Good call from Dennis, saying it's match between "a player who will go on to be the greatest player that's ever played the game against the greatest player who's ever picked up a snooker cue". What a legendary match. We will never see such a clash of titans again, imo; the Great Age of Snooker is just about over.
The game has changed so much since the 90s and early 2000s . But that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. To me it's kinda it's like saying Metallica will never be as good as the 80s true but they're are plenty new bands doing their thing and crafting their style(Only comparison i had ) It's same in this. It's developed, standards and expectations are higher. And in 10 years time you'll be saying the same about, judd , kyren , Mark Allen and so fourth when a new age of talent comes through. They'll be the clash of the Titans matches you'll also miss when their time comes and goes. Its a never ending cycle .
@@exile4090 Yes but where are the new bands that are as good as 1980s metal? Even if the technical quality has improved, the power, drama and influence have declined. This is a reality across our civilization, imo, even though many people are unwilling to acknowledge it.
@JackSmith-xs8ggThis the same ebdon that broke your player down in 05 😂? You see all those scummy ronnie fans coughing away at hendrys shots, always was a sht fan base. Love the roar from the crowd on that last black, sent ronnie back to his miserable life 😂
I don't think Ronnie raised the standard. I think Ronnie has surpassed Hendry now. But Hendry at his best hit the highest standard as far as pure break building and relentless potting under pressure is concerned.
I remember this match so well. At the time I remember saying that you’ll never see two players play so well in the same match over so many frames. It was relentless
Hendry was so quick and fluent. He wasn't always walking into the line of the shots. He was sliding in from the side and everything. He was rapid and a great player to watch. No messing about. Walks around and straight down and bang!
Yeah always glad to see these posted just in case people forgot just how good Hendry was. Or those who weren't old enough to see him in his pomp. Absolute phenom.
Hendry was a machine at his peak. He was actually on the decline at this point in his career but he managed to perform brilliantly in this world championship which was probably the last time he played his best snooker.
@Charles-Grady Who did Hendry beat to win his last two titles and when did John Higgins turn pro? Hendry was still reaching the quarter finals as late as 2012 against the very best in the world so no, not a joke.
It's such a shame Hendry got the yips. This was basically pretty much the end of his reign. He was still so young. Been binge watching his matches since his Cue Tips channel started, and he really was unreal!
@@outlawtorn49-oy4oh never had yips! Done and dusted by 30 only because he couldn't handle the improved standards.Said for 23 years on social media Stephen Hendry is a fraud in the GOAT debate!
Hendry won 5 world titles in a row. That will never be done ever again. Ronnie might have more titles and a stronger case for the GOAT debate but this is something he never got close to. I’m pretty sure Hendry even won 5 masters titles in a row aswell. That level of domination is unheard of.
Ronnie seemed to agree...atleast he said that he'd prefer the way Hendry got his records instead of the scrappy up and down (manic) way Ronnie did it himself. Probably Ronnie's way is more impressive to me though..the amount of times that guy was in shambles, depressed, in sabbaticals, alcohol, substances, playing and training very little..and building himself back up is a testament to his endless talent. Guy is almost 50 and still the best in the world
@@pcon1473 Ronnie plays better I agree on that. He even plays better than Stephen Hendry. But to say Hendry would not have won a single championship is an unfair statement. You have to give credit where it belongs, the guy has changed the game. Most top players of this era took decades to break his records. Its his way of game that modern player are playing.
Ronnie is the GOAT, imagine if he was mentally ok like Hendy throughout his career. He would have won everything he competed in, that's how special he is. In this year's WC 2024, he wasn't mentally there, hence his ability lacked.
When I watched this live I was rooting for Ronnie, watching it again now, because of Cue Tips letting us see Stephen's personality come out, I was cheering him on!
I always liked Stephen, because I was so bored of Steve Davis, who seemed to have zero personality. How wrong I was, when you see what DJ Davis is like now😂
This is the game Ronnie said he was gonnae send him back to his sad little life in Scotland. Hendry was never gonnae lose that game after those comments.
Hendry prime vs Sullivan prime. Hendry will come out on tops 8 out of 10 times. Many will disagree, and all I can say don’t watch UA-cam clips of hendry in his prime. Watch at least half of it to realise hendry was an immaculate machine
Ronnie was really instinctual back then... Hendry a class act. WST - great to see you post content like this. But maybe employ Cesar Muroya to do the video editing? He's just the best on the internet, hands-down...
As in, I'm sure Cesar specifically would choose the exciting frames where there was big excitement in the audience, and instructional parts... Btw Stephen in the second session was absolutely 👍 As Stephen himself said in commentary the last time Luca played Lisowski - it'd be great if those two lads could develop a rivalry. I totally agree, rivalries have spurred snooker on to new heights over the years, as JV alludes to himself in this vid. Jack Lisowski needs to "squash the bugs" in his game, then it would be game-on between him and Luca Brecel, between two exciting, gifted players... Just as it was between Ronnie and Stephen himself here. Ronnie has been involved in so many of these titantic battles over the years tho. Hendry, John Higgins, Selby, and in a slightly different way between himself and Judd... What a fierce warrior is Ronnie!
Just to mention - the kicks with the old chalk. I'm so glad kicks been all-but eliminated with the new Taom chalk from Finland - except for those who persist in their usage of the old, "kicky" chalk - not least Ronnie himself! And finally - I preferred the reaction of the audience, before when the BBC earpieces weren't rented to the paying punters. With the earpieces, the audience react to the commentary. But this crowd with no earpieces felt the energy of the snooker, the two men tussling it out over the baize, just for what it is....
