2000 World Snooker Championship

The 2000 World Snooker Championship (also referred to as the 2000 Embassy World Snooker Championship for the purposes of sponsorship) was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 15 April and 1 May 2000 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England.

Embassy World Snooker Championship
Tournament information
Dates15 April – 1 May 2000
VenueCrucible Theatre
CitySheffield
CountryEngland
Organisation(s)WPBSA
FormatRanking event
Total prize fund£1,460,000
Winner's share£240,000
Highest break Matthew Stevens (143)
Final
Champion Mark Williams
Runner-up Matthew Stevens
Score18–16
← 1999
2001 →

Stephen Hendry was the defending champion, but he lost in the first round 7–10 against Stuart Bingham.

Mark Williams won his first World title by defeating fellow Welsh player Matthew Stevens 18–16 in the final.[1] The tournament was sponsored by cigarette manufacturer Embassy.

Tournament summary
  • In the final qualifying round Gary Wilkinson and Jason Ferguson set the record of the longest best-of-19-frames match at 11 hours and 38 minutes.[2]
  • The pre-tournament favourite Stephen Hendry[3] was eliminated in the first round by Crucible debutant and future world champion Stuart Bingham (10–7). Hendry and Bingham would later meet in the first round again in 2012, this time Hendry winning 10-4 and making a maximum 147 break in what was his final professional tournament.[4]
  • Despite becoming the first player to make 5 centuries in a first round match at The Crucible, and outscoring his opponent, Ronnie O'Sullivan lost 9–10 to David Gray. This record was eventually equalled in 2020 when Mark Allen also made 5 centuries in his first round match. Coincidentally, Allen also lost his match 8–10 to Jamie Clarke.
  • This year's edition of the tournament marked the only time that both Hendry and O'Sullivan were eliminated in the first round.
  • Gray was unable to maintain his form in the second round and lost 1–13 to Dominic Dale with a session to spare, scoring just 208 points, a record low for a best-of-25 match.
  • Joe Swail returned to the top 16 in the snooker world rankings after reaching the semi-final against Matthew Stevens.
  • Swail's place in the semi-finals ended Steve Davis' run in the elite top 16 – he had been in since 1980 including holding the world number one spot from 1983 to 1990.[5] Davis lost 11–13 to John Higgins in the second round. He later returned to the top 16 in 2003/2004.[5]
  • Higgins made a record of 485 unanswered points in his quarter-final match against Anthony Hamilton.[6]
  • Mark Williams became only the third Welsh snooker player to win the world title after Ray Reardon and Terry Griffiths, and the first since 1979.[7] Trailing 7–13 against fellow countryman Matthew Stevens in the final, Williams recorded a comeback to defeat Stevens 18–16 and win the title.[8]
  • John Newton refereed his first and only World final and retired from refereeing after the match.[9] This was also the first ever all-Welsh World final and remains only one to-date.[10]

Prize fund

The breakdown of prize money for this year is shown below:[11][12]

Main draw

Shown below are the results for each round. The numbers in parentheses beside some of the players are their seeding ranks (each championship has 16 seeds and 16 qualifiers).[11][13][14][15][16]

First round Second round Quarter-finals Semi-finals
Best of 19 frames Best of 25 frames Best of 25 frames Best of 33 frames
                           
