1988–89 snooker world rankings

Steve Davis (pictured in 2008) was ranked in first place for the sixth consecutive year.Template:Sfn

Jimmy White (pictured in 2011) retained second place in the rankings.Template:Sfn

The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), the governing body for professional snooker, first introduced a ranking system for professional players in 1976, with the aim of seeding players for the World Snooker Championship.Template:Sfn The reigning champion would be automatically seeded first, the losing finalist from the previous year seeded second, and the other seedings based on the ranking list.Template:Sfn Initially, the rankings were based on performances in the preceding three world championships.Template:Sfn The list for the 1986–87 snooker season was the first to only take account of results over two seasons, and the rankings for 1988–89 were also based on results from the preceding two seasons.Template:Sfn<ref name="SCENE87"/>

Being ranked in the top 16 exempted players from the qualifying rounds for the World Snooker Championship and also meant inclusion in certain invitational events.<ref name="HIGSLIP">Template:Cite news</ref> The top 32 ranked players were exempt from the early qualifying rounds of the other ranking tournaments.Template:Sfn

The top three players in the 1987–88 rankings retained their positions for 1988–89.Template:Sfn Steve Davis was ranked first, with 59 points, ahead of Jimmy White with 44 and Neal Foulds with 34.Template:Sfn In fourth place, with 33 points, was Stephen Hendry, who rose from 23rd position on the previous year's list.Template:Sfn The other players to join the top 16 were Peter Francisco, John Virgo, and Cliff Wilson.Template:Sfn

The players dropping out of the top 16 were Alex Higgins, Rex Williams, Dean Reynolds and Doug Mountjoy.Template:Sfn It was first time since the rankings were instituted in 1976–77 that Higgins was not among the top 16.Template:Sfn In April 1987, he had been excluded from competing in the first two ranking tournaments of the 1987–88 season as part of a six-month ban imposed by the WPBSA, following a hearing conducted for the Association by Gavin Lightman, a barrister.Template:Sfn<ref name="FRISKY">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Higgins, who had previously been disciplined by the Association on several occasions, had earlier been found guilty in court of headbutting the tournament director at the 1986 UK Championship, and the hearing considered this and other matters including altercations with referees and a complaint by representatives of Cliff Thorburn that Higgins had alleged in newspaper articles that Thorburn used drugs.<ref name="FRISKY"/>

In May 1988, Thorburn had two ranking points deducted for "bringing the game into disrepute" due to failing a drugs test at the 1988 British Open. Thorburn had been found to have small traces of cocaine in his urine sample. Thorburn was also barred from the first two ranking events of the 1988–89 season as part of his punishment.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Without the deduction of the two points, Thorburn would have been ranked a place higher, at fifth.Template:Sfn

Of the players who had only been competing professionally for one season, Martin Clark was the highest-ranked, at 41st, with Gary Wilkinson at 44th the next-highest.Template:Sfn Alain Robidoux received two walkovers at the 1988 World Snooker Championship before losing in the third round and gained a ranking of 102nd without winning a match.<ref name="GRAUN25MAR">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="SCENEMAY88">Template:Cite magazine</ref>Template:Sfn

Points tariff and basis of ranking

Stephen Hendry (pictured in 2010) won two ranking titles in the 1987–88 season.

The placings in the 1988–89 rankings were determined by players' performances in the ranking tournaments held across two seasons, from 1986 to 1988.Template:Sfn From the 1986–87 season they were the 1986 International Open won by Foulds; the 1986 Grand Prix and the 1987 British Open both won by White; and the 1986 UK Championship, the 1987 Classic and the 1987 World Championship all won by Davis.Template:Sfn

In the 1987–88 season, Davis won four of the six ranking titles:<ref name="HIGSLIP" /> the 1987 International Open, the 1987 UK Championship, the 1988 Classic and the 1988 World Championship.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Hendry won the other two, the 1987 Grand Prix and the 1988 British Open.Template:Sfn

The rankings were based on a system of points described in the table below.Template:Sfn The ranking order was determined as follows:Template:Sfn

• By number of ranking points.
• If there was a tie on points, the player who earned more points in the most recent season was given the higher ranking.
• If there was still a tie, the player with more merit points was given the higher ranking.
• If there was still a tie, the player who earned more merit points in the most recent season was given the higher ranking.
• If there was still a tie, the player who earned more merit points in the season prior to the most recent was given the higher ranking.
• If there was still a tie, the player with more A points was given the higher ranking.
• If there was still a tie, the player with more frames won was given the higher ranking.
• If there was still a tie, the player with the better performance in the previous World Championship was given the higher ranking.
• If there was still a tie, the player with the better performance in the previous ranking tournament was given the higher ranking, going back through ranking events until the positions could be established.