@@EannaButler I don't think earpieces are needed either. If you there watching a live game, then sample the atmosphere. Commentary is for TV viewers. BTW, what bugs do you think are in Jack's game?
As good as Ronnie is he was never as dominant as Hendry. O'Sullivan's career has been up and down but never over a 10 year stretch as Hendry's was. He was and still is the youngest World Champion and Ronnie's longevity is what that's remarkable and it was a shame that Hendry retired when he did but at that time he wanted a life outside of Snooker and he doesn't seem to regret his decision all these years later.
@@alanchamberlain9902 ....If both players played at their peak, Hendry would prevail. It would be close but Hendry was the better player but not by much.
@ Are you joking? Ronnie destroyed Hendry 17-4 and 17-6 in world semis ok Hendry wasn’t at his peak but peak Hendry only beat a younger version of Ronnie 17-13 in 2 semis
I think Ronnie might have won this game had he not provoked Stephen's in a fire. He kind of re awakened the titan, and Stephen simply would not be denied. Probably one of the highest quality games of snooker we will ever see.
yeah credit where it's due I think it was his pink against Matthew Stevens in the semi was it? John Virgo said that was one of the best bottle shots he had seen. Ebdon fought hard for his win.
An absolute animal on a snooker table,i always thought his peak was between 2000-2010, even though he won many tournaments in all the decades, nobody ever talks about his consistency and longevity.
It was good to see Hendry roll the clock back and play absolutely superb snooker against the eventual GOAT, the legendary Rocket Ronnie. The phenomenon of Stephen Hendry in the ‘90’s is what got me hooked on watching world class snooker; here in western Canada it was on TSN ( the program was Pub Night ( or something like that. It was either snooker or darts. ( “one hundred and forty!”) Watching Hendry cut through greats like Steve Davis, Jimmy White, and the like with surgical precision was must see TV for this Canuck. ( I was a big Cliff Thorburn fan of course) During this time, I didn’t even know about Ronnie.. little did I suspect that someone would come along and equal the great Hendry, and ultimately surpass him. ( in some aspects) This match may have been Hendry’s last huge statement before his decline is that right gents? I’ve not seen the final narrowly won by Ebdon..is it on UA-cam by any chance?
Watch the video where Hendry introducing Ronnie as the greatest! Ronnie reciprocated through kindness.More importantly all pro players call Ronnie the GOAT,and you know that! 👍
Listen there's always the questions about who's the GOAT 🐐 in all different sports. Who was better and who would win between Ali vs Tyson for example or Michael Jordan vs LeBron James. All those questions are subjective because nobody knows who would win, but with Ronnie and Hendry it's different. They played at the same time and Hendry dominated the sport for more than a decade while Ronnie was playing. Hendry didn't pick up a snooker cue until 3 weeks before his 13th birthday and that was on a kids toy table. He played the first time on a full sized table aged 14. Ronnie picked up a cue at 4 years old and there's a video on UA-cam of Ronnie aged 9 or 10 years old where he said he making century breaks from 8 years old. Ronnie was making centuries 7 years before Hendry even picked up a cue. After playing for the first time on a full sized table at 14, Hendry won the Scottish championship 2 years later and turned professional at 16 years old. He then won the first of his World titles only 5 years later at the age of 21 and becoming the youngest ever world champion in history, a record still held to this day and not even Ronnie could beat that, even though he had been playing more than twice as long as Hendry. In fact Ronnie turned professional aged 16 and didn't win his first world title until 10 years later at the age of 26, double the time it took Hendry. After Hendry won that first world title, he then went on and completely dominated the sport for the next decade winning 7 world titles in 9 years and was the world number 1 from 1990 until 98 and reclaimed the world no.1 spot in 2006 and kept it for more than 12 months until 07. Hendry reached a total of 9 world championship finals in 12 years, winning 7 and losing 2 and won 5 straight world titles in a row. He also won 5 Masters titles in a row and both the 5 straight titles are still a record in the world championships and the Masters. He holds the record for being number 1 the longest and he did all that while Ronnie was playing at the same time. That's why Ronnie says that it isn't even a question of who is the GOAT because he always says that Hendry is the GOAT. Now Ronnie has now finally equalled Hendry's 7 world titles but it took Ronnie 30 years to equal the record, which is 3×longer than it took Hendry. However to be able to compete at the top of a sport for 30 years is truly amazing and he deserves all the plaudits he gets for being able to keep up with the younger players, but there's so many more tournaments nowadays and playing constantly keeps your game sharp. However Ronnie didn't win 1 world title while Hendry was in his prime! Hendry retired 6 years after Ronnie won his 1st world title and John Higgins won a world championship before Ronnie and they both turned professional in 92 together. So you have to take everything into account and not just be biased towards the players you like the best. Ronnie has become a true legend of the sport and rightly so because the things he can do on a snooker table are marvellous to watch but when Ronnie says himself that he would of rather won his World titles the way Hendry did it by completing and utterly dominating the sport for so long and winning all his 7 titles in a decade rather than winning them in 3 decades, then who are we to argue with him!!! As Hendry said to Ronnie on his Instagram interviews, that Tiger Woods was asked who was better between Jack Nicklaus and Tiger himself, and Tiger Woods replied "well as long as your name is in the argument as the greatest, then you have done something right