thorburn with breaks of 86, 72 and 69, took Rex Williams out 5-2 and John Parrott defeated Dene O’Kane 5-2. Mike Hallett had a rare battle with Joe O’Boye needing a break of 72 to tie the scores at 3-3 then running away from the Irishman with a 73 and 80 in the last two frames.
Semi-Finals (Best of 17 frames)
Stephen Hendry v Cliff Thorburn 9-5
This was a revenge match and Hendry was determined to beat the Canadian. A feat that spurred on by the last time they had met in the Fidelity Units Trust International, when Stephen was on the receiving end of a 9-1 thrashing at the same stage of the e contest.
Hendry gave a superb performance , knocking in six breaks of over 50 including a top break of 118. That particular century folding in the frame after Thorburn had fired in a 112 to take the frame from Hendry – for ten minutes anyway – the highest break prize which the Scot had set in an earlier round when he compiled a break of 104. Stephen later said :
“I punished Cliff for just about every mistake he made in the first seven frames, I think that was the best snooker I have ever played”.
Stephen Hendry
Mike Hallett v John Parrott 9-8
Hallett’s semi-final brought him face to face with John Parrott. They met at the same stage of the Benson and Hedges Masters when victory went to Hallett 6-5 in what could only be described as a remarkable last frame.
The 23 year old Parrott didn’t need reminding that he had tossed away his chances of appearing in another final but that’s precisely what he did after winning five frames to lead 8-7.
After Hallett had potted the yellow in the sixteen frame and gone in-off, John was forced with a straight forward clearance to win the match but he missed the pink with the frame score 46-53. He also missed a pink a second time before Hallett before Mike potted it to tie the scores.
The final frame saw Parrott step in with a break of 56 to lead 56-13. It was then Hallett’s turn to clear but when he had made 46, he too missed the pink. So did Parrott, faced with a none too easy shot, he had the misfortune to go in-off and Hallett now had an easy pot to win the match with.
The Final (Best of 25 frames)
Stephen Hendry v Mike Hallett 13-2
In a final that took just 190 minutes to complete, Hendry won the first session 6-1 and led overnight 12-2. The final session lasted only eleven minutes to complete victory. Hendry’s race to victory produced nine breaks of more than 40 in the final alone and a total of 31 plus 40s in the 58 frames he needed to take him from the last 64 to the winning post. His best runs in the final were a 78, 75, 70 and 67 with Mike knocking in a 30 and 40 in just one frame, in the fourth.
Summary
Stephen Hendry’s victory in the 1988 British Open was part of a long journey of dominance in snooker. A player who dominated the table and often his opponent heading towards the car park. The Hendry era took over from Steve Davis’s time at the top and sent a seismic charge through the sport for many yet. A man who broke the pack at the earliest opportunity, scored heavily and hated extensive safety play. Someone who missed the buzz so much, he has now returned from retirement to give it another shot.
