171-529: The Classic was a professional snooker tournament, which began in 1980 and ended in 1992. It was originally a non- ranking event, but became ranking in 1984. Steve Davis won the event six times and was the last champion. The tournament started as the Wilsons Classic in January 1980. It was an eight-man invitation event recorded by Granada Television . John Spencer defeated Alex Higgins 4–3 in
342-421: A " re-spotted black ". The black ball is returned to its designated spot and the cue ball is played in-hand , meaning that it may be placed anywhere on or within the lines of the "D" to start the tiebreak. The player to take the first strike in the tiebreak is chosen at random, and the game continues until one of the players either wins the frame by potting the black ball or loses the frame by committing
513-512: A "cue"), not less than 3 ft (91.4 cm) in length, which is used to strike the cue ball. The tip of the cue must only make contact with the cue ball and is never used for striking any of the reds or colours directly. Snooker accessories include: chalk for the tip of the cue, to help apply spin on the cue ball; various different rests such as the swan or spider , for playing shots that are difficult to play by hand; extensions for lengthening
684-426: A 155 break, achieved by nominating the free ball as an extra red, then potting the black as the additional colour after potting the free-ball red, followed by the fifteen reds with blacks, and finally the colours. Jamie Cope was the first player to achieve a verified 155 break during a practice frame in 2005. One game of snooker is called a "frame", and a snooker match generally consists of
855-779: A 21-year engagement, following which (should he survive so long) he was discharged as a Pensioner. Pensioners were sometimes still employed on garrison duties, as were younger soldiers no longer deemed fit for expeditionary service who were generally organised in invalid units or returned to the regimental depot for home service. The cost of paying pensioners, and the obligation the government was under to continue to employ invalids as well as soldiers deemed by their commanding officers as detriments to their units were motivations to change this system. The long period of engagement also discouraged many potential recruits. The long service enlistments were consequently replaced with short service enlistments, with undesirable soldiers not permitted to re-engage on
1026-577: A Catholic) during his brief controversial reign, off the throne and into exile. England then involved itself in the War of the Grand Alliance on the Continent, primarily to prevent a possible French Catholic monarch organizing invasion restoring the exiled James II (Queen Mary's father and still a Roman Catholic ). Later in 1689, William III to solidify his and Mary's hold on the monarchy, expanded
1197-707: A deployment in Afghanistan as part of Operation Toral . Following an announcement by the US Government of the end of their operations in the Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence announced in April 2021 that British forces would withdraw from the country by 11 September 2021. It was later reported that all UK troops would be out by early July. Following the collapse of the Afghan Army, and the completion of
1368-461: A foul. Professional and competitive amateur matches are officiated by a referee who is charged with ensuring the proper conduct of players and making decisions "in the interests of fair play". The responsibilities of the referee include announcing the points scored during a break, determining when a foul has been committed and awarding penalty points and free balls accordingly, replacing colours onto their designated spots after being potted, restoring
1539-409: A foul. This can occur for various reasons, such as sending the cue ball into a pocket or failing to hit the object ball. The latter is a common foul committed when a player fails to escape from a "snooker", where the previous player has left the cue ball positioned such that no legal ball can be struck directly in a straight line without being wholly or partially obstructed by an illegal ball. Fouls incur
1710-606: A large reserve of recently discharged soldiers, ready to be recalled on the outbreak of war to immediately bring the small peacetime regular army up to strength), the Regular Reserve of the British Army was originally created in 1859 by Secretary of State for War Sidney Herbert , and re-organised under the Reserve Force Act 1867 . Prior to this, a soldier was generally enlisted into the British Army for
1881-668: A mainstream sport, it became heavily dependent on tobacco advertising . Cigarette brand Embassy sponsored the World Snooker Championship for thirty consecutive years from 1976 to 2005, one of the longest-running deals in British sports sponsorship. In the early 2000s, a ban on tobacco advertising led to a reduction in the number of professional tournaments, which decreased from twenty-two events in 1999 to fifteen in 2003. The sport had become more popular in Asia with
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#17327829821712052-406: A minimum of four penalty points unless a higher-value object ball is involved in the foul, up to a maximum of seven penalty points where the black ball is concerned. When a foul is committed, the offending player's turn ends and the referee announces the penalty. All points scored in the break before the foul occurred are awarded to the striker, but no points are scored for any ball pocketed during
2223-578: A multinational armoured battlegroup in Estonia under Operation Cabrit and contributes troops to another military battle group in Poland . As part of the NATO plans, Britain has committed a full mechanized infantry brigade to be on a high state of readiness to defend Estonia. Between 2015 and 2022, the British Army deployed Short Term Training Teams (STTTs) to Ukraine under Operation Orbital to help train
2394-412: A part of the original rules. Each ball has a diameter of 2 + 1 ⁄ 16 inches (52.5 mm). At the start of the game, the red balls are racked into a tightly packed equilateral triangle , and the colours are positioned at designated spots on the table. The cue ball is placed inside the "D" ready for the break-off shot. Each player has a snooker cue (or simply
2565-447: A predetermined number of frames. Most matches in current professional tournaments are played as the best of 7, 9, or 11 frames, with finals usually the best of 17 or 19 frames. The World Championship uses a longer format, with matches ranging from the best of 19 frames in the first round to best of 35 for the final, which is played over four sessions of play held over two days. Some early world finals had much longer matches, such as
2736-518: A professional sport within ten years. In the same year, promoter Barry Hearn gained a controlling interest in the World Snooker Tour , pledging to revitalise the "moribund" professional game. Over the following decade, the number of professional tournaments increased, with 44 events held in the 2019–20 season . Snooker tournaments were adapted to make them more suitable for television audiences, with some tournaments being played over
2907-403: A rectangular playing surface measuring 11 ft 8.5 in × 5 ft 10.0 in (356.9 cm × 177.8 cm). The playing surface is surrounded by small cushions along each side of the table. The height of the table from the floor to the top of the cushions is 2 ft 10.0 in (86.4 cm). The table has six pockets : one at each corner and one at
3078-456: A red ball constitutes a foul , which results in penalty points being awarded to the opponent. At the end of each shot, the cue ball remains in the position where it has come to rest, unless it has entered a pocket (from where it is returned to the "D"), ready for the next shot. If the cue ball finishes in contact with an object ball, a touching ball is called; the player must then play away from that ball without moving it, otherwise
3249-881: A safe distance by aiding the Ottoman Empire ). Like the English Army , the British Army fought the kingdoms of Spain, France (including the First French Empire ) and the Netherlands ( Dutch Republic ) for supremacy in North America and the West Indies . With native and provincial and colonial assistance, the Army conquered New France in the French and Indian War (North American theatre) of
3420-609: A separate qualification stage. Players can qualify for the tour by virtue of their position in the world rankings from prior seasons, by winning continental championships, or through the Challenge Tour or Q School events. Players on the World Snooker Tour generally gain a two-year "tour card" for participation in the events. Beginning in the 2014–15 season , some players have also received invitational tour cards in recognition of their outstanding contributions to
3591-421: A series of timed tournaments: the shot-timed Premier League Snooker , held between 1987 and 2012, featured seven players invited to compete at regular United Kingdom venues and was televised on Sky Sports . The players had twenty-five seconds to take each shot, with each player allowed five time-outs per match. The format did achieve some success but was not afforded the same amount of press attention or status as