15 April            
  Stephen Hendry (1)  7
21 & 22 April
  Stuart Bingham  10  
  Stuart Bingham  9
19 & 20 April
    Jimmy White (16)  13  
  Jimmy White (16)  10
25 & 26 April
  Billy Snaddon  7  
  Jimmy White (16)  7
17 & 18 April
    Matthew Stevens (9)  13  
  Matthew Stevens (9)  10
23 & 24 April
  Tony Drago  2  
  Matthew Stevens (9)  13
19 April
    Alan McManus (8)  4  
  Alan McManus (8)  10
27, 28 & 29 April
  Nigel Bond  7  
  Matthew Stevens (9)  17
18 April
    Joe Swail  12
  John Parrott (5)  10
22, 23 & 24 April
  Gary Wilkinson  9  
  John Parrott (5)  12
15 & 16 April
    Joe Swail  13  
  Paul Hunter (12)  6
25 & 26 April
  Joe Swail  10  
  Joe Swail  13
16 & 17 April
    Dominic Dale  9  
  Peter Ebdon (13)  6
20 & 21 April
  Dominic Dale  10  
  Dominic Dale  13
16 & 17 April
    David Gray  1  
  Ronnie O'Sullivan (4)  9
  David Gray  10  
15 & 16 April            
  Mark Williams (3)  10
20 & 21 April
  John Read  4  
  Mark Williams (3)  13
15 & 16 April
    Drew Henry  9  
  Mark King (14)  8
25 & 26 April
  Drew Henry  10  
  Mark Williams (3)  13
15 & 16 April
    Fergal O'Brien (11)  5  
  Fergal O'Brien (11)  10
21 & 22 April
  Chris Small  8  
  Fergal O'Brien (11)  13
18 & 19 April
    Stephen Lee (6)  8  
  Stephen Lee (6)  10
27, 28 & 29 April
  Kristján Helgason  3  
  Mark Williams (3)  17
17 & 18 April
    John Higgins (2)  15
  Ken Doherty (7)  10
22, 23 & 24 April
  Darren Morgan  3  
  Ken Doherty (7)  12
17 April
    Anthony Hamilton (10)  13  
  Anthony Hamilton (10)  10
25 & 26 April
  Marco Fu  4  
  Anthony Hamilton (10)  3
18 & 19 April
    John Higgins (2)  13  
  Steve Davis (15)  10
23 & 24 April
  Graeme Dott  6  
  Steve Davis (15)  11
19 & 20 April
    John Higgins (2)  13  
  John Higgins (2)  10
  Dave Harold  8  
Final (Best of 35 frames) Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, 30 April & 1 May 2000. Referee: John Newton[17]
Matthew Stevens (9)
 Wales		 16–18 Mark Williams (3)
 Wales
62–50, 84–28, 33–56, 103–23, 18–65, 61–76, 0–123, 75–35, 64–24, 91–37, 59–21, 117–0, 114–7, 6–79, 73–22, 0–68, 133–0, 66–48, 0–106, 55–54, 0–81, 34–79, 46–71, 37–79, 33–77, 67–0, 6–75, 0–74, 120–16, 13–61, 66–70, 60–29, 8–76, 21–73 Century breaks: 7
(Stevens 5, Williams 2)

Highest break by Stevens: 120
Highest break by Williams: 123

 62–50, 84–28, 33–56, 103–23, 18–65, 61–76, 0–123, 75–35, 64–24, 91–37, 59–21, 117–0, 114–7, 6–79, 73–22, 0–68, 133–0, 66–48, 0–106, 55–54, 0–81, 34–79, 46–71, 37–79, 33–77, 67–0, 6–75, 0–74, 120–16, 13–61, 66–70, 60–29, 8–76, 21–73
Mark Williams wins the 2000 Embassy World Snooker Championship

Century breaks

There were 54 centuries in the Championship.[18][19] The highest breaks were 143 made by Matthew Stevens in the televised stage and Nick Dyson in the qualifying stage.[11]

Qualifying

The qualifying matches were held between 3 January and 20 March 2000 at the Newport Centre in Newport, Wales.

Round 1–2
Round 1
(Best of 19 frames)		 Round 2
(Best of 19 frames)
Stuart Bingham 10–4 Mehmet Husnu Stuart Bingham 10–8 Ian McCulloch
Dene O'Kane 10–5 Barry Mapstone Dene O'Kane 10–8 Steve James
Colm Gilcreest 10–0 Karl Burrows Colm Gilcreest 10–5 Jimmy Michie
Stefan Mazrocis 10–4 Hugh Abernethy Stefan Mazrocis 10–5 Jason Prince
Ali Carter 10–6 Martin Dziewialtowski Joe Perry 10–5 Ali Carter
Noppadon Noppachorn 10–7 Sean Storey Noppadon Noppachorn 10–6 Marcus Campbell
Tony Jones 10–4 Wayne Saidler Euan Henderson 10–4 Tony Jones
Sean Lanigan 10–8 Dennis Taylor Peter Lines 10–4 Sean Lanigan
Willie Thorne 10–6 Adrian Gunnell Jason Ferguson 10–7 Willie Thorne
Tony Knowles 10–8 Chris Shade Dean Reynolds 10–4 Tony Knowles
Karl Broughton 10–8 Gareth Chilcott Bradley Jones 10–6 Karl Broughton
Stephen Maguire 10–7 Wayne Brown Stephen Maguire 10–4 Nick Walker
Patrick Wallace 10–8 Matthew Street Patrick Wallace 10–6 Gerard Greene
Stuart Pettman 10–5 Mike Dunn Stuart Pettman 10–8 Alfie Burden
Munraj Pal 10–8 Stephen O'Connor David Gray 10–5 Munraj Pal
Lee Spick 10–8 Nick Pearce David Roe 10–5 Lee Spick
Mark Davis 10–9 Mario Geudens John Read 10–4 Mark Davis
Ryan Day 10–6 Steve Judd Neal Foulds 10–9 Ryan Day
Leigh Griffin 10–6 Jason Weston Drew Henry 10–6 Leigh Griffin
Phaitoon Phonbun 10–6 David McDonnell Matthew Couch 10–7 Phaitoon Phonbun
Craig MacGillivray 10–4 Lee Richardson Paul Davies 10–3 Craig MacGillivray
Robert Milkins 10–8 Michael Holt Gary Ponting 10–8 Robert Milkins
Kristján Helgason 10–2 John Lardner Kristján Helgason 10–5 Joe Johnson
Malcolm Bilclough 10–9 Mark Gray Rod Lawler 10–6 Malcolm Bilclough
Michael Judge 10–8 Wayne Jones Michael Judge 10–9 Lee Walker
Tony Chappel 10–6 Paul Sweeny Tony Chappel 10–7 Martin Clark
Patrick Delsemme 10–4 Shokat Ali Marco Fu 10–7 Patrick Delsemme
David McLellan 10–9 Chris Scanlon Dave Finbow 10–4 David McLellan
Eddie Manning 10–9 Troy Shaw Eddie Manning 10–9 Jonathan Birch
Andrew Higginson 10–2 Leo Fernandez Alain Robidoux 10–5 Andrew Higginson
Anthony Davies 10–9 Nick Terry Anthony Davies 10–2 Mick Price
Mark Bennett 10–1 Nick Dyson Mark Bennett 10–4 Paul Wykes

