Talk:1977 World Snooker Championship

Qualification matches

http://livescores.worldsnookerdata.com/PastTournaments.aspx?p=1&t=368 differs somewhat from the scores given here: it has John Dunning (not John Virgo) beating Roy Andrewartha 11-1, has David Taylor 11-0 David Greaves but omits John Pulman 11–0 David Taylor (presumably David Taylor is an error here anyway, since he qualified). Nigej 16:36, 9 May 2011 (UTC)

The link you have given shows the results of the 2010 World Championship. Armbrust ^{Talk to me} _Contribs 16:45, 9 May 2011 (UTC)

Sorry. Scroll down to the 1977 Championship for the above results. Nigej 17:24, 9 May 2011 (UTC)

Well I did find them, but if I can't source them, then I can't add them. Armbrust ^{Talk to me} _Contribs 17:26, 9 May 2011 (UTC)

This must indeed be an error,as both John Pulman and David Taylor went on to play in the competition proper. The records I have simply state "John Pulman wo" but they don't say who the player was whose no-show afforded him a bye. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 188.29.8.15 (talk) 23:54, 1 May 2013 (UTC)

Fixed Armbrust ^{The Homunculus} 18:02, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

Did you know nomination

The following is an archived discussion of the DYK nomination of the article below. Please do not modify this page. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as this nomination's talk page, the article's talk page or Wikipedia talk:Did you know), unless there is consensus to re-open the discussion at this page. No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was: promoted by Kingsif (talk) 21:30, 20 April 2022 (UTC)

(

• Comment or view
• Article history

)

• ... that John Spencer "exploded two myths" by winning the 1977 World Snooker Championship with a two-piece cue that he had only been using for a couple of months? Source: Clive Everton, The Embassy Book of World Snooker (Bloomsbury, 1993), page 50. I'm happy to provide the relevant extract from the source to a reviewer via email.
  • Comment: I'm open to any suggestions for ALTs or for improvements.

5x expanded by BennyOnTheLoose (talk). Self-nominated at 14:21, 6 April 2022 (UTC).

General: Article is new enough and long enough
New enough: Long enough:

Policy: Article is sourced, neutral, and free of copyright problems
Adequate sourcing: Neutral: Free of copyright violations, plagiarism, and close paraphrasing:

Hook: Hook has been verified by provided inline citation
Cited: Interesting:

QPQ: - Not done
Overall: I assume good faith on the references I can't access. A QPQ is needed. SL93 (talk) 16:24, 18 April 2022 (UTC)

• Many thanks, SL93. The QPQ is Template:Did you know nominations/Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower. Regards, BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 18:37, 18 April 2022 (UTC)
• Note to co-ordinators: the final of the 2022 World Snooker Championship is on 1 and 2 May, so on or around those dates would be a nice time for this to appear as a DYK. Regards, BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 18:37, 18 April 2022 (UTC)

• Thank you. SL93 (talk) 19:57, 18 April 2022 (UTC)

GA Review

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

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This review is transcluded from Talk:1977 World Snooker Championship/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Reviewer: Lee Vilenski (talk · contribs) 11:40, 10 August 2022 (UTC)

Hello, I am planning on reviewing this article for GA Status, over the next couple of days. Thank you for nominating the article for GA status. I hope I will learn some new information, and that my feedback is helpful.

If nominators or editors could refrain from updating the particular section that I am updating until it is complete, I would appreciate it to remove a edit conflict. Please address concerns in the section that has been completed above (If I've raised concerns up to references, feel free to comment on things like the lede.)

I generally provide an overview of things I read through the article on a first glance. Then do a thorough sweep of the article after the feedback is addressed. After this, I will present the pass/failure. I may use strikethrough tags when concerns are met. Even if something is obvious why my concern is met, please leave a message as courtesy.

Best of luck! you can also use the {{done}} tag to state when something is addressed. Lee Vilenski ^{(talk • contribs)}

Please let me know after the review is done, if you were happy with the review! Obviously this is regarding the article's quality, however, I want to be happy and civil to all, so let me know if I have done a good job, regardless of the article's outcome.

