World Snooker Championship 2023 - Crucible info: capacity, history, tickets, quotes on 'home of snooker'
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Published 15/04/2023 at 13:06 GMT
All eyes of the snooker world will be focused on Sheffield for the next couple of weeks, as the World Championship gets underway at the Crucible in Sheffield. The Crucible has been the home of the event since 1977, and this iconic venue has played host to some of the most iconic moments in the history of the sport. Who can forget Dennis Taylor's final black and Cliff Thorburn's 147?
'An absolute machine!' - O'Sullivan responds to Froome question in 'Voice Notes'
The greatest show in snooker is upon us, with the World Championship getting underway at the Crucible in Sheffield.
Snooker is synonymous with the Crucible, which has played host to the World Championship since 1977.
How many seats does the Crucible have?
There is something special about the intimate nature of the Crucible, which has a maximum capacity of 980 spectators.
The fans sit around three sides of the arena, and during the early stages of the tournament are almost within touching distance of the players.
It is not to everyone’s taste, Neil Robertson has spoken about how the small playing area impacts on his game as he is a player who likes to walk into a shot - and that is not always possible.
Robertson would have been heartened to hear the comments of snooker chief Barry Hearn who said talks were underway to build a new venue - with the ability to host 3,000 spectators - and would be linked to the existing venue by a connecting bridge.
New or old, the Crucible would remain as Hearn said: “The Crucible name is synonymous with snooker globally... so the name has to remain.”
The Crucible's rich history
Although an innovator, Hearn knows the value of history - and the Crucible is steeped in it.
When John Spencer beat Cliff Thorburn in the final in 1977, few would have dared to imagine the drama that would follow down the years.
Thorburn wrote himself into the history books in 1983 when making the first 147 at the World Championship. He went on to beat Terry Griffiths in a contest that concluded at 03:51 - the latest finish to a match at the Crucible.
Thorburn’s feat came 12 months after Alex Higgins won the second of his two World Championships. The 1982 tournament was the year the event was expanded to 32 players - which is the format that still holds.
Jimmy White was one of Higgins’ victims in 1982, losing the final frame of the semi-final after leading 59-0 in the decider and having to watch his opponent make one of the finest breaks ever made at the Crucible under the utmost pressure.
White would go on to lose in six World Championship finals.
Snooker was a huge spectator sport in the 1980s, and the 1985 final was watched by a peak TV audience of 18.5 million. It finished at 00:19, when Dennis Taylor potted the final black to defeat Steve Davis.
Unlike White, Davis got his hands on the Silver Lady - on six occasions. But he is not the winning-most world champion of the Crucible era. That honour is shared jointly by Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan on seven.
The latter is this year’s defending champion and will be bidding for an eighth crown in 2023.
Fans will be gripped as O’Sullivan bids to fend off the likes of Judd Trump, Mark Selby, Mark Williams and Robertson - and it will be the privileged few who get to witness the action in person.
While the focus is on 2023, such is the demand for tickets that the priority window for 2024 is looming large - with fans having to sign up with World Snooker to get in the ballot.
Crucible Quotes
- “Good luck, mate” - Possibly the most famous three words in Crucible history, as commentator Jack Karnehm summed up the mood as Thorburn settled over the final black of his 147 in 1983.
- "I'm still in shock. It's simply mindboggling” - Thorburn’s immediate thoughts after making the maxi.
- “There's been some great matches and great finals, but this is the one that everybody remembers and has a story to tell, and you think that 18 million people were watching this match, so it's something that has stuck in everyone's memory - ” Dennis Taylor reflecting on his 1985 win.
- "It's unbelievable. Twelve months ago I wasn't even here. I watched it in a caravan.I was seriously thinking of giving up, but my wife Joanne said I can't sleep in the house 24 hours a day” - Mark Williams after winning his third world title in 2018.
- “I've never bothered about records. You let the snooker gods decide what they're going to decide and this 17 days, they were on my side" - Ronnie O’Sullivan after winning his seventh world crown in 2022.
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