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#17327829821713762-634: A shortened duration, or the Snooker Shoot Out , which is a timed, one- frame competition. The prize money for professional events increased, with the top players earning several million pounds over the course of their careers. During the COVID-19 pandemic , the professional tour was confined to events played within the United Kingdom and Ireland. In the 2022–23 season , only two professional ranking tournaments were played outside
3933-572: A significant public funding opportunity for the sport and boost its global exposure. A trial of the format for cue sports to be played at the 2024 Games was conducted at the 2019 World Team Trophy , which also featured nine-ball and carom billiards . Snooker has been contested at the World Games since 2001 and was included as an event at the 2019 African Games . Several players, including Ronnie O'Sullivan , Mark Allen and Steve Davis, have claimed that there are too many tournaments in
4104-415: A snooker table is usually a form of tightly woven woollen green baize , with a directional nap that runs lengthwise from the baulk end of the table to the far end near the black ball spot . The nap affects the speed and trajectory of the balls, depending on the direction of the shot and whether any side spin is placed on the ball. Even if the cue ball is struck in precisely
4275-512: A target strength of 82,000, and just over 30,000 Army Reservists , with a target strength of 30,000. All former Regular Army personnel may also be recalled to duty in exceptional circumstances during the 6-year period following completion of their Regular service, which creates an additional force known as the Regular Reserve . The table below illustrates British Army personnel figures from 1710 to 2024. The British Army's basic weapon
4446-737: A total of 109,086. The British Army traces back to 1707 and the formation of the united Kingdom of Great Britain which joined the Kingdoms of England and Scotland into a single state and, with that, united the English Army and the Scots Army as the British Army . Members of the British Army swear allegiance to the monarch as their commander-in-chief , since both the English Bill of Rights of 1689 and Scottish Claim of Right Act 1689 require parliamentary consent for
4617-415: A two-year rolling points system, where points are allocated to the players according to the prize money earned at designated tournaments. This "rolling" list is maintained and updated throughout the season, with points from tournaments played in the current season replacing points earned from the corresponding tournaments of two seasons ago. Additionally, "one-year" and "two-year" ranking lists are compiled at
4788-605: A volunteer army and threatened to emulate the American colonists if their conditions were not met. Learning from their experience in America, the British government sought a political solution. The British Army fought Irish rebels—Protestant and Catholic—primarily in Ulster and Leinster ( Wolfe Tone's United Irishmen ) in the 1798 rebellion . In addition to battling the armies of other European empires (and its former colonies,
4959-843: A war against the Prussian -led German Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire ). When the First World War broke out in August 1914 the British Army sent the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), consisting mainly of regular army troops, to France and Belgium . The fighting bogged down into static trench warfare for the remainder of the war. In 1915 the army created the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force to invade
5130-468: Is also available to non-professional players, including seniors and people with disabilities. The popularity of snooker has led to the creation of many variations based on the standard game but with different rules or equipment, including six-red snooker , the short-lived " snooker plus " and the more recent Snooker Shoot Out version. Snooker originated in the second half of the 19th century in India during
5301-648: Is based on that of the earlier English army. Although technically the Scots Royal Regiment of Foot was raised in 1633 and is the oldest Regiment of the Line, Scottish and Irish regiments were only allowed to take a rank in the English army on the date of their arrival in England (or the date when they were first placed on the English establishment). In 1694, a board of general officers was convened to decide
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5472-542: Is considered to be the second most important ranking tournament after the World Championship. These two events, and the annual non-ranking Masters tournament, make up snooker's Triple Crown Series; among the oldest competitions on the professional circuit, the Triple Crown events are valued by many players as the most prestigious. As of April 2024 , only eleven players have won all three events,
5643-405: Is disappointing and unacceptable that in 2019 that [ sic ] players such as Rebecca Kenna have been the victim of antiquated discriminatory practices." The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Snooker said, "The group believes that being prevented from playing in a club because of gender is archaic." After the creation of the World Snooker Championship, snooker overtook billiards as
5814-629: Is dying right in front of our eyes", and stating that some players ranked within the world's top 30 were seeking jobs outside the sport due to lack of earning potential from tournaments. Non-professional snooker (including youth competition) is governed by the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF). The highest level competition in the amateur sport is the IBSF World Snooker Championship. Events held specifically for seniors are handled by
5985-713: Is provided by L16 81mm mortars . Sniper rifles include the L118A1 7.62 mm, L115A3 and the AW50F , all manufactured by Accuracy International . The British Army utilises the Glock 17 as its side arm. Anti tank guided weapons include the Javelin , the medium range anti-tank guided weapon replacement for Milan , with overfly and direct attack modes of operation, and the NLAW . The Next-generation Light Anti-tank Weapon ( NLAW )
6156-514: Is the 5.56 mm L85A2 or L85A3 assault rifle, with some specialist personnel using the L22A2 carbine variant (pilots and some tank crew). The weapon was traditionally equipped with either iron sights or an optical SUSAT , although other optical sights have been subsequently purchased to supplement these. The weapon can be enhanced further utilising the Picatinny rail with attachments such as
6327-591: Is the first, non-expert, short-range, anti-tank missile that rapidly knocks out any main battle tank in just one shot by striking it from above. The army's main battle tank is the Challenger 2 , which is being upgraded to Challenger 3 . It is supported by the Warrior tracked armoured vehicle as the primary infantry fighting vehicle , (which will soon be replaced by the Boxer 8x8 armoured fighting vehicle ) and
6498-670: Is the official list of which bodies of the British Military (not to be confused with naval ) Forces were to be considered Corps of the British Army for the purposes of the Army Act , the Reserve Forces Act, 1882, and the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act, 1907, had not been updated since 1926 (Army Order 49 of 1926), although amendments had been made up to and including Army Order 67 of 1950. A new Corps Warrant
6669-527: Is the oldest snooker competition still being played in the world. Snooker is a mixed gender sport that affords men and women the same opportunities to progress at all levels of the game. While the main professional tour is open to male and female players alike, there is also a separate women's tour organised by World Women's Snooker (formerly the World Ladies Billiards and Snooker Association) which encourages female players to participate in
6840-484: Is the only player to have made 1,000 career century breaks , and he holds the record for the most maximum breaks compiled in professional competition, having achieved his 15th in October 2018. O'Sullivan also holds the record for the most ranking titles (41) and most Triple Crown titles (23) achieved in the sport. Some versions of snooker, such as six-red or ten-red snooker , are played with almost identical rules to
7011-465: The object balls are positioned on the table as shown in illustration A. Starting with the cue ball in the "D", the first player executes a break-off shot by striking the cue ball with the tip of their cue, aiming to hit any of the red balls in the triangular pack . The players then take alternating turns at playing shots, with the aim of potting a red ball into a pocket and thereby scoring one point. Failure to make contact with
Classic (snooker) - Misplaced Pages Continue
7182-399: The 1947 World Snooker Championship , which was played over the best of 145 frames. Professional snooker players compete on the World Snooker Tour, which is a circuit of world ranking tournaments and invitational events held throughout the snooker season. All competitions are open to professional players who have qualified for the tour, and selected amateur players, but most events include
7353-483: The 1959 News of the World Snooker Plus Tournament , this variant failed to gain popularity and is no longer played. Power Snooker was a short-lived cue sport based on aspects of snooker and pool; this was first played competitively in 2010 and again in 2011 , but the format was discontinued after it failed to gain widespread appeal. Using nine red balls racked in a diamond-shaped pack at
