The 1978 Coral UK Championship

UK Championship (snooker)

The UK Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It is the second biggest ranking tournament after the World Championship and is one of the Triple Crown events.-History:...

took place at the Guildhall, Preston

City of Preston, Lancashire

The City of Preston is a city and non-metropolitan district in Lancashire, England. It is located on the north bank of the River Ribble, and was granted city status in 2002, becoming England's 50th city in the 50th year of Queen Elizabeth II's reign...

 between November 22 and December 1, 1978.

1978 would be the first of 20 UK Championship competitions to be played in Preston's Guildhall. Coral Racing were the sponsors and would be until 1985.

The most dramatic match came in the qualifying rounds when Terry Griffiths

Terry Griffiths

Terrence "Terry" Griffiths OBE is a retired Welsh snooker player and current snooker coach and pundit. He won the World Championship in 1979 at the first attempt, and reached the 1988 final. He also won the Masters in 1980 and the UK Championship in 1982, making him one of seven players to have...

, a newly turned professional was beaten 8–9 by Rex Williams

Rex Williams

Rex Williams , son of Minnie Roberts and William Williams, is a retired English professional snooker and billiards player.Williams was an excellent junior player in both snooker and billiards. His professional career began in 1951, during a period of decline in snooker...

 after leading 8–2. The championship proper also provided plenty of surprises. Patsy Fagan

Patsy Fagan

Patsy Fagan is a retired Irish professional snooker player.A talented snooker player who won the first UK championship in 1977 , Fagan seemed destined for a long and successful professional career in the game, but he became affected by a reluctance, possibly psychological, to play shots with the...

, the defending UK champion went out 7–9 in the first round to David Taylor

David Taylor (snooker player)

David Taylor is a semi-retired English professional snooker player. He won the World and English Amateur Championships in 1968, before the success of those wins encouraged him to turn professional. Although an excellent player, Taylor never quite reached the very top of the game...

 who, after a decade in the professional ranks, reached his first major final by beating Alex Higgins

Alex Higgins

Alexander Gordon "Alex" Higgins , also known by his nickname of Hurricane Higgins, was a Northern Irish professional snooker player who was twice World Champion and twice runner-up. Higgins earned the nickname The Hurricane because of his speed of play...

 9–5 in the semi-final. In the other half, Roy Andrewartha beat John Spencer

John Spencer (snooker player)

John Spencer was an English professional snooker player who won the World Professional title at his first attempt, was the first winner at the Crucible Theatre, was the inaugural winner of the Masters and Irish Masters and was the first player to make a 147 break in competition...

 9–8 and Willie Thorne

Willie Thorne

William Joseph "Willie" Thorne , is a former English professional snooker player and now a sports commentator.Thorne became national under-16 champion at both snooker and English billiards in 1970...

 beat Ray Reardon

Ray Reardon

Ray Reardon, MBE is a retired Welsh snooker player. He dominated the sport in the 1970s, winning six World Championships in that decade...

 9–6 only to collapse 1–9 against Graham Miles

Graham Miles

Graham Miles is a retired English snooker player.Miles turned professional in 1969. He first gained recognition in 1974, when he reached the final of the World Championship. Although he lost 22–12 to Ray Reardon, this turned out to be the highlight of his career...

, whose 139 break set a tournament record. In the semi-finals it was Miles' turn to collapse 1–9 to Doug Mountjoy

Doug Mountjoy

Doug Mountjoy is a retired Welsh snooker player. Although he only won two ranking titles, he did so in successive tournaments in 1988/1989 – and while in his mid 40s. In more recent years he was the coach to the United Arab Emirates snooker association between 1997 and 1999.- Early life...

 who, keeping his best till last, clinched his final victory over Taylor with a break of 120. The BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 televised the final again shown on Grandstand

Grandstand (BBC)

Grandstand was a British television sport programme. Broadcast between 1958 and 2007, it was one of the BBC's longest running sports shows, alongside BBC Sports Personality of the Year.Its first presenter was Peter Dimmock...

