1981 UK Championship (snooker)

The 1981 UK Championship (also known as the Coral UK Championship for sponsorship purposes) took place at the Guildhall, Preston, from 22 November and TV stages shown on BBC TV took place between 28 November and 5 December 1981.

Notable happenings

• Steve Davis retained the first of his major titles by defeating Terry Griffiths 16–3 in the final.

• Jimmy White, fresh from his success in the Langs Scottish Masters and Northern Ireland Classic, which took place earlier in the season, beat John Virgo, Dennis Taylor and Ray Reardon, in reaching the semi-finals at his first attempt, but then was whitewashed 0–9 by the reigning World Champion Steve Davis.

• Two other young players, Tony Knowles and Tony Meo, also enhanced their reputations: Knowles by beating Fred Davis and Doug Mountjoy in reaching the quarter-finals, and Meo by defeating Rex Williams, Cliff Thorburn and Alex Higgins in reaching the semi-finals.

Prize money

Winner: UK£10,000

Total: £40,000

Main draw

^[1]

Qualifying

Best of 17 frames

References