1981 Masters (snooker)

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1981 Benson & Hedges Masters
Tournament information
Dates27 January – 1 February 1981 (1981-01-27 1981-02-01)
Venue Wembley Conference Centre
CityLondon
CountryEngland
Organisation WPBSA
FormatNon-ranking event
Total prize fund£20,500
Winner's share£6,000
Highest breakFlag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Terry Griffiths  (WAL) (136)
Final
ChampionUlster Banner.svg  Alex Higgins  (NIR)
Runner-upFlag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Terry Griffiths  (WAL)
Score9–6
1980
1982

The 1981 Masters (officially the 1981 Benson & Hedges Masters) was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place from Tuesday 27 January to Sunday 1 February 1981 at the Wembley Conference Centre in London, England. The number of invited players had been raised to 12, which saw Steve Davis make his Masters debut and a rise in prize money. With the increase in the number of players the tournament was extended from 5 days to 6, with a Sunday finish.

Contents

Alex Higgins reached his fourth consecutive Masters final by defeating Cliff Thorburn 6–5 in the semi-finals, despite having trailed 1–5. There he reversed the result of the 1980 final against Terry Griffiths, who had himself made a dramatic recovery to beat John Spencer 6–5 in the semi-finals, after trailing 2–5 and needing two snookers in the eighth frame. Griffiths set a new tournament record break of 136 in the final. The tournament attracted 18,742 spectators in its six days, including a new British tournament record of 2,422 for the final session.

Main draw

[1] [2] [3]

Round 1
Best of 9 frames
Quarter-finals
Best of 9 frames
Semi-finals
Best of 11 frames
Final
Best of 17 frames
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Terry Griffiths  (WAL)5
Flag of England.svg  Fred Davis  (ENG)5 Flag of England.svg Fred Davis 2
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Kirk Stevens  (CAN)4 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Terry Griffiths 6
Flag of England.svg John Spencer 5
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Ray Reardon  (WAL)1
Ulster Banner.svg  Dennis Taylor  (NIR)2 Flag of England.svg John Spencer 5
Flag of England.svg  John Spencer  (ENG)5 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Terry Griffiths 6
Ulster Banner.svg Alex Higgins 9
Ulster Banner.svg  Alex Higgins  (NIR)5
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Eddie Charlton  (AUS)0 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Doug Mountjoy 1
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Doug Mountjoy  (WAL)5 Ulster Banner.svg Alex Higgins 6
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Cliff Thorburn 5
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Cliff Thorburn  (CAN)5
Flag of South Africa (1928-1994).svg  Perrie Mans  (RSA)5 Flag of South Africa (1928-1994).svg Perrie Mans 4
Flag of England.svg  Steve Davis  (ENG)3

Final

Final: Best of 17 frames. Referee: John Smyth
Wembley Conference Centre, London, England, 1 February 1981.
Alex Higgins
Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland
9–6 Terry Griffiths
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales
First session:117–10 (75), 38–69, 54–64, 62–47, 99–38, 58–31, 20–69, 69–10, 77–37, 75–39, 113–5, 0–136 (136), 31–97, 51–62, 85–48
75Highest break136
0Century breaks1
150+ breaks1

Century breaks

Total: 2 [4]

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References

  1. "1981 Masters Results". Snooker Database. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
  2. "The Masters". Snooker Scene. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  3. "1981 Benson & Hedges Masters". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 7 October 2008. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  4. "1981 Masters". CueTracker - Snooker Results and Statistics Database. Retrieved 19 January 2015.