Class of '92 (snooker)
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The Class of '92 is a group of three professional snooker players—England's Ronnie O'Sullivan, Scotland's John Higgins, and Wales's Mark Williams. All three were born in 1975, Williams on 21 March,[1] Higgins on 18 May,[2] and O'Sullivan on 5 December,[3] and all turned professional during the 1992–93 snooker season. They have become known for their collective dominance of the sport, as well as their longevity as top-ranked players.[4][5]
Honours
The Class of '92 has collectively won 98 ranking titles, with O'Sullivan having won 41, Higgins 31, and Williams 26. All three players have won each Triple Crown event multiple times, for a combined total of 39 Triple Crown titles.[6][7] At the end of the 2021–22 snooker season, after 30 seasons on the professional tour, all three players were ranked within the top eight in the world.[8] In terms of their collective dominance and longevity, O'Sullivan has compared the Class of '92 to the Big Three of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal in men's singles tennis.[9]
At least one member of the Class of '92 featured in 18 of the 25 World Snooker Championship finals contested between 1998 and 2022. The three players have won a combined 14 world titles, three by Williams, in 2000, 2003, and 2018;[10] four by Higgins, in 1998, 2007, 2009, and 2011;[11] and a record-equalling seven by O'Sullivan, in 2001, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2020, and 2022.[12] As of the 2023 World Championship, they have made a combined total of 85 appearances at the event's main stage at the Crucible, with O'Sullivan having featured 31 times, Higgins 29 times, and Williams 25 times.[13][14] All three players have reached the semi-finals of the World Championship on three occasions: in 1998 (with Ken Doherty), in 1999 (with Stephen Hendry), and in 2022 (with Judd Trump).
The Class of '92 has collectively compiled over 2,800 century breaks in professional competition, including 31 officially recognised maximum breaks, of which O'Sullivan has made 15, Higgins 13, and Williams 3.[8] From the time Higgins first became world number one in May 1998 until the end of the 2023–24 snooker season, the Class of '92 players held the top ranking spot for a cumulative 5,334 out of a total 9,499 days.[15]
Longevity
More than three decades after turning professional, the Class of '92 continues to win events and has set longevity records in the sport. As of January 2024, O'Sullivan holds records as the oldest winner of all three Triple Crown events, having won his seventh world title in 2022, aged 46 years and 148 days;[16] his eighth UK Championship title in 2023, aged 47 years and 363 days;[17] and his eighth Masters title in 2024, aged 48 years and 40 days.[18] O'Sullivan has made more appearances than any other player in the final stages of the World Championship at the Crucible, with 32 as of the 2024 event. During the 2023–24 season, Williams won the 2023 British Open aged 48 years and 194 days and the 2024 Tour Championship aged 49 years and 17 days, making him the second-oldest player to win a ranking event, after Ray Reardon, who won the 1982 Professional Players Tournament aged 50 years and 14 days.[19] When Williams faced O'Sullivan in the 2024 Tour Championship final on 7 April 2024, the two players set a record for the highest combined age in any ranking snooker final.[20] Higgins has spent the most consecutive seasons ranked within the world's top 16 players, his record standing at 29 seasons at the end of the 2023–24 season.[8] Higgins also holds the record as the oldest player to make a maximum break in professional competition, achieved at the 2024 Championship League when he was aged 48 years and 268 days.[21]
Triple Crown and ranking events
The three players have won a total of 98 ranking events to date, O'Sullivan having won 41, Higgins 31, and Williams 26. They have also achieved 39 Triple Crown wins between them, O'Sullivan having won 23, Higgins 9, and Williams 7.
