The BBC, host broadcaster for the World Snooker Championship, will screen some of the most iconic moments of yesteryear.
In the absence of live sport due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the BBC has announced that it will be airing old snooker matches from the Crucible in the coming weeks.
The venue stages of the 2020 World Championship were due to start in just over a fortnight, but they have been postponed as a result of the global COVID-19 crisis.
Several other sporting occasions, such as the Tokyo Olympic Games, Euro 2020, the Premier League, and Wimbledon, have been cancelled or rescheduled too.
With plenty of available air time, the BBC has revealed its decision to relive some memorable moments in sport – including snooker matches from the World Championship.
Specific details as to exactly how many of these repeats will be shown, and when, have not yet been stated.
“In these unprecedented and difficult times we are delighted to bring some of the most incredible sporting events from years gone by to our audiences over the next few months,” said director of sport Barbara Slater.
“From glorious moments at the Olympics including the magic of London 2012, thrilling Euro 96 matches, wonderful Wimbledon moments and the best of World Championship snooker, there is something for everyone to enjoy.”
Read about old snooker seasons here!
It provides sports fans a fraction of excitement and it’ll be interesting to see which encounters get chosen.
A few obvious ones that spring to mind are Ken Doherty’s famous comeback to beat Paul Hunter in the 2003 semi-final and Judd Trump’s battle with Ding Junhui at the same stage eight years later.
Famous finals include the 1985 epic that went all the way to the last black, Jimmy White’s heartbreaking sixth title-deciding defeat in 1994, and a barnstorming 2018 showdown between legends Mark Williams and John Higgins.
Hopefully, there’ll be a few obscure ones thrown in for good measure, especially snooker matches from the 1970s and 1980s in which the footage might not be readily available online.
Pundits and fans were already getting excited about the prospect on social media, with commentator David Hendon saying that he’d love to see “Steve Duggan v Cliff Wilson from 1989”.
Which World Championship battles would you like to watch again?
One match I would love to see in particular is Peter Ebdon vs Stephen Lee 13-12 in 2001. The fact that not even the decider (or even just the celebration) is available to watch anywhere is highly disappointing.
— Jan N (@tennisexpert84) April 2, 2020
I’d plump for Stephen Hendry’s first world title. Regardless of the thrilling qualities of the final match, the beginning of a snooker legend.
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the 2001 semi between Higgins and Stevens would be great
Alex higgins or jimmy white matches also clasic from 1985 dennis tailor v steve davies.
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Please not just old finals that we have seen anyway , Williams ebdon from 98 , drago burden in same year, Hicks v hann!