1990 Centenary Challenge

{{short description|Invitational snooker tournament}}

{{Infobox individual snooker tournament

|tournament_name=1990 Centenary Challenge

|logo=

|dates={{Start and end dates|1990|05|16|1990|12|16|df=y}}

|venue=Civic Centre, Aylesbury
AECC, Aberdeen
Cafe Royal, London

|country=United Kingdom

|organisation=

|format=Invitational challenge match

|Total prize fund=£100,000

|winners_share=£66,300

|highest_break=

|winner={{flagathlete|Stephen Hendry|SCO}}

|runner_up={{flagathlete|Steve Davis|ENG}}

|score={{nowrap|19–11 Aggregate Score over three matches}}

|previous=

|next=

}}

The 1990 Centenary Challenge was an invitational snooker challenge match played over three legs in 1990. Contested between Stephen Hendry and Steve Davis and with a prize fund of £100,000, it was snooker's richest head-to-head prize fund.{{cite news|title=Clash of the Titans|work=Irish Independent|date=11 May 1990|page=14|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001715/19900511/206/0014|url-access=subscription}}

The tournament format differed from other snooker events and the players earned money for points, similar to golf's "skins" tournaments. Each point scored was worth £10, with bonuses of £250 for a break of 50 and a further £1,000 for a century break, plus an extra £1,000 for the frame winner.{{cite news|title=Hendry and Davis in "skins" clash|work=Dundee Courier|date=11 May 1990|page=20|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000564/19900511/240/0020|url-access=subscription}}

It was held in three stages. The first was at the Civic Centre, Aylesbury on 16 May 1990 which was won 6–4 by Hendry, who won £15,920 of the £25,000 on offer (each player started on £12,500).{{cite news|title=Snooker: Hendry cashes in|work=Aberdeen Press and Journal|date=17 May 1990|page=19|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000578/19900517/319/0019|url-access=subscription}} The second leg was held at the AECC in Aberdeen on 23 September 1990, with Hendry again victorious 8–2 and winning £23,300.{{cite news|title=Gold Pot|work=Daily Mirror|date=24 September 1990|page=29|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000560/19900924/242/0029|url-access=subscription}} The third and final stage was played at Cafe Royal in London on 16 December 1990, which ended in a 5–5 draw, with Hendry winning 19–11 on aggregate and winning a total of £66,300.{{cite news|title=Hendry's success|work=Aberdeen Press and Journal|date=17 December 1990|page=20|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000578/19901217/468/0020|url-access=subscription}}