1986 Grand Prix (snooker)

Rothmans Grand Prix
Tournament information
Dates	18–26 October 1986
Venue	Hexagon Theatre
City	Reading
Country	England
Organisation	WPBSA
Format	Ranking event
Total prize fund	£275,000
Winner's share	£55,000
Highest break	Jimmy White (ENG) (138)
Final
Champion	Jimmy White (ENG)
Runner-up	Rex Williams (ENG)
Score	10–6
	← 1985 1987 →

The 1986 Rothmans Grand Prix was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place from 18 to 26 October 1986 at the Hexagon Theatre in Reading.^[3]^[4]

Rex Williams made his first (and only) major final in a professional snooker tournament after being a professional since 1951. He was 53 years and 98 days old, making him the oldest player in a ranking final. He had beaten Jim Bear, Mark Wildman, Alex Higgins, Steve Davis and Neal Foulds before facing Jimmy White in the final.^[5] During that match Williams took a 5–2 lead which he had made a break of 125 in the 7th frame and 6–4 before White took the last 6 frames to win 10–6.^[6]^[7]

Rounds 1 to 3 were played at Redwood Lodge, Bristol, from 17 to 24 September 1986.^[8]

Terry Griffiths set a Grand Prix record with a break of 136 against Steve Davis in the fourth round.^[9] This was superseded by a break of 137 by Willie Thorne against Neal Foulds in round five.^[9] White then made a break of 138 against Silvino Francisco in their semi-final.^[9]^[10]^[6]

The quarter-final between White and 17-year-old Stephen Hendry went to the deciding frame.^[9] Hendry missed potting the blue ball in that frame and White went on to win.^[9] Williams nearly inflicted the first whitewash of Davis's professional career, taking a four-frame lead but then not potting a black ball that would have meant a 5–0 win.^[10] After Davis had won the fifth frame, Williams completed his victory with a break of 74 in frame 6.^[10]

In the semi-finals, White defeated Francisco 9–6, and Williams eliminated Foulds 9–8.^[11]

Williams led 5–3 at the end of the first session of the final.^[9] White took the first frame of the second session, then Williams won the next frame to lead 6–4.^[9] White then added six consecutive frames to take the title.^[6]^[7]

Prize fund

The breakdown of prize money is shown below:^[12]

Winner: £55,000
Runner-up: £33,000
Semi-finalists: £16,500
Quarter-finalists: £8,250
Last 16: £4,125
Last 32: £2,664
Last 64: £1,202
Highest break, round 4 onwards: £5,500
Highest break, rounds 1 to 3: £1,375

In addition to the prize fund, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association made contributions of £150 to 24 of the players who lost in rounds 1 and 2.^[12]

Main draw

^[11]

Round 3 (Last 64) Best of 9 frames		Round 4 (Last 32) Best of 9 frames		Round 5 (Last 16) Best of 9 frames		Quarter-finals Best of 9 frames		Semi-finals Best of 17 frames		Final Best of 19 frames

