| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 19 November – 1 December 1979 |
| Venue | Preston Guild Hall |
| City | Preston |
| Country | England |
| Organisation | WPBSA |
| Format | Non-ranking event |
| Total prize fund | £15,000 |
| Winner's share | £4,500 |
| Highest break |  Terry Griffiths (WAL) (119) |
| Final | |
| Champion |  John Virgo (ENG) |
| Runner-up | Terry Griffiths (WAL) |
| Score | 14–13 |
← 1978 1980 → | |
The 1979 UK Championship (officially the 1979 Coral UK Championship)[1] was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place between 19 November and 1 December 1979 at the Guild Hall in Preston, England. This was the third edition of the UK Championship that would later become part of snooker's Triple Crown. The event was sponsored by Coral for the second year in a row.
John Virgo won the championship, in his only major tournament win, by defeating Terry Griffiths 14–13 in the final, despite being deducted two frames for arriving late. The defending champion, Doug Mountjoy, was defeated 5–9 by Steve Davis in the opening round. Griffiths compiled the tournament's highest break of 119 in his semi-final win over Bill Werbeniuk. The last session of the final was broadcast by the BBC on their Grandstand programme; however, due to a strike by BBC personnel, the final frames of the match – including Virgo being awarded the championship – were never broadcast or recorded.