7524-729: The Americas , Africa , Asia , India and Australasia . British soldiers captured strategically important sites and territories, with the army involved in wars to secure the empire's borders, internal safety and support friendly governments and princes. Among these actions were the French and Indian War / Seven Years' War, the American Revolutionary War , the Napoleonic Wars , the First and Second Opium Wars ,
7695-683: The Anglo-Irish War . The increasing demands of imperial expansion and the inadequacy and inefficiency of the underfunded British Army, Militia , Ordnance Military Corps, Yeomanry and Volunteer Force after the Napoleonic Wars led to series of reforms following the failures of the Crimean War . Inspired by the successes of the Prussian Army (which relied on short-term conscription of all eligible young men to maintain
7866-690: The Armed Forces of Ukraine against further Russian aggression. This operation was succeeded by Operation Interflex in July 2022. The British Army has been a volunteer force since national service ended during the 1960s. Since the creation of the part-time, reserve Territorial Force in 1908 (renamed the Army Reserve in 2014), the full-time British Army has been known as the Regular Army. In July 2020 there were just over 78,800 Regulars, with
8037-523: The Billiards Association and Control Club (BA&CC) and a new, standardised set of rules for snooker was first established in 1919. The possibility of a drawn game was abolished by the use of a re-spotted black as a tiebreaker. These early rules are similar to those used in the modern game, although rules for a minimal point penalty were imposed later. Played in 1926 and 1927, the first World Snooker Championship —then known as
8208-1013: The Boxer Rebellion , the New Zealand Wars , the Australian frontier wars , the Sepoy Rebellion of 1857 , the first and second Boer Wars , the Fenian raids , the Irish War of Independence , interventions in Afghanistan (intended to maintain a buffer state between British India and the Russian Empire ) and the Crimean War (to keep the Russian Empire to the north on the Black Sea at
8379-640: The British Raj . In the 1870s, billiards was popular among British Army officers stationed in Jubbulpore , India, and several variations of the game were devised during this time. A similar game, which originated at the Officers' Mess of the 11th Devonshire Regiment in 1875, combined the rules of two pool games: pyramids , played with 15 red balls positioned in a triangle, and black pool , which involved potting designated balls. Snooker
8550-416: The Bulldog armoured personnel carrier . Light armoured units often utilise the Supacat "Jackal" MWMIK and Coyote tactical support vehicle for reconnaissance and fire support. The army has three main artillery systems: the M270 multiple launch rocket system (MLRS), the AS-90 and the L118 light gun . The MLRS, first used in Operation Granby , has an 85-kilometre (53 mi) standard range, or with
8721-477: The Far East , the British Army rallied against the Japanese in the Burma Campaign and regained the British Far Eastern colonial possessions. After the Second World War the British Army was significantly reduced in size, although National Service continued until 1960. This period saw decolonisation begin with the partition and independence of India and Pakistan, followed by the independence of British colonies in Africa and Asia. The Corps Warrant , which
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#17327829821718892-448: The IBSF World Snooker Championship , was founded in 1963, and the official world championship was revived on a challenge basis in 1964. At the end of 1968, the World Snooker Championship reverted to a knockout tournament format, with eight competitors; the tournament concluded in 1969 with John Spencer winning the title. The BBC had first launched its colour television service in July 1967; in 1969, David Attenborough , then
9063-442: The Islamic State (ISIL). The British Army maintains a standing liability to support the civil authorities in certain circumstances, usually in either niche capabilities (e.g. explosive ordnance removal) or in general support of the civil authorities when their capacity is exceeded. In recent years this has been seen as army personnel supporting the civil authorities in the face of the 2001 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak ,
9234-445: The L17A2 under-barrel grenade launcher. In 2023, the Army Special Operations Brigade , which includes the Ranger Regiment , began using the L403A1 , an AR-pattern rifle also used by the Royal Marines . Some soldiers are equipped with the 7.62mm L129A1 sharpshooter rifle , which in 2018 formally replaced the L86A2 Light Support Weapon. Support fire is provided by the L7 general-purpose machine gun (GPMG), and indirect fire
9405-437: The Netherlands for the War of the Spanish Succession . Although all the regiments were now part of the new British military establishment, they remained under the old operational-command structure and retained much of the institutional ethos, customs and traditions of the standing armies created shortly after the Restoration of the Monarchy 47 years earlier. The order of seniority of the most-senior British Army line regiments
9576-424: The Ottoman Empire via Gallipoli , an unsuccessful attempt to capture Constantinople and secure a sea route to Russia . The First World War was the most devastating in British military history , with nearly 800,000 men killed and over two million wounded. Early in the war, the BEF was virtually destroyed and was replaced first by volunteers and then by a conscript force. Major battles included those at
9747-401: The Players Series , use the one-year ranking list to qualify; these use the results of the current season to denote participants. There are approximately 128 places available on the World Snooker Tour each season. As of the 2024–25 season , players in the top 64 on the official ranking list are guaranteed a tour place for the next season, as well as a maximum of 31 players who are currently on
9918-441: The PrSM , up to 500 km. The AS-90 is a 155 mm self-propelled armoured gun with a 24-kilometre (15 mi) range. The L118 light gun is a 105 mm towed gun, which is typically towed by a Pinzgauer all-terrain vehicle. To identify artillery targets, the army operates the TAIPAN artillery detection radar and utilises artillery sound ranging . For air defence it uses the new Sky Sabre system, which in 2021 replaced
10089-503: The Professional Championship of Snooker —was won by Joe Davis . The Women's Professional Snooker Championship (now the World Women's Snooker Championship ) was created in 1934 for top female players. Davis, himself a professional English billiards and snooker player, raised the game from a recreational pastime to a professional sporting activity. He retired from the world championships in 1946, having won all fifteen tournaments held up to that date. Snooker declined in popularity in
10260-418: The Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA). Under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement , there was a gradual reduction in the number of soldiers deployed. In 2005, after the PIRA declared a ceasefire, the British Army dismantled posts, withdrew many troops and restored troop levels to those of a peacetime garrison. Operation Banner ended at midnight on 31 July 2007 after about 38 years of continuous deployment,
10431-422: The Rapier . It also deploys the Very Short-Range Air Defence (VSHORAD) Starstreak HVM (high-velocity missile) launched by a single soldier or from a Stormer HVM vehicle-mounted launcher. Where armour is not required or mobility and speed are favoured the British Army utilises protected patrol vehicles, such as the Panther variant of the Iveco LMV , the Foxhound , and variants of the Cougar family (such as
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#173278298217110602-437: The Territorial Force as the army's volunteer reserve component, merging and reorganising the Volunteer Force, Militia and Yeomanry. Great Britain was challenged by other powers, primarily the German Empire and Nazi Germany , during the 20th century. A century earlier it vied with Napoleonic France for global pre-eminence, and Hanoverian Britain's natural allies were the kingdoms and principalities of northern Germany . By
10773-489: The UK Championship , by defeating Wayne Jones 13–11. The following year was a tournament of upsets, as only of four of the top sixteen players reached its seeded place. Steve James won his only ranking tournament by defeating Warren King 10–6 in the final. The tournament moved to the Bournemouth International Centre in 1991. Stephen Hendry reached the final of the tournament in 1991 and 1992, but lost 4–10 against Jimmy White and 8–9 against Steve Davis respectively. After
10944-413: The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association . The World Snooker Championship first took place in 1927 , and Joe Davis —a key figure and pioneer in the early growth of the sport—won fifteen successive world championships between 1927 and 1946. The "modern era" of snooker began in 1969 after the broadcaster BBC commissioned the television series Pot Black , later airing daily coverage of
