1977 Masters (snooker)

Professional non-ranking snooker tournament, Feb 1977 August 2026 1977 Benson & Hedges Masters 1977 02 7 1977 02 11 y New London Theatre London England Non-Ranking event £5,200 £2,000 Doug Mountjoy WAL (88) Doug Mountjoy WAL Ray Reardon WAL 7–6 1976 1978 The 1977 Masters (officially the 1977 Benson & Hedges Masters) was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place between 7 and 11 February 1977 at the New London Theatre in London, England. It was organised by representatives of the sponsors, cigarette brand Benson & Hedges, and sanctioned by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Ten players were invited to participate. Ray Reardon was the defending champion, having defeated Graham Miles 7–3 in the 1976 final. Doug Mountjoy, who was a replacement after Eddie Charlton dropped out, won his first professional title, defeating Reardon 7–6 in the final. Mountjoy made the highest break of the tournament, 88, in the tenth frame of the final. An English billiards tournament was held alongside the snooker, won by Rex Williams who defeated Fred Davis by 277 points to 153. Overview thumb|alt=A head and shoulders picture of Ray reardon|Ray Reardon (pictured circa 1983) was the defending champion. The 1977 Masters was staged at the New London Theatre in Drury Lane, London, with ten invited players and was the third edition of the Masters after its establishment in 1975.Turner Chris The Masters http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/masters.html https://web.archive.org/web/20120107160419/http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/masters.html 7 January 2012 Chris Turner's Snooker Archive 1 March 2011 It was organised by representatives of the sponsors, cigarette brand Benson & Hedges, and sanctioned by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Anthony Holden wrote in The Sunday Times that the event was "lavish enough to be dubbed the game's 'showcase event.'"Holden Anthony Atticus: Pop black The Sunday Times 13 February 1977 32 Ray Reardon was the defending champion, having defeated Graham Miles 7–3 in the 1976 final.Corbett Ted Ray is still the master Daily Mirror 31 January 1976 26 https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-mirror/202100700/ Newspapers.com The top eight players on the world ranking list were invited, along with Dennis Taylor (ranked ninth) and John Pulman (ranked 15th) as wild cards. Perrie Mans was included for the first time, replacing Cliff Thorburn.Mans invited for three major events Snooker Scene December 1976 21 Eddie Charlton withdrew because of business commitments and was replaced by Doug Mountjoy, who had won the World Amateur Snooker Championship in October 1976 and then turned professional.Mountjoy in Hull Daily Mail 10 December 1976 24 https://www.newspapers.com/article/hull-daily-mail/202302948/ Newspapers.com Highlights of the 1977 Masters final were broadcast as part of Grandstand on BBC1, with commentary by Ted Lowe.Grandstand BBC Programme Index BBC https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/afab63dd8aa940b18e7c968a2e62338f 24 July 2026 Prize fund The winner of the event received £2,000 from a total prize fund of £5,200. The breakdown of prize money for the event, where known, is shown below:Everton Clive Title for Mountjoy The Guardian 12 February 1977 16 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-guardian/202302150/ Newspapers.comAdvertisement for the Benson and Hedges Masters Evening Standard 4 February 1977 42 https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-standard/202302452/ Newspapers.com Winner: £2,000 Runner-up: £1,000 Semi-finals: £500 Total: £5,200 Summary First round First round matches were played on 7 and 8 February as the best-of-seven frames. Doug Mountjoy won the first and third frames both on the final black ball and made a break of 87 in the second frame, to establish a 3–0 lead against John Pulman.Everton Clive Mountjoy strikes The Guardian 8 February 1977 18 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-guardian/202310933/ Newspapers.com Pulman took the next two frames, then Mountjoy sealed a 4–2 win with a break of 64. John Spencer and Dennis Taylor were level at 2–2. Spencer went on to win 4–2, compiling a break of 66 in the sixth frame.Spencer is through with 66 break The Birmingham Post 9 February 1977 12 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-birmingham-post/202314390/ Newspapers.com Quarter-finals The quarter-finals were played from 7 to 9 February as the best-of-seven frames. Ray Reardon, holder of both Masters and World Professional Snooker Championship titles, faced the reigning World Professional Billiards Champion, Rex Williams.Reardon defending title South Wales Argus 8 February 1977 12 https://www.newspapers.com/article/south-wales-argus/202312888/ Newspapers.com Williams took a 38-point lead in the first frame, but lost it after Reardon made breaks of 23, 43 and 20.Everton Clive Reardon remembers The Guardian 9 