Slasher said:Although Davis's achievments are outstanding, I beg to differ on who was the best, even Steve Davis said Hendry was a better player than himself.
Basic Facts
Born
January 13, 1969
Lives
Auchterarder, Tayside, Scotland
Nickname
"The Golden Boy", "The Great One", "The Maestro"
Turned pro
1985
Match stats
1998/99 ranking events; 1999/2000 ranking events
Highest pro break
147 (eight times: 1992 Matchroom League, 1995 Embassy World Championship, 1995 Royal Liver Assurance UK Championship, 1997 Liverpool Victoria Charity Challenge, 1998 Dr Martens Premier League, 1999 British Open (autumn), 1999 Liverpool Victoria UK Championship and 2001 Rothmans Grand Prix)
Highest ranked
1 (1990-97)
Current ranking
2
World Championship best
Winner seven times (1990, 1992-94, 1995, 1996, 1999)
Best ranking event performance
Winner of 35 tournaments: Grand Prix 1987, 1990, 1991, 1995; British Open 1988, 1991, 1999 (autumn), 2003; Asian Open 1989, 1990; Dubai Duty Free Classic 1989, 1990, 1993; Embassy World Championship 1990, 1992-94, 1995, 1996, 1999; UK Championship 1989, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1996; Regal Welsh 1992, 1997, 2003; Scottish Open 1993 (International), 1997 (International), 1999; European Open 1993 (Dec), 1994, 2001; Thailand Masters 1998
Major invitation tournament victories:
Benson & Hedges Masters 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996; Benson & Hedges Irish Masters 1992, 1997, 1999; Regal Scottish Masters 1995; Liverpool Victoria Charity Challenge 1995, 1997; Liverpool Victoria Champions Cup 1999
Career centuries
422 (end of 1997/98 season)
Career centuries
54 (end of 1997/98 season)
Career earnings
£6,863,186 (through the 2001 Thailand Masters)
2000/2001 earnings
£195,950 (through the Thailand Masters)
Speciality
Break-building, centre pocket pots
Achievements
Stephen has won 35 ranking (record) and 77 titles in all (from 109 finals). He has won a record seven World championships, six Masters and five UK championships. After surpassing Steve Davis in 1990 he was the No. 1 player in the rankings until 1998.
He became the youngest World Professional Champion, at 21 yr 106 days on 29 Apr 1990.
Hendry became the first player to make more than two tournament 147s. His first was made in the 1992 Matchroom League and his second in the 1995 World Championship. The record-breaking third maximum came on 25 Nov 1995 in the UK Championship. Not content with this he made his fourth maximum on 5 Jan 1997 in the 1997 Liverpool Victoria Charity Challenge, his fifth on 23 May 1998 in the 1998 Dr Martens Premier League, his sixth on 19 Sep 1999 in the final of the 1999 British Open (the first maximum in a ranking final), his seventh on (21-23) November in 1999 in the 1999 Liverpool Victoria UK Championship and his eighth on 25 Feb 2001 in the final of the 2001 Rothmans Grand Prix!
Stephen made seven centuries in the final of the 1994 UK Championship, which is a record in a professional match. He also became the first player ever to make five centuries in seven frames.
From 17 Mar 1990 to his defeat by Jimmy White on 13 Jan 1991, the Scot won five sucessive titles and 36 consecutive matches in ranking tournaments. That's the longest unbeaten run ever.
Hendry is one of only five players to win both the World Championship and the UK Championship in the same year. Steve Davis, John Parrott, John Higgins and Ronnie O'Sullivan are the others.
Together with Steve Davis and John Higgins he is also the only one to hold the World, UK and Masters titles at the same time.
Hendry holds the record for most tons by one player in a tournament. He made 16 centuries during the 2002 World Championship.
He was voted WPBSA Young Player of the Year in 1988 and Player of the Year in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995 and 1996.
He was a member of Scottish teams that won the 1996 Castrol-Honda World Cup and the 2001 Coalite Nations Cup.
Miscellaneous
He has defeated Jimmy White in four World Championship finals (1990, 1992-94). His career record against the "Whirlwind" is 27-13 (?). Hendry had won their last 14 encounters before he was dumped 10-4 in the first round of the 1998 World Championship.
In the 1998 UK Championship he suffered a career-worst 9-0 loss to Marcus Campbell in the first round.
Stephen had won all his 12 matches with Tony Drago before he was beaten thrice in a row, in the quarter-finals of the 1998 German Masters, the quarter-finals of the 1998 Irish Open and the second round of the 1999 Benson & Hedges Masters.
Cardinal_Syn said:Seriously i don't think you can even compete with yesterdays hall of famer and todays...sure it was probably hard to win before cause of the equipment etc...now that it has improve look at what you have to face to day not like before...yesterday who did you have...today there's like over top 10 players competing for the same thing, young and old. I'm not old heck i haven't even seen the old timers play but if you compair the players today and yesterdays you have more world calls players today not to mention the hustlers lurking around. Let's say when mosconi won a major event or greenleaf or maybe hoppe, who did they have to compete with? today there's sooo much competition it's hardly anyone that can dominate. Put in yesterdays players and everyone from today and lets see how they do. That's alot of competition. It's gonna be a tossup between alot of players.
