Snooker Age Records

Age-related milestones in professional snooker — youngest and oldest world champions, teenage professionals, and career longevity records.

World Champion Age Records

The most remarkable age-related records from the World Snooker Championship.

Youngest World Champion

21 years, 106 days

Stephen Hendry(1990)

Defeated Jimmy White 18–12 in the 1990 final.

Second Youngest World Champion

22 years, 315 days

Alex Higgins(1972)

Defeated John Spencer 37–32 in the 1972 final.

Oldest World Champion (Crucible Era)

38 years

Mark Selby(2021)

Won his fourth world title in 2021 aged 37.

Oldest World Champion (All-Time)

45 years, 203 days

Ray Reardon(1978)

Won his sixth title in 1978, pre-Crucible era.

Oldest Crucible World Champion

38 years

Steve Davis(1989)

Won his sixth Crucible title at 38.

Youngest Crucible World Champion

21 years, 106 days

Stephen Hendry(1990)

Record set in 1990, still stands today.

Most Titles Won Before Age 25

3 titles

Stephen Hendry

Won in 1990 (21), 1992 (23), and 1993 (24).

Youngest to Make a 147 at the Crucible

21 years, 109 days

Ronnie O'Sullivan(1997)

Completed it in a record 5 min 20 sec.

Youngest to Turn Professional

Players who turned professional as teenagers — the youngest prodigies in snooker history.

#	Player	Nationality	Age Turned Pro	Turned Pro
1	Michal Szubarczyk	Poland	14	2025
2	Iulian Boiko	Ukraine	15	2020
3	Stephen Hendry	Scotland	16	1985
4	Neil Robertson	Australia	16	1998
5	Shaun Murphy	England	16	1998
6	Mark Selby	England	16	1999
7	Jimmy Robertson	England	16	2002
8	Ding Junhui	China	16	2003
9	Judd Trump	England	16	2005
10	Michael White	Wales	16	2007
11	Luca Brecel	Belgium	16	2011
12	Kacper Filipiak	Poland	16	2011
13	Lyu Haotian	China	16	2013
14	Zhou Yuelong	China	16	2014
15	Yan Bingtao	China	16	2016
16	Peifan Lei	China	16	2019
17	Gao Yang	China	16	2020
18	Mark King	England	17	1991
19	Bradley Jones	England	17	1991
20	Richard King (II)	England	17	1991
21	Stuart Pettman	England	17	1992
22	Darren Limburg	England	17	1992
23	Jamie Burnett	Scotland	17	1992
24	Ronnie O'Sullivan	England	17	1992
25	Mark O'Sullivan	Ireland	17	1992
26	Michael Judge	Ireland	17	1992
27	Chris Scanlon	England	17	1992
28	Mark Williams	Wales	17	1992
29	John Higgins	Scotland	17	1992
30	Bjorn Haneveer	Belgium	17	1993

Oldest Active Professionals

The oldest players still competing on the professional circuit, proving that experience counts in snooker.

#	Player	Nationality	Current Age	Turned Pro
1	Clark McConachy	New Zealand	131	1931
2	Joe Davis	England	125	1926
3	George Chenier	Canada	119	1949
4	Walter Donaldson	Scotland	119	1932
5	Sidney Smith	England	118	1935
6	Alec Brown	England	118	1935
7	Horace Lindrum	Australia	114	1935
8	Fred Davis	England	112	1936
9	Jackie Rea	Northern Ireland	105	1948
10	John Pulman	England	102	1946
11	John Dunning	England	99	1971
12	Eddie Charlton	Australia	96	1967
13	Pat Houlihan	England	96	1971
14	Ray Reardon	Wales	93	1968
15	Rex Williams	England	92	1951
16	Cliff Wilson	Wales	92	1979
17	John Spencer	England	90	1968
18	Ray Edmonds	England	90	1978
19	Eddie Sinclair	Scotland	89	1979
20	Brian Cakebread	England	87	1991

Most Centuries by Players Aged 40+

Career century totals for players currently aged 40 and over — long-service records in the professional game.

#	Player	Nationality	Current Age	Turned Pro	Centuries
1	Ronnie O'Sullivan	England	50	1992	1,324
2	John Higgins	Scotland	51	1992	1,063
3	Neil Robertson	Australia	44	1998	1,038
4	Mark Selby	England	43	1999	961
5	Shaun Murphy	England	43	1998	788
6	Stephen Hendry	Scotland	57	1985	778
7	Mark Allen	Northern Ireland	40	2005	694
8	Mark Williams	Wales	51	1992	691
9	Stuart Bingham	England	50	1995	635
10	Marco Fu	Hong Kong	48	1998	556
11	Stephen Maguire	Scotland	45	1998	539
12	Barry Hawkins	England	47	1996	529
13	Ryan Day	Wales	46	1998	482
14	Ali Carter	England	46	1996	466
15	David Gilbert	England	45	1985	452
16	Ricky Walden	England	43	2001	393
17	Peter Ebdon	England	55	1991	380
18	Joe Perry	England	51	1992	373
19	Ken Doherty	Ireland	56	1990	371
20	Matthew Stevens	Wales	48	1994	363

About Snooker Age Records

Stephen Hendry set the gold standard for youth in snooker, becoming the youngest World Champion at 21 years and 106 days in 1990 — a record that still stands over 35 years later. Before the Crucible era, Ray Reardon was the oldest world champion of all time, lifting the trophy at 45 years and 203 days in 1978.

The modern game has seen a wave of teenage professionals, particularly from China, with players turning pro as young as 14 or 15. Ronnie O'Sullivan turned professional in 1992 at just 16 and has remained at the elite level for over 30 years — one of the greatest career spans the sport has ever seen.

At the other end of the scale, players like Steve Davis, Jimmy White, and Mark Williams have shown remarkable longevity, competing in ranking events well into their 50s. The sport's mental demands mean experience can often overcome the physical edge of youth.