in your career", I think think that is a good way to look at it because you'll never convince some people no matter what evidence or proof you have because its subjective, some people like flair and fancy shots like the way Jimmy White played snooker, while Stephen Hendry wasn't as flamboyant as Jimmy White but beat him in every single word championship title finals they played in, which was 5 finals. Jimmy Whites flamboyant and crowd pleasing shots were no match for Hendry and his ruthless high scoring game which didn't allow White to win,although he did come close one final and the pressure got to him and Hendry with that ruthlessly afficient high scoring game with a temperament under pressure that was 2nd to none, prevailed because it's not just about playing crowd pleasing shots etc, you need the whole package to become a world champion but especially to be the GOAT 🐐 and Hendry had no equal in that department. It was only when Hendry got divorced and moved to England and stopped practicing nowhere close to the way he had been, that he started declining. Also Hendry played with the same old cue throughout his dominance, and that cue was bent almost like a banana and that cue was stolen and when he got it back it got broken in the cargo hold of a plane and couldn't be fixed. Now there's a saying that a tradesman doesn't blame his tools, but when you've used the same cue for more than 20 years, you are 100% used to the bend in it and just as important is your used to the feel and the weight of the cue and no matter how hard you try to get a master cue maker to make a new cue the exact same as the old cue,it's impossible and the weird thing about Hendry's old cue was that all of the professionals that he practiced with couldn't use his cue and said it belonged in the bin lol but Hendry was so used to it that even the most expensive and best crafted cues ever made wouldn't get him to change from that old cue that was over 40 years old and belonged in the bin or a museum lol.Getting back to Hendry moving to England after his marriage split up, he had a new girlfriend and admits that he wanted to spend a lot of his time with her and neglected his practice, because he no longer had the banter and playing his mates like John Higgins and Stephen Maguire etc to playing by himself on the table in his house and losing his cue he played with his whole life just started a severe decline in his performances, although the year he retired he made a 147 maximum break in the crucible, which was his 3rd 147 like Ronnie, and Hendry still made it to the quarter finals of the world championship before retiring after that game. BOTH these men deserve all the plaudits and accolades that they get because they are the 2 best players of all time, PERIOD!!! However you have to take everything into account and here's a great example before i leave you. Novak Djokovic has won more grand slam titles in tennis than any other man in history, but he played in the same era as Roger Federer and Raphael Nadal and Novak was No.3 in the world with only 3 grand slam titles for almost 10 years until both Roger Federer and Raphael Nadal started to decline with injuries and age. So just because Novak has now overtaken them in grand slams won, that surely doesn't make him the GOAT when he couldn't beat them in their prime and only overtaken them when they were on their decline. It's the same as Hendry and Ronnie because Ronnie only took over when Hendry was in decline and not while Hendry was still in his prime.
this is undoubtedly the greatest snooker performance of all time , this not just semi final, but a devine snooker, even God cannot ask humans for a better duel and performance , this was a battle of generations , a peice of history, these player will forever echo's in the history of the Game
It's your comment that is ridiculous, yes luck makes the difference very often, I would even say that Hendry, Higgins, Selby, William and O'Sullivan are of equal strength, what separates them is the luck factor in the majority of cases
@@frankdelar Not true! Ronnie has a winning record over Hendry,Higgins ,Williams in finals played and overall' Except the fact Selby has a 5-3 winning record over the GOAT ROS in finals! Facts matter not opinions based on feelings and not reality! Ronnie & Selby far better players than anyone that played the game!
@@user-bg9er5vs5y I was probably misunderstood when I was talking about the luck factor...? On the contrary, I really like Ronnie O'Sullivan, he is a player whom I admire enormously for his formidable control of the cue ball, I would rather say that Ronnie is a notch above the other players that I have previously named, Hendry in his good years were in my humble opinion of equal strength with Ronnie, anyway Ronnie and Hendry will go down in history both
I often forget how good Hendry used to be, Absolute best. His career can be divided into two distinctive periods. Pre 2002 and after 2002. Pre 2002 the best world has ever seen THE BEAST and after 2002 Crap. It's nice to see his games once in a while especially this one and 1997 match where he scored 147 against Ronnie in decider. If there is one player who can arguably sweat Ronny it was only Hendry. Too sad he was not that consistent like Hendry and withered away too soon.
He was probably the best player in the world in 2003 along with Mark williams btw. In 2005/06 he was prob top 5 - but not the same. He had a resurgence at 09 crucible.
I know nothing about snooker but have randomnly started getting loads of these videos on my feed. What makes a player like hendry go from being an absolute beast, to then suddenly becoming crap?
Someone didn't want Hendry making that 147. If you listen it's the same ringtone and definitely not a coincidence that it was right when he was on the shot. Anyway, still my favourite match of all time. Just sensational stuff from both and the match I always tell the newer crowd to watch if they doubt Hendry.
I always said Judd plays with 20% ability 80% luck...on the other hand see how far far better Ronnie & Hendry play.That's why they are the two players that have won most ranking and triple crown titles in professional snooker,Nuff said!