Points tariff contributing to the Snooker world rankings 1988–89<ref name="SNSRANK2">Template:Cite magazine</ref>Template:Sfn

Placing	1987 and 1988 world championships	Other ranking tournaments 1986–87 and 1987–88
Champion	10	6
Runner-up	8	5
Losing semi-finalist	6	4
Losing quarter-finalist	4	3
Last 16 Loser	2	2
Last 32 Loser	1 ranking point or 2 merit pointsTemplate:Efn	1
Final qualifying round loser	2 merit points	1 merit point
Penultimate qualifying round loser	1 merit point	1 A point
Antepenultimate qualifying round loser	1 A point	Frames won counted
Preliminary round loser	Frames won counted	–

Rankings

Key:

• "(New)" denotes a player that was a new professional for 1987–88.Template:Sfn
• "(NT)" denotes a "non-tournament" player, i.e. a player who was permitted to enter the world championship but no other tournaments in 1988–89.<ref name="SCENE88"/>
• "(NewNT)" is a player who was a new, non-tournament professional for 1987–88, allowed to play only in the world championship that season.Template:Sfn
• "–" denotes that the player did not compete in the tournament.<ref name="SCENE88"/>
• "X" denotes that the player was banned from competing in the tournament.Template:Sfn<ref name="FRISKY"/>

Snooker world rankings 1988–89<ref name="SCENE87">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="SCENE88">Template:Cite magazine</ref>Template:Sfn

