Notable Moments

• This was the first world championship to be sponsored by Embassy
  Imperial Tobacco
  Imperial Tobacco is a global tobacco company headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom. It is the world’s fourth-largest cigarette company measured by market share , and the world's largest producer of cigars, fine-cut tobacco and tobacco papers...
  
  ; their sponsorship lasted for the next 30 years.

• There was some controversy over the size of the pockets on one of the tournament tables, which did not conform to the official standards. The television lighting gantry also worried some of the players.

• The highest break of the tournament was 138 made by John Spencer
  John Spencer (snooker player)
  John Spencer was an English professional snooker player who won the World Professional title at his first attempt, was the first winner at the Crucible Theatre, was the inaugural winner of the Masters and Irish Masters and was the first player to make a 147 break in competition...
  
  .

• The total prize money of the tournament was £15,300, with the winner taking £6,000.

Main draw

Qualification

Round 1 (Best of 15 frames)
Jack Rea	8–5	Ian Anderson
David Greaves	8–5	Jack Charlton
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....	8–1	Dennis Wheelwright
Ron Gross	8–5	Maurice Parkin
Lou Condo	8–6	Marcus Owen

Round 2 (Best of 15 frames)
Jack Rea	8–5	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...
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...	8–1	David Greaves
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....	8–4	Ron Gross
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...	8–3	Lou Condo