11115-455: The World Snooker Tour —a circuit of international events featuring competitors of many different nationalities. The World Championship, the UK Championship and the Masters together make up the Triple Crown Series and are considered by many players to be the most highly valued titles. The main professional tour is open to both male and female players, and there is a separate women's tour organised by World Women's Snooker . Competitive snooker
11286-414: The 11th World Snooker Champion since 1927. He won six world titles altogether (in 1981, 1983, 1984 and 1987–1989) and competed in the most-watched snooker match, the 1985 World Snooker Championship final, which he lost to Dennis Taylor. Stephen Hendry became the 14th World Snooker Champion in 1990, aged 21 years and 106 days, the youngest player ever to have lifted the world title. He dominated
11457-481: The 1992 event, it was discontinued and replaced with the Welsh Open . Sources: Snooker Snooker (pronounced UK : / ˈ s n uː k ər / SNOO -kər , US : / ˈ s n ʊ k ər / SNUUK -ər ) is a cue sport played on a rectangular billiards table covered with a green cloth called baize , with six pockets : one at each corner and one in the middle of each long side. First played by British Army officers stationed in India in
11628-453: The 2002 firefighters strike, widespread flooding in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2013 and 2014, Operation Temperer following the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017 and, most recently, Operation Rescript during the COVID-19 pandemic . Since 2016, the British Army has maintained a presence in the Baltic States in support of the NATO Enhanced Forward Presence strategy which responded to the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea . The British Army leads
11799-608: The 2014 West African Ebola virus epidemic . In November 2001, as part of Operation Enduring Freedom with the United States, the United Kingdom deployed forces in Afghanistan to topple the Taliban in Operation Herrick . The 3rd Division were sent to Kabul to assist in the liberation of the capital and defeat Taliban forces in the mountains. In 2006 the British Army began concentrating on fighting Taliban forces and bringing security to Helmand Province , with about 9,500 British troops (including marines, airmen and sailors) deployed at its peak —the second-largest force after that of
11970-420: The American colonial rebels early in the war). Halifax, Nova Scotia and Bermuda were to become Imperial fortresses (although Bermuda, being safer from attack over water and impervious to attack overland, quickly became the most important in British North America), along with Malta and Gibraltar , providing bases in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea for Royal Navy squadrons to control
12141-408: The British Army was deployed as a peacekeeping force from 1969 to 2007 in Operation Banner . Initially, this was (in the wake of unionist attacks on nationalist communities in Derry and Belfast ) to prevent further loyalist attacks on Catholic communities; it developed into support of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and its successor, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) against
12312-591: The British and the First French Empire of Napoleon Bonaparte stretched around the world; at its peak in 1813, the regular army contained over 250,000 men. A coalition of Anglo-Dutch and Prussian armies under the Duke of Wellington and Field Marshal von Blücher finally defeated Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815. The English were involved politically and militarily in Ireland. The campaign of English republican Protector Oliver Cromwell involved uncompromising treatment of
12483-439: The British military, mostly civilians. An estimated 100 soldiers committed suicide during Operation Banner or soon afterwards and a similar number died in accidents. A total of 6,116 were wounded. Sierra Leone The British Army deployed to Sierra Leone for Operation Palliser in 1999, under United Nations resolutions, to aid the government in quelling violent uprisings by militiamen. British troops also provided support during
12654-725: The Crown to maintain a peacetime standing army . The army is administered by the Ministry of Defence and commanded by the Chief of the General Staff . At its inception, being composed primarily of cavalry and infantry, the British Army was one of two Regular Forces (there were also separate Reserve Forces ) within the British military (those parts of the British Armed Forces tasked with land warfare, as opposed to
12825-683: The English Long Parliament realised that the use of county militia organised into regional associations (such as the Eastern Association ), often commanded by local members of Parliament (both from the House of Commons and the House of Lords), while more than able to hold their own in the regions which Parliamentarians ('Roundheads") controlled, were unlikely to win the war. So Parliament initiated two actions. The Self-denying Ordinance forbade members of Parliament (with
12996-685: The Germans and Italians at the Second Battle of El Alamein in North Africa in 1942–1943 and helped drive them from Africa. It then fought through Italy and, with the help of American, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, Indian and Free French forces, was the principal organiser and participant in the D-Day invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944; nearly half the Allied soldiers were British. In
13167-641: The Indian colonies of the British Raj and in the United Kingdom, but it remained a game played mostly by military officers and the gentry . Many gentlemen's clubs with a snooker table would refuse entry to non-members who wished to go in and play snooker; to cater for the growing interest, smaller and more open snooker clubs were formed. The Billiards Association (formed in 1885) and the Billiards Control Club (formed in 1908) merged to form
13338-670: The Irish towns (most notably Drogheda and Wexford ) which supported the Royalists during the English Civil War . The English Army (and the subsequent British Army) remained in Ireland primarily to suppress Irish revolts or disorder. In addition to its conflict with Irish nationalists, it was faced with the prospect of battling Anglo-Irish and Ulster Scots in Ireland who were angered by unfavourable taxation of Irish produce imported into Britain. With other Irish groups, they raised
13509-874: The Ridgeback, Husky and Mastiff). For day-to-day utility work the army commonly uses the Land Rover Wolf , which is based on the Land Rover Defender . Specialist engineering vehicles include bomb-disposal robots such as the T7 Multi-Mission Robotic System and the modern variants of the Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers , including the Titan bridge-layer, Trojan armoured engineer vehicle, Terrier armoured digger . Day-to-day utility work uses
13680-476: The Scots Greys was reassessed and based on their June 1685 entry into England. At that time there was only one English regiment of dragoons, and the Scots Greys eventually received the British Army rank of 2nd Dragoons. After 1700, British continental policy was to contain expansion by competing powers such as France and Spain. Although Spain was the dominant global power during the previous two centuries and
13851-720: The Somme and Passchendaele . Advances in technology saw the advent of the tank (and the creation of the Royal Tank Regiment ) and advances in aircraft design (and the creation of the Royal Flying Corps ) which would be decisive in future battles. Trench warfare dominated Western Front strategy for most of the war, and the use of chemical weapons (disabling and poison gases) added to the devastation. The Second World War broke out in September 1939 with
14022-745: The Soviet and German Army 's invasion of Poland . British assurances to the Poles led the British Empire to declare war on Germany . As in the First World War, a relatively small BEF was sent to France but then hastily evacuated from Dunkirk as the German forces swept through the Low Countries and across France in May 1940. After the British Army recovered from its earlier defeats, it defeated
14193-571: The Troubles . Following the 1994–1996 IRA ceasefires and since 1997, demilitarisation has been part of the peace process and the military presence has been reduced. On 25 June 2007 the 2nd Battalion of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment left the army complex in Bessbrook , County Armagh , ending the longest operation in British Army history. The British Army contributed 50,000 troops to
14364-821: The UK, the European Masters in Fürth and the German Masters in Berlin, while lucrative Chinese events remained off the calendar. Snooker referees are an integral part of the sport, and some have become well-known personalities in their own right. Len Ganley , John Street and John Williams officiated at seventeen of the first twenty World Snooker finals held at the Crucible Theatre. Since 2000, non-British and female referees have become more prominent in
14535-595: The US. In December 2012 Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the combat mission would end in 2014, and troop numbers gradually fell as the Afghan National Army took over the brunt of the fighting. Between 2001 and 26 April 2014 a total of 453 British military personnel died in Afghan operations. Operation Herrick ended with the handover of Camp Bastion on 26 October 2014, but the British Army maintained