Cardinal_Syn said:also if one says that the equipment from the old timers were more difficult...i say give the todays playres a few months or even years and i'm sure they'll get used to it/compensate from the differences in todays 'technology'
Ah , 2 Canadian cents is worth nothing.Cardinal_Syn said:I'll just leave this discussion to them old timers.....jsut thought i'd give my 2 cents....which is worth nothinglol.
You might be right, but IMHO you left out one significant word, which I have inserted here:THE SILENCER said:i've had many, many pool pros who influenced me, and my style, however there was one pool player in particular, that god tapped on the shoulder while he was still in his mother's womb, and god said onto him, "son, your going to be the greatest pool player that ever lived. i am designing you right now, to be the greatest pool player ever. you will see patterens like no other human, has seen patterens, you will play position, so tghat you never use any english, only soft speed and small angles to move the white around. you will play 3 balls ahead, but you will have the ability to see 16 balls ahead! you will destroy anyone who challenges you, and will be king of pocket billiards forever. the name of the fetus that god was talking to was----------------------------- Willie Mosconi.
1pocket said:You might be right, but IMHO you left out one significant word, which I have inserted here:
"the greatest Straight pool player that ever lived"
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In Mosconi's era, straight pool was the championship game. You had to win at it to be considered the real and true champion of pool. There was one and only one true world champion of pocket billiards. That was the one who won the 14.1 continuous pocket billiards crown.
Willie won 15 of them.
If another player during that same era won 15 world 8 ball titles, or 9 ball, or banks, or one pocket, or rotation, it meant he was a fine player, a fine winner of tournaments, but it did not have near the same meaning or significant to the straight pool crown. 14.1 was the game to determine champions on and which tested true skill.
9 BALL was a cute game to gamble on in the back rooms, same on one hole.
Rotation had been discarded as a stupid dumb game in 1911.
8 ball was sort of new and it was just another game played, like bottle pool, line up, cut throat, cribbage. These were just past time games then. There were no championships in them. That did not begin until the mid 60's when in Johnston City one hole and 9 ball had actual titles to be won.
It was a wonderful concept, you have to show proficiency on 3 games, straight, 9 ball and one hole, and you had to win 2 of the 3 to be the champion. Few ever won that event that did not win the straight title along with one of the other two. Perhaps that is the answer which is to return to that concept today but make it straight, 8 ball and 9 ball as the big all around three. The gamblers who put these events on don't want to see this, but the people who watch them do.
The gamblers today who are good at one hole are usually pool straight pool players. That is why you will never see this concpet fly. The people who put these things on are mostly ex roadies and gamblers and they put on events for their pals to win at. They could care less what you the pool playing public want's to actually see or watch.
Larry, when were you ever "slow" to lose it?fast larry said:Joe, you are beginning to mess with my wa and patience, I am slowing losing it here. The vein in the side of my neck is getting large and throbing. I wish I could get the big thing to do that now. That is what you boys do with Earl, mess with him long enough and he goes off the deep end and slobber begins to drool down his cheek. You all think it's funny, it's not, he's a great champion and you all should show him much greater respect and honor. He loves his country and flag, he questions if you do?
1994 Joe has nothing to do with it, it is who dominates over a decade, 10 year minimum period of time, that is how golf rates and ranks their greats, pool should do the same. A one year flash in the pan is just that. A guy named Kim had one hot year, where is he now? The best that guy ever did was be 2nd at the end of the year. He won a few big ones, so what when you look at it over a perspective of a century as I do. Joe, you are blinded by the tree in front of you, you cannot see the entire forest around you. You are in an argument you cannot win, Efren has one world, he choked all of his chances to be great, that is the sorry sad truth to this, so you made me say it. You knew if you bugged me long enough I would. Oh Lord, now watch the bozo's decend upon me now and I was doing so good here. All good things have to end some how. Vote for "Earl" Earl for president, would that not be a hoot.
11 picks, 11 great players, I will definitely grant you that -- still conspicuous in absence Efren Reyes, however. And wasn't Cisero Murphy's talent right up there with Caras' -- just that Murphy was denied access to many of those 'world championship' tournaments that you put such stock in? Not to mention James Evans -- supposedly stronger still, yet totally shut out of major tournament play courtesy of Brunswick & the like...fast larry said:Here is my new revised list from your opinions I removed Minnesota Fats and added on Stephen Hendry. Fast Larrys top 10 picks of the greatest cueists of all time any game.
(1) Willie Hoppe, Cromwell, NY, USA.
(2) Walter Lindgrum Australia
(3) Ralph Greenleaf NYC, USA.
(4) Willie Mosconi Philadelphia, Pa, USA
(5) Stephen Hendry UK
(6) Steve Davis. UK.
(7) Raymound Cuelemans Belgium
(8) Jake Schaefer Jr USA.
(9) Jimmy Caras Jacksonville, Fla, USA.
(10) Irving Crane New York, USA [note: quote trimmed by 1Pocket]