Hazel Irvine relives a Crucible Classic from 1982, a first-round encounter between the defending champion Steve Davis and Tony Knowles. Davis was the red-hot favourite going into this match having won six trophies that season including the UK Championship and the Masters. But the underdog from Bolton created one of the most memorable upsets in Crucible history, recording a 10-1 win which is still talked about to this day.
Hazel Irvine takes another trip down memory lane as she relives the 1982 world final between Ray Reardon and Alex Higgins. Welshman Reardon was already a six-time winner of the title while Higgins was attempting to win the world crown for a second time, ten years after his maiden victory. When the Hurricane took the last three frames to lift the trophy, there were emotional scenes at the Crucible which live long in the memory.
Hazel Irvine relives a Crucible Classic from 1984, the world final between Steve Davis and Jimmy White. Davis was the only player to have won the title twice in Sheffield and was attempting to become the first player to successfully defend it. Standing in his way was Jimmy White, the 22-year- old left-hander from London who was hoping to add the world crown to the Masters title he'd won four months earlier. There was disappointment, however, for White in his first Crucible final while Davis would go on to win another three titles in a decade he dominated.
Hazel Irvine relives the most famous Crucible final, often referred to as the Black Ball Final from 1985 between Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor. It finished well past midnight and was watched by an audience of 18.5 million. Davis, a three-time winner and world number one, was expected to beat 36-year-old Dennis Taylor with ease especially after opening up an 8-0 lead. But remarkably, Taylor fought his way back into the match, forcing a deciding frame and the rest is history.
Hazel Irvine looks back at the 1986 final between Steve Davis and Joe Johnson. This final had a lot to live up to, 12 months after the black-ball decider served up by Davis and Dennis Taylor. Davis was expected to crush the 150-1 outsider from Bradford but the 33-year-old defied the odds, prevailing 18-12 and proving that the underdog does have its day. It was one of the major shocks in Crucible history.
Today's Crucible Classic, introduced by Hazel Irvine, features a second-round match from 1988 between Stephen Hendry and Jimmy White. This was the first time these two exciting players had met in Sheffield. On this occasion, the Whirlwind won the match in the deciding frame but Hendry would get revenge when the pair subsequently contested four Crucible finals, all of them claimed by the Scot.
Since hosting the World Championship in 1977, the Crucible Theatre has seen many enthralling rivalries but one in particular captured the imagination in the 1990s. Hazel Irvine relives the 1992 final between Stephen Hendry and Jimmy White, a carbon copy of the 1990 line-up won by the Scot. White raced into a 14-8 lead but then Hendry won ten frames in a row, with three centuries in the last five frames, to inflict more psychological pain on the Whirlwind.
Hazel Irvine relives the 1994 final between Stephen Hendry and Jimmy White. Jimmy was appearing in his fifth final and was still waiting to lift the trophy. Hendry, who'd played the entire Championship with a fractured elbow after a bathroom fall, edged a thrilling final with a cool clearance under pressure, after White had missed a routine black off the spot in the deciding frame.
Hazel Irvine relives the 2002 semi-final between Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan. Ronnie had stoked the fire ahead of the match with a verbal attack on the Scot, but Hendry got his revenge, prevailing 17-13 in an exciting encounter full of high-quality breaks. It was a bittersweet moment for Hendry though as his quest for an eighth World Crown was ended by Peter Ebdon in the final.
Hazel Irvine relives the 2002 semi-final between Peter Ebdon and Matthew Stevens. The standard of scoring was exceptionally high in this match with 22 breaks over 50 in the first 25 frames. Ebdon, staring defeat in the face, dug deep to secure a hard-earned victory over the Welshman. The Force would then go on to beat Stephen Hendry in the final. It was the first time ever that a semi and a final have been won in deciders by the champion.
Hazel Irvine relives the 2003 semi-final between Ken Doherty and Paul Hunter. Hunter was already a two-time Masters winner and many considered that 2003 would be his year at the Crucible. The flamboyant Yorkshireman was in control of the match before being stunned by a late fightback from the Irishman. Doherty won a deciding frame to go through to his third world final, only to lose to Mark Williams.
Hazel Irvine relives the 2007 quarter-final between Shaun Murphy and Matthew Stevens. This was a rerun of the 2005 final which Murphy won to become the second-lowest ranked player ever to lift the trophy. Stevens led 11-5 in the best-of-25-frames match but Murphy launched a stirring comeback to win 13-12.
Hazel Irvine relives the 2011 final between 21-year-old Judd Trump and 35-year-old John Higgins, youth against experience. Following a tumultuous 12 months in his career and family life, Higgins claimed a fourth World title at the Crucible. There were emotional scenes at the end after the Scot secured one of his most difficult and important victories.
Hazel Irvine introduces a quarter-final match from 2014 between Neil Robertson of Australia and England's Judd Trump. Robertson's scoring record that year was prolific, and during the match, which he won 13-11, he completed a century of centuries in one season. It was yet another achievement in the career of the greatest overseas player ever to play the game.
Hazel Irvine introduces another Crucible classic, a semi-final from 2014 featuring Australia's Neil Robertson and England's Mark Selby. Robertson had already compiled his 100th century of the season in his quarter-final victory over Judd Trump, which had elevated him to the number one spot. But in this match the Aussie was defeated by a dogged Selby who then went on to lift the World Crown, inflicting a first ever defeat on Ronnie O'Sullivan in a final.
Hazel Irvine relieves Stuart Bingham's epic semi-final win against Judd Trump in 2015. It was a fairy-tale fortnight in Sheffield for Bingham who'd never previously got beyond the quarter-finals at the World Championship. A sensational match unfolded, one which neither player deserved to lose. It was an emotional Bingham who progressed to the final 17-16 where he continued his amazing success.
Hazel Irvine relives Ronnie O'Sullivan's remarkable victory at the 2013 world championship. As defending champion, the Rocket had taken a break from the game that season and hadn't played a competitive match since September the previous year. But he reached the final against Barry Hawkins without losing a single session. It was a high scoring and hugely entertaining final containing a record eight century breaks. O'Sullivan joined Stephen Hendry and Steve Davis as the only players to successfully defend the world title at the Crucible.
A full replay of the final, dramatic frame of the 1985 World Snooker Championship, between Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor. More