Mark Selby’s victory over Shaun Murphy at the Crucible lifted him level with John Higgins as a four-time Crucible winner.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the multiple winners of the tournament since it moved to its current, illustrious venue in 1977.

7 – STEPHEN HENDRY

Snooker – 12Bet.Com UK Championships – Day Four – Telford International Centre
Stephen Hendry holds the record of seven Crucible crowns (Nick Potts/PA)

Hendry became the youngest world champion at the age of 21 in 1990 and proceeded to dominate the sport for a decade, including winning an unprecedented five Crucible titles in a row from 1992 to 1996. He won his fifth and, seemingly, final title in 1999.

6 – STEVE DAVIS

PA Graphic
PA Graphic

Utterly dominant at his peak, Davis beat Doug Mountjoy to win his first world title in 1981, and would win five more in the course of the 1980s, although the final for which he is best remembered was his epic black-ball defeat to Dennis Taylor in 1985.

6 – RONNIE O’SULLIVAN

Snooker – Betfair World Championships – Day Twelve – The Crucible
Ronnie O’Sullivan has won six world titles (Lynne Cameron/PA)

O’Sullivan’s six titles span a period of 19 years from his first win in 2001 to his most recent in 2020. Despite fluctuating focus and periods of apparent disinterest, O’Sullivan remains in with every chance of adding to his tally before he finally calls it a day.

4 – JOHN HIGGINS

SNOOKER/Higgins 2
John Higgins could have won more than four world titles (Sean Dempsey/PA)

From 1998 to 2011, Higgins won four world titles, yet, having finished as runner-up on four occasions – including for three straight years between 2017 and 2019 – the only surprise is that the resilient Scot has not lifted the trophy on more occasions.

4 – MARK SELBY

Betfred Snooker World Championships 2017 – Day Seventeen – Crucible Theatre
Mark Selby is climbing the list of multiple world champions (Steven Paston/PA)

Selby won his first title in 2014 and, after winning two in a row in 2016 and 2017, he appeared certain to climb higher up the list of multiple chances. A subsequent crash in form stalled his progress – but this year’s win has put him firmly back on track.

3 – MARK WILLIAMS

2018 Betfred Snooker World Championships – Day Seventeen – The Crucible
Mark Williams claimed a wholly unexpected third world crown (Richard Sellers/PA)

Champion in 2000 and 2003, the Welshman’s title-winning days appeared numbered as he slid out of the world’s top 16, until a remarkable and wholly unexpected revival saw him crowned champion for a third time in 2018.