14706-846: The United States, in the American War of 1812 ), the British Army fought the Chinese in the First and Second Opium Wars and the Boxer Rebellion , Māori tribes in the first of the New Zealand Wars, Nawab Shiraj-ud-Daula's forces and British East India Company mutineers in the Sepoy Rebellion of 1857 , the Boers in the first and second Boer Wars, Irish Fenians in Canada during the Fenian raids and Irish separatists in
14877-679: The WPBSA submitted a bid for snooker to be included at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics , but without success. Since its launch in October 2017, the World Snooker Federation (WSF) has been advocating for snooker to be added to the Olympic and Paralympic programme. Their initial bid for the 2024 Paris Olympics was unsuccessful, but the WSF is campaigning for snooker to be included at the 2032 Brisbane Olympics . Olympic status would create
15048-632: The WPBSA under the World Seniors Tour , the highest level of the senior sport being the World Seniors Championship . World Disability Billiards and Snooker (WDBS) is a WPBSA subsidiary that organises events and playing aids in snooker and other cue sports for people with disabilities. The most prestigious amateur event in England is the English Amateur Championship ; first held in 1916, this
15219-532: The World Championship in 1953 (after the boycott of the 1952 event by British professionals), the World Professional Match-play Championship became the unofficial world championship. Fred Davis won the tournament every year from 1952 to 1956 but did not enter the 1957 event. John Pulman won in 1957 and was the most successful player of the 1960s, winning the world title seven times between April 1964 and March 1968 while
15390-463: The World Championship was being contested at irregular intervals on a challenge basis. Pulman's winning streak ended when the tournament reverted to a knockout format in 1968. Ray Reardon was the dominant force of the 1970s, winning six world titles (in 1970, 1973–1976, and 1978), and John Spencer won the world title three times (in 1969, 1971 and 1977). Steve Davis (no relation to Joe or Fred) won his first World Championship in 1981, becoming
15561-429: The World Championship which was first televised in 1978 . The most prominent players of the modern era are Ray Reardon (1970s), Steve Davis (1980s) and Stephen Hendry (1990s), each winning at least six world titles. Since 2000, Ronnie O'Sullivan has won the World Championship seven times, most recently in 2022. Top professional players compete in regular tournaments around the world, earning millions of pounds on
15732-584: The World Women's Snooker Championship in 2022, 2023 and 2024 respectively. Some leagues have allowed clubs to exclude female players from tournaments. A committee member of the Keighley league defended allowing such teams in the league as necessity: "If we lose two of these clubs [with the men-only policies] we would lose four teams and we can't afford to lose four teams otherwise we would have no league." A World Women's Snooker spokesperson commented, "It
15903-578: The army saw the introduction of new weapons systems. Despite the decline of the British Empire, the army was engaged in Aden , Indonesia , Cyprus , Kenya and Malaya . In 1982, the British Army and the Royal Marines helped liberate the Falkland Islands during the conflict with Argentina after that country's invasion of the British territory. In the three decades following 1969,
16074-699: The army was heavily deployed in Northern Ireland 's Operation Banner to support the Royal Ulster Constabulary (later the Police Service of Northern Ireland ) in their conflict with republican paramilitary groups. The locally recruited Ulster Defence Regiment was formed, becoming home-service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment in 1992 before it was disbanded in 2006. Over 700 soldiers were killed during
16245-414: The ascending order of their values, from lowest to highest, i.e. yellow first (worth 2 points), then green (3 points), brown (4 points), blue (5 points), pink (6 points), and finally black (7 points); at this stage of the game, each colour remains in the pocket after being potted. When the final ball is potted, the player who has accumulated the most points wins
16416-423: The balls to their previous positions after the " miss " rule has been invoked (see Scoring below), and cleaning the cue ball or any object ball upon request by the striker. Another duty of the referee is to recognise and declare a stalemate when neither player is able to make any progress in the frame. If both players agree, the balls are returned to their starting positions (known as a " re-rack ") and
16587-411: The career of a professional player. A maximum break in snooker (often known as a "147" or a "maximum") is achieved by potting all reds with blacks, then potting all six colours in sequence, yielding 147 points. As of 15 April 2024, there have been 202 officially confirmed maximum breaks achieved in professional competition. Penalty points are awarded to a player when their opponent commits
16758-831: The centre of each of the two longer side cushions. One drawback of using a full-size table is the amount of space required to accommodate it, which limits the locations where the game can easily be played. The minimum room size that allows space on all sides for comfortable cueing is 22 ft × 16 ft (6.7 m × 4.9 m). While pool tables are common to many pubs , snooker tends to be played either in private settings or in public snooker halls . The game can also be played on smaller tables, with variant table sizes including 10 ft × 5 ft (305 cm × 152 cm), 9 ft × 4.5 ft (274 cm × 137 cm), 8 ft × 4 ft (244 cm × 122 cm), and 6 ft × 3 ft (183 cm × 91 cm). The cloth on
16929-478: The championship was sponsored by tobacco company Embassy from 1976 to 2005 and has since been sponsored by various betting companies after the introduction of an EU-wide ban on the advertising of tobacco products. The World Championship is the most highly valued title in professional snooker, in terms of financial reward (the tournament has carried a £500,000 winner's prize since 2019), ranking points and prestige. The UK Championship , held annually since 1977,
17100-666: The chief threat to England's early trans-Atlantic colonial ambitions, its influence was now waning. The territorial ambitions of the French, however, led to the War of the Spanish Succession and the later Napoleonic Wars . Although the Royal Navy is widely regarded as vital to the rise of the British Empire , the British Army played an important role in the formation of colonies, protectorates and dominions in
17271-788: The coalition which fought Iraq in the Persian Gulf War , and British forces controlled Kuwait after its liberation. Forty-seven British military personnel died during the war. The army was deployed to former Yugoslavia in 1992. Initially part of the United Nations Protection Force , in 1995 its command was transferred to the Implementation Force (IFOR) and then to the Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (SFOR);
17442-545: The colours and the remainder in the Regular Reserve, remaining liable for recall to the colours if required. Among the other benefits, this thereby enabled the British Army to have a ready pool of recently trained men to draw upon in an emergency. The name of the Regular Reserve (which for a time was divided into a First Class and a Second Class ) has resulted in confusion with the Reserve Forces , which were
17613-470: The commitment rose to over 10,000 troops. In 1999, British forces under SFOR command were sent to Kosovo and the contingent increased to 19,000 troops. Between early 1993 and June 2010, 72 British military personnel died during operations in the former Yugoslavian countries of Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia. Although there have been permanent garrisons in Northern Ireland throughout its history,
17784-438: The completion of their first engagement. The size of the army also fluctuated greatly, increasing in war time, and drastically shrinking with peace. Battalions posted on garrison duty overseas were allowed an increase on their normal peacetime establishment, which resulted in their having surplus men on their return to a Home station. Consequently, soldiers engaging on short term enlistments were enabled to serve several years with
17955-512: The controller of BBC2 , commissioned the snooker tournament television series Pot Black primarily to showcase the potential of the BBC 's new colour television service—the green table and multi-coloured balls provided an ideal opportunity to demonstrate the advantages of the new broadcasting technology. The series became a ratings success and was, for a time, the second-most popular show on BBC2 after Morecambe and Wise . Due to these developments,
18126-414: The cue; a triangle for racking the reds; and a scoreboard , typically attached to a wall near the snooker table. A traditional snooker scoreboard resembles an abacus and records the points scored by each player for the current frame in units and twenties, as well as the frame scores. A simple scoring bead is sometimes used, called a "scoring string" or "scoring wire". Each segment of
