The 1981/82 season had a total of 73 players, up from 63 the previous year.
There were 32 active players, and their final ratings based solely on their performances in this season were as follows:
The best player was Steve Davis, for the second season in a row. He had a blistering start to the season. He won the 1981 International Open, reached the semi final of the 1981 Scottish Masters, reached the final of the 1981 Northern Ireland Classic, won the 1981 UK Championship, won the 1982 Pot Black, reached the final of the 1982 Classic, won the 1982 Masters, won the 1982 Tolly Cobbold Classic, won the 1982 International Masters, reached the final of the 1982 Irish Masters, then reached the semi-final of the 1982 Highland Masters.
It was no surprise, therefore, that he reached the 1982 World Championships as a huge favourite to defend his title. However, he crashed out in a shock 10-1 loss to Tony Knowles in the first round. In a reversal from the previous season, he won the final event of the season, the 1982 Pontins Professional, finishing a massively successful season with a win, and the number 1 spot with a score of 1212. The world title, however, had eluded him.
To say that Alex Higgins was an unlikely World Champion is an understatement. He entered the tournament as the #11 seed, 10 years after he last won the event. He had ranked 9th in my rankings the previous season, and in his own words was having the “worst season of my professional career”. He had failed to progress past the semi-finals in every major event, and excluding the World Championships had lost more frames than he had won across the season. At the Crucible, he started with a relatively easy draw against Jim Meadowcroft, who he beat 10-5. He then faced a tougher opponent in the form of Doug Mountjoy, and squeaked through 13-12 in a decider.
Progressing to the quarter finals, he played Willie Thorne, beating him 13-10. In the semi-final he faced a young Jimmy White, and was trailing 15-13 when he made 3 successive half-centuries to win 16-15. His break to level the match was a potting masterclass, where the white ball was rarely under control but he managed to pot his way out of trouble and clear the table. The World Final against Ray Reardon was another close game, and stood at 15-15 before Higgins found his form and won 3 successive frames to win the title for a second time.
This win helped Higgins maintain a good rating of 1039, but due to the improvement of other players he fell from 5th to 6th in my rankings. He was, however, World Champion once again.
8 Yards 8 Feet 