1952 World Professional Match-play Championship

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1952 World Professional Match-play Championship
Tournament information
Dates12 November 1951 – 15 March 1952 (1951-11-12 – 1952-03-15)
Final venue Tower Circus
Final city Blackpool
CountryEngland
Organisation Professional Billiard Players' Association
Highest break Fred Davis (140)
Final
ChampionFlag of England.svg  Fred Davis  (ENG)
Runner-upFlag of Scotland.svg  Walter Donaldson  (SCO)
Score38–35
← 1952
1953 →
United Kingdom adm location map.svg
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Wellington
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Slough
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Darlaston
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South Shields
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Derby
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Scunthorpe
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Blackpool
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Venues

The 1952 World Professional Match-play Championship was a snooker tournament held from 12 November 1951 to 15 March 1952, with the final taking place at the Tower Circus in Blackpool, England. The event was created following a dispute between the Professional Billiard Players' Association (PBPA) and the Billiards Association and Control Council (BACC). The BACC claimed that the championship was primarily about honour, and financial consideration should come behind this, whilst the PBPA members felt that the BACC was taking too large a share of the income from the events and established an alternative 'world championship' called the World Professional Match-play Championship, editions of which are now recognised as world championships.

Contents

Fred Davis won his fourth world title by defeating Walter Donaldson by 38 frames to 35 in the final. Davis recorded the highest break of the tournament, 140, a new championship record.

Background

The World Snooker Championship, established in 1927, is a professional tournament and the official world championship of the game of snooker. [1] The sport was developed in the late 19th century by British Army soldiers stationed in India. [2] Professional English billiards player and billiard hall manager Joe Davis 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. [3] 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. [4] The annual competition was not titled the World Championship until 1935, [5] but the 1927 tournament is now referred to as the first World Snooker Championship. [6] [7] Davis also won the title each year until 1940, when the contest was cancelled during World War II, and again when the championship resumed in 1946, accumulating a total of 15 titles before retiring from the event. [8]

In 1952, the World Professional Match-play Championship was created following a dispute between the Professional Billiards Players' Association (PBPA) and the BACC. [9] 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." [10] [11] The PBPA members established an alternative competition called the World Professional Match-play Championship, [12] perceived in general as the genuine title competition, and now recognised as world championships. [8] [13] 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. [14] Lindrum won their match, and therefore the title, 94–49 after dead frames . [15] The other professionals at the time, with the exception of Joe Davis who had retired from world title competitions, entered the PBPA's tournament. [16]

Ten players entered the PBPA's first World Professional Match-play Championship. The two finalists in the 1951 World Snooker Championship, Fred Davis and Walter Donaldson, were given byes to the semi-final stage in opposite halves of the draw. The remaining eight played two rounds to determine the other two semi-finalists. [17]

Summary

First round

Sydney Lee withdrew, granting Kingsley Kennerley a walkover into the quarter-finals. [18] Jackie Rea defeated Jim Lees 33–28 in their match from 12 to 17 November 1951, [19] Albert Brown scored a 33–28 win over John Pulman when they met from 27 November to 1 December, [20] and in a match from 17 to 22 December, Alec Brown achieved a winning margin at 33–17 before his last day's play against Rex Williams, finishing at 39–22. [21] Williams had turned professional in 1951, becoming the first player to make the transition from being an amateur since Pulman and Brown had done so in 1946. Snooker historian Clive Everton wrote that Williams was "hammered" by Brown, and that this demonstrated the gulf in ability between the top amateurs and the professionals of the time. [8] : 60 

Quarter-finals

In the first quarter final, held from 7 to 11 January 1952, Kennerley took a 4–1 lead over Rea, who had won the first frame. At the end of the first day they were tied at 6–6. [22] Rea then took ten of the next day's twelve frames to lead 16–8, [23] and on subsequent days was 23–13, 25–17 and 29–19 ahead, [24] eventually finishing the match at 35–26. [25]