Round 3–4

[11]

Round 3
(Best of 19 frames)		 Round 4
(Best of 19 frames)
Stuart Bingham 10–9 Dene O'Kane Stuart Bingham 10–9 Quinten Hann
Colm Gilcreest 10–9 Stefan Mazrocis Billy Snaddon 10–6 Colm Gilcreest
Joe Perry 10–8 Noppadon Noppachorn Tony Drago 10–8 Joe Perry
Euan Henderson 10–8 Peter Lines Nigel Bond 10–5 Euan Henderson
Jason Ferguson 10–8 Dean Reynolds Gary Wilkinson 10–9 Jason Ferguson
Stephen Maguire 10–4 Bradley Jones Joe Swail 10–9 Stephen Maguire
Patrick Wallace 10–4 Stuart Pettman Dominic Dale 10–8 Patrick Wallace
David Gray 10–3 David Roe David Gray 10–6 James Wattana
John Read 10–5 Neal Foulds John Read 10–7 Brian Morgan
Drew Henry 10–9 Matthew Couch Drew Henry 10–3 Jamie Burnett
Paul Davies 10–4 Gary Ponting Chris Small 10–6 Paul Davies
Kristján Helgason 10–9 Rod Lawler Kristján Helgason 10–5 Terry Murphy
Michael Judge 10–3 Tony Chappel Darren Morgan 10–7 Michael Judge
Marco Fu 10–7 Dave Finbow Marco Fu 10–3 Andy Hicks
Eddie Manning 10–9 Alain Robidoux Graeme Dott 10–3 Eddie Manning
Anthony Davies 10–6 Mark Bennett Dave Harold 10–7 Anthony Davies

References
  1. "Williams wins epic snooker final". BBC News. 1 May 2000. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  2. Turner, Chris. "On this Week: Birth of the Hurricane". Eurosport UK. Archived from the original on 2 June 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  3. "Hendry leads seven Scots into the theatre of dreams". The Herald on HighBeam Research. Archived from the original on 11 June 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2012. (subscription required)
  4. Graham, Hugh. "End of the world for Hendry as Bingham's debut rocks the Crucible". The Sunday Herald on HighBeam Research. Archived from the original on 11 June 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2012. (subscription required)
  5. "Ranking History". snooker.org. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  6. "World Snooker Championship Trivia". Embassy Snooker. Archived from the original on 4 December 2004. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  7. Turner, Chris. "World Professional Championship". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 April 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
  8. "Mark Williams profile". worldsnooker.com. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  9. "World comes closer to Scotland". The Herald on HighBeam Research. Archived from the original on 11 June 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2012. (subscription required)
  10. "Hall of Fame". Snooker.org. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  11. "World Snooker Championship 2000". Global Snooker. Archived from the original on 10 March 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  12. Downer, Chris (2012). Crucible Almanac. p. 130.
  13. "Embassy World Championship 2000". Snooker.org. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  14. "2000 Embassy World Championship Draw". Snooker.org. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  15. "2000 World Championships Results". Snooker Database. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  16. Downer, Chris (2012). Crucible Almanac. pp. 50–51.
  17. Downer, Chris (2012). Crucible Almanac. p. 143.
  18. "Crucible Centuries". Snooker.org. Archived from the original on 23 May 2011. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  19. Downer, Chris (2012). Crucible Almanac. p. 150.
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