Steve Davis	5

Matt Gibson	1
		Steve Davis	5

		Tony Drago	1
Tony Drago	5

Eddie Charlton	4
				Steve Davis	5

				Terry Griffiths	2
Terry Griffiths	5

Mario Morra	3
		Terry Griffiths	5

		John Campbell	1
John Campbell	5

Geoff Foulds	0
						Steve Davis	1

						Rex Williams	5
Rex Williams	5

Jim Bear	2
		Rex Williams	5

		Mark Wildman	1
Mark Wildman	5

Steve Longworth	2
				Rex Williams	5

				Alex Higgins	1
Alex Higgins	5

Fred Davis	0
		Alex Higgins	5

		Dave Martin	2
Dave Martin	w/o

Jim Meadowcroft	w/d
								Rex Williams	9

								Neal Foulds	8
Willie Thorne	5

Steve Duggan	0
		Willie Thorne	5

		Warren King	2
Warren King	5

Bill Werbeniuk	2
				Willie Thorne	3

				Neal Foulds	5
Neal Foulds	5

Graham Miles	1
		Neal Foulds	5

		Cliff Wilson	0
Cliff Wilson	5

Ian Anderson	4
						Neal Foulds	5

						Tony Meo	3
Tony Meo	5

Tony Chappel	1
		Tony Meo	5

		John Parrott	3
John Parrott	5

Graham Cripsey	4
				Tony Meo	5

				Dennis Taylor	2
Dennis Taylor	5

Jon Wright	3
		Dennis Taylor	5

		John Virgo	1
John Virgo	5

Patsy Fagan	2
										Rex Williams	6

										Jimmy White	10
Joe O'Boye	5

Cliff Thorburn	4
		Joe O'Boye	2

		Steve Newbury	5
Steve Newbury	5

Dean Reynolds	0
				Steve Newbury	2

				Silvino Francisco	5
Silvino Francisco	5

John Spencer	4
		Silvino Francisco	5

		Wayne Jones	4
Wayne Jones	5

David Taylor	1
						Silvino Francisco	5

						Tony Knowles	2
Doug Mountjoy	5

Bob Harris	2
		Doug Mountjoy	5

		Jim Wych	1
Jim Wych	5

John Rea	2
				Doug Mountjoy	1

				Tony Knowles	5
Tony Knowles	5

David Roe	3
		Tony Knowles	5

		Peter Francisco	3
Peter Francisco	5

Paul Medati	1
								Silvino Francisco	6

								Jimmy White	9
Jimmy White	5

Tony Jones	0
		Jimmy White	5

		Jack McLaughlin	2
Jack McLaughlin	5

Barry West	1
				Jimmy White	5

				Mike Hallett	1
Les Dodd	5

Kirk Stevens	4
		Les Dodd	2

		Mike Hallett	5
Mike Hallett	5

Vic Harris	2
						Jimmy White	5

						Stephen Hendry	4
Bob Chaperon	5

Ray Reardon	3
		Bob Chaperon	2

		Stephen Hendry	5
Stephen Hendry	5

Eugene Hughes	1
				Stephen Hendry	5

				Paddy Browne	3
Paddy Browne	5

Joe Johnson	2
		Paddy Browne	5

		Mark Bennett	0
Mark Bennett	5

Murdo MacLeod	1

Final

Final: Best of 19 frames. Referee: John Williams Hexagon Theatre, Reading, England, 26 October 1986.
Jimmy White England	10–6	Rex Williams England
11–72 (53), 57–47, 130–3 (101), 54–73, 44–84, 44–74, 0–126 (125), 90–4 (73), 83–24, 0–76, 72–16, 79–39 (68), 79–23, 63–61, 88–8 (51), 79–8 (72)
101	Highest break	125
1	Century breaks	1
5	50+ breaks	2

Rounds 1 and 2

Results from the first two rounds are below.^[13]


Round 1 Best of 19 frames		Round 2 Best of 19 frames


Derek Mienie (RSA)	5	Matt Gibson (SCO)	5

Jack Fitzmaurice (ENG)	2	Derek Mienie (SAF)	4


Paul Watchorn (IRL)	5	Tony Drago (MLT)	5

Mike Darrington (ENG)	2	Paul Watchorn (IRL)	3


Mario Morra (CAN)	5	Ian Black (SCO)	4

Steve James (ENG)	3	Mario Morra (CAN)	5


Geoff Foulds (ENG)	5	Bernie Mikkelsen (CAN)	1

Glen Wilkinson (AUS)	3	Geoff Foulds (ENG)	5


Jim Bear (CAN)	5	Danny Fowler (ENG)	2

Bernard Bennett (ENG)	2	Jim Bear (CAN)	5


Francois Ellis (RSA)	w.o.	Mark Wildman (ENG)	5

Eddie McLauglin (SCO)		Francois Ellis (RSA)	1


		Fred Davis (ENG)	5

		Roger Bales (ENG)	4


Jim Meadowcroft (ENG)	5	Perrie Mans (RSA)

David Greaves (ENG)	2	Jim Meadowcroft (ENG)	w.o.