In the other quarter-final match, Albert Brown won six of the nine frames against Alec Brown on the first day of their match which lasted from 14 to 18 January. [26] He won the opening six frames on the second day, and finished that day 18–6 ahead, [27] maintaining a six frame lead at the end of the next day, which ended with him leading 24–12. [28] Alec Brown reduced the deficit on the fourth day by winning eight of the twelve frames played, meaning Albert Brown led 28–20 going in to the last day. [29] Albert Brown achieved a certain win at 31–22, and after the remaining scheduled frames were played, he was 36–25 ahead. [30]

Semi-finals

The first semi-final, between Walter Donaldson and Albert Brown, was played in Scunthorpe from 21 to 25 January 1952. Donaldson held a 21–15 lead after three days. [31] However, Brown reduced Donaldson's lead to two frames on the fourth day and the match ended 31–30. [32]

The second semi-final, between Fred Davis and Jackie Rea, was played at Wellington, Shropshire from 4 to 9 February 1952. After four days Davis led 29–11. [33] Davis took a winning 34–16 lead on the fifth day and eventually won 38–23. [34]

Final

The final started on 10 March 1952 and continued until 15 March. [35] [36] In advance of the match, Davis and Donaldson issued a challenge to Horace Lindrum, who had effectively won the BACC-recognised 1952 World Snooker Championship by taking an insurmountable lead on 6 March, that the winner of their match would play him for £500 and gate receipts. [37] Lindrum wrote in his 1974 book that he never received the challenge in writing, and that if he had, the principle that the title should be contested in an official tournament, apart from his existing commitments at the time which made it impractical, meant that he would not have agreed. [38]

In the World Professional Match-play final, Davis won six of the eight frames in their first session , and each player won four frames in the second session, leaving the score at 7–5 to Davis after the first day. Donaldson had compiled a break of 104. [35] Donaldson recorded another century break, 106, in the twentieth frame, but Davis increased his lead over Donaldson to 14–10 by the end of the second day. [39] On the third day, Davis achieved a break of 140, a new world championship record, and Donaldson made a 111. Davis finished the day 21–15 ahead. [40] [41] After another day's play, Davis was 29–19 ahead, [42] Donaldson won eight of the next twelve frames to reduce his arrears to six frames at 27–33. [43] Davis won the title, finishing the last day at 38–35 after achieving a winning margin at 37–30. Davis was trailing by 8 points to 66 in the 67th frame, but compiled a clearance of 67 to take the frame and secure victory. [36] [44]

Schedule

Schedule of matches for the 1952 World Professional Match-play Championship
MatchDatesVenue, cityRef.
Jackie Rea v Jim Lees 12–17 November 1951 Wellington, Shropshire [45]
Albert Brown v John Pulman 27 November–1 December 1951 Slough [46] [20]
Alec Brown v Rex Williams 17–22 December 1951 Darlaston, Staffordshire [47] [21]
Jackie Rea v Kingsley Kennerley 7–11 January 1952 South Shields [48]
Albert Brown v Alec Brown14–18 January 1952 Derby [49]
Walter Donaldson v Albert Brown21–25 January 1952 Scunthorpe [50]
Fred Davis v Jackie Rea4–9 February 1952Wellington, Shropshire [51]
Fred Davis v Walter Donaldson10–15 March 1952 Tower Circus, Blackpool [37] [36]

Main draw

The result for the tournament are shown below. Players in bold denote match winners. [52] [53]

Round 1
61 frames 		Quarter-finals
61 frames 		Semi-finals
61 frames 		Final
73 frames
Flag of England.svg Fred Davis 38
Ulster Banner.svg  Jackie Rea  (NIR)33 Ulster Banner.svg Jackie Rea 23
Flag of England.svg  Jim Lees  (ENG)28 Ulster Banner.svg Jackie Rea 35
Flag of England.svg  Kingsley Kennerley  (ENG)w/o Flag of England.svg Kingsley Kennerley 26
Flag of England.svg  Sydney Lee  (ENG)w/d Flag of England.svg Fred Davis 38
Flag of England.svg  Albert Brown  (ENG)32 Flag of Scotland.svg Walter Donaldson 35
Flag of England.svg  John Pulman  (ENG)27 Flag of England.svg Albert Brown 36
Flag of England.svg  Alec Brown  (ENG)39 Flag of England.svg Alec Brown 25
Flag of England.svg  Rex Williams  (ENG)22 Flag of England.svg Albert Brown 30
Flag of Scotland.svg Walter Donaldson 31