Если бы в 90-х было такое количество турниров как сейчас, у Хендри было бы намного больше рейтинговых побед чем 36, соответственно и сотенных серий было бы намного больше
Unbelievable the amount of people that kept their phones on during Hendry's 147 attempt. I would've snapped a cue. Etiquette was completely absent on whoever those people were. 😤
@@roadofsnookerfinals-lw6xg You speak like a woman, "So what you're saying is.." and then proceed to put words in my mouth. No. First of all - to think that I meant they were "planted", means that somebody else had motive to get other people to purposefully put him off his game in this fashion. No, I think that these were just fans, and maybe not Hendry's fans. Secondly, I just found it funny that during his 147 attempt, multiple phones went off, not during the other hours of play beforehand, or after. Quite interesting. I think that, to anybody watching, that was a bit odd. Whether I believe those individuals did it on purpose or not, I really don't know, nor do I care. But it's sad because the amount of focus it takes to make a 147 is so difficult, and I can relate because recently I made a 113 playing my best earlier this year, and missed after a guy at the club walked behind me and accidentally bumped the end of my cue while I was down on the shot. (Not blaming him, and he sincerely apologised, but as you can understand it affected me slightly, action causes reaction, and i let it annoy me, as I believe hendry might have.) Nonetheless, there was a lack of politeness from those individuals in the audience during the game. I just hope people can have a bit more respect for those that are trying to play their best, and to allow them in such a stage to do such. 💙
his whole demeanor (of Hendry) seems to be like he had a chip on his shoulder though.. was it so? Was there something on the background that played a part between the two? Watch the dominant handshake of Hendry.. though it gets straightened subtly by O'Sullivan to round of this encounter in.. well.. style? 😀
Two of the games greats. However, I think Hendry presented himself much better. O'Sullivan at times can be a loose cannon. Hendry's manner and attitude was always exemplary.
Good call from Dennis, saying it's match between "a player who will go on to be the greatest player that's ever played the game against the greatest player who's ever picked up a snooker cue". What a legendary match. We will never see such a clash of titans again, imo; the Great Age of Snooker is just about over.
Well put!
What does it even mean? Who's the best then?
I prefer Judd Trumps game
The game has changed so much since the 90s and early 2000s . But that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. To me it's kinda it's like saying Metallica will never be as good as the 80s true but they're are plenty new bands doing their thing and crafting their style(Only comparison i had ) It's same in this. It's developed, standards and expectations are higher. And in 10 years time you'll be saying the same about, judd , kyren , Mark Allen and so fourth when a new age of talent comes through. They'll be the clash of the Titans matches you'll also miss when their time comes and goes. Its a never ending cycle .
@@exile4090 Yes but where are the new bands that are as good as 1980s metal? Even if the technical quality has improved, the power, drama and influence have declined. This is a reality across our civilization, imo, even though many people are unwilling to acknowledge it.
Great to be reminded how good Hendry was. Thanks for this.
Yes , I don't care what anyone else says, nobody could beat Hendry playing his best game.
@JackSmith-xs8ggimagine saying jimmy wasn't a top opposition. Out of prime hendry slapped world champion ronnie, never forgot muppet.
@JackSmith-xs8ggThis the same ebdon that broke your player down in 05 😂?
You see all those scummy ronnie fans coughing away at hendrys shots, always was a sht fan base. Love the roar from the crowd on that last black, sent ronnie back to his miserable life 😂
@@Ineedanewbrainwashagent1. Hendry says Ronnie is better than he was.
Too bad he lost to ebdon in the final. Closest ever to the 8th
Both players made snooker look so easy... One of the greatest match in the history of the game
Hendry was brilliant, he set the standards, OSullivan raised the bar significantly, and still does all these years on.
Hendry the most dominant champion ever
I don't think Ronnie raised the standard. I think Ronnie has surpassed Hendry now. But Hendry at his best hit the highest standard as far as pure break building and relentless potting under pressure is concerned.
Hendry in the 90s early 2000 was the best player that's ever been,.. facts...
I remember this match so well. At the time I remember saying that you’ll never see two players play so well in the same match over so many frames. It was relentless
Hendry was a gent. No temper tantrums from Stephen Hendry!
One of the best matches in the history of snooker
Hendry was so quick and fluent. He wasn't always walking into the line of the shots. He was sliding in from the side and everything. He was rapid and a great player to watch. No messing about. Walks around and straight down and bang!
Yeah always glad to see these posted just in case people forgot just how good Hendry was. Or those who weren't old enough to see him in his pomp. Absolute phenom.
Hendry was a machine at his peak. He was actually on the decline at this point in his career but he managed to perform brilliantly in this world championship which was probably the last time he played his best snooker.
Number 2 for me after Ronnie
@@sjs260563Hard to say. It's like Djokovic and Federer.
Ronnie is the best !
I miss this era of snooker
This was a Hendry masterclass and cemented him as the better match player between the two. Prime for prime Hendry wins.
@Charles-Grady Disagree. 7 world championships in 10 years against players who are still competitive today. Prime for prime Hendry was better.
@Charles-Grady Who did Hendry beat to win his last two titles and when did John Higgins turn pro? Hendry was still reaching the quarter finals as late as 2012 against the very best in the world so no, not a joke.
Nice to see hendry playing so well after so many years
It's such a shame Hendry got the yips. This was basically pretty much the end of his reign. He was still so young. Been binge watching his matches since his Cue Tips channel started, and he really was unreal!
@@BuddhaofBlackpoolState of nervous tension, which affects an athlete in their sport. Nerves really.
@@Wayne-xs4bp
Judd Trump is the goat, you simpleton. Ronald aka Mr. Bean is overrated, 7 world championships in 30 years 😂😂😂😂😂
@@Haerinx87 Ronnie O'Sullivan is the goat, you simpleton. Judd aka Mr. Bean is overrated, 1 world championships in 23 years 😂😂😂😂😂👍
@@outlawtorn49-oy4oh never had yips! Done and dusted by 30 only because he couldn't handle the improved standards.Said for 23 years on social media Stephen Hendry is a fraud in the GOAT debate!
@@outlawtorn49-oy4oh yips was an excuse and a pathetic one at that
Stephen never showed with the fiss pumps, and reactions, he always let the cue do the talking. What a player.. ❤
Even Ronnie would admit Hendry is the best player to ever pick a up a cue. The bloke is an absolute winner, cold blooded player.
