Since 1977 Sheffield's Crucible Theatre has staged the World Championship and is one of sport's most iconic venues. Forty Years of the Crucible features the greatest matches played there, including classic encounters involving Ronnie O'Sullivan, Stephen Hendry, Jimmy White, Alex Higgins, and the 1985 final between Dennis Taylor and Steve Davis.



Since 1977 the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield has staged the snooker World Championship and in that time become one of the most beloved and iconic venues in sport. In this book the UK's leading snooker writer Hector Nunns makes his selection of the greatest matches ever played in the famous amphitheatre, featuring the heroes of the early years right through to the household names of the present day. With exclusive contributions from the players involved, and how they saw the build-up, the match itself, the agony of defeat and ecstasy of victory, and the experience of being involved in a memorable encounter on the sport's greatest stage, in what is always the biggest, best and final tournament of the season. Forty Years of the Crucible recalls how promoter Mike Watterson stumbled across the theatre with the help of his wife Carole and throws the spotlight on classic matches involving Ronnie O'Sullivan, Stephen Hendry, Jimmy White, the late and much-missed Alex Higgins and Paul Hunter, Cliff Thorburn, Terry Griffiths, Ken Doherty and of course the 1985 black-ball final between Dennis Taylor and Steve Davis.