1967 World Open Snooker Championship

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1967 World Open Snooker Championship
Tournament information
DatesNovember 1966 – April 1967
VenueVarious
CountryUnited Kingdom
Final
ChampionFlag of England.svg  Rex Williams  (ENG)
Runner-upFlag of England.svg  Fred Davis  (ENG)
Score26–25 (Series of match wins)
← 1960
1968 →

The 1967 World Open Snooker Championship was a series of 51 matches between Fred Davis and Rex Williams for the title won by Davis at the 1960 World Open Snooker Championship. Despite the name of the competition, Davis and Williams were the only contestants. Williams took the title by winning 26 matches to Davis' 25, a winning margin having been achieved at 26–23.

Contents

Summary

Fred Davis had won the 1960 World Open Snooker Championship, which had been held in Australia with eight players competing in a round-robin. [1] [2] Davis and Rex Williams arranged to play a series of 31 matches with the winner taking the title, and with each player taking a fee from each of the match venues. [3] Snooker historian Clive Everton has suggested that the agenda behind the contest was to allow Williams to gain a world snooker title and become more marketable, at a time when he was unlikely to win against the reigning world champion John Pulman. Everton claims that Davis remarked "I had a devil of a job to let him win." [3]

All matches were of five frames . [4] Originally there were going to be 31 matches in the series, [5] but this was later extended to 51. [6]

Davis won the first three matches, before Williams had his first win in the fourth match. These were played in front of capacity crowds at each venue. [7] Williams later levelled at 5–5, with Davis then winning three of the next five matches to lead 8–7 by Christmas 1966. [8] After the resumption of the series in January 1967, Williams won two matches to take the lead for the first time, at 9–8, but then lost the next three to trail 9–11, before winning four in succession to lead 13–11. [9] With the pair each obtaining four wins from the next eight matches, Williams led 17–16. [10] Thirteen matches later, Williams had increased his lead to 25–21, needing only one further win out of the remaining five matches. [11]

Williams reached a winning margin at British Sidac, St. Helens, to win the title at 26–23. Davis won the last two matches to make the final score 26–25. Williams was presented with the trophy by Harold Phillips, Chairman of the Billiards Association and Control Council, after the final match, which was held at Ferranti Recreation, Manchester. [12] [13]