Ronnie surpassed him
different class these 2, NO ONE TOUCHES THEM. Schumacher level in f1 both
Hendry won 5 world titles in a row. That will never be done ever again. Ronnie might have more titles and a stronger case for the GOAT debate but this is something he never got close to. I’m pretty sure Hendry even won 5 masters titles in a row aswell. That level of domination is unheard of.
Ronnie seemed to agree...atleast he said that he'd prefer the way Hendry got his records instead of the scrappy up and down (manic) way Ronnie did it himself.
Probably Ronnie's way is more impressive to me though..the amount of times that guy was in shambles, depressed, in sabbaticals, alcohol, substances, playing and training very little..and building himself back up is a testament to his endless talent. Guy is almost 50 and still the best in the world
Ronnie plays a way higher standard than Hendry did Hendry would no have won 1 world championship if he played these days
@@pcon1473 Ronnie plays better I agree on that. He even plays better than Stephen Hendry. But to say Hendry would not have won a single championship is an unfair statement.
You have to give credit where it belongs, the guy has changed the game. Most top players of this era took decades to break his records. Its his way of game that modern player are playing.
Only 1 GOAT. Ronnie is still going and going and going.
Ronnie is the GOAT, imagine if he was mentally ok like Hendy throughout his career. He would have won everything he competed in, that's how special he is. In this year's WC 2024, he wasn't mentally there, hence his ability lacked.
King of the Crucible for a reason.
When I watched this live I was rooting for Ronnie, watching it again now, because of Cue Tips letting us see Stephen's personality come out, I was cheering him on!
I always liked Stephen, because I was so bored of Steve Davis, who seemed to have zero personality. How wrong I was, when you see what DJ Davis is like now😂
God I remember this like it was yesterday. Time goes to fast for us all.
Those phones going off is an absolute joke, those clowns should be kicked out immediately.
Huge props to Hendy for keeping his composure and calm.
Almost 8 out of 10 shots from Henry goes straight into the pocket... His precision was out of this world. GOAT
not the goat anymore
Not the goat but there is no dishonour in being the second best ever ..
Hendry never refused the pack
A privilege to watch . Awesome .
I forgot how damn good prime hendry was. Some player!! What an era this was. Hendry, O’Sullivan, Higgins, Williams,
Legendary thumbnail
Has got to be the most sabotaged 147 ever!!
people were obviosly trying to ring up trying to put him off... fuckin cockneys
Yeah disgusting behaviour by some idiots.
Yep, even seemed like the same ring tone twice.
Alot of ppl in the UK hated hendry. O Sullivans supporters didn't want hendry having two 147s against Ronnie.
I know right all the distractions.
This is the game Ronnie said he was gonnae send him back to his sad little life in Scotland. Hendry was never gonnae lose that game after those comments.
folk forget hendry was the best of all
Great video - watch a match this was. Please WST upload the highlights from the other three semi finals these two played at the worlds.
so annoying they never had a final
1993 UK champ.
@@hoduyan7040 lol mate they had a ton of finals, I mean a world championship final :)
14 minutes in, quite nice to see Hendry play.
Sure O'Sullivan won more, but Hendry was and is just the best player that ever played this game, period.
Absolutely. On his day, he beats them all.
He was my favourite as a kid too
Ronnie is the best when he’s on form he’s untouchable
Now that's one legendary thumbnail.
A match for the ages, two of the best to ever pickup a cue
Possibly the 2 best players ever at their peaks.
That century break from 55:50 is just so fluent! No hesitation. Perfect cue ball control throughout,
Hendry prime vs Sullivan prime. Hendry will come out on tops 8 out of 10 times. Many will disagree, and all I can say don’t watch UA-cam clips of hendry in his prime. Watch at least half of it to realise hendry was an immaculate machine
Ronnie was really instinctual back then...
Hendry a class act.
WST - great to see you post content like this. But maybe employ Cesar Muroya to do the video editing? He's just the best on the internet, hands-down...
As in, I'm sure Cesar specifically would choose the exciting frames where there was big excitement in the audience, and instructional parts...
Btw Stephen in the second session was absolutely 👍
As Stephen himself said in commentary the last time Luca played Lisowski - it'd be great if those two lads could develop a rivalry. I totally agree, rivalries have spurred snooker on to new heights over the years, as JV alludes to himself in this vid.
Jack Lisowski needs to "squash the bugs" in his game, then it would be game-on between him and Luca Brecel, between two exciting, gifted players... Just as it was between Ronnie and Stephen himself here.
Ronnie has been involved in so many of these titantic battles over the years tho. Hendry, John Higgins, Selby, and in a slightly different way between himself and Judd... What a fierce warrior is Ronnie!
Just to mention - the kicks with the old chalk. I'm so glad kicks been all-but eliminated with the new Taom chalk from Finland - except for those who persist in their usage of the old, "kicky" chalk - not least Ronnie himself!
And finally - I preferred the reaction of the audience, before when the BBC earpieces weren't rented to the paying punters. With the earpieces, the audience react to the commentary. But this crowd with no earpieces felt the energy of the snooker, the two men tussling it out over the baize, just for what it is....
@@EannaButler I don't think earpieces are needed either. If you there watching a live game, then sample the atmosphere. Commentary is for TV viewers. BTW, what bugs do you think are in Jack's game?
This was the match that got me into snooker, unbelievable standard by two unbelievable players 👏🏼
As good as Ronnie is he was never as dominant as Hendry. O'Sullivan's career has been up and down but never over a 10 year stretch as Hendry's was. He was and still is the youngest World Champion and Ronnie's longevity is what that's remarkable and it was a shame that Hendry retired when he did but at that time he wanted a life outside of Snooker and he doesn't seem to regret his decision all these years later.