Prose

Lede

• ranking snooker - reword to avoid WP:SEAOFBLUE. Lee Vilenski ^{(talk • contribs)} 13:12, 12 August 2022 (UTC)

• Done. BennyOnTheLoose (talk)

• Usually when we do these ledes, we mention how many events there were in the season. Lee Vilenski ^{(talk • contribs)} 13:12, 12 August 2022 (UTC)

• It's easier to say there were x ranking events for seasons where there is a clear professional circuit; it's less easy when there was only one ranking event. I know there is a list at 1976–77 snooker season but I'm not sure this is suitable as a source for numbering - e.g. Pot Black is omitted from almost all serious record books (other than listing winners); there were Pontins Open and Warners Opens, at least four or five other pro-am events, and the Ashton Court professional (invitational) event. I don't think we have clear criteria, or a guiding source, for which of these to include, so it may be better to stick with saying that it "was the only ranking event of the 1976–77 snooker season" which I've added. BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 21:47, 29 August 2022 (UTC)

• The event was sponsored by cigarette manufacturer Embassy and for the first time was held at the Crucible, which has remained as the venue for the Championship since then. - these should be two sentences, or re-ordered, or it sounds like Embassy still sponsor the event. Lee Vilenski ^{(talk • contribs)} 13:12, 12 August 2022 (UTC)

• Reworded. BennyOnTheLoose (talk)

• reword "main event". In things like boxing, this means the final match, wheras we mean it be the main tournament. Lee Vilenski ^{(talk • contribs)} 13:12, 12 August 2022 (UTC)

• Reworded. BennyOnTheLoose (talk)

General

• Overview should probably mention qualifying, at least in passing. Lee Vilenski ^{(talk • contribs)} 13:20, 12 August 2022 (UTC)
• Also defending champion Lee Vilenski ^{(talk • contribs)} 13:20, 12 August 2022 (UTC)

• Added both. BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 22:05, 29 August 2022 (UTC)

• Reardon isn't linked in body, but should be mentioned in the section above as the past point. Lee Vilenski ^{(talk • contribs)} 13:20, 12 August 2022 (UTC)

• Now linked in body. BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 22:05, 29 August 2022 (UTC)

• Link Birmingham. Lee Vilenski ^{(talk • contribs)} 13:20, 12 August 2022 (UTC)
• Link century break on first usage. Lee Vilenski ^{(talk • contribs)} 13:20, 12 August 2022 (UTC)

• Linked the two above. BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 22:05, 29 August 2022 (UTC)

• Quarter-finals need an expansion. Lee Vilenski ^{(talk • contribs)} 13:20, 12 August 2022 (UTC)

• Expanded a bit. BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 09:50, 30 August 2022 (UTC)

• We usually put the final section as a subsection of draw. Lee Vilenski ^{(talk • contribs)} 13:20, 12 August 2022 (UTC)

• Amended. BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 22:05, 29 August 2022 (UTC)

• That table is pretty massive. Can we not just put the 50+ breaks in brackets rather than another row? Lee Vilenski ^{(talk • contribs)} 13:20, 12 August 2022 (UTC)

• Amended it. Let me know what you think. BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 22:05, 29 August 2022 (UTC)

• In the prose, you put Virgo down as winning a preliminary qualifying round, but in qualifying, it's round one and two.Lee Vilenski ^{(talk • contribs)} 13:20, 12 August 2022 (UTC)

• Amended. BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 09:50, 30 August 2022 (UTC)

Review meta comments

• I'll begin the review as soon as I can! If you fancy returning the favour, I have a list of nominations for review at WP:GAN and WP:FAC, respectively. I'd be very grateful if you were to complete one of these if you get time. Best Wishes, Lee Vilenski ^{(talk • contribs)} Lee Vilenski ^{(talk • contribs)} 11:40, 10 August 2022 (UTC)

• Many thanks for the review, Lee Vilenski. I've replied above. Let me know if more is required. Regards, BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 09:51, 30 August 2022 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Peer review

1977 World Snooker Championship

I've listed this article for peer review because I would like to see it eventually become a featured article, given the importance of the 1977 World Snooker Championship in snooker history. I've recently added a Reception and legacy section to the article, a summary of which should probably be added to the lead. All improvement suggestions are welcome.

Thanks in advance, BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 15:52, 26 March 2026 (UTC)

Comments by Alavense

Great work with all these articles. I will read this one when I get the time. Regards, Alavense (talk) 15:57, 26 March 2026 (UTC)

I've made a few minor edits myself. (Feel free to undo whatever you want.) There were a few "won" and "win", so I've changed some. There are still a few, though. Kind regards, Alavense (talk) 08:23, 27 March 2026 (UTC)

Comments by HurricaneHiggins

Thanks so much, @BennyOnTheLoose. I'll also read this in more depth and leave comments when I have time.

Since 1977 was the first year the tournament was staged at the Crucible, it might be nice to have a photo of the venue from that era, rather than the one from 2005. I came across this blog post, which features a photo of the Crucible in 1970:

https://sheffieldblog.wordpress.com/2010/05/17/photo-of-the-crucible-in-1970-and-2010/

The author states that the source of this photo is a 1970s council publication designed to promote the city of Sheffield. Could this photo now be regarded as in the public domain?