Terry Whitthread (ENG)	w.o.	Steve Duggan (ENG)	5

Sakchai Sim Ngam (THA)		Terry Whitthread (ENG)	1


Jim Donnelly (SCO)	5	Warren King (AUS)	5

Nigel Gilbert (ENG)	1	Jim Donnelly (SCO)	2


Frank Jonik (CAN)	w.o.	Graham Miles (ENG)	5

Leon Heywood (AUS)		Frank Jonik (CAN)	1


Ian Anderson (AUS)	5	Tommy Murphy (NIR)	4

Bill Oliver (ENG)	4	Ian Anderson (AUS)	5


Tony Kearney (IRL)	5	Tony Chappel (WAL)	5

Greg Jenkins (AUS)	3	Tony Kearney (IRL)	1


Paul Gibson (ENG)	5	Graham Cripsey (ENG)	5

John Dunning (ENG)	1	Paul Gibson (ENG)	3


Jon Wright (ENG)	5	Malcolm Bradley (CAN)	0

Mick Fisher (ENG)	1	Jon Wright (ENG)	5


Robbie Grace (RSA)	5	Patsy Fagan (IRE)	5

Pat Houlihan (ENG)	1	Robbie Grace (RSA)	3


		Joe O'Boye (IRE)	5

		Ray Edmonds (ENG)	2


Dave Gilbert (ENG)	5	Steve Newbury (WAL)	5

Brian Rowswell (ENG)	1	Dave Gilbert (ENG)	1


Pascal Burke (IRE)	5	John Spencer (ENG)	5

Colin Roscoe (WAL)	3	Pascal Burke (IRL)	3


		Wayne Jones (WAL)	5

		Robby Foldvari (AUS)	2


Jackie Rea (NIR)	5	Bob Harris (ENG)	5

Dennis Hughes (ENG)	2	Jackie Rea (NIR)	0


		John Rea (SCO)	5

		Eddie Sinclair (SCO)	4


David Roe (ENG)	5	Jimmy van Rensberg (RSA)	3

John Hargreaves (ENG)	1	David Roe (ENG)	5


Gino Rigitano (CAN)	5	Paul Medati (ENG)	5

Clive Everton (WAL)	1	Gino Rigitano (CAN)	1


Martin Smith (ENG)	5	Tony Jones (ENG)	5

Mike Hines (RSA)	2	Martin Smith (ENG)	0


Jack McLaughlin (NIR)	5	Marcel Gauvreau (CAN)	3

Ken Owers (ENG)	2	Jack McLaughlin (NIR)	5


		Les Dodd (ENG)	5

		George Scott (ENG)	2


Billy Kelly (IRL)	5	Vic Harris (ENG)	5

Maurice Parkin (ENG)	2	Billy Kelly (IRL)	3


Dave Chalmers (ENG)	5	Bob Chaperon (CAN)	5

Omprakesh Agrawal (IND)	1	Dave Chalmers (ENG)	2


		Stephen Hendry (SCO)	5

		Ian Williamson (ENG)	1


Dessie Sheehan (IRE)	5	Paddy Browne (IRE)	5

Bert Demarco (SCO)	1	Dessie Sheehan (IRL)	4


Mark Bennett (WAL)	5	Dene O'Kane (NZL)	2

Mike Watterson (ENG)	1	Mark Bennett (WAL)	5

Century breaks

Round 4 onwards^[14]

138, 114, 101 – Jimmy White
137 – Willie Thorne
136 – Terry Griffiths
125 – Rex Williams
106 – Stephen Hendry
103 – John Parrott

Rounds 1 to 3^[15]