Ronnie player in a harder era that’s why with more tournaments and players.
@@alanchamberlain9902 ....If both players played at their peak, Hendry would prevail. It would be close but Hendry was the better player but not by much.
@ Are you joking? Ronnie destroyed Hendry 17-4 and 17-6 in world semis ok Hendry wasn’t at his peak but peak Hendry only beat a younger version of Ronnie 17-13 in 2 semis
@@alanchamberlain9902 ....It's obvious that you are a ROS fan....cheers mate!!!!
@ I think Ronnie is a tosser personality wise mate but he was a better player than Hendry for sure
10:30 I was 12 when I saw this on live TV, still watching it on UA-cam after 21 years
Young Stephen was bashing ball so well, I am awestruck. He was really a world champion.
Old is gold ✨️ 💛
I think Ronnie might have won this game had he not provoked Stephen's in a fire. He kind of re awakened the titan, and Stephen simply would not be denied. Probably one of the highest quality games of snooker we will ever see.
This was the best ever match in snooker history. I didn't watched a match like this before
Their 99 semi final was even better standard. Ronnie talks about in his book
You should check out o sullivan vs hendry charity final 1997.
@@onewithsource9742 They made 9 centuries between them in that match from 1997, including that maximum.
The Ronaldo and Messi of snooker.
Great video. Just wish we could have a few more ad breaks 😐
很高兴看到你回家 冰冷的英格兰
A young hendry back in day beats most players today. thats how good he was back then but no one beat peter ebdon this year. a surprised winner
yeah credit where it's due I think it was his pink against Matthew Stevens in the semi was it? John Virgo said that was one of the best bottle shots he had seen. Ebdon fought hard for his win.
Snooker from the heavens 😍
An absolute animal on a snooker table,i always thought his peak was between 2000-2010, even though he won many tournaments in all the decades, nobody ever talks about his consistency and longevity.
Your talking about Ronnie right
Commentating has improved over the years. The commentators are the same but they say more, and say more that is significant these days.
this is best im ever seen both playing top form.i always said hendry was best of all in top form like here
It was good to see Hendry roll the clock back and play absolutely superb snooker against the eventual GOAT, the legendary Rocket Ronnie. The phenomenon of Stephen Hendry in the ‘90’s is what got me hooked on watching world class snooker; here in western Canada it was on TSN ( the program was Pub Night ( or something like that. It was either snooker or darts. ( “one hundred and forty!”) Watching Hendry cut through greats like Steve Davis, Jimmy White, and the like with surgical precision was must see TV for this Canuck. ( I was a big Cliff Thorburn fan of course) During this time, I didn’t even know about Ronnie.. little did I suspect that someone would come along and equal the great Hendry, and ultimately surpass him. ( in some aspects) This match may have been Hendry’s last huge statement before his decline is that right gents? I’ve not seen the final narrowly won by Ebdon..is it on UA-cam by any chance?
I think this was Hendry's last big victory at the Crucible for sure, although he did win the occasional tournament after this elsewhere.
The two greatest players ever
Great watch ☑️
if this was boxing, they'd have never played
Hendry was an awesome player. Ronnie is the GOAT
That handshake 😂
They didn't like each other at that point
Watch the video where Hendry introducing Ronnie as the greatest! Ronnie reciprocated through kindness.More importantly all pro players call Ronnie the GOAT,and you know that! 👍
Ronnie certainly but these two play musical chairs with one another when asked who's the best ever. Cue the spiderman meme 😅
@@madeovstarstuff 👍
Hendry is the 2nd greatest of all time. O'sullivan is the GOAT 😮
Ronnie was an animal back then too
You are true
he looks like a human to me😂
1999 world champ Hendry O'Sullivan semi final please
Listen there's always the questions about who's the GOAT 🐐 in all different sports. Who was better and who would win between Ali vs Tyson for example or Michael Jordan vs LeBron James. All those questions are subjective because nobody knows who would win, but with Ronnie and Hendry it's different. They played at the same time and Hendry dominated the sport for more than a decade while Ronnie was playing. Hendry didn't pick up a snooker cue until 3 weeks before his 13th birthday and that was on a kids toy table. He played the first time on a full sized table aged 14. Ronnie picked up a cue at 4 years old and there's a video on UA-cam of Ronnie aged 9 or 10 years old where he said he making century breaks from 8 years old. Ronnie was making centuries 7 years before Hendry even picked up a cue. After playing for the first time on a full sized table at 14, Hendry won the Scottish championship 2 years later and turned professional at 16 years old. He then won the first of his World titles only 5 years later at the age of 21 and becoming the youngest ever world champion in history, a record still held to this day and not even Ronnie could beat that, even though he had been playing more than twice as long as Hendry. In fact Ronnie turned professional aged 16 and didn't win his first world title until 10 years later at the age of 26, double the time it took Hendry. After Hendry won that first world title, he then went on and completely dominated the sport for the next decade winning 7 world titles in 9 years and was the world number 1 from 1990 until 98 and reclaimed the world no.1 spot in 2006 and kept it for more than 12 months until 07. Hendry reached a total of 9 world championship finals in 12 years, winning 7 and losing 2 and won 5 straight world titles in a row. He also won 5 Masters titles in a row and both the 5 straight titles are still a record in the world championships and the Masters. He holds the record for being number 1 the longest and he did all that while Ronnie was playing at the same time. That's why Ronnie says that it isn't even a question of who is the GOAT because he always says that Hendry is the GOAT. Now Ronnie has now finally equalled Hendry's 7 world titles but it took Ronnie 30 years to equal the record, which is 3×longer than it took Hendry. However to be able to compete at the top of a sport for 30 years is truly amazing and he deserves all the plaudits he gets for being able to keep up with the younger players, but there's so many more tournaments nowadays and playing constantly keeps your game sharp. However Ronnie didn't win 1 world title while Hendry was in