A Trip Down Memory Lane: Crucible Finals 1977-1982

Since Shaun Murphy and Wu Yize are currently engaged in battle in the 2026 Halo World Snooker Championship final, I thought it would be a good idea to look back at each and every final which has been held at the Crucible Theatre since the World Championship moved there way back in 1977.

The first final took place from 28th until 30th April and, unlike today, was then played over the best of forty-nine frames, and which was officiated by the late John Smyth, who would go on to referee the world final of 1982. The first final saw John Spencer, looking to claim his third world title, up against Canada's Cliff Thorburn, who had reached his first world final after defeating his good friend Dennis Taylor. After the early exchanges, Spencer led 4-2 and then won the next frame before Thorburn won four of the next five frames to level the scores at 6-6, Thorburn then went into the lead for the first time by claiming the first two frames of the evening session, Spencer then hit back to win the next two frames and after Thorburn had once again gone ahead, Spencer made a break of 105 to level the scores at 9-9 at the end of the first day's play.

In the opening session of the second day, Thorburn won the first three frames to take a 13-11 lead and then won the next two frames before Spencer won three on the bounce to make it 15-14 to the Canadian. Spencer then won the final frame of the session by winning it on the black. Both players shared the opening two frames of the second day's evening session before Spencer went into a 18-16 lead and then Thorburn won the final two frames of the second day meaning the scores were level again at 18-18.

The first three frames of the opening session of the third and final day were claimed by Spencer before Thorburn won the next two. Spencer then won frame forty-two with a break of 67 meaning that he lead 22-20 at the end of the session, after Thorburn had missed a routine black off the spot. In the final evening session, Thorburn won the first frame before Spencer then claimed the next and then won the next three to claim the title for the third, and what would prove to be, final time, winning by 25 frames to 21.

1978 saw five-times world champion Ray Reardon taking on talented South African player Perrie Mans in snooker's showpiece match and, just as the previous year, it was played over three days and again was the best of forty-nine frames. After the first four frames, the two players were level at 2-2, but Reardon won all four frames after the mid-session interval to lead 5-2 but Mans hit back by taking the first three frames of the opening day's evening session. Reardon at one stage led 7-5, but the session ended with both players all square at 8-8. At the end of the second day's afternoon session, Reardon held a slight advantage at 12-11 and he further increased his lead by taking the first three frames of the third session to lead 15-11, both players then won three frames apiece, with Reardon having a lead of 18-14. Mans that narrowed the gap to just one frame before Reardon finished the session once again four frames in front at 22-18. Reardon opened the concluding session by making a break of 81 before adding the next two frames to secure his sixth title 25-18.

1979 saw Terry Griffiths, who had reached the final only having turned professional several months previously, take on Dennis Taylor (playing then without his famous upside-down spectacles), with John Williams, rather unusually, taking charge of the final for the second year in succession. This time, the final would be played over six sessions, and was a best of forty-seven, rather than forty-nine, frames. Griffiths made a strong start and led 5-2 heading into the second session, however, after having been level pegging at 7-7, Taylor started to get a foothold in the final and led 11-9 and then 14-12 before Griffiths came back strongly taking twelve of the next fourteen frames. The pair were level 15-15 as they began play on the third and final day, Griffiths won two of the first three frames to lead 17-16 and then impressively took the title by winning seven consecutive frames to triumph 24-16. Writing in his book The History of Snooker and Billiards, the late commentator and editor of Snooker Scene, the great Clive Everton wrote that Griffiths was 'the first authentic television age champion, a working class hero'.

The final of 1980, which took place over 4th and 5th May, was the first to be played over the now-familiar best of 35 frames and over four separate sessions. The match was a clash of styles and, it is also fair to say, a clash of temperaments, with the fiery 1972 world champion Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins, whose rather swashbuckling style of snooker was credited with revitalising the game, taking on the rather more tactically astute Cliff Thorburn, who became the first player to reach a second final at the Crucible, following his defeat to John Spencer in 1977. After Thorburn had won the opening frame, it was Higgins who then took a grip of proceedings, claiming the next five frames before Thorburn claimed to seventh to trail 5-2, Higgins complaining after the frame that the Canadian had been standing in his eyeline, a complaint he would make about fellow players and, in particular, referees in subsequent years. Higgins led 6-3, which extended to 9-5, before Thorburn levelled the match at 9-9. The 19th and 20th frames went the way of Thorburn before Higgins then took the next two. Twice the Canadian went ahead at 12-11 and 13-12, being pegged back each time by his determined opponent. In the concluding session, Higgins took the opening frame, Thorburn then took the next two, before Higgins took the next to level at 15-15. Thorburn and Higgins then shared a frame apiece, before a break of 119 took Thorburn to within one frame of the title and this he achieved by making a break of 51 after having successfully laid a snooker which Higgins failed to get out of, and he thus became the first overseas champion, taking the title 18-16.

During the final, the BBC coverage of the match was interrupted by news coverage of the on-going Iranian Embassy siege, which drew angry complaints from viewers who were desperate to keep abreast of what was happening at the Crucible.

The final held on 19th and 20th April 1981 saw Romford's Steve Davis take on Doug Mountjoy, both of whom having reached snooker's showpiece match for the first time in their careers. Davis started the match like a house on fire, taking the first six frames. In the eighth frame, Davis was 49-48 in front with only the last three balls remaining on the table, the black ball happened to be extremely close to the pocket, the blue ball nearby. Both Davis and Mountjoy had thirty-seven turns taking shots before the frame was abandoned and restarted, which Mountjoy won with a break of 76 before he won the last frame of the session, leaving Davis with a 6-3 advantage going into the evening session. In that session, Davis won the first frame before Mountjoy won the next two, and then Davis took the following one to lead 8-5 at the mid-session interval, before the session eventually concluded with Davis narrowly ahead 10-8 heading into the second day. The first frame of the third session on the second day started with Davis making a break of 83 before he took the next to lead 12-8 before Mountjoy then won the next two to trail 12-10 and then he took of the final four frames of the session to give Davis a 14-12 lead heading into the evening session. Davis began the session by making a break of 55 to lead 15-12 before he then took the next three frames, including a break of 119, to claim his first world championship and led to his manager, Barry Hearn, literally charging into the arena and giving Davis a massive bear-hug before raising his fists in triumph.

The final which took place on 15th and 16th May 1982 pitted the six-times world champion Ray Reardon, taking on Alex Higgins, with the pair of them, unbeknownst to them at the time, participating in what would be their last world championship final and was a rematch of their 1976 final, in which Reardon, who by 1982 was almost the sort-of elder statesman of the sport, had come out on top. And it was Reardon who started off marginally the better of the two players, taking a narrow 5-3 lead after the first session and he was leading 6-4 in the second session when he missed a pink ball, Higgins capitalised and took the next frame as well to level at 6-6 and the first day eventually finished with Higgins, having turned the situation around, having an overnight lead of 10-7.

Reardon won the first frame of the third and the next before Higgins won the following two to take a 12-9 lead, with the session ending 13-12 in Higgins' favour. After capturing the first two frames of the fourth and concluding session, Higgins missed a pot which allowed Reardon to capture the frame and reduce Higgins' lead to 15-13 and this quickly became 15-15. However, Higgins then made breaks of 79 in the 31st frame, 73 and 38 in the 32nd frame, and a memorable break of 135 in the 33rd frame to clinch his second and what proved to be last world championship, leading to those memorable and emotional scenes on the floor of the Crucible with Higgins beckoning for his baby daughter, Lauren, before being presented with the world championship trophy.