Ranking	Name	1986–87 season						1987–88 season						Ranking points	Merit	A points	Frames
		IO	GP	UK	Cl	BO	WC	IO	GP	UK	Cl	BO	WC
1	Template:Flagathlete	3	3	6	6	1	10	6	2	6	6	0	10	59	1	0	0
2	Template:Flagathlete	0	6	2	5	6	6	2	1	5	2	3	6	44	1	0	0
3	Template:Flagathlete	6	4	5	0	5	6	1	0	0	1	2	4	34	3	0	0
4	Template:Flagathlete	1	3	0	4	0	4	4	6	0	3	6	2	33	2	1	0
5	Template:Flagathlete	2	2	2	3	2	4	1	2	3	3	1	8	33	0	0	0
6	Template:Flagathlete	5	0	3	1	4	0	5	1	3	1	4	6	31Template:Efn	3	0	0
7	Template:Flagathlete	0	1	4	3	0	2	2	4	3	5	4	2	30	2	0	0
8	Template:Flagathlete	2	3	3	0	4	0	2	3	2	4	1	4	28	3	0	0
9	Template:Flagathlete	0	2	2	1	1	4	4	0	3	0	5	2	24	3	0	0
10	Template:Flagathlete	2	2	1	0	3	2	1	5	1	3	1	2	23	1	0	0
11	Template:Flagathlete	1	0	1	1	2	8	0	1	4	1	2	2	23	2	0	0
12	Template:Flagathlete	3	4	1	3	1	2	2	1	2	2	1	0	22	2	0	0
13	Template:Flagathlete	0	2	2	0	2	0	1	3	4	1	2	2	19	4	0	0
14	Template:Flagathlete	4	1	1	2	1	0	0	4	1	2	1	1	18	3	0	0
15	Template:Flagathlete	1	1	1	1	3	1	3	1	1	2	1	1	17	0	0	0
16	Template:Flagathlete	3	1	0	3	2	0	1	2	1	1	1	1	16	3	0	0
17	Template:Flagathlete	1	2	4	1	0	2	X	X	2	2	0	0	14	4	0	0
18	Template:Flagathlete	2	5	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	13	9	0	0
19	Template:Flagathlete	1	0	1	2	1	0	3	2	0	0	0	2	12	6	0	0
20	Template:Flagathlete	1	1	3	0	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	4	12	4	2	0
21	Template:Flagathlete	4	0	2	0	1	1	3	0	1	0	0	0	12	7	0	0
22	Template:Flagathlete	3	0	2	4	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	12	7	0	0
23	Template:Flagathlete	1	0	1	0	0	4	0	0	2	0	3	0	11	1	6	0
24	Template:Flagathlete	1	2	1	0	2	2	0	0	0	1	0	2	11	5	0	0
25	Template:Flagathlete	0	2	0	0	0	0	1	3	0	4	0	0	10	8	2	0
26	Template:Flagathlete	1	0	0	2	1	1	0	0	1	2	1	1	10	4	0	0
27	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	2	1	3	0	1	0	0	1	2	0	10	8	0	0
28	Template:Flagathlete	2	0	1	0	3	1	1	0	1	1	0	0	10	6	0	0
29	Template:Flagathlete	2	1	0	0	0	0	1	3	0	0	1	1	9	6	0	0
30	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	2	1	0	2	1	0	1	1	0	1	9	5	0	0
31	Template:Flagathlete	0	3	1	2	0	0	1	0	1	1	0	0	9	8	0	0
32	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	1	4	8	2	4	7
33	Template:Flagathlete	0	1	0	2	0	1	0	0	2	0	1	1	8	6	0	0
34	Template:Flagathlete	0	1	3	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	8	5	2	0
35	Template:Flagathlete	0	1	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	3	0	7	7	2	0
36	Template:Flagathlete	0	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	7	9	0	0
37	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	1	1	2	0	0	1	1	0	–	1	7	6	0	0
38	Template:Flagathlete	1	1	1	0	0	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	7	4	1	0
39	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	2	0	2	0	6	3	5	0
40	Template:Flagathlete	1	0	1	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	6	5	1	0
41	Template:Flagathlete (New)	–	–	–	–	–	–	2	1	0	2	0	0	5	2	0	8
42	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	1	2	0	0	5	8	2	0
43	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	1	5	7	3	0
44	Template:Flagathlete	1	1	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	5	4	3	0
45	Template:Flagathlete (New)	–	–	–	–	–	–	0	2	0	0	2	0	4	2	1	9
46	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	0	0	1	0	4	10	1	0
47	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	4	8	1	0
48	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	2	0	4	11	0	0
49	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	4	7	3	0
50	Template:Flagathlete	1	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	5	5	0
51	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	0	0	0	3	11	1	0
52	Template:Flagathlete	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	3	6	2	12
53	Template:Flagathlete	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	3	5	4	2
54	Template:Flagathlete	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	3	2	8	0
55	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	2	5	6	0
56	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	3	5	6
57	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	2	7	10
58	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	2	1	5	13
59	Template:Flagathlete	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	1	4	16
60	Template:Flagathlete	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	10	0
61	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	7	3	2
62	Template:Flagathlete	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	5	5	0
63	Template:Flagathlete	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	5	6	0
64	Template:Flagathlete	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	5	5	0
65	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	7	4	0
66	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	6	6	0
67	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	5	4	7
68	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	5	7	0
69	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	3	6	10
70	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	3	7	1
71	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	3	5	10
72	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	2	3	22
73	Template:Flagathlete (New)	–	–	–	–	–	–	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	2	5
74	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	7	15
75	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	7	5	0
76	Template:Flagathlete	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	6	5	0
77	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	6	6	0
78	Template:Flagathlete	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	7	1
79	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	5	13
80	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	8	10
81	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	9	2	5
82	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	3	10
83	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	7	0
84	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	6	7
85	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	4	11
86	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	4	2
87	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	6	0
88	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	6	7
89	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	6	4
90	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	8	0
91	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	6	11
92	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	5	12
93	Template:Flagathlete (New)	–	–	–	–	–	–	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	9
94	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	7	9
95	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	5	10
96	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	6	7
97	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	5	0
98	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	6	14
99	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	5	16
100	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	24
101	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	19
102	Template:Flagathlete (NewNT)	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	0	0	1	0	0
103	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	6	10
104	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	5	13
105	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	4	16
106	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	20
107	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	4
108	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	20
109	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	4
110	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	18
111	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	12
112	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	30
113	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	19
114	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	16
115	Template:Flagathlete	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	35
116	Template:Flagathlete (New)	–	–	–	–	–	–	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	9
117	Template:Flagathlete (New)	–	–	–	–	–	–	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	9
118	Template:Flagathlete (New)	–	–	–	–	–	–	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	17
119	Template:Flagathlete (New)	–	–	–	–	–	–	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	6
120	Template:Flagathlete (NT)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	14
121	Template:Flagathlete (NT)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	19
122	Template:Flagathlete (NT)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	14
123	Template:Flagathlete (NT) (New)	–	–	–	–	–	–	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	13
124	Template:Flagathlete (NT)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	13
125	Template:Flagathlete (NT)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	28
126	Template:Flagathlete (NT)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	6
127	Template:Flagathlete (NT)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	21
128	Template:Flagathlete (NT)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	17
129	Template:Flagathlete (NT)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	14
130	Template:Flagathlete (NT)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7
131	Template:Flagathlete (NT)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
132	Template:Flagathlete (NT)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
133	Template:Flagathlete (NT)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
134	Template:Flagathlete (NT)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
135	Template:Flagathlete (NT)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
136	Template:Flagathlete (NT)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
137	Template:Flagathlete (NT)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
138	Template:Flagathlete (NT)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

References

Books

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