The 1979 Coral UK Championship

UK Championship (snooker)

The UK Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It is the second biggest ranking tournament after the World Championship and is one of the Triple Crown events.-History:...

took place at the Guildhall, Preston

City of Preston, Lancashire

The City of Preston is a city and non-metropolitan district in Lancashire, England. It is located on the north bank of the River Ribble, and was granted city status in 2002, becoming England's 50th city in the 50th year of Queen Elizabeth II's reign...

 in November/December 1979.

John Virgo

John Virgo

John Virgo is an English former professional snooker player and more recently a snooker commentator and TV personality.- Career :...

, 33, confounded those who doubted his ability to win on the big occasion by defeating Terry Griffiths

Terry Griffiths

Terrence "Terry" Griffiths OBE is a retired Welsh snooker player and current snooker coach and pundit. He won the World Championship in 1979 at the first attempt, and reached the 1988 final. He also won the Masters in 1980 and the UK Championship in 1982, making him one of seven players to have...

, the reigning world champion, by the odd frame in the final. Virgo won despite the fact that Griffiths was awarded two frames to penalise Virgo's late arrival for the last session.

The general pattern of results indicated a new generation about to emerge to take over from most of the players who had dominated the 1970s. Of the quarter-finalists, only Ray Edmonds

Ray Edmonds

Ray Edmonds is a former English professional player of English billiards and snooker. He twice won the World Amateur Snooker title, and won the World Professional Billiards Championship in 1985.-Playing career:...

, himself a relatively new professional, was over 35. Steve Davis

Steve Davis

Steve Davis, OBE is an English professional snooker player. He has won more professional titles in the sport than any other player, including six World Championships during the 1980s, when he was the world number one for seven years and became the sport's first millionaire...

, at 22, was the youngest, playing in his first major quarter-final.

Canadian Bill Werbeniuk

Bill Werbeniuk

William Alexander "Bill" Werbeniuk was a Canadian professional snooker and pool player. Recognisable for his girth, he was nicknamed "Big Bill"...

 played in the competition as a UK citizen and made it to the semi-finals where he lost 3–9 to Terry Griffiths.

The BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 covered the event again, but the final session was not broadcast due to a technician's strike.

Main draw

Preliminary round

Best of 17 frames

  John Dunning

John Dunning (snooker player)

John Dunning was an English professional player of snooker. Considered a Yorkshireman through and through, he was eleven times Yorkshire amateur champion. In 1964, he became CIU champion, beating Geoff Thompson in the final, making this his best win as an amateur...

  9–8 David Greaves  

  Mike Hallett

Mike Hallett

Mike Hallett is an English professional snooker player and television sports commentator.-Career:Hallett was a consistently solid snooker player, but never achieved the very top ranks...

  9–1 Maurice Parkin  

  Jackie Rea

Jackie Rea

Jack 'Jackie' Rea is a retired snooker player from Northern Ireland.Rea was born in Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland...

  9–8 Bernard Bennett

Bernard Bennett

Bernard Bennett was an English professional player of snooker and English billiards, who competed in the late 1960s and 1970s, and was a professional player for nearly 30 years, although he spent most of his latter playing years in relative obscurity well down the rankings.He entered the 1969...

  

Last 24

Best of 17 frames

  Steve Davis

Steve Davis

Steve Davis, OBE is an English professional snooker player. He has won more professional titles in the sport than any other player, including six World Championships during the 1980s, when he was the world number one for seven years and became the sport's first millionaire...

  9–3 John Dunning

John Dunning (snooker player)

John Dunning was an English professional player of snooker. Considered a Yorkshireman through and through, he was eleven times Yorkshire amateur champion. In 1964, he became CIU champion, beating Geoff Thompson in the final, making this his best win as an amateur...

  

  Tony Meo  9–7 David Taylor

David Taylor (snooker player)

David Taylor is a semi-retired English professional snooker player. He won the World and English Amateur Championships in 1968, before the success of those wins encouraged him to turn professional. Although an excellent player, Taylor never quite reached the very top of the game...

  

  Willie Thorne

Willie Thorne

William Joseph "Willie" Thorne , is a former English professional snooker player and now a sports commentator.Thorne became national under-16 champion at both snooker and English billiards in 1970...

  9–4 Roy Andrewartha  

  Patsy Fagan

Patsy Fagan

Patsy Fagan is a retired Irish professional snooker player.A talented snooker player who won the first UK championship in 1977 , Fagan seemed destined for a long and successful professional career in the game, but he became affected by a reluctance, possibly psychological, to play shots with the...

  9–4 Mike Hallett

Mike Hallett

Mike Hallett is an English professional snooker player and television sports commentator.-Career:Hallett was a consistently solid snooker player, but never achieved the very top ranks...

  

  Bill Werbeniuk

Bill Werbeniuk

William Alexander "Bill" Werbeniuk was a Canadian professional snooker and pool player. Recognisable for his girth, he was nicknamed "Big Bill"...

  9–3 Joe Johnson

Joe Johnson (snooker player)

Joe Johnson is an English former professional snooker player. He is best known as the surprise winner of the 1986 World Championship.- Career :...

  

  Ray Edmonds

Ray Edmonds

Ray Edmonds is a former English professional player of English billiards and snooker. He twice won the World Amateur Snooker title, and won the World Professional Billiards Championship in 1985.-Playing career:...

  9–3 Jim Meadowcroft

Jim Meadowcroft

Jim Meadowcroft is a retired English professional snooker player who has latterly been a coach and a commentator on the game....

  

  Pat Houlihan

Pat Houlihan

Patrick "Pat" Houlihan was an English snooker player. He was born in Deptford, London.He turned professional in 1971 at the age of 42 after many years as an amateur including beating future world champion John Spencer 11-3 at Blackpool Tower during the 1965 World Amateur Championship...

  9–3 Jackie Rea

Jackie Rea

Jack 'Jackie' Rea is a retired snooker player from Northern Ireland.Rea was born in Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland...

  

  Cliff Wilson

Cliff Wilson

Cliff Wilson was a Welsh professional snooker player. He managed to get to into the world's top 16 in 1988 at the age of 55; a remarkable feat for someone with very poor eyesight and a number of other ailments.- Amateur years :...

  9–7 John Pulman

John Pulman

John Pulman was an English professional snooker player who dominated the game throughout the 1960s....