1978 UK Championship
The 1978 UK Championship (officially the 1978 Coral UK Championship) was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place between 22 November and 1 December 1978 at the Guild Hall in Preston, England.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 22 November – 1 December 1978 |
| Venue | Preston Guild Hall |
| City | Preston |
| Country | England |
| Organisation | WPBSA |
| Format | Non-ranking event |
| Total prize fund | £12,500 |
| Winner's share | £3,500 |
| Highest break | Graham Miles (139) |
| Final | |
| Champion | Doug Mountjoy |
| Runner-up | David Taylor |
| Score | 15–9 |
← 1977 1979 → | |
The 1978 tournament was the first of twenty UK Championship competitions to be played in Preston's Guildhall. For the first time, the event was sponsored by Coral who continued to sponsor the UK Championship until 1985.
The most dramatic match came in the qualifying rounds when Terry Griffiths, a newly turned professional, was beaten 8–9 by Rex Williams after leading 8–2. The main stage of the championship also provided plenty of surprises. Patsy Fagan, the defending UK champion, went out 7–9 in the first round to David Taylor who, after a decade in the professional ranks, reached his first major final by beating Alex Higgins 9–5 in the semi-finals. In the other half of the draw, Roy Andrewartha beat John Spencer 9–8 and Willie Thorne beat Ray Reardon 9–6 only to collapse 1–9 against Graham Miles, whose 139 break set a tournament record. In the semi-finals it was Miles' turn to collapse 1–9 to Doug Mountjoy who, keeping his best until last, clinched his final victory over Taylor with a break of 120. The BBC televised the final on their Grandstand programme with Ted Lowe commentating the match.