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1995 Embassy World Professional Snooker Championship

[ First | Second | Quarters | Semis | Final ]

First Round

Stephen Hendry10
Stefan Mazrocis3

Mazrocis, the young Leicester pro, was completely outclassed though thankfully just avoided the whitewash. Hendry looking very sharp at this early stage, clearly wanted to get the match over with and showed no remorse at inflicting such a crushing defeat.

Tony Drago10
Paul Cavney2

Drago in typically swift mood, looked set to whitewash Cavney but was just stalled. The longest frame of the match was one of Cavney's victories, Drago's frames taking an average of just 12 minutes! A very useful, if undemanding, win to keep Drago in the Top 16.

Ronnie O'Sullivan10
Dave Harold3

O'Sullivan completely outclassed Harold and the first session, taken 7-2 by O'Sullivan, was almost exhibition snooker, including a 14 red-black break by O'Sullivan. Harold battled hard but too many unforced errors and the aura of O'Sullivan proved just too much.

Darren Morgan10
Anthony Davies3

An all Welsh battle saw Morgan easily overcome any resistance from Davis in what was a pretty uninspiring affair and quite drawn out with it. Morgan managed a century break but always looked to be struggling with his form.

John Parrott10
Brian Morgan5

Although Morgan got off to a good start, it was Parrott who found more sustainable form and he never really looked like losing this one. His safety play, however, was suspect but largely unpunished by Morgan who made too many unforced errors.

Joe Swail10
Nigel Gilbert8

A surprisingly dull affair with not much worthy of repitition. Swail showed some flashes of the form that lifted him to number 12, but more often were his poor, ill-thought out shots and a significant improvement in his game is needed to maintain his standing.

David Roe10
Billy Snaddon6

A tight match saw Roe eventually breaking free to clinch a 10-6 victory. Again quite a tawdry affair with not much in the way of free flowing snooker which may have been expected of the two. Roe, however, had considerable (and, at times, vocal) support which seemed to urge him on and book a much needed second round place.

Jimmy White10
Peter Francisco2

A remarkably poor performance by both players; in some frames there were such ludicrously simple shots missed and both looked amateurish and out of place. There were only very brief flashes of the Whirlwind and, although a win is a win, White would have to be disappointed by his performance.

James Wattana8
Gary Wilkinson10

A shock defeat of Wattana by the world number 22, Wilkinson. A very turgid match, though, with nothing of merit to report and the much fancied Wattana must be very disappointed with such a lack lustre performance.

Terry Griffiths10
Alain Robidoux6

Unsurprisingly, this turned out to be the longest match of the round and was a very turgid affair indeed. There was no real quality of break building but lots of uninspiring safety play and neither player willing to attack. Very disappointing at this level of snooker.

Nigel Bond10
Stephen Lee8

Another dull match, neither player producing their best -- the kind of stuff which gives TV snooker a bad name, need I say more?

Alan McManus10
John Higgins3

Although Higgins came ranked 51 compared to McManus' 6, many had tipped Higgins not only to win this match but the whole tournament -- indeed, he was second favourite behind Hendry. However, this first time at the Crucible proved overpowering for the young Scot and McManus played consistent, solid snooker to eventually seal a comfortable victory. Higgins didn't play badly but failed to display the form which led to his major wins earlier this season.

Ken Doherty7
Mark Davis10

A surprisingly close match, but producing the first surprise of the tournament with Davis coming through 10-7. Doherty showed signs of good form but always looked uncomfortable with his play, a flaw exploited to the full by Davis who kept his cool to win the match.

Peter Ebdon10
Rod Lawler2

A very convincing Ebdon performance. Looked very focussed and scored particularly heavily, never really allowing Lawler into the match. Ebdon looked champion material and obviously brimming with confidence.

Willie Thorne10
Tai Pichit6

An important game for both players, Thorne fighting to secure a Top 32 place and Pichit as the only rookie in the tournament. Pichit showed the better form early on but Thorne's experience and classic break building enabled him to pip Pichit to the post, particularly when Pichit began to show signs of nerves as the match progressed.

Steve Davis7
Andy Hicks10

The biggest shock at the Crucible -- Hicks came out showing no signs of nerves and played brilliantly, scoring heavily and outplaying Davis in the tactical exchanges. A great run led to Hicks going 8-3 in front but Davis mounted a fightback to 8-7. Hicks, however, held his nerve to pull off a famous 10-7 victory.

Second Round

Stephen Hendry13
Tony Drago6

A splendid, open game of flowing snooker, both players scoring well and making nice breaks. Drago's inconsistency, however, gave Hendry too many openings which were always punished. Still a delight to watch and one of the shortest 25-framers you're ever likely to see!