134 – Tony Chappel
124 – Tony Knowles
113 – Willie Thorne
108 – Eddie Charlton
107 – Stephen Hendry
102– Wayne Jone
101 – Jim Bear

References

^ ^a ^b Morrison, Ian (1986). The Hamlyn Encyclopedia of Snooker. Twickenham: Hamlyn Publishing Group. p. 101. ISBN 0600501922.
^ "White sweeps away veteran". Leicester Daily Mercury. 27 October 1986. p. 27 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Stars cue up at the Hexagon". Reading Evening Post. 4 October 1986. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Turner, Chris. "Professional Players Tournament, Grand Prix, LG Cup". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
^ Turner, Chris. "Various Snooker Records". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 10 February 2013. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c Smith, Terry (27 October 1986). "William falls at final hurdle". The Daily Telegraph. p. 34 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b Everton, Clive (27 October 1986). "White's tornado". The Guardian. p. 28 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Calendar of events 1986-7". Cue World. September 1986. pp. 14–15.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "White is hero at Hexagon". Cue World. December 1986. pp. 5–9.
^ ^a ^b ^c Everton, Clive (25 October 1986). "Williams humbles Davis 5–1". The Guardian. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b "Grand Prix". Snooker Scene. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
^ ^a ^b "Where the £275,000 went". Snooker Scene. December 1986. p. 17.
^ "Road to Reading ends at Bristol for some top players". Snooker Scene. November 1986. pp. 22–25.
^ "Break Chart". Cue World. December 1986. p. 9.
^ "Breaks". Cue World. November 1986. p. 13.

[Hamlyn-1] Morrison, Ian (1986). The Hamlyn Encyclopedia of Snooker. Twickenham: Hamlyn Publishing Group. p. 101. ISBN 0600501922.

[2] "White sweeps away veteran". Leicester Daily Mercury. 27 October 1986. p. 27 – via Newspapers.com.

[3] "Stars cue up at the Hexagon". Reading Evening Post. 4 October 1986. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.

[4] Turner, Chris. "Professional Players Tournament, Grand Prix, LG Cup". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2012.

[5] Turner, Chris. "Various Snooker Records". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 10 February 2013. Retrieved 4 June 2012.

[T27OCT-6] Smith, Terry (27 October 1986). "William falls at final hurdle". The Daily Telegraph. p. 34 – via Newspapers.com.

[G27OCT-7] Everton, Clive (27 October 1986). "White's tornado". The Guardian. p. 28 – via Newspapers.com.

[8] "Calendar of events 1986-7". Cue World. September 1986. pp. 14–15.

[CWDEC-9] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "White is hero at Hexagon". Cue World. December 1986. pp. 5–9.

[G25OCT-10] Everton, Clive (25 October 1986). "Williams humbles Davis 5–1". The Guardian. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.

[MAIND-11] "Grand Prix". Snooker Scene. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2012.

[CASH-12] "Where the £275,000 went". Snooker Scene. December 1986. p. 17.

[SCENEQ-13] "Road to Reading ends at Bristol for some top players". Snooker Scene. November 1986. pp. 22–25.

[14] "Break Chart". Cue World. December 1986. p. 9.

[15] "Breaks". Cue World. November 1986. p. 13.

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World Open
Professional Players Tournament	1982 1983
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List of winners

1986–87 snooker season
Ranking events	International Open Grand Prix UK Championship Classic British Open World Snooker Championship
Non-ranking events	Australian Masters Canadian Professional Championship South African Professional Championship Australian Professional Championship Thailand Masters Malaysian Masters Hong Kong Masters China Masters Carlsberg Challenge Matchroom Professional Championship Scottish Masters Canadian Masters World Doubles Championship The Masters Scottish Professional Championship English Professional Championship Welsh Professional Championship Kent Cup World Cup Irish Masters Pontins Professional Matchroom League Irish Professional Championship
1986–87 world rankings