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References

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  2. ↑ Hayton, Eric; Dee, John (2004). The CueSport Book of Professional Snooker: The Complete Record & History. Rose Villa Publications. p. 1. ISBN   978-0954854904.
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  4. ↑ Morrison, Ian (1987). The Hamlyn Encyclopedia of Snooker. London: Hamlyn Publishing Group. pp. 27–30. ISBN   9780600556046.
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  9. ↑ "World Snooker Title". The Glasgow Herald . 19 February 1952. p. 2. Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  10. ↑ "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.
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  19. ↑ "Rea into second round". Belfast News-Letter. 19 November 1951. p. 2.
  20. 1 2 "Brown beats Pulman". Belfast News-Letter. 3 December 1951. p. 7.
  21. 1 2 "Rex Williams out of championship". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 24 December 1951. p. 5.
  22. ↑ "Rea on terms". Belfast Telegraph. 8 January 1952. p. 8.
  23. ↑ "Fred Davis gains lead in snooker match". Bradford Observer. 9 January 1952. p. 6.
  24. ↑ "Rea 10 frames ahead". Northern Whig. 11 January 1952. p. 2.
  25. ↑ "Rea now to meet Davis". Belfast Telegraph. 12 January 1952. p. 6.
  26. ↑ "Albert Brown in snooker lead". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 15 January 1952. p. 6.
  27. ↑ "Albert Brown increases his snooker lead". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 16 January 1952. p. 6.
  28. ↑ "Smith wins £500 on last frame". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 17 January 1952. p. 6.
  29. ↑ "Albert still leads". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 18 January 1952. p. 6.
  30. ↑ "Albert Brown in snooker semi-final". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 19 January 1952. p. 6.
  31. ↑ "Snooker and Billiards". The Glasgow Herald . 24 January 1952. p. 2.
  32. ↑ "Snooker and Billiards". The Glasgow Herald . 25 January 1952. p. 9.
  33. ↑ "Snooker and Billiards". The Glasgow Herald . 8 February 1952. p. 9.
  34. ↑ "Snooker". The Glasgow Herald . 9 February 1952. p. 9.
  35. 1 2 "Fred Davis gains an early lead". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 11 March 1952. p. 6.
  36. 1 2 3 "Leeds billiards player in title semi-final". Bradford Observer. 17 March 1952. p. 6.
  37. 1 2 "Lindrum challenged to £500 match". Aberdeen Evening Express. 7 March 1952. p. 12.
  38. ↑ Lindrum, Horace (1974). Horace Lindrum's Snooker, Billiards and Pool. Dee Why West, Australia: Paul Hamlyn Pty. p. 85. ISBN   0727101056.
  39. ↑ "Fred Davis four frames ahead". Bradford Observer. 12 March 1952. p. 8.
  40. ↑ "Fred Davis beats his brother's record". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 13 March 1952. p. 3.
  41. ↑ "2004 Embassy World Championship Information". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 8 December 2004. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  42. ↑ "Fred Davis now ten frames ahead". Bradford Observer. 14 March 1952. p. 6.
  43. ↑ "Donaldson reduces gap". Bradford Observer. 15 March 1952. p. 6.
  44. ↑ Kobylecky, John (2019). The Complete International Directory of Snooker Players – 1927 to 2018. Kobyhadrian Books. ISBN   9780993143311.
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  46. ↑ "Snooker and Billiards". The Glasgow Herald . 28 November 1951. p. 9.
  47. ↑ "Snooker". The Glasgow Herald . 18 December 1951. p. 9.
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  50. ↑ "Snooker and Billiards". The Glasgow Herald . 26 January 1952. p. 2. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  51. ↑ "Billiards and Snooker". The Glasgow Herald . 11 February 1952. p. 7. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  52. ↑ "World Championship 1952". Global Snooker. Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  53. ↑ "Snooker". The Times. 19 November 1951. p. 4.
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