his prime! Hendry retired 6 years after Ronnie won his 1st world title and John Higgins won a world championship before Ronnie and they both turned professional in 92 together. So you have to take everything into account and not just be biased towards the players you like the best. Ronnie has become a true legend of the sport and rightly so because the things he can do on a snooker table are marvellous to watch but when Ronnie says himself that he would of rather won his World titles the way Hendry did it by completing and utterly dominating the sport for so long and winning all his 7 titles in a decade rather than winning them in 3 decades, then who are we to argue with him!!! As Hendry said to Ronnie on his Instagram interviews, that Tiger Woods was asked who was better between Jack Nicklaus and Tiger himself, and Tiger Woods replied "well as long as your name is in the argument as the greatest, then you have done something right in your career", I think think that is a good way to look at it because you'll never convince some people no matter what evidence or proof you have because its subjective, some people like flair and fancy shots like the way Jimmy White played snooker, while Stephen Hendry wasn't as flamboyant as Jimmy White but beat him in every single word championship title finals they played in, which was 5 finals. Jimmy Whites flamboyant and crowd pleasing shots were no match for Hendry and his ruthless high scoring game which didn't allow White to win,although he did come close one final and the pressure got to him and Hendry with that ruthlessly afficient high scoring game with a temperament under pressure that was 2nd to none, prevailed because it's not just about playing crowd pleasing shots etc, you need the whole package to become a world champion but especially to be the GOAT 🐐 and Hendry had no equal in that department. It was only when Hendry got divorced and moved to England and stopped practicing nowhere close to the way he had been, that he started declining. Also Hendry played with the same old cue throughout his dominance, and that cue was bent almost like a banana and that cue was stolen and when he got it back it got broken in the cargo hold of a plane and couldn't be fixed. Now there's a saying that a tradesman doesn't blame his tools, but when you've used the same cue for more than 20 years, you are 100% used to the bend in it and just as important is your used to the feel and the weight of the cue and no matter how hard you try to get a master cue maker to make a new cue the exact same as the old cue,it's impossible and the weird thing about Hendry's old cue was that all of the professionals that he practiced with couldn't use his cue and said it belonged in the bin lol but Hendry was so used to it that even the most expensive and best crafted cues ever made wouldn't get him to change from that old cue that was over 40 years old and belonged in the bin or a museum lol.Getting back to Hendry moving to England after his marriage split up, he had a new girlfriend and admits that he wanted to spend a lot of his time with her and neglected his practice, because he no longer had the banter and playing his mates like John Higgins and Stephen Maguire etc to playing by himself on the table in his house and losing his cue he played with his whole life just started a severe decline in his performances, although the year he retired he made a 147 maximum break in the crucible, which was his 3rd 147 like Ronnie, and Hendry still made it to the quarter finals of the world championship before retiring after that game. BOTH these men deserve all the plaudits and accolades that they get because they are the 2 best players of all time, PERIOD!!! However you have to take everything into account and here's a great example before i leave you. Novak Djokovic has won more grand slam titles in tennis than any other man in history, but he played in the same era as Roger Federer and Raphael Nadal and Novak was No.3 in the world with only 3 grand slam titles for almost 10 years until both Roger Federer and Raphael Nadal started to decline with injuries and age. So just because Novak has now overtaken them in grand slams won, that surely doesn't make him the GOAT when he couldn't beat them in their prime and only overtaken them when they were on their decline. It's the same as Hendry and Ronnie because Ronnie only took over when Hendry was in decline and not while Hendry was still in his prime.
TLDR: Stephen Henry was very good at snooker.
Ronnie is better and you’ve wasted 12 hours writing that
what was the point in writing all that you spaz
Not reading that essay
hahahahah@@scalychannel5897
Bro I can’t even play them in snooker stars😂😂
2:35 That blue sounded like a gun shot, I love it!
this is undoubtedly the greatest snooker performance of all time , this not just semi final, but a devine snooker, even God cannot ask humans for a better duel and performance , this was a battle of generations , a peice of history, these player will forever echo's in the history of the Game
Ronnie & Hendry , they are evenly matched what makes the difference is the luck factor
It's your comment that is ridiculous, yes luck makes the difference very often, I would even say that Hendry, Higgins, Selby, William and O'Sullivan are of equal strength, what separates them is the luck factor in the majority of cases
@@frankdelar Not true! Ronnie has a winning record over Hendry,Higgins ,Williams in finals played and overall' Except the fact Selby has a 5-3 winning record over the GOAT ROS in finals! Facts matter not opinions based on feelings and not reality! Ronnie & Selby far better players than anyone that played the game!
@@user-bg9er5vs5y I was probably misunderstood when I was talking about the luck factor...? On the contrary, I really like Ronnie O'Sullivan, he is a player whom I admire enormously for his formidable control of the cue ball, I would rather say that Ronnie is a notch above the other players that I have previously named, Hendry in his good years were in my humble opinion of equal strength with Ronnie, anyway Ronnie and Hendry will go down in history both
Eso es un Arte!
Dos maestros!
I often forget how good Hendry used to be, Absolute best. His career can be divided into two distinctive periods. Pre 2002 and after 2002. Pre 2002 the best world has ever seen THE BEAST and after 2002 Crap. It's nice to see his games once in a while especially this one and 1997 match where he scored 147 against Ronnie in decider. If there is one player who can arguably sweat Ronny it was only Hendry. Too sad he was not that consistent like Hendry and withered away too soon.
