1980 Professional Ticket Event

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1980 Professional Ticket Event
Tournament information
Dates7–13 December 1980 (1980-12-07 – 1980-12-13)
VenueSnooker Centre
City Sheffield
CountryEngland
Organisation WPBSA
FormatAmateur (Tour Qualifier)
Highest break132 (Eugene Hughes)
Final
Champion Flag of England.svg Dave Martin
Runner-up Flag of Ireland.svg Eugene Hughes
Score9–6
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The 1980 Professional Ticket Event was a snooker main tour qualifying event held by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), which took place from 7 to 13 December 1980. The tournament was played at the Snooker Centre in Sheffield, Yorkshire, and featured eight invited amateur players who hoped to qualify to compete on the main tour as professionals for the following season. [1] [2] It was promoted by Mike Watterson on behalf of the WPBSA. [3]

Contents

Dave Martin won the tournament, beating Eugene Hughes 9–6 in the final. [3] Hughes recorded the highest break of the event, 132, in the 13th frame of the final. [3]

At the time of the tournament, the WPBSA had a policy that only winners of the World Amateur Snooker Championship, the English Amateur Championship or a Professional Ticket event would be admitted as professional players. This was changed so that "established amateur international snooker players and winners of prestigious amateur titles" [4] : 10  would also be considered, and by February 1981, Watterson, Hughes and Paul Medati had all been accepted as professionals, along with Jack Fitzmaurice (who had withdrawn from the Professional Ticket Event because he felt it was an unfair system) and Dessie Sheehan. Billy Kelly and Mick Fisher had applied but were rejected. [5] [3] [4]

Main draw

Results for the tournament are shown below. [3]

Quarter-finals
Best of 17 frames 		Semi-finals
Best of 17 frames 		Final
Best of 17 frames
Flag of Ireland.svg Eugene Hughes 9
Flag of England.svg Mick Fisher 3 Flag of Ireland.svg Eugene Hughes 9
Flag of Ireland.svg Billy Kelly 9 Flag of Ireland.svg Billy Kelly 2
Flag of England.svg Vic Harris 8 Flag of Ireland.svg Eugene Hughes 6
Flag of England.svg Ian Williamson 9 Flag of England.svg Dave Martin 9
Flag of England.svg Paul Medati 5 Flag of England.svg Ian Williamson 3
Flag of England.svg Dave Martin 6 [lower-alpha 1] Flag of England.svg Dave Martin 9
Flag of England.svg Tony Graham 2

Final

Final: Best of 17 frames.
Snooker Centre, Sheffield, England, 13 December 1980. [3]
Dave Martin
Flag of England.svg  England 		9–6 Eugene Hughes
Flag of Ireland.svg Ireland
13–70(53), 82–15, 85(68)–22, 85–15, 87–33, 76–17, 98(79)–36, 39–87, 51–58, 81–49, 46–78, 21–97(59), 0–133(132), 87–15, 64–44
79Highest break132
0Century breaks1
250+ breaks3

Century breaks

There were two century breaks at the tournament:

Notes

  1. ↑ Martin led Graham 6–2, at which point Graham conceded. [5]

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References

  1. ↑ "Vic Harris: trying for his ticket". Snooker Scene. October 1980. p. 12.
  2. ↑ "...and Eugene's". Belfast Telegraph. 4 October 1980. p. 17.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Martin earns ticket". Snooker Scene. February 1981. p. 7.
  4. 1 2 "WPBSA see the light". Snooker Scene. February 1981. pp. 10–11.
  5. 1 2 "Not the ticket". Snooker Scene. January 1981. p. 25.
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