Calendar of Events in the History of English Billiards and Snooker
JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH April - June July - September October - December
Latest Entry:- 24th March 2019
January 4th 1771.
Birth of François Mingaud, credited with inventing the leather cue tip in 1807 while imprisoned in a French jail. Documentary proof seems to exist of leather being used to protect the "tip" end of the cue before this date, so it may be more accurate to say Mingaud perfected the tip, being the first to shape it into a rounded dome. It was this apparently simple innovation allowing a more reliable contact between tip and ball that made true control over the cue-ball possible.
January 5th 2016. Snooker.
Ronnie O'Sullivan became the first player to make 800 competitive century breaks, with a 136 against Barry Hawkins in Group One of the Championship League at the Crondon Park Golf Club in Essex. O'Sullivan won that Group and added two more centuries to increase his total to 802.
Death of John Street, one of snooker's most well known and respected referees. After 20 years travelling the world refereeing the finals of many major tournaments, he retired in the late 1990's; and in 1998, with Peter Rook, co-authored "The Billiards & Snooker Referee's Handbook".
January 10th 2017. Snooker.
Mark Davis became the oldest professional to make a competitive maximum at the age of 44. He made it in the last frame of the final of Group Three of the Championship League Snooker to beat Neil Robertson by three frames to two.
Steve Davis compiled the first televised maximum 147 break in a match against John Spencer in the Lada Classic, at Oldham Civic Centre, Lancashire.
January 12th - 13th 1881. English Billiards.
Joseph Bennett won the championship for the third time by beating Tom Taylor by 90 points in a match of 1000 up.
John Spencer compiled the first maximum 147 break in competitive play in a match against Cliff Thorburn in the Holsten Lager Tournament at the Fulcrum Centre, Slough. This would also have been the first televised maximum, but the camera crew had left their posts for a tea break.
Ronnie O'Sullivan equalled Stephen Hendry's record of 775 competitive century breaks in the last frame of his 6 - 4 win over Ricky Walden, in the first round of the Dafabet Masters at Alexandra Palace in London. The break of 116 could easily have ended at 89 as the yellow was close to the baulk cushion, but a crashing hit-and-hope sent it round the table off three cushions into a middle pocket, and the cue-ball up and down the table to land perfectly on the green. This win also equalled Stehen 's record of winning 42 matches at this tournament.
Ding Junhui became the youngest player to score a maximum 147 break on live television at the age of 19 years and 9 months. It was also the first 147 by a Chinese player and came in the seventh frame of his first round 6 - 3 win against Anthony Hamilton during the Saga Insurance Masters at Wembley Arena.
Stacey Hillyard became the first female to record a competitive century with a break of 114 during a local league match in Bournemouth.
Ronnie O'Sullivan overtook Stephen Hendry's record of winning 42 matches at the Masters, by winning his 43rd with a 5 -1 win over Marco Fu. In the first frame Ronnie made a break of 101, to set a new record of 776 centuries in competitive play
Stephen Maguire and Neil Robertson made five consecutive century breaks in their quarter-final match at the Masters. Maguire's breaks of 128, 105, and 113 against Robertson's breaks of 122 and 100 helped him to win 6 - 3.
Only Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan had previously achieved this feat, during the 2003 British Open.
Ronnie O'Sullivan set a new record in professional competition by scoring 556 points without reply in his 6 - 0 win over Ricky Walden in his second round match in the Dafabet Masters, at Londons' Alexandra Palace. The six frames lasted just 57 minutes and 48 seconds.
January 18th 1844. English Billiards.
Date of a match between a Mr. Mardon and a Mr. Porker. The winner to be the first to reach 500 points. Towards the end of the game Mr. Porker led by 496 points to 475, but Mardon ran out with a break of 25. This was considered such an achievement that Mardon published his book, "Billiards:Game 500 Up" showing each stroke of the winning break.
January 19th & 20th 1932. English Billiards.
Walter Lindrum compiled the world record break of 4,137 in 2 hours 55 minutes against Joe Davis, who immediately replied with a break of 1131.
Ronnie O'Sullivan won the Dafabet Masters for the fifth time in his record breaking tenth appearance in the final of this tournament, by beating Mark Selby by 10 frames to 4.