He was probably the best player in the world in 2003 along with Mark williams btw. In 2005/06 he was prob top 5 - but not the same. He had a resurgence at 09 crucible.
I'd actually say pre-1995 (long bleached hair) and post 1995 are the two periods. From 1995 onwards, the odd big loss started to creep in.
I know nothing about snooker but have randomnly started getting loads of these videos on my feed. What makes a player like hendry go from being an absolute beast, to then suddenly becoming crap?
@@RustyLongPipe he achieved 7 world championships, beating the previous holder of 6 (steve davis), and he had nothing left to prove
Great match same as their semi in 99
The standard they both played too in both matches is absolutely unbelievable. I think i just slightly prefer the 99 semi final
@@ryanmichael7795i think ronnie played slightly better in the 99 semi than here.
The Liverpool Victoria Charity event in 97 too was a good as well.
Timeless classic......
Is that Connery and Mr Bean in the thumbnail?
GOAT without a doubt...............
The greatest match of all time 🔥🔥🔥
Compare that semi final to the bore fest from last weekends final with mark allen and bell Andre .
The most unique match
Hendry 🐐
i was ther that night and remeber how Ronnie was devastated after this mach in car park
Snooker Royalty.
No One can stop Ronnie after him like hendry give him a tough time..!
He legend No doubt..!?
Ronnie could very well win his 8th world snooker championship title this month.
See how fast and accurate he is
❤2 LEGENDs !!❤
one legend ======= Ronnie !
@@hamedhamdi9969 don’t be stupid. If you don’t consider hendry a legend of the sport you shouldn’t be watching snooker
Someone didn't want Hendry making that 147. If you listen it's the same ringtone and definitely not a coincidence that it was right when he was on the shot.
Anyway, still my favourite match of all time. Just sensational stuff from both and the match I always tell the newer crowd to watch if they doubt Hendry.
I noticed it was the same ringtone as well. It's real disappointing to think it was someone doing it deliberately.
Phone ringing at 104 is absolutely EPIC!😂
I always said Judd plays with 20% ability 80% luck...on the other hand see how far far better Ronnie & Hendry play.That's why they are the two players that have won most ranking and triple crown titles in professional snooker,Nuff said!
80% luck 😭😭 don’t think so mate
Im sorry mate but you cannot win what judd has on essentially just luck. Thats total nonsense that you have thought up
@@alfiedakin8023 😆😆
Peter Ebdon 20% ability 80% patience
so many people coughing during stephens break damn 😅
Explain why? 😂😂
The Two best players that ever been. I like them both. This is fun to watch. Something else then Boring Mark Selby.
This was the last time they were on equal terms
Если бы в 90-х было такое количество турниров как сейчас, у Хендри было бы намного больше рейтинговых побед чем 36, соответственно и сотенных серий было бы намного больше
Nobody can break Crucible curse even O'Sullivan or Hendry
It’s shame Hendry burnt out to quick. For me up there with Ronnie. 2 of the best of all time.
Два супер игрока мира 👍👍вот это матч
Unbelievable the amount of people that kept their phones on during Hendry's 147 attempt. I would've snapped a cue. Etiquette was completely absent on whoever those people were. 😤
Its terrible how many times phones went off during his 147 attempt.
And not at any other times - have to assume it was deliberate.
@@awrobb1 That's what I felt like, it had to have been, right?
@@arloking
So they were planted there to disrupt hendry? Hendry fanboys are funny!
@@roadofsnookerfinals-lw6xg You speak like a woman, "So what you're saying is.." and then proceed to put words in my mouth. No. First of all - to think that I meant they were "planted", means that somebody else had motive to get other people to purposefully put him off his game in this fashion. No, I think that these were just fans, and maybe not Hendry's fans. Secondly, I just found it funny that during his 147 attempt, multiple phones went off, not during the other hours of play beforehand, or after. Quite interesting. I think that, to anybody watching, that was a bit odd. Whether I believe those individuals did it on purpose or not, I really don't know, nor do I care. But it's sad because the amount of focus it takes to make a 147 is so difficult, and I can relate because recently I made a 113 playing my best earlier this year, and missed after a guy at the club walked behind me and accidentally bumped the end of my cue while I was down on the shot. (Not blaming him, and he sincerely apologised, but as you can understand it affected me slightly, action causes reaction, and i let it annoy me, as I believe hendry might have.) Nonetheless, there was a lack of politeness from those individuals in the audience during the game. I just hope people can have a bit more respect for those that are trying to play their best, and to allow them in such a stage to do such. 💙
The handshake at the end.....
ronnie wasnt at hendrys level yet... and he knew it classic display from the real master
Not really O’Sullivan had beat him lots of times. Hendry had a bee in his bonnet about something Ronnie said in the build up and played his top game.
his whole demeanor (of Hendry) seems to be like he had a chip on his shoulder though.. was it so? Was there something on the background that played a part between the two?
Watch the dominant handshake of Hendry.. though it gets straightened subtly by O'Sullivan to round of this encounter in.. well.. style? 😀
Yeah Ronnie had said something in the lead up to, Henry talks about it on his Simon Jordan interview.
37:27: Had Virgo forgotten O'Sullivan was defending world champion in calling him the "young pretender"?
Two of the games greats. However, I think Hendry presented himself much better. O'Sullivan at times can be a loose cannon. Hendry's manner and attitude was always exemplary.
It'd be nice to play like these two did here, even just for a day.