18297-500: The disbanded New Model Army , were formed between November 1660 and January 1661 and became a standing military force for England (financed by Parliament ). The Royal Scots and Irish Armies were financed by the parliaments of Scotland and Ireland . Parliamentary control was established by the Bill of Rights 1689 and Claim of Right Act 1689 , although the monarch continued to influence aspects of army administration until at least
18468-409: The early 20th century, snooker was predominantly played in the United Kingdom, where it was considered a "gentleman's sport" until the early 1960s before growing in popularity as a national pastime and eventually spreading overseas. The standard rules of the game were first established in 1919 when the Billiards Association and Control Club was formed. As a professional sport, snooker is now governed by
18639-508: The emergence of players such as Ding Junhui and Marco Fu , and still received significant television coverage in the UK—the BBC dedicated 400 hours to snooker in 2007, compared to just 14 minutes 40 years earlier. However, the British public's interest in snooker had waned significantly by the late 2000s. Warning that the sport was "lurching into terminal crisis", The Guardian newspaper predicted in 2010 that snooker would cease to exist as
18810-583: The end of every season, after the World Championship; these year-end lists are used for pre-qualification at certain tournaments and for tour-card guarantees. The top 16 players in the world ranking list, generally regarded as the "elite" of the professional snooker circuit, are not required to pre-qualify for some of the tournaments, such as the Shanghai Masters , the Masters and the World Snooker Championship. Certain other events, such as those in
18981-511: The end of the 19th century. After the Restoration, King Charles II pulled together four regiments of infantry and cavalry, calling them his guards, at a cost of £122,000 from his general budget. This became the foundation of the permanent English Army. By 1685, it had grown to number 7,500 soldiers in marching regiments, and 1,400 men permanently stationed in garrisons. A Monmouth Rebellion in 1685 allowed successor King James II to raise
19152-552: The final 9–8 against Steve Davis. In 1983 the field was expanded to 16 players and moved to the Spectrum Arena in Warrington . Bill Werbeniuk reached the only final of his career, but lost 9–5 against Steve Davis. In 1984, the event was granted ranking status. Steve Davis met Tony Meo in the final. Davis was level at 8 frames each with Tony Meo and only the colours were left in the deciding frame. As Meo lined up on
19323-532: The final to become the inaugural champion. The second event was held in December the same year, with Steve Davis defeating Dennis Taylor 4–1 in the final. In 1982 , the Russian automobile manufacturer Lada became the sponsor of the event and it was renamed to Lada Classic . Steve Davis made the first televised maximum break (147) in his quarter-finals match against John Spencer . Terry Griffiths won in
19494-554: The final. In 1987 the event moved to the Norbreck Castle Hotel in Blackpool , but only just the last 16 played in the final stages, as the opening rounds were played earlier in the season. Steve Davis won in the final 13–12 against Jimmy White. Davis won the event the following year, this time defeating John Parrott 13–11. In 1989, Doug Mountjoy won his second consecutive ranking tournament, having previously won
19665-537: The first year of a two-year tour card, and the top four prize money earners during the most recent season who are not already qualified; this being assessed after the World Championship. The oldest current professional snooker tournament is the World Snooker Championship , which has taken place as an annual event most years since 1927. Hosted at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield since 1977,
19836-410: The forces to 20,000 men. There were 37,000 in 1678, when England played a role in the closing stage of the cross-channel Franco-Dutch War . After Protestant dual Monarchs William III , formerly William of the Dutch House of Orange , and his wife Mary II's joint accession to the throne after a short constitutional crisis with Parliament sending Mary's father, predecessor King James II, (who remained
20007-472: The foul shot. If dissatisfied with the position left after a foul, the next player may nominate the opponent who committed the foul to continue playing from where the balls have come to rest. If the referee has also called a "miss"—meaning that the offending player is deemed not to have made their best possible attempt to hit the object ball—the next player has the option of having the balls replaced to their original positions and forcing their opponent to replay
20178-413: The frame is restarted, with the same player taking the break-off shot as in the abandoned frame. Professional players usually play the game in a sporting manner, declaring fouls they have committed that the referee has not noticed, acknowledging good shots from their opponent, and holding up a hand to apologise for a fortunate shot (known as a " fluke "). Points in snooker are gained from potting
20349-406: The frame. If there are not enough points remaining on the table for a player to potentially win the frame, that player may offer to concede the frame while at the table (but not while their opponent is still at the table); a frame concession is a common occurrence in professional snooker. However, players will often play on even when there are not enough points available for them to win, in
20520-411: The hope of laying one or more " snookers " to force their opponent into playing foul shots. Snookers are shots designed to make it difficult for the opponent to play a legal shot on their next turn, such as leaving another ball between the cue ball and the object ball. If the scores are equal when all object balls have been potted, the black is used as a tiebreaker in a situation called
20691-416: The intended shot. If, after a foul, it is not possible to cleanly strike both sides of the object ball directly, the referee may call a free ball, allowing the next player to nominate any other ball in place of the object ball they might normally have played. If a player is awarded a free ball with all fifteen reds still in play, they can potentially make a break exceeding 147 , with the highest possible being
20862-399: The late 1970s, with most of the major tournaments being televised. In 1985 , an estimated 18.5 million viewers stayed up until the early hours of the morning to watch the conclusion of the World Championship final between Dennis Taylor and Steve Davis , a record viewership in the UK for any broadcast on BBC Two and for any broadcast after midnight. As professional snooker grew as
21033-442: The longest in British Army history. According to an internal document released in 2007, the British Army had failed to defeat the IRA but made it impossible for them to win by violence. Operation Helvetic replaced Operation Banner in 2007, maintaining fewer service personnel in a more-benign environment. Of the 300,000 troops who served in Northern Ireland since 1969, there were 763 British military personnel killed and 306 killed by
21204-410: The middle of the 19th century, Britain and France were allies in preventing Russia's appropriation of the Ottoman Empire , although the fear of French invasion led shortly afterwards to the creation of the Volunteer Force. By the first decade of the 20th century, the United Kingdom was allied with France (by the Entente Cordiale ) and Russia (which had a secret agreement with France for mutual support in
21375-411: The most popular cue sport in the United Kingdom. Joe Davis was the World Champion for twenty years, retiring unbeaten in the event after claiming his fifteenth world title in 1946 when the tournament was reinstated after the Second World War. During his entire professional career, Davis remained undefeated when playing on equal terms, although he did lose some matches in handicapped tournaments. He
21546-411: The most recent being Judd Trump who completed the Triple Crown in May 2019. The Triple Crown events are televised in the UK by the BBC, while most other tournaments are broadcast across Europe on the Eurosport network, or ITV Sport , as well as numerous other broadcasters internationally. After facing some criticism for matches taking too long, Matchroom Sport chairman Barry Hearn introduced
21717-399: The naval forces), with the other having been the Ordnance Military Corps (made up of the Royal Artillery , Royal Engineers , and the Royal Sappers and Miners ) of the Board of Ordnance , which along with the originally civilian Commissariat Department , stores and supply departments, as well as barracks and other departments, were absorbed into the British Army when the Board of Ordnance
21888-440: The new English army to 74,000, and then a few years later to 94,000 in 1694. Parliament was very nervous and reduced the cadre to 70,000 in 1697. Scotland and Ireland had theoretically separate military establishments, but they were unofficially merged with the English Crown force. By the time of the 1707 Acts of Union , many regiments of the English and Scottish armies were combined under one operational command and stationed in
22059-409: The nobility, or on hired mercenaries from Europe. From the later Middle Ages until the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, when a foreign expeditionary force was needed, such as the one that Henry V of England took to France and that fought at the Battle of Agincourt (1415), the army, a professional one, was raised for the duration of the expedition. During the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, the members of