Ronnie O'Sullivan13
Darren Morgan8

O'Sullivan's sparkling first round form seemed to have all but disappeared in the early stages of this match and Morgan's solid play was rewarded by an 8-4 lead. O'Sullivan then found his magic again to win 9 frames in a row and book a quarter final place.

John Parrott13
Joe Swail11

A memorable and hard match for both players. Swail produced some of his best snooker for a long time and help Parrott all the way. However, Parrott pulled away at 12-11 and Swail failed to take a chance to level at 12-12, Parrott giving a victory air punch when finally clinching the match. A splendid game once it got going.

David Roe7
Jimmy White13

Roe's defeat was sealed after the first session was taken 7-1 by White, who played some superb snooker. Roe fought well, though, and made something of a comeback but White always looked in command when he needed to be. White's lack of concentration though at some times makes his title campaign seem weak.

Gary Wilkinson13
Terry Griffiths9

This was always likely to be a long match and so it was. A fairly uninteresting affair at best, but there were some good safety exchanges for the connoisseur. Griffiths held on well as one would expect but all credit to Wilkinson for hanging on and pulling off the win.

Nigel Bond13
Alan McManus10

A surprise result on paper, but McManus hadn't played well all season and Bond played solidly to punish any mistakes. Another dull match to watch but the win ensured Bond's third consecutive quarter final place at Sheffield.

Mark Davis7
Peter Ebdon13

Although Davis matched Ebdon in the early stages, Ebdon's experience won the day. He looked very focussed and sharp, and pieced together some excellent medium-sized breaks when Davis left chances. An excellent match, very enjoyable to watch -- brilliant long pots from Davis, structured breaks from Ebdon.

Willie Thorne7
Andy Hicks13

Riding high after his first round victory over Steve Davis, Hicks stood up to Thorne's fluent break building with a consistent, heavy-scoring performance. Although close throughout, Thorne's dispute with referee John Williams towards the end of the match seemed to dent his concentration and Hicks took full advantage to clinch a significant victory.

Quarterfinals

Stephen Hendry13
Ronnie O'Sullivan8

A fine match and a good win for Hendry. O'Sullivan pegged Hendry to within two frames all the way to the last session, but whenever he went only one frame behind, Hendry pulled out all the stops to hold his lead. Eventually, Hendry stamped his authority and O'Sullivan began to look somewhat disillusioned.

John Parrott11
Jimmy White13

After White took the first session 6-2, he looked confident and solid. However, Parrott took the next session 6-2 to level at 8-8. Things became very tight and we soon got to 11-11. Parrott had a good chance to go 12-11 but seemed to lose his bottle and White snatched it. The next frame was a very tense affair, both players missing easy shots. But White, with masses of support, held his nerve to take the match 13-11. Never brilliant, but a compelling game.

Gary Wilkinson7
Nigel Bond13

Bond again played consistently well to overcome the challenge of Wilkinson. Bond looked unusually confident and was very consistent, even though Wilkinson put up his usual sturdy effort. A good win for Bond to book a place in the semis.

Peter Ebdon8
Andy Hicks13

The biggest shock so far, Hicks taking out the second favourite Ebdon. It wasn't that Ebdon played badly, but he couldn't match Hicks' consistent long potting and heavy scoring. A fine win for Hicks which must give him masses of confidence for the semi-finals.

Semifinals

Stephen Hendry16
Jimmy White12

A classic encounter involving last year's finalists. Hendry played well in the early stages and produced a magnificent 147 break in frame 12 to take an 8-4 lead. White pulled back to 8-7 at the close of the session but Hendry came back in determined style and White never really looked like going ahead. An excellent, exciting and open match which was thoroughly enjoyed by the capacity audience.

Nigel Bond16
Andy Hicks11

Two surprise semi-finalists in Bond and Hicks, but a super match nonetheless. Hicks looked somewhat drained after his hard matches in the earlier rounds and Bond played consistently well to open an unassailable 15-7 lead. Hicks, however, wasn't going to take defeat lying down and came back with a run of 4 consecutive frames to make Bond think. But Bond held on and clinched the next to complete a 16-11 win and ensure himself a final place -- the biggest match and payday of his career.

Final

Stephen Hendry18
Nigel Bond9

A surprisingly shaky start from Hendry was punished by consistent scoring from Bond who took a 5-4 lead. Hendry, though, showed his true class by winning the next seven frames without reply to end the first day with a commanding 11-5 lead. The second day was Hendry's, though. Whenever Bond made a mistake, Hendry punished him severely to take a comfortable 18-9 win and become the first player to win four World titles in a row. Also the biggest ever payday in snooker history -- #190,00 for the win, #147,000 for the 147 break and #16,000 for the highest break!!

Many thanks to Lee Hawkins <[email protected]> who wrote this document.