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1997 Women's World Snooker Championship

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Women's World Snooker Championship
Tournament information
VenueRaunds Cue Sports Club and Terry Griffiths Matchroom
CityNorthamptonshire and Llanelli
CountryUnited Kingdom
OrganisationWorld Ladies Billiards and Snooker Association
FormatSingle elimination
Highest break87 (Karen Corr)
Final
ChampionKaren Corr
Runner-upKelly Fisher
Score6–3
1995
1998

The 1997 World Women's Snooker Championship was a women's snooker tournament held in 1997.

Tournament summary

[edit]

The tournament started as the 1996 World Championship, but due to delays in the scheduling of the later rounds, it became the 1997 Championship. It was promoted by Barry Hearn[1] who had been promoting the Women's world championship since 1990.[2] The defending champion was Karen Corr. There were 52 players who entered the tournament. Allison Fisher who had won the title seven times, most recently in 1994, did not enter as she has moved to the United States where she had embarked on a successful pool career. 1984 amateur champion and five-times runner-up Stacey Hillyard had retired from competition and so was another non-participant. The original schedule was for the quarter-finals onwards to be held in India, as they had been in 1994 and 1995,[2] from 16 to 19 September 1996,[3] but eventually the final rounds took place in Llanelli, with the semi-finals and final not happening until well into 1997.

This was the last women's world snooker championship to be held before the World Ladies Billiards and Snooker Association amalgamated with the WPBSA later in 1997.[4]

Rounds 1 to 4

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The tournament started as the 1996 World Championship. The first four rounds took place at Raunds Cue Sports Club, Northamptonshire, to decide the eight players that would go on to contest the quarter-finals onwards, which were expected to be played in Bombay in mid-September 1996. Defending champion Karen Corr won her first match without losing a frame but won only on the final black in the deciding frame of her match against Lynette Horsburgh. Second seed Kelly Fisher and 1995 runner-up Kim Shaw both won both of their matches 4–0. Mary Talbot, ranked 26th, was a surprising quarter-finalist, beating 7th seed Sarah Smith and 12th ranked player Helen Audus. The highest break in the main qualifying was a 77 by Ann-Marie Farren. A plate competition was held for players who did not qualify to the quarter-finals and was won by Horsburgh, who made a break of 100 in the first round of the plate competition.[3]

Quarter-finals

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Following postponements of the final stages and a lack of response from promoter Barry Hearn's partner in India, it was decided to hold the quarter-finals at the Terry Griffiths Matchroom, Llanelli, and they took place in November 1996. Corr whitewashed 1984 professional champion Mandy Fisher 4–0. Banks saw off 1987 champion Farren 4–2, and Lisa Quick beat Shaw 4–1. Fisher's match with Talbot was delayed due to Talbot's illness, with Fisher winning 4–1. Meanwhile, Hearn requested the termination of his contract with the WLBSA to promote the event in future.[1]

Semi-finals and Final

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The semi-finals and final were eventually scheduled to be held in Llanelli in mid-1997, following a continued lack of communication from Hearn's partner in India. Corr made the highest break of the competition, 87, and three other breaks over 30 in overcoming Banks 5–0. Quick won the first frame against Fisher, but no more, losing 1–5. The final between Corr and Fisher was closely contested until 3–3 but then Corr won three frames in a row to take her third world title. The tournament finished some eleven months after the start of the qualifying matches, and was the end of promoter Hearn's relationship with women's snooker that stretched back to 1990.[2]

This was the last world championship to be held before the amalgamation of the World Ladies Billiards and Snooker Association with the WPBSA a few months later. The intention was that major finals for women should be played at the same venues as the men's events, for example the women's world championship final being held at the Crucible Theatre during the World Snooker Championship.[4]

Results

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Source: Snooker Scene[1][2][3]

First round

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At Raunds Cue Sports Club. Matches were best-of-7 frames.