and with Ted Lowe

Ted Lowe

Edwin Charles Ernest Lowe, MBE , known as Ted Lowe, was an English snooker commentator for the BBC. His unmistakably husky, hushed tones earned him the nickname "Whispering Ted".-Life and career:...

 commentating the match. The highest break of the tournament was 139 made by Graham Miles

Graham Miles

Graham Miles is a retired English snooker player.Miles turned professional in 1969. He first gained recognition in 1974, when he reached the final of the World Championship. Although he lost 22–12 to Ray Reardon, this turned out to be the highlight of his career...

.

Main draw

Last 24 Best of 17 frames
 Kingdom of England David Taylor

David Taylor (snooker player)

David Taylor is a semi-retired English professional snooker player. He won the World and English Amateur Championships in 1968, before the success of those wins encouraged him to turn professional. Although an excellent player, Taylor never quite reached the very top of the game...

  9–2 Maurice Parkin  Kingdom of England

 Kingdom of England John Virgo

John Virgo

John Virgo is an English former professional snooker player and more recently a snooker commentator and TV personality.- Career :...

  9–4 Ray Edmonds

Ray Edmonds

Ray Edmonds is a former English professional player of English billiards and snooker. He twice won the World Amateur Snooker title, and won the World Professional Billiards Championship in 1985.-Playing career:...

  Kingdom of England

 Kingdom of England John Dunning

John Dunning (snooker player)

John Dunning was an English professional player of snooker. Considered a Yorkshireman through and through, he was eleven times Yorkshire amateur champion. In 1964, he became CIU champion, beating Geoff Thompson in the final, making this his best win as an amateur...

  9–3 David Greaves  Kingdom of England

 Kingdom of England Jim Meadowcroft

Jim Meadowcroft

Jim Meadowcroft is a retired English professional snooker player who has latterly been a coach and a commentator on the game....

  9–5 Jackie Rea

Jackie Rea

Jack 'Jackie' Rea is a retired snooker player from Northern Ireland.Rea was born in Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland...

  Northern Ireland
 Wales Doug Mountjoy

Doug Mountjoy

Doug Mountjoy is a retired Welsh snooker player. Although he only won two ranking titles, he did so in successive tournaments in 1988/1989 – and while in his mid 40s. In more recent years he was the coach to the United Arab Emirates snooker association between 1997 and 1999.- Early life...

  9–5 John Barrie  Kingdom of England

 Kingdom of England Roy Andrewartha  9–3 Pat Houlihan

Pat Houlihan

Patrick "Pat" Houlihan was an English snooker player. He was born in Deptford, London.He turned professional in 1971 at the age of 42 after many years as an amateur including beating future world champion John Spencer 11-3 at Blackpool Tower during the 1965 World Amateur Championship...

  Kingdom of England

 Kingdom of England Rex Williams

Rex Williams

Rex Williams , son of Minnie Roberts and William Williams, is a retired English professional snooker and billiards player.Williams was an excellent junior player in both snooker and billiards. His professional career began in 1951, during a period of decline in snooker...

  9–8 Terry Griffiths

Terry Griffiths

Terrence "Terry" Griffiths OBE is a retired Welsh snooker player and current snooker coach and pundit. He won the World Championship in 1979 at the first attempt, and reached the 1988 final. He also won the Masters in 1980 and the UK Championship in 1982, making him one of seven players to have...

  Wales

 Kingdom of England Willie Thorne

Willie Thorne

William Joseph "Willie" Thorne , is a former English professional snooker player and now a sports commentator.Thorne became national under-16 champion at both snooker and English billiards in 1970...

  9–4 Bernard Bennett

Bernard Bennett

Bernard Bennett was an English professional player of snooker and English billiards, who competed in the late 1960s and 1970s, and was a professional player for nearly 30 years, although he spent most of his latter playing years in relative obscurity well down the rankings.He entered the 1969...

  Kingdom of England