World Professional Match-play Championship

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World Professional Match-play Championship
Tournament information
LocationMelbourne
CountryAustralia
Established1952
Organisation(s)WPBSA
Final year1976
Final champion Eddie Charlton (AUS)

The World Professional Match-play Championship was a professional snooker tournament established in 1952 as an alternative to the Billiards Association and Control Council professional World Snooker Championship by some of the professional players following a dispute with the governing body. Fred Davis won the first five editions of the tournament, but didn't participate in 1957. The 1957 event was won by John Pulman, and after this the event was discontinued due to a decline in the popularity of snooker.

A tournament with the same name was staged in 1976. Eddie Charlton promoted the event in Melbourne with World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) approval. Charlton defeated Ray Reardon 31–24 in the final. The events from 1952 to 1957 are regarded as world championships but the 1976 is not.

Background[]

Snooker was developed in the late 19th century by British Army soldiers stationed in India.[1] Professional English billiards player and billiard hall manager Joe Davis had noticed the increasing popularity of snooker compared to billiards in the 1920s, and with Birmingham-based billiards equipment manager Bill Camkin, persuaded the Billiards Association and Control Council (BACC) to recognise an official professional snooker championship in the 1926–27 season.[2] In 1927, the final of the first professional snooker championship was held at Camkin's Hall; Davis won the tournament by beating Tom Dennis in the final.[3] The annual competition was not titled the World Championship until 1935,[4][5] but the 1927 tournament is now referred to as the first World Snooker Championship.[6][7]

In 1952, the World Professional Match-play Championship was created following a dispute between the Professional Billiards Players' Association (PBPA) and the BACC.[8] In response to player complaints that the BACC was taking too large a percentage of income from the tournament, the BACC claimed that the championship "has always been, and in theory is to be, regarded as an affair of honour and a test of merit", and that "every effort is made to arrange terms advantageous to the professionals competing in the championship, compatible with securing an equitable return for the promoters of it, the B.A.& C.C."[9][10] The PBPA members established an alternative competition which became known as the World Professional Match-play Championship,[11] now recognised as world championships.[12]

Only two of the leading professional players, Horace Lindrum and Clark McConachy, had declined to join the PBPA, and they were the only two entrants to the BACC's 1952 World Snooker Championship.[13] Lindrum won their match, and therefore the title, 94-49 after dead frames.[12] The other professionals at the time, with the exception of Joe Davis who had retired from world title competitions, entered the PBPA's tournament.[14]

Fred Davis won the first five editions of the World Professional Match-play Championship, but didn't participate in 1957. The 1957 event was won by John Pulman, and after this the event was discontinued due to a decline in the popularity of snooker.[12]

There were no new players turning professional between Rex Williams in 1951, and John Spencer in 1967.[14][15] Clive Everton wrote in 2019 that "only very few permutations could be made from such a limited cast of players. The contests between them were devoid of bite, variety, surprise or any sense of occasion or importance."[14]

Later events[]

In July 1968, Rex Williams and Eddie Charlton played a match, sanctioned by the BACC billed as the World Open Match Play Snooker Championship. It was a challenge by Charlton for the World Open Snooker Championship title won in 1967 by Williams.[16]

The PBPA disaffiliated from the BACC from 1 October 1970,[17] and was renamed the WPBSA on 12 December 1970.[18]: 45  The 1976 World Professional Match-play Championship was promoted by Charlton promoted in Melbourne with WPBSA approval. Charlton defeated Ray Reardon 31–24 in the final.[19] The events from 1952 to 1957 are regarded as world championships but the 1968 and 1976 matches are not.[12]

The WPBSA refused to sanction a similar event in 1977 but in April 1978 they did agree to an event to be played in Australia in March 1979. Mike Watterson, the promoter of the World Championship, expressed disapproval for the event since there had been some confusion over which was the authentic World championship.[20] Charlton was unable to find a sponsor and the event was cancelled.[21] Charlton made another attempt to organise the event in January 1981 but this again failed because of the lack of a sponsor.[22]

In 1988, Barry Hearn promoted an invitational tournament, called the World Matchplay, for the top twelve players in the provisional rankings. It was held in the UK annually until 1992, and the 1988 event was the first snooker tournament to offer a six-figure winner's prize, £100,000.[23]