February 1977 16 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-guardian/202312429/ Newspapers.com A break of 84 by Reardon won him the second frame, then he took a 3–0 lead after breaks of 30 and 22. Williams took the fourth frame with a break of 43. Breaks of 40 and 33 contributed to Reardon completing a 4–1 win. Readon, who said "I love it when something goes a little bit wrong. I need a bit of aggro to get my adrenaline going", commented that Williams "started well, didn't he? Worst thing he could have done." Graham Miles defeated Spencer 4–1. Miles made breaks of at least 32 in each frame; he lost frame four despite making a break of 51. Fred Davis won the second frame on the black to establish a 2–0 lead against Mountjoy. Mountjoy levelled at 2–2 and, with breaks of 53 and 50, added the fourth frame with 115 points to 0 and the fifth by 82 points to 7. Perrie Mans won the first frame against Alex Higgins on the final black ball. Breaks of 45 in frame two and 63 in frame three gave Higgins a 2–1 lead. Mans took frame four, and Higgins took the lead again by clearing the colours in frame five. Mans led on points in the sixth frame before breaks of 31 and 25 by Higgins secured his victory at 4–2. Semi-finals The semi-finals were held on 10 February as the best-of-nine frames. Reardon moved into a 3–1 lead against Miles, and although Miles made it 3–2, Reardon went on to win 5–2.Now Mountjoy meets Reardon The Daily Telegraph 11 February 1977 30 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-telegraph/202316940/ Newpapers.com The match report in the Daily Telegraph said that Reardon "potted soundly". In The Guardian, Clive Everton wrote that "Ray Reardon, who rarely raises to the heights in afternoon sessions, made an exception for Graham Miles".Everton Clive Clive Everton Mountjoy in final The Guardian 11 February 1977 18 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-guardian/203406060/ Newspapers.com Mountjoy sealed a 5–3 win against Higgins with a break of 54 in frame eight. Higgins was never ahead in the match, although he levelled the scoreline three times after Mountjoy had held a one-frame lead.Higgins settles for £500 Belfast Telegraph 11 February 1977 25 The Snooker Scene report commented that the match "contained many errors"18–19 Higgins later wrote, "by [the semi-finals] I had tasted the nightlife of the Big Smoke and succumbed to my bad habits of late nights and too much booze. I was beaten fair and square by the new kid on the block, Doug Mountjoy".Higgins 2007 113 Final The final between Reardon and Mountjoy was played on 11 February as the best-of-13 frames across two sessions. John Street was the referee. Reardon won the opening frame, and added the second frame with a break of 51. He compiled an early break of 54 in the third frame and appeared to be heading for a 3–0 lead, but lost position, allowing Mountjoy to make his first significant contribution to the match and make it 2–1. the first session finished with them level at 3–3. Mountjoy took the first frame of the second session, but Reardon equalised the match by winning frame eight. Reardon added frame nine with breaks of 22, 30 and 56. Mountjoy made a break of 88, the highest of the tournament, to win the 10th frame, after Reardon had committed a foul by potting a red when he broke into the pack of red as he potted a black. Reardon regained the lead at 6–5 with a break of 75 in the twelfth frame, but Mountjoy responded immediately with a break of 76 to level the match at 6–6. In the deciding frame, Reardon missed an attempt to pot a black after the last red, and Mountjoy cleared the colours from yellow to pink to claim victory.Benson and Hedges Masters Snooker Scene March 1977 17–19 Mountjoy had started the event as a 33–1 outsider. The win was his first professional title.https://wst.tv/players/doug-mountjoy/ Doug Mountjoy World Snooker Tour 10 March 2020 21 February 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200221171230/https://wst.tv/players/doug-mountjoy/ dead He said afterwards, "I feel as if I have leaped to the top of a mountain at the first attempt."Ray pays a £1,000 penalty Evening Sentinel Stoke-on-Trent 12 February 1977 10 https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-sentinel/202344590/ Newspapers.com In 1987, Reardon recalled that "The final with Doug was a great match. It was close; there were big breaks in almost every frame; and it's probably the most enjoyable match I've ever had in the competition, even though I lost."Karen Earl Ltd West One Creative 1987 4 In 1982 he had written, "Mountjoy deserved his success, though I lost concentration a little."Reardon Buxton 1982 123 Snooker Scene magazine described the final as an "engrossing match" and welcomed Mountjoy's victory, as it saw newcomers challenging the established order as being in the sport's best interests.18 Tournament draw The draw for the tournament is shown below. The match winners are shown in bold.1977 Masters Results