January 22nd 2019. Snooker.
David Gilbert made the 147th official maximum break against Stephen Maguire in the Round Robin stage of the Championship League Group 5 in Coventry. Sadly that was the only frame he won as he lost 3 - 1 to Maguire.
January 22nd (Saturday), 1955. Snooker.
Date of Joe Davis's record break of 147 against Willie Smith in an exhibition at Thurston's Leicester Square Hall. The break was officially recognised in March 1957.
Stephen Hendry claimed a record 550th competitive century with a break of 101 against Jimmy White during the Regal Welsh Open in Cardiff.
Birth of Willie Smith. Twice Professional Billiards Champion - 1920 & 1923. Twice runner-up to Joe Davis in the Professional Snooker Championship - 1933 & 1935.
In four consecutive frames Jim Meadowcroft made breaks of 105, 115, 117 and 125 (total 462) at the Connaught Leisure Centre, Worthing.
Kirk Stevens of Canada made a maximum 147 break against Jimmy White in the Benson and Hedges Masters, at the Wembley Conference Centre, London.
John Roberts Junior won the championship for the third time by beating Joseph Bennett by 363 points in 3 hours and 29 minutes.
Stephen Hendry set yet another record by scoring a 127 break, his 700th competitive century. It came in the 3rd frame of his match against Robert Milkins which Hendry won 5 - 1, during the Malta Cup at the Hilton Conference Centre, Portomaso.
Geet Sethi of India became the first amateur player to make a 147 in competition during the Indian Amateur Snooker Championships.
William Cook won the championship for the fourth time by beating John Roberts Junior by 216 points in a match of 1000 up, in 3 hours 10 minutes.
March 2nd 2014. Snooker.
Ronnie O'Sullivan overtook Stephen Hendry's record of 11 maximums in competitive play, by making his 12th 147 in the last frame of his 9 - 3 victory over Ding Junhui in the final of the BetVictor Welsh Open at the Newport Center, Newport.
March 4th 1872. English Billiards.
William Cook won the championship for the third time by beating John Roberts Junior by 201 points in a match of 1000 up, in 3 hours 30 minutes.
March 10th 2019. Snooker.
Ronnie O'Sullivan became the first player make 1000 century breaks in competitive play in the last frame of his 10-4 victory over Neil Robertson, in the final of the Coral Players Championship at the Preston Guild Hall. The break could easily have been a total clearance of 141, but the cue-ball went round the table and fell into the middle pocket when he potted the final black. That left the break at 134, meaning Neil Robertson claimed £5000 for the highest break of the tournament, a 140.
Ronnie O'Sullivan became the youngest player (aged 15 years and 97 days) to make a competitive maximum 147 break during the Southern Area quarter-finals of the 1991 English Amateur Snooker Championship. He held this record for 13 years, see the next entry.
Judd Trump made a maximum break against Chris Peach in an Under-16 tournament at Coalville, Leicester, and became the youngest player in history to compile a 147 in an official tournament at the age of 14 years and 197 days.
March 16th 2003. English Billiards.
At the age of 70, Tony James became the oldest winner of the English Amateur Billiards Championship by beating his 20 year-old opponent, Mathew Sutton, by 899 points to 694.
March 23rd 1894. English Billiards.
Birth of Tom Newman. Professional Champion 1921, 1922, 1924, and 1925.
Ronnie O'Sullivan regained the No. 1 spot in the world rankings after his 13 - 11 win over Neil Robertson in the final of the Coral Players Championship, at the Venue Cymru, Llandudno. The win also saw him draw level with Stephen Hendry's record of 36 ranking tournament wins.
A.J. Aspinall obtained a patent for a spring-loaded billiard cue.
Shaun Murphy and Dave Harold claimed the record for the longest televised frame of snooker in the last frame of their first round match in the Honghe Industrial 2008 World Snooker China Open. The frame lasted 93 minutes and 12 seconds, Murphy won the match 5 - 3.
Mr. H.A.O. Lonsdale became the winner of the first Amateur Billiards Championship.
March 30th - 31st & April 1st, 1885. English Billiards.
John Roberts Junior won the championship for the seventh time by beating William Cook by 92 points in a match of 3000 up.