Finals[]

World Professional Match-play Championship finals
Year Winner Runner-up Final score Ref.
World Professional Match-play Championship
(World Championship)
1952  Fred Davis (England)  Walter Donaldson (Scotland) 38–35 [24]
1953  Fred Davis (England)  Walter Donaldson (Scotland) 37–34 [24]
1954  Fred Davis (England)  Walter Donaldson (Scotland) 45–26 [24][25]
1955  Fred Davis (England)  John Pulman (England) 38–35 [24]
1956  Fred Davis (England)  John Pulman (England) 38–35 [24]
1957  John Pulman (England)  Jackie Rea (Northern Ireland) 39–34 [24]
World Professional Match-play Championship
1976  Eddie Charlton (Australia)  Ray Reardon (Wales) 31–24 [26]

References[]

  1. ^ Hayton, Eric; Dee, John (2004). The CueSport Book of Professional Snooker: The Complete Record & History. Rose Villa Publications. p. 1. ISBN 978-0954854904.
  2. ^ Everton, Clive (23 September 2004). "Davis, Joseph [Joe]". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/31013. Archived from the original on 3 September 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2020. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  3. ^ Morrison, Ian (1987). The Hamlyn Encyclopedia of Snooker. London: Hamlyn Publishing Group. pp. 27–30. ISBN 9780600556046.
  4. ^ "Snooker championship". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 11 May 1927. p. 20. Retrieved 12 March 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ^ "Billiards – Professional title". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 3 November 1934. p. 7. Retrieved 24 November 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ^ Everton, Clive (1993). The Embassy Book of World Snooker. London: Bloomsbury. pp. 11–13. ISBN 0747516103.
  7. ^ "History of snooker – a timeline". World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Archived from the original on 7 January 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  8. ^ "World Snooker Title". The Glasgow Herald. 19 February 1952. p. 2. Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  9. ^ "The B.A.& C.C. and the world's professional snooker championship". The Billiard Player. Billiards Association and Control Council. November 1951. pp. 4–8.
  10. ^ Everton, Clive (30 April 2009). "Neil Robertson set to rewrite history as first genuine Australian world champion". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  11. ^ Williams, Luke; Gadsby, Paul (2005). Masters of the Baize. Edinburgh: Mainstream. p. 47. ISBN 1840188723.
  12. ^ a b c d Turner, Chris. "World Professional Championship". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 April 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
  13. ^ Lowe, Ted (1984). Between frames. London: A & C Black. pp. 44–46. ISBN 0713624469.
  14. ^ a b c Everton, Clive (October 2019). "Snooker 1945–1957: from boom to bust". Snooker Scene. Birmingham. pp. 19–23.
  15. ^ "Spencer turns professional". Billiards and Snooker. Billiards Association and Control Council. March 1967. p. 11.
  16. ^ Fryer, Bob (October 1968). "World Open Match Play Championship: Eddie Charlton 43, Rex Williams 30". Billiards and Snooker. Billiards Association and Control Council. p. 18.
  17. ^ "Untitled article". Billiards and Snooker. London: Billiards Association and Control Council. October 1970. p. 4.
  18. ^ Everton, Clive (2012). Black farce and cue ball wizards. Edinburgh: Maintream. ISBN 9781780575681.
  19. ^ Turner, Chris. "World Matchplay". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 28 February 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  20. ^ "Snooker – Confusion over two world events feared". The Times. 2 May 1978. p. 6.
  21. ^ "Snooker titles cancelled". The Canberra Times. 53 (15, 862). 26 February 1979. p. 13. Archived from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia. Download
  22. ^ "Eddie Snookered". The Sydney Morning Herald. 10 November 1980. p. 27. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  23. ^ Turner, Chris. "World Matchplay". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 28 February 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  24. ^ a b c d e f Hayton, Eric (2004). The CueSport Book of Professional Snooker. Lowestoft: Rose Villa Publications. p. 144. ISBN 0-9548549-0-X.
  25. ^ "Davis retains snooker title". The Argus. 8 March 1954. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  26. ^ "Sports results". The Canberra Times. 14 December 1976. p. 15. Archived from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2021 – via Trove.
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