http://www.snookerdatabase.co.uk/EventResults.aspx?EventKey=95 Snooker Database 5 May 2011 7 October 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111007103847/http://www.snookerdatabase.co.uk/EventResults.aspx?EventKey=95 deadThe Masters http://www.snookerscene.co.uk/page.php?id=60 https://web.archive.org/web/20130124071627/http://www.snookerscene.co.uk/page.php?id=60 24 January 2013 Snooker Scene 7 March 2012 180 Round 1Best of 7 frames Quarter-finalsBest of 7 frames Semi-finalsBest of 9 frames FinalBest of 13 frames Dennis Taylor NIR 2 John Spencer ENG 4 John Pulman ENG 2 Doug Mountjoy WAL 4 Ray Reardon WAL 4 Rex Williams ENG 1 Graham Miles ENG 4 John Spencer ENG 1 Fred Davis ENG 2 Doug Mountjoy WAL 4 Alex Higgins NIR 4 Perrie Mans RSA 1928 2 Ray Reardon WAL 5 Graham Miles ENG 2 Doug Mountjoy WAL 5 Alex Higgins NIR 3 Ray Reardon WAL 6 Doug Mountjoy WAL 7 Final: details and frame scores +FinalBenson & Hedges Masters snooker.org https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?event=1724 24 July 2026 14 October 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20241014185818/https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?event=1724 live Triple Crown Final Referees World Snooker Tour https://www.wst.tv/referees/triplecrownfinalreferees/ 17 July 2026 5 April 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250405113327/https://www.wst.tv/referees/triplecrownfinalreferees/ live Best of 13 frames. Referee: John StreetNew London Theatre, London, England, 11 February 1977.Numbers in parentheses are breaks of 50 or more. Doug Mountjoy WAL 7–6 Ray Reardon WAL First session: 57–74, 21–97 (51), 74–60 (54), 49–62, 99–6 (70), 96–32 (78)Second session: 61–29, 46–73, 6–120 (56), 95–28 (88), 59–75 (75), 76–25 (76), 55–41 88 Highest break 75 4 50+ breaks 4 Billiards thumb|upright=0.6|alt=A headshot of Rex Williams|Rex Williams (pictured in 1988), the reigning World Billiards Champion since 1968, defeated Fred Davis in the final. An English billiards tournament was held alongside the snooker. It was the first professional billiards event staged in London for almost 25 years. Seven of the players from the snooker tournament played for the right to meet Williams, world champion since 1968, in a match where £500 went to the winner. In the first round, Higgins defeated Taylor, the 1968 under-19 British junior billiards champion, by 140–133.Everton Clive Late start – by request The Birmingham Post 5 April 1968 42 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-birmingham-post/202321396/ Newspapers.com Taylor had not played billiards since winning the junior title, and commented that "If you don't play billiards, you lose all touch for the game." Davis, the under-16 British champion in 1928, and the holder of the UK Billiards title since it was last staged in 1951, made a break of 87 in his defeat of Miles.http://www.eaba.co.uk/eaba/?p=6402 Under 16 Champions 18 October 2013 English Amateur Billiards Association 29 June 2020 16 September 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190916090102/http://www.eaba.co.uk/eaba/?p=6402 dead Pulman, a quarter-finalist in the English Amateur Billiards Championship in 1946, beat Mountjoy; Mountjoy commented "To me billiards is more difficult because I don't know what to do." Spencer received a walkover when Higgins failed to appear for their second round match.Everton Clive Higgins misses his cue The Guardian 10 February 1977 16 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-guardian/202314780/ Newspapers.com Higgins had been practicing at the time, under the mistaken impression that the match was on the following day. Davis beat Pulman 175–66. In the play-off to meet Williams, Davis compiled a break of 219, the highest of the tournament, and 98, in his 392–74 defeat of Spencer. Davis led Williams 153–68 in the 45-minute final, but Williams made an unfinished break of 209 to secure victory at 277–153. Billiards tournament draw and results The draw for the tournament is shown below. Players in bold denote match winners.Williams beats off Davis challenge Snooker Scene March 1977 21 First round30 minutes Second round30 minutes Third round45 minutes Final45 minutes Alex Higgins NIR 140 Dennis Taylor NIR 133 John Pulman ENG 162 Doug Mountjoy WAL 90 Fred Davis ENG 150 Graham Miles ENG 86 John Spencer ENG w.o. NIR Alex Higgins John Pulman ENG 66 Fred Davis ENG 175 ENG John Spencer 74 ENG Fred Davis 392 ENG Rex Williams 277 ENGFred Davis 153 References Books Karen Earl Ltd West One Creative Benson and Hedges Masters Snooker Tournament: Official Souvenir Programme London The Furnival Press 1987 Higgins Alex From the eye of the Hurricane: My story London Headline 2007 978 0 7553 1661 8 Reardon Ray Buxton Peter Ray Reardon 1982 David & Charles Newton Abbott 978-0-7153-8262-2 External links End of the concluding frame of the final, published by World Snooker Tour on YouTube 1977 Masters Masters (snooker) Masters (snooker) Category:Covent Garden Category:Sport in the London Borough of Camden