Triple Crown
| Tournament | Ronnie O'Sullivan | John Higgins | Mark Williams | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Championship | 7 | 4 | 3 | 14 |
| UK Championship | 8 | 3 | 2 | 13 |
| Masters | 8 | 2 | 2 | 12 |
| Total | 23 | 9 | 7 | 39 |
Ranking events
| Tournament | Ronnie O'Sullivan | John Higgins | Mark Williams | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Championship | 7 | 4 | 3 | 14 |
| UK Championship | 8 | 3 | 2 | 13 |
| Welsh Open | 4 | 5 | 2 | 11 |
| World Open | 1 | 4 | 4 | 9 |
| British Open | 1 | 4 | 3 | 8 |
| German Masters | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| China Open | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Scottish Open | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| World Grand Prix | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Shanghai Masters | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Players Championship | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| European Masters | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Thailand Masters | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Irish Masters | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Tour Championship | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Northern Ireland Trophy | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Dubai Classic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| English Open | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| International Championship | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Indian Open | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Australian Goldfields Open | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Northern Ireland Open | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| WST Pro Series | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 41 | 31 | 26 | 98 |
Time as World Number one
| Player | From | To | Days | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Reardon, Cliff Thorburn, Steve Davis, and Stephen Hendry. | ||||
| John Higgins | 5 May 1998 | 1 May 2000 | 728 | 7 years, 11 months, and 27 days |
| Mark Williams | 2 May 2000 | 6 May 2002 | 735 | |
| Ronnie O'Sullivan | 7 May 2002 | 5 May 2003 | 364 | |
| Mark Williams | 6 May 2003 | 3 May 2004 | 364 | |
| Ronnie O'Sullivan | 4 May 2004 | 1 May 2006 | 728 | |
| Stephen Hendry. | ||||
| John Higgins | 8 May 2007 | 5 May 2008 | 364 | 3 years, 4 months, and 19 days |
| Ronnie O'Sullivan | 6 May 2008 | 3 May 2010 | 728 | |
| John Higgins | 4 May 2010 | 26 September 2010 | 146 | |
| Neil Robertson. | ||||
| John Higgins | 13 December 2010 | 2 May 2011 | 141 | 8 months and 30 days |
| Mark Williams | 3 May 2011 | 11 September 2011 | 132 | |
| Mark Selby, Judd Trump, Neil Robertson, and Ding Junhui. | ||||
| Ronnie O'Sullivan | 25 March 2019 | 11 August 2019 | 140 | 4 months and 18 days |
| Judd Trump and Mark Selby. | ||||
| Ronnie O'Sullivan | 4 April 2022 | 6 May 2024[d] | 764 | 2 years, 1 month, and 3 days |
| Total: 5,334 of a possible 9,499 days. (56.2% over 26 years) | ||||
| Source: World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association.[15] | ||||
See also
- Triple Crown (snooker)
- List of snooker players by number of ranking titles
- List of world number one snooker players
Notes
- ^ O'Sullivan at the 2011 Paul Hunter Classic.
- ^ Higgins at the 2015 Paul Hunter Classic.
- ^ Williams at the 2015 German Masters.
- ^ The end of the 2023–24 season.
References
- ^ "Mark Williams". World Snooker Tour. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
- ^ "John Higgins". World Snooker Tour. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
- ^ "Ronnie O'Sullivan". World Snooker Tour. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
- ^ Staniforth, Mark (28 April 2022). "Snooker's 'Class of 92' – John Higgins, Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Williams reach World Championship semis". Irish Independent. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
- ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ "A Class Apart?". WPBSA. 23 October 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
- ^ "Higgins hails snooker's Class of 92 after securing World Championship quarter-final". Telegraph & Argus. 25 April 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
- ^ a b c Hendon, Dave (20 June 2022). "How Ronnie O'Sullivan, John Higgins, Mark Williams achieved snooker immortality - 30 years of Class of '92". Eurosport. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ "O'Sullivan compares 'Class of 92' to tennis greats". BBC Sport. 28 April 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ^ "Mark Williams beats John Higgins to win third title". BBC Sport. 7 May 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ^ "Higgins beats Trump to win fourth title". BBC Sport. 2 May 2011. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ^ "Ronnie O'Sullivan wins sixth World Snooker Championship at Crucible". Sky Sports. 17 August 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ^ "Williams hits Robertson for six". World Snooker Tour. 17 April 2023. Archived from the original on 17 April 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ^ a b "Ranking Records". World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
- ^ Kane, Desmond (3 May 2022). "'A miraculous work of sports Pulp Fiction' – How Ronnie O'Sullivan defied time to cement legacy as snooker GOAT". Eurosport. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ^ "Oldest winner of snooker's UK Championship". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
- ^ "Rocket soars to eighth Masters crown". World Snooker Tour. 14 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
- ^ "Wonderful Williams claims gold in Cheltenham". World Snooker Tour. 2 October 2023. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ "Mark Williams beats Ronnie O'Sullivan in Tour Championship final after winning seven frames in a row". Sky Sports. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
- ^ "Higgins makes 13th maximum". World Snooker Tour. 10 February 2024. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
External links
- Ronnie O'Sullivan at the World Snooker Tour
- Ronnie O'Sullivan at snooker.org
- John Higgins at the World Snooker Tour
- John Higgins at snooker.org
- Mark Williams at the World Snooker Tour
- Mark Williams at snooker.org
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Current number one is marked in italic. |