22230-424: The notable exception of Oliver Cromwell , then a member of parliament and future Lord Protector) from serving as officers in the Parliamentary armies. This created a distinction between the civilians in Parliament, who tended to be Presbyterian and conciliatory to the Royalists ("Cavaliers") in nature, and a corps of professional officers, who tended to be Independent ( Congregational ) in theology. The second action
22401-440: The object balls in the correct sequence. The total number of consecutive points (excluding fouls) that a player amasses during one visit to the table is known as a "break". For example, a player could achieve a break of 15 by first potting a red followed by a black, then another red followed by a pink, before failing to pot the next red. A break of 100 points or more is referred to as a century break ; these are recorded over
22572-458: The oceans and trade routes, and heavily garrisoned by the British Army both for defence of the bases and to provide mobile military forces to work with the Navy in amphibious operations throughout their regions. The British Army was heavily involved in the Napoleonic Wars , participating in a number of campaigns in Europe (including continuous deployment in the Peninsular War ), the Caribbean , North Africa and North America . The war between
22743-465: The opposing player or team. An individual frame of snooker is won by the player who has scored the most points, and a snooker match ends when a player wins a predetermined number of frames. In 1875, army officer Neville Chamberlain , stationed in India, devised a set of rules that combined black pool and pyramids . The word snooker was a well-established derogatory term used to describe inexperienced or first-year military personnel. In
22914-436: The parallel Seven Years' War and suppressed a Native / Indian North Americans uprising in Pontiac's War around the Great Lakes . The British Army was defeated in the American Revolutionary War , losing the Thirteen Colonies but retaining The Canadas and The Maritimes as in British North America , including Bermuda (originally part of the Colony of Virginia , and which had been originally strongly sympathetic to
23085-422: The player has been awarded a free ball , which allows them to nominate another object ball in place of a red. The cue ball can contact an object ball directly or it may be made to bounce off one or more cushions before hitting the required object ball. The game continues until all 15 red balls have been potted and only the 6 colours and the cue ball are left on the table. The colours must next be potted in
23256-446: The player will concede penalty points. When a red ball has entered a pocket, the striker must then choose a coloured ball (or "colour") and attempt to pot it. If successful, the value of the potted colour is added to the player's score, and the colour is returned to its designated spot on the table. The player must then pot another red ball followed by another colour. The process of alternately potting reds and colours continues until
23427-453: The post-war era; the 1952 World Snooker Championship was contested by only two players and was replaced by the World Professional Match-play Championship , which was also discontinued in 1957. In an effort to boost the game's popularity, Davis introduced a variation known as " snooker plus " in 1959, with the addition of two extra colours, but this version of the game was short-lived. A world championship for top amateur players, now known as
23598-481: The pre-existing part-time, local-service home-defence forces that were auxiliary to the British Army (or Regular Force ), but not originally part of it: the Yeomanry , Militia (or Constitutional Force ) and Volunteer Force . These were consequently also referred to as Auxiliary Forces or Local Forces . The late-19th-century Cardwell and Childers Reforms gave the army its modern shape and redefined its regimental system . The 1907 Haldane Reforms created
23769-451: The professional sport of snooker. World Snooker Ltd is responsible for the professional tour which is owned by both the WPBSA and Matchroom Sport . Every player on the World Snooker Tour is assigned a position on the WPBSA's official world ranking list, which is used to determine the seedings and the level of qualification each player requires for the tournaments on the professional circuit. The current world rankings are determined using
23940-442: The professional tour in the 2010–11 season and upgraded to a ranking event in 2017 . Other games have been designed with an increased number of object balls in play. One example is "snooker plus", which included two additional colours: an orange ball worth eight points positioned between pink and blue, and a purple ball worth ten points positioned between brown and blue, increasing the maximum possible break to 210. Introduced at
24111-447: The qualifying rounds of the main World Snooker Championship on five occasions, reaching the second round in 2017. Evans holds the record for the highest break made in WWS competition, having achieved a 140 break twice (in 2008 and 2010). Other successful female players are Kelly Fisher (with five women's world titles), Ng On-yee (with three), and most recently Nutcharut Wongharuthai , Siripaporn Nuanthakhamjan and Bai Yulu , who won
24282-410: The rank of English, Irish and Scots regiments serving in the Netherlands; the regiment which became known as the Scots Greys were designated the 4th Dragoons because there were three English regiments raised prior to 1688 when the Scots Greys were first placed in the English establishment. In 1713, when a new board of general officers was convened to decide the rank of several regiments, the seniority of
24453-432: The regular ranking tournaments. The event was removed from the professional tour after the 2012–13 season, when the Champion of Champions was re-established; players qualify for this tournament by virtue of winning other events in the season, with sixteen champions competing. Classified as a "precision sport" by the International Olympic Committee , snooker has never been contested at the Summer Olympics . In 2015,
24624-491: The return of a king. The militia acts of 1661 and 1662 prevented local authorities from calling up militia and oppressing their own local opponents. Calling up the militia was possible only if the king and local elites agreed to do so. King Charles II and his " Cavalier " / Royalist supporters favoured a new army under royal control, and immediately after the Restoration of 1660 to 1661 began working on its establishment. The first English Army regiments, including elements of
24795-403: The same manner, the effect of the nap will differ according to whether the ball is directed towards the baulk line or towards the opposite end of the table. A snooker ball set consists of 22 unmarked balls: 15 reds , 6 coloured balls , and 1 white cue ball. The colours are one each of yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black, although the brown and blue balls were not
24966-410: The season, causing burnout of players. O'Sullivan played only a subset of tournaments in 2012, so he could spend more time with his children; as a result he ended the 2012–13 season ranked 19th in the world despite being the world champion. O'Sullivan played only one tournament in 2013, the World Championship , which he won. He suggested that a "breakaway tour" with fewer events would be beneficial to
25137-451: The second half of the 19th century, the game is played with 22 balls, comprising a white cue ball , 15 red balls and 6 other balls—a yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black—collectively called ' the colours '. Using a snooker cue , the individual players or teams take turns to strike the cue ball to pot other balls in a predefined sequence, accumulating points for each successful pot and for each foul committed by
25308-434: The sport and take part in high-level amateur competitions. The leading tournament on the women's tour is the World Women's Snooker Championship , the winner of which receives a two-year tour card to the main professional tour. Reanne Evans won the women's world title a record twelve times, including ten consecutive victories from 2005 to 2014 . She has also participated on the World Snooker Tour and has taken part in
25479-478: The sport through the 1990s, winning the World Championship seven times (in 1990, 1992–1996, and 1999). Ronnie O'Sullivan has claimed the most world titles since 2000, having won the World Championship seven times (in 2001, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2020 and 2022). John Higgins and Mark Selby have both won four world titles (Higgins in 1998, 2007, 2009 and 2011; Selby in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2021), and Mark Williams three (in 2000, 2003 and 2018). O'Sullivan
25650-437: The sport, but none was organised. Some players, including 2005 world champion Shaun Murphy , have asserted that a 128-player professional tour is financially unsustainable. Lower-ranked professional players can struggle to make a living from the sport, especially after paying tournament entry fees, travel costs and other expenses. In 2023, Stephen Maguire criticised the World Snooker Tour and WPBSA, claiming that "the game