Known match details

DateNo.WinnerScoreMatchesVenueNotesRef.
November 19661.Davis3–20–1United Club, WorkingtonDavis compiled an 89 break . [7]
November 19662.Davis3–20–2Heaton Norris Conservative Club, Stockport Williams had led 2–0. [7]
November 19663.Davis3–20–3 Wilmslow British Legion [7]
November 19664.Williams3–21–3Acregate Labour Club, Preston Williams won the first three frames. [7]
December 19665.Davis4–11–4Boscombe Conservative Club, Bournemouth Davis compiled an 87 break. [8]
December 19666.Davis3–21–5Mackworth Club, Neath Davis compiled a 103 break, in his second visit to the table. [8]
December 19667.Williams3–22–5 Crewkerne Conservative Club [8]
5 December 19668.Williams4–13–5Moreton Social Club, Birkenhead [8] [14]
December 19669.Williams3–24–5Hall Green Home Guard Club, Birmingham [8]
December 196610.Williams4–15–5Central Conservative Club, Ashton-under-Lyne [8]
December 196611.Davis4–15–6 Sleaford Social ClubDavis compiled a break of 89. [8]
December 196612.Davis3–25–7 Kirkby-in-Ashfield Williams compiled breaks of 77 and 102. [8]
December 196613.Williams4–16–7 Lancing British LegionWilliams compiled a break of 87. [8]
December 196614.Davis4–16–8 Tooting Conservative Club [8]
December 196615.Davis3–27–8 High Wycombe British LegionWilliams compiled a break of 97 in the deciding frame . [8]
9 January 196716.Williams3–28–8James Gibbons Social Club, Pensnett [8] [9]
11 January 196717.Williams4–19–8Belmont Conservative Club, Swadlincote [8] [9]
12 January 196718.Davis3–29–9Eastwood View Working Men's Club, Rotherham Davis won on the black ball in the deciding frame. [8] [9]
13 January 196719.Davis4–19–10Wellington Tube, Tipton [8] [9]
16 January 196720.Davis3–29–11 Louth Town and Country Club [8] [9]
17 January 196721.Williams3–210–11Ironopolis Men's Club, Middlesbrough [8] [9]
18 January 196722.Williams3–211–11Castle Ward Conservative Club, Lenton [8] [9]
19 January 196723.Williams3–212–11Retford Conservative Club, Nottingham [8] [9]
20 January 196724.Williams3–213–11Nu-Way Sports and Social Club, Droitwich Williams compiled a break of 109. [8] [9]
1 February 196725.Elliot Lucas Sports and Social, Cannock [9]
2 February 196726.Elliot Lucas Sports and Social, Cannock [9]
3 February 196727.Audco Sports and Social, Newport, Shropshire [9]
9 February 196728.Parish Hall, Rhabon, near Wrexham [9]
13 February 196729. Hitchin Conservative Club [9]
14 February 196730.Fordham British Legion, Ely [9]
15 February 196731. Maldon Constitutional Club [9]
16 February 196732.Victoria Billiards Club, Southend [9]
17 February 196733. Eastbourne Constitutional Club [9]
23 February 196734.Marconi Athletic, Chelmsford [9]
24 February 196735.A.C. Delco Sports and Social, Dunstable [9]
27 February 196736. Port Sunlight Men's Club [9]
28 February 196737.Grange Town British Legion, Middlesbrough [9]
 ??
8 March 1967 ??Davis4–119–17Friendly Societies' Hall, Tunbridge Wells [15] [16]
 ??
46.25–21 [12]
April 196747.Davis5–025–22 Newark Conservative Club [12]
April 196748.Davis5–025–23 Skipton British Legion [12]
April 196749.Williams3–226–23British Sidac, St. Helens Williams achieved a winning margin. [12]
April 196750.Davis3–226–24 Merthyr Labour Club [12]
April 196751.Davis4–126–25Ferranti Recreation, Manchester [12]

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References

  1. ↑ "World Open Snooker Championship". The Billiard Player. Billiards Association and Control Council. May 1960. p. 15.
  2. ↑ "Australian Open Snooker Tournament". The Billiard Player. Billiards Association and Control Council. May 1960. pp. 3, 8.
  3. 1 2 Everton, Clive (2012). Black farce and cue ball wizards. Edinburgh: Mainstream. p. 41. ISBN   9781780575681.
  4. ↑ "World snooker champion plays at Swadlincote". Burton Observer and Chronicle. 19 January 1967. p. 11.
  5. ↑ "International snooker promotions...". Billiards and Snooker. Birmingham: Billiards and Snooker Control Council. December 1966. p. 11.
  6. ↑ "International snooker promotions...". Billiards and Snooker. Birmingham: Billiards and Snooker Control Council. January 1967. p. 9.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Davis in the lead". Billiards and Snooker. Birmingham: Billiards and Snooker Control Council. December 1966. p. 11.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 "Davis keeps lead". Billiards and Snooker. Birmingham: Billiards and Snooker Control Council. January 1967. p. 9.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 "Williams takes the lead". Billiards and Snooker. Birmingham: Billiards and Snooker Control Council. January 1967. p. 11.
  10. ↑ "Williams leads". Billiards and Snooker. Birmingham: Billiards and Snooker Control Council. March 1967. p. 7.
  11. ↑ "(Untitled article)". Billiards and Snooker. Birmingham: Billiards and Snooker Control Council. April 1967. p. 7.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "(Untitled article)". Billiards and Snooker. Birmingham: Billiards and Snooker Control Council. May 1967. p. 12.
  13. ↑ "Williams wins world snooker title". The Times. London. 10 April 1967. p. 18.
  14. ↑ "Clubs". Liverpool Echo. 3 December 1966. p. 14.
  15. ↑ "Snooker stars are coming". Kent & Sussex Courier Date=3 March 1967. p. 24.
  16. ↑ "Consistency counts says Fred Davis". Kent & Sussex Courier Date=10 March 1967. p. 22.
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