Stephen Hendry believes snooker may never again witness a trio quite like Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins, and Mark Williams.
The legendary Class of ’92 trio have shaped the modern era of the sport for more than three decades, combining for 14 world snooker titles, 39 Triple Crown titles, and 101 ranking crowns.
All three players have also reached the summit of the sport as world number one, while their longevity into their fifties continues to astonish fans and fellow professionals alike.
Even last season, each member produced moments that underlined why they remain among snooker’s elite competitors despite all being quinquagenarians.
O’Sullivan grabbed headlines by compiling a record-breaking 153 break at the World Open, while he also made a brace of 147s in the same match at the Saudi Arabia Masters.
Williams became the oldest ranking event winner in snooker history after capturing the Xi’an Grand Prix title at the age of 50, while Higgins reached three finals during the campaign, including an appearance in the Masters showpiece at Alexandra Palace.
Their achievements have prompted regular debate about whether snooker will ever again produce a generation capable of matching the sustained brilliance of the Class of ’92.
Few figures are better qualified to assess that question than Hendry himself.
The Scot dominated the sport throughout the 1990s, winning seven world titles and collecting 36 ranking crowns during one of the most successful careers the game has ever seen.
Hendry also spent years battling O’Sullivan, Higgins, and Williams during one of snooker’s strongest eras, facing all three in countless major matches at the Crucible and other prestigious venues around the world.
Speaking on his Cue Tips YouTube channel, the 57 year-old explained what he believes are the defining attributes of each player.
“If you think of them as superpowers, it is very difficult to do this,” Hendry said. “Ronnie has cue-ball control. He is the best break-builder of all time.”
O’Sullivan’s natural talent and attacking style transformed the sport after his emergence as a teenager in the 1990s.
Widely regarded as the most gifted player snooker has ever seen, the Englishman holds numerous records, including the most ranking titles, Triple Crown titles, and century breaks in professional history.
Hendry then turned his attention to fellow Scot Higgins, who he believes possesses unmatched nerve under pressure.
“They’ve all got tremendous bottle, because they wouldn’t have been able to do what they’ve done in their careers without being able to play under pressure,” Hendry said.
“But I think with John, the amount of clearances I’ve seen John make from 50 or 60 behind is just phenomenal.”
“John’s superpower is his bottle. He is still producing it now. Some of the breaks he produces now is just incredible.”
Hendry reserved equally glowing praise for Williams, whose relaxed personality and calm approach have made him one of the most popular figures in the game.
“For Williams, it is temperament,” Hendry added. “He has the greatest temperament of any sportsman I’ve ever seen.”
“He can just brush off bad shots. You still have to scrape him off the table, but if he loses, he has forgotten about it two seconds after leaving the table.”
There are plenty of options available for UK no deposit bonuses with a lot of these online casinos also providing sportsbooks where snooker fans can place bets on the likes of O’Sullivan, Higgins, and Williams at all of the latest tournaments.
The continued success of the Class of ’92 in recent seasons, meanwhile, has coincided with the rise of a powerful new Chinese contingent in snooker, with recent world champions Zhao Xintong and Wu Yize helping to expand the sport’s popularity in Asia.
However, Hendry was unsure whether another generation would be able to replicate the remarkable standards set by O’Sullivan, Higgins, and Williams – especially in the UK.
“I don’t know if we will ever again see the likes of Ronnie, John, and Mark in the game,” he said.
“In terms of home-grown talent, whether we will see a John, Ronnie, or Mark again, I don’t know.”
“They are just unbelievable competitors, and we just have to enjoy them while they’re still playing. They’re just absolute legends.”
Hendry, O’Sullivan, Higgins, and Williams recently played together at the inaugural John Virgo Trophy with O’Sullivan lifting the invitational title at Goffs in Ireland.
Featured photo credit: Snooker Legends
Wow, I rarely like what Hendry has to offer as he definitely likes to stir the pot in his pundit duties. This time however, I think he is speaking from the heart and I agree totally with his remarks. Some people say people are looking and doing much more than previous generations and boy does ever apply to these three champions. I am a slightly older man and my body has forsaken me, so when I watch them I just cannot believe it, God Bless them.
Great stuff from Hendry whose very life has been consumed by the game and that surely makes him one of the sport’s most respected voices. The best I can say, and compare it to is my interest in auto racing whereby I’ve seen a couple of generations come and go, is we never realize we’re in a Golden Age until it’s over. We are fortunate to still have the class of ’92 competing at the highest level. When the winners change we look back to what we’ve seen previously and do our comparisons. Now, in just the past two years we have seen the steady rise of the Chinese to the upper crust of the game and while the names are unfamiliar, they’re being etched into our memories with standout performances. How I wish we Americans would embrace the sport as we know some of our outstanding pool players could have been threats in the snooker world. The average American has no idea what snooker is.
Hi Carl, interesting last name, I love it. But let’s be honest, Americans play their games. American football, America’s Favorite Pastime, National Basketball, NASCAR, Indy races, Drag Racing and since Gary Bettman stole hockey from the Canadians. Americans even had to change the design of the table and rules to make sure they weren’t playing Billiards but American Pool/Billiards. Americans are some of nicest people in the world in my opinion but they were preached upon America is great and now let’s go and deplete our overstock war ammunition. Production of ammunition surpasses China and Russia combined, it is the major source of their GDP. They attack another country every 10 to 20 years depending how well their bombs are selling.
I am sorry for digressing Dave.
Back to snooker if anyone is a natural I would take a shot, a first time champion on the WST would be like Cliff Thorborn winning as a Canadian but with 300 million more potential fans.
assuming there wont be anymore very best uk players coming through because its not as popular at a grassroots level, the emerging best chinese players (class of 2022) could dominate into their senior years…only thing to stop them is even more better chinese stars coming through