By Elliott West
Introduction
As we look forward to the start of the UK Championship, it is always important to reflect on the past and present of the tournament. This event has been a bastion of the snooker calendar since its first outing in 1977. Then in a cold and windswept Blackpool, Patsy Fagan reached the final against his opponent, Doug Mounjoy. Fagan was at the peak of form at the time and comfortably won the title, 12-9. At the time, this was a non-ranking tournament and the winner won £2000 with a trophy that was personally donated and presented by Joe Davis.
The Glory Years
Fast forward 43 years and and the UK Championship now prepares to be held in a location that wasn’t initially anticipated. It is true that like a chess piece, the event is used to changing venues but it has in recent years been firmly rooted in York. The current pandemic has forced the organiser’s hand and has moved the tournament to a place which has quickly become the temporary home of snooker, Milton Keynes. The Marshall Arena has acted as a bedrock for the sport, having to modify playing conditions, mass testing of players, creating a social bubble that only allows those who test negative to remain in an arena devoid of spectators.
Sadly the UK Championship has lost some of its prestige in recent years and has seemed to have forgotten that this tournament is part of the Triple Crown series. The likes of John Virgo, Terry Griffiths,Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump have all won this title and Willie Thorne would have beaten Steve Davis if he hadn’t of missed that fateful blue to the middle pocket in 1985 after leading the match, 13-8.
Thrills and spills have always occurred at this tournament with Willie Thorne producing a 147 off camera at the 1987 qualifiers and Kyren Wilson producing the same on camera this week. With now a field of 128 players, any top player is at risk of being knocked out by a lower ranked player. Who can forget when a reinvigorated Doug Mountjoy won the title against Stephen Hendry in 1988, winning 16-12 after previously being considered as a fill in. He then went on to win the Mercantile Credit Classic the following month. He was aged 46 at the time.
The UK Championship has been sponsored by many companies over the years including Super Crystalite at the start in 1977 with others such as Tennents, William Hill, Coral and Betway to follow. The tournament has been won by players from England, Wales Scotland and Australia.
Conclusion
In terms of this year, it would be hard to pinpoint the winner but there are a few candidates that have a strong chance of raising the trophy. Judd Trump is the most obvious candidate with a swathe of titles this season since winning the World Championship last year. His latest acquisition was the Northern Ireland Open for the third successive year. Others include Mark Allen who won the Champion of Champions. Of course Ronnie O’Sullivan will be hungry for his name on the trophy again and Neil Robertson and Mark Selby will be snapping at his heels. All in in all, this will make a fascinating competition.