Score
Scotland Lynette Horsburgh 4–2 Zena Latcham England
Australia Kathy Parashis 4–1 Valerie Finnie Scotland
England Clare Rodgers 4–0 Vicki Revell England
England Natalie Chatfield 4–0 Jane O'Neill England

Second round to Final

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Second round
Best-of-7 frames
Raunds Cue Sports Club
Third round
Best-of-7 frames
Raunds Cue Sports Club
Fourth round
Best-of-7 frames
Raunds Cue Sports Club
Quarter-finals
Best-of-7 frames
Terry Griffiths Matchroom
Semi-finals
Best-of-9 frames
Terry Griffiths Matchroom
Final
Best-of-11 frames
Terry Griffiths Matchroom
Northern Ireland Karen Corr4
England Maureen Twomey4England Maureen Twomey0
Northern Ireland Karen Corr4
England Mary Hawkes2
Scotland Lynette Horsburgh3
England Emma Bonney1
England Beverley Hipwell0Scotland Lynette Horsburgh4
Northern Ireland Karen Corr4
Scotland Lynette Horsburgh4
England Mandy Fisher0
England Caroline Walch3
England Sue Parrish4England Sue Parrish4
England Sue Parrish2
England Lisa Ingall2
England Mandy Fisher4
England Mandy Fisher4
England Jan Hughes4England Jan Hughes1
Northern Ireland Karen Corr5
England Marianne Lazarides1
England June Banks0
England June Banks4
England Sherron Audus4England Sherron Audus1
England June Banks4
Republic of Ireland Greta Browne3
England Dawn Wells0
England Julie Billings1
England Dawn Wells4England Dawn Wells4
England June Banks4
Scotland Jackie Stewart0
England Ann-Marie Farren2
Scotland Michelle Brown0
Belgium Valerie Van Bellinghen0Australia Kathy Parashis4
Australia Kathy Parashis0
Australia Kathy Parashis4
England Ann-Marie Farren4
England Ann-Marie Farren4
Finland Riitta Koskinen4Finland Riitta Koskinen0
Northern Ireland Karen Corr6
England Tracey Warren3
England Kelly Fisher3
England Kim Shaw4
Scotland Julie Gillespie4Scotland Julie Gillespie0
England Kim Shaw4
England Louise Leskevicius0
England Jenny Poulter0
England Jenny Poulter4
England Katie Henrick0England Clare Rodgers0
England Kim Shaw1
England Clare Rodgers4
England Lisa Quick4
Republic of Ireland Julie Kelly4
England Martina Lumsden4England Martina Lumsden1
Republic of Ireland Julie Kelly1
England Doreen Buckton0
England Lisa Quick4
England Lisa Quick4
England Gaye Jones4England Gaye Jones1
England Kelly Fisher5
Finland Tuija Tiihonen0
England Lisa Quick1
England Sarah Smith3
England Mary Talbot4England Mary Talbot4
England Mary Talbot4
England Nicola Barker0
England Helen Audus1
England Helen Audus4
England Rachel Ozierw.o.England Rachel Ozier0
England Mary Talbot1
Canada Anita Morrascr.
England Kelly Fisher4
England Laura Stoddard4
England Liz Jones3England Natalie Chatfield1
England Laura Stoddard0
England Natalie Chatfield4
England Kelly Fisher4
England Kelly Fisher4
England Lisa Gordon4England Lisa Gordon0
England Sue Selby1

Final

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Final: Best-of-11 frames
Terry Griffiths Matchroom, Llanelli
Karen Corr
Northern Ireland
6–3 Kelly Fisher
England
Frame 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Karen Corr
30+ Breaks
41
-
74
-
63
-
27
-
67
-
41
-
88
-
47
-
105
(33,58)
Kelly Fisher
30+ Breaks
53
-
32
-
49
(32)
71
(31)
43
-
58
-
52
-
25
-
3
-
Frames won (Corr first) 0–1 1–1 2–1 2–2 3–2 3–3 4–3 5–3 6–3
58 Highest break 32
1 50+ breaks
1 30+ breaks 2
Karen Corr wins the 1997 World Women's Snooker Championship

References

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  1. ^ a b c "World title on hold". Snooker Scene. No. December 1996. Everton's News Agency. p. 37.
  2. ^ a b c d "Karen Corr wins 1996 world title a little late". Snooker Scene. No. July 1997. Everton's News Agency. pp. 12–13.
  3. ^ a b c "Mary Talbot's passage to India". Snooker Scene. No. September 1996. Everton's News Agency. p. 14.
  4. ^ a b "Young Stevens silences Parrott". The Guardian. 24 October 1997. p. B11 – via ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Guardian and The Observer. Retrieved 6 December 2019.