25821-523: The sport; Dutch referee Jan Verhaas became the first non-Briton to referee a World Championship final in 2003 , while Michaela Tabb became the first woman to do so in 2009 . Tabb was the only woman refereeing on the professional tour when she joined it in 2002, but tournaments now routinely feature female referees such as Desislava Bozhilova , Maike Kesseler , and Tatiana Woollaston . A standard full-size snooker table measures 12 ft × 6 ft (365.8 cm × 182.9 cm), with
25992-474: The sport; these cards are issued at the discretion of the World Snooker Board, and have been awarded to players including Steve Davis , James Wattana , Jimmy White , and Stephen Hendry . Some additional secondary tours have been contested over the years. A two-tier structure was adopted for the 1997–98 snooker season ; comprising six tournaments known as the WPBSA Minor Tour was open to all professionals, but only ran for one season. A similar secondary UK Tour
26163-428: The standard game but with fewer object balls, reducing the time taken to play each frame. The Six-red World Championship , which is contested annually in Bangkok , Thailand, has been a regular fixture on the World Snooker Tour since 2012 . A World Women's 10-Red Championship was held annually in Leeds, England, from 2017 to 2019. Geographic variations exist in the United States and Brazil, while speed versions of
26334-461: The standard game have been developed in the United Kingdom. American snooker is an amateur version of the game played almost exclusively in the United States. With simplified rules and generally played on smaller tables, this variant dates back to 1925. Sinuca brasileira (or "Brazilian snooker") is a variant of snooker played exclusively in Brazil, with fully divergent rules from the standard game and using only one red ball instead of fifteen. At
26505-457: The standard game. British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom , British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies , a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Naval Service and the Royal Air Force . As of 1 July 2024, the British Army comprises 74,296 regular full-time personnel, 4,244 Gurkhas , 25,934 volunteer reserve personnel and 4,612 "other personnel", for
26676-417: The start of the game, the matches were limited to a fixed game-play period of 30 minutes. Tenball was a snooker variant designed specifically for the television show of the same name, an LWT production that was broadcast for one series in 1995. An extra ball worth ten points (the yellow and black "tenball") was added between the blue and pink, and the game had a slightly revised set of rules compared to
26847-410: The start of the game, the single red is positioned halfway between the pink ball and the side cushion, and the break-off shot cannot be used to pot the red or place the opponent in a snooker. The Snooker Shoot Out is a variant snooker tournament consisting of single-frame matches for an accelerated format. First staged in 1990 , the idea was resurrected in 2011 with a modified version that was added to
27018-409: The striker fails to pot the desired object ball or commits a foul—at which point the opponent comes to the table to start the next turn—or when there are no red balls remaining in play. Points accumulated by potting successive object balls are called a " break " (see Scoring below). At the start of each player's turn, the objective is to first pot a red ball, unless all reds are off the table or
27189-404: The string (bead) represents one point as the players can move one or several beads along the string. Additional accessories include cue tips of varying hardness to suit player preferences, anti-slip cue grips for better control, and specialized table brushes and cloths to maintain optimal table conditions. A player wins a frame by scoring more points than their opponent. At the start of a frame,
27360-611: The withdrawal of civilians, all British troops had left by the end of August 2021. In 2003, the United Kingdom was a major contributor to the invasion of Iraq , sending a force of over 46,000 military personnel. The British Army controlled southern Iraq, and maintained a peace-keeping presence in Basra . All British troops were withdrawn from Iraq by 30 April 2009, after the Iraqi government refused to extend their mandate. One hundred and seventy-nine British military personnel died in Iraqi operations. The British Armed Forces returned to Iraq in 2014 as part of Operation Shader to counter
27531-408: The word to deride the inferior performance of a young fellow officer at the table. The new game of snooker featured in an 1887 issue of the Sporting Life newspaper in England, which led to a growth in popularity. Chamberlain was revealed to be the inventor, 63 years after the fact, in a letter to The Field magazine published on 19 March 1938. Snooker became increasingly popular across
27702-519: The world's leading military and economic powers. Since the end of the Cold War , the British Army has been deployed to a number of conflict zones, often as part of an expeditionary force , a coalition force or part of a United Nations peacekeeping operation. Until the Wars of the Three Kingdoms , neither England or Scotland had had a standing army with professional officers and career corporals and sergeants. England relied on militia organised by local officials or private forces mobilised by
27873-444: The year 1969 is taken to mark the beginning of snooker's modern era. The World Snooker Championship moved in 1977 to the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield , where it has been staged ever since, and the 1978 World Snooker Championship was the first to receive daily television coverage. Snooker quickly became a mainstream sport in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and much of the Commonwealth , and has remained consistently popular since
28044-482: The yellow, a spectator yelled out "Come on, Tony!". Although Meo took time to compose himself after the shout, he missed the yellow and Davis cleared the colours to win. Mercantile Credit took over the sponsorship for the 1985 and the event was renamed Mercantile Credit Classic . Willie Thorne won the only ranking tournament of his career, by beating Cliff Thorburn 13–8 in the final. In 1986 Jimmy White won his first ranking tournament by defeating Thorburn 13–12 in
28215-464: Was abolished in 1855. Various other civilian departments of the board were absorbed into the War Office . The British Army has seen action in major wars between the world's great powers , including the Seven Years' War , the American Revolutionary War , the Napoleonic Wars , the Crimean War and the First and Second World Wars . Britain's victories in most of these decisive wars allowed it to influence world events and establish itself as one of
28386-420: Was declared in 1951. Although the British Army was a major participant in Korea in the early 1950s and Suez in 1956, during this period Britain's role in world events was reduced and the army was downsized. The British Army of the Rhine , consisting of I (BR) Corps , remained in Germany as a bulwark against Soviet invasion. The Cold War continued, with significant technological advances in warfare, and
28557-478: Was first played from the 1997–98 season, which was renamed the Challenge Tour in 2000, Players Tour Championship in 2010 and returned as the Challenge Tour in 2018. The global governing body for professional snooker is the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), founded in 1968 as the Professional Billiards Players' Association. The WPBSA owns and publishes the official rules of snooker, and has overall responsibility for policy-making in
28728-433: Was further developed in 1882 when its first set of rules was finalised by British Army officer Neville Chamberlain , who helped devise and popularise the game at Stone House in Ootacamund on a table built by Burroughes & Watts that had been sent to India by sea. At the time, the word snooker was a slang term used in the British Army to describe new recruits and inexperienced military personnel; Chamberlain used
28899-409: Was legislation for the creation of a Parliamentary-funded army, commanded by Lord General Thomas Fairfax , which became known as the New Model Army (originally phrased "new-modelled Army"). While this proved to be a war-winning formula, the New Model Army, being organised and politically active, went on to dominate the politics of the Interregnum and by 1660 was widely disliked. The New Model Army
29070-401: Was only ever beaten on level terms by his younger brother Fred Davis , but not until after he had retired from professional play. By 1947, Fred Davis was deemed by his older brother ready to become World Champion, but he lost that year's world final to Walter Donaldson . Davis and Donaldson contested the next four world finals, with Davis winning three of the four. With the abandonment of
29241-432: Was paid off and disbanded at the later Restoration of the monarchy in 1660 with the accession of King Charles II . For many decades the alleged excesses of the New Model Army under the Protectorate / Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell were used as propaganda (and still feature in Irish folklore) and the Whig Party element recoiled from allowing a standing army to continue with the agreed-upon rights and privileges under
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