I'm pretty sure that a 1970s published image will not be in the public domain. Looking through the options on Commons, I thought it might be more useful to use an interior pic, to show, for example, how close the tables are to the audience, so I've changed it. BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 17:56, 26 March 2026 (UTC)

Thanks, @BennyOnTheLoose. I naively imagined that if the publisher were a public body like a council, it would not be subject to the same restrictions. That said, I love how you've used an interior pic here. Much more effective than the exterior view, in my view. HurricaneHiggins (talk) 19:27, 26 March 2026 (UTC)

Further comments...

More comments below, @BennyOnTheLoose!

• I might suggest reworking the lead more chronologically so that the first paragraph focuses on the background and the second paragraph the lead itself. I'd also suggest adding a little bit more detail. Proposed revised version below ... use as much or as little of this as feels right to you. The "spiritual home of snooker" quote comes from the Guardian.

The 1977 World Snooker Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 18 to 30 April 1977 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. That year marked the first time the championship was held at the Crucible, which has hosted it annually ever since, becoming known as the "spiritual home of snooker". The tournament featured 16 competitors, the top eight players from the 1976–77 snooker world rankings and another eight players who came through a qualifying competition held from 28 March to 7 April 1977 at Hounslow Civic Centre and Fisher's Snooker Centre, Acton. Sponsored by cigarette manufacturer Embassy, the tournament was the only ranking event of the 1976–77 snooker season.

The defending champion was Ray Reardon, who had won the championship every year from 1973 to 1976, but he lost by 6 frames to 13 against John Spencer in the quarter-finals. Spencer, who had previously won the tournament in 1969 and 1971, claimed the third and last World Snooker Championship title of his career by defeating Cliff Thorburn 25–21 in the final. Spencer became the first player to win the championship using a two-piece cue. As champion, he received £6,000 (equivalent to £35,252 in 2025) from the prize fund of £17,000. The championship produced six century breaks, the highest of which was a 135 by Spencer in the sixth frame of his semi-final match against John Pulman.

Used this as it is, thanks! Still think it might need something more from the legacy section. BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 23:17, 27 March 2026 (UTC)

• Overview section

"Pulman was staying with Watterson in August 1976, when he mentioned" -- delete comma here

"WPBSA had no sponsor, venue, promoter, or television deal" -- the Oxford comma is used here but isn't used elsewhere (e.g., 25, 27 and 30 April"). What is the preferred style?

"after his wife Carol Watterson saw a play there" -- since Mike and Carol are a married couple with the same last names, maybe we can just say "his wife Carol saw a play there"?

Amended per the three points above. BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 23:17, 27 March 2026 (UTC)

"Watterson persuaded Peter Dyke of 1976 championship sponsors W.D. & H.O. Wills to sponsor the 1977 edition under its Embassy cigarette brand." This makes it sound like the 1976 edition was sponsored by W.D. & H.O. Wills and the 1977 edition was the first one sponsored under the Embassy brand. However, the 1976 article states that that year's tournament was also sponsored by Embassy. So maybe clarify here?

Pending....BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 23:17, 27 March 2026 (UTC)

• Qualifying.

"a first-season professional who was the reigning World Amateur Champion." World Amateur Champion links to the 1978 edition of that tournament, which hadn't happened yet. The link should point to the 1976 World Amateur Snooker Championship.

Whoops. Amended. BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 23:17, 27 March 2026 (UTC)

The prose states that Willie Thorne completed "an 11–6 defeat of Bernard Bennett," but the qualifying results table at the bottom of the article shows the score as 11–4. One of these is wrong.

It was 11–4 - amended. BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 23:23, 27 March 2026 (UTC)

• First round

Link Alex Higgins in this section.

Done. BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 23:17, 27 March 2026 (UTC)

• Quarter-finals

"Each player won four frames in the second session, then Taylor won" -- change to "and then Taylor won"

Done. BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 23:17, 27 March 2026 (UTC)

• Final:

"Thorburn won frame 31 then Spencer won frame 32" --suggest replacing "then" with "and"

Done. BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 23:17, 27 March 2026 (UTC)

"Thorburn led by 58 points to 0 in frame 33" -- above, we have "took a lead of 80–0 points in the 34th frame", so we could say "led by 58–0 in frame 33" for consistency.

Done. BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 23:17, 27 March 2026 (UTC)

"Thorburn conceded the frame while there were still two reds left." I'd spell out the conclusion of the match more here -- e.g., "Thorburn conceded the frame and match while there were still two reds left on the table. Spencer claimed his third world title with a 25–21 victory."

Done. BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 23:17, 27 March 2026 (UTC)

• Reception and legacy

I really like this section, as it convincingly shows how the 1977 tournament was pivotal in laying the groundwork for future success. I might change "the economic impact" to "the economic benefit," as it's more common to talk about economic impact when something costs us money rather than when it brings in money.

Amended to "benefit". BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 23:17, 27 March 2026 (UTC)

Otherwise, really love what you've done here.