1978 UK Championship (snooker)

Coral UK Championship
Tournament information
Dates 22 November–1 December 1978
Venue Guild Hall
City Preston
Country England
Organisation(s) WPBSA
Format Non-ranking event
Total prize fund £12,500
Winner's share £3,500
Final
Champion Wales Doug Mountjoy
Runner-up England David Taylor
Score 15–9
1977
1979

The 1978 Coral UK Championship was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place between 22 November and 1 December 1978 at the Guild Hall in Preston. England.[1]

1978 would be the first of 20 UK Championship competitions to be played in Preston's Guildhall. For the first time the event was sponsoed by Coral and they would continue doing so until 1985.

The most dramatic match came in the qualifying rounds when Terry Griffiths, a newly turned professional was beaten 8–9 by Rex Williams after leading 8–2. The championship proper also provided plenty of surprises. Patsy Fagan, the defending UK champion went out 7–9 in the first round to David Taylor who, after a decade in the professional ranks, reached his first major final by beating Alex Higgins 9–5 in the semi-final. In the other half, Roy Andrewartha beat John Spencer 9–8 and Willie Thorne beat Ray Reardon 9–6 only to collapse 1–9 against Graham Miles, whose 139 break set a tournament record. In the semi-finals it was Miles' turn to collapse 1–9 to Doug Mountjoy who, keeping his best till last, clinched his final victory over Taylor with a break of 120. The BBC televised the final again shown on Grandstand and with Ted Lowe commentating the match. The highest break of the tournament was 139 made by Graham Miles.

Main draw

[1][2][3] Last 24 Best of 17 frames

England David Taylor 9–2 Maurice Parkin England

England John Virgo 9–4 Ray Edmonds England

England John Dunning 9–3 David Greaves England

England Jim Meadowcroft 9–5 Jackie Rea Northern Ireland

Wales Doug Mountjoy 9–5 John Barrie England

England Roy Andrewartha 9–3 Pat Houlihan England

England Rex Williams 9–8 Terry Griffiths Wales

England Willie Thorne 9–4 Bernard Bennett England

Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
                           
           
 Republic of Ireland Patsy Fagan  7
 England David Taylor  9  
 England David Taylor  9
   England John Virgo  2  
 England John Pulman  3
 England John Virgo  9  
 England David Taylor  9
   Northern Ireland Alex Higgins  5  
 England Fred Davis  9
 England John Dunning  2  
 England Fred Davis  4
   Northern Ireland Alex Higgins  9  
 Northern Ireland Alex Higgins  9
 England Jim Meadowcroft  6  
 England David Taylor  9
   Wales Doug Mountjoy  15
 Northern Ireland Dennis Taylor  4
 Wales Doug Mountjoy  9  
 Wales Doug Mountjoy  9
   England Roy Andrewartha  4  
 England John Spencer  8
 England Roy Andrewartha  9  
 Wales Doug Mountjoy  9
   England Graham Miles  1  
 England Graham Miles  9
 England Rex Williams  8  
 England Graham Miles  9
   England Willie Thorne  1  
 Wales Ray Reardon  6
 England Willie Thorne  9  

Century breaks

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "1978 UK Championship". Archived from the original on 27 April 2006. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  2. "1978 UK Championship Results". Snooker Database. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
  3. "1978 UK Championship Results Grid". Snooker Database. Retrieved 30 November 2010.