Before a ball was struck in the 2007 World Championship, Stephen Hendry had won 60 matches at the Crucible, two more than Steve Davis and ten ahead of Jimmy White, second and third on the list.

Yet one of the most enduring images of Hendry at a venue he would make his own emanated from a defeat, albeit gallant, on his debut in 1986.

Having negotiated four qualifying rounds, Hendry became the youngest player, at 17 years, three months to step onto snooker's most famous, most intimidating stage.

Many of his raw edges were still to be smoothed, but Hendry did enough to show that he possessed both the skill, and more importantly, the self-assured temperament, to deal with the Crucible’s unique demands.

The rookie professional with acne, led the worldly-wise established professional Willie Thorne 3-1 and 7-6 before losing 10-8.

Thorne, not easily impressed, sportingly clapped Hendry from the arena and predicted big things for the teenager. No one could have imagined how big.

Hendry has won the world championship seven times, including five in succession from 1992 to 1996. He has compiled a record eight 147 breaks in competition – one against Thorne – and has won 36 world ranking tournaments while collecting over £8.3 million in career prize money.

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