1928 World Snooker Championship

Professional snooker tournament 1928 World Snooker Championship 1927 12 28 1928 05 17 y yes Camkin's Hall Birmingham England BACC Alec Mann ENG (46) Joe Davis ENG Fred Lawrence ENG 16–13 1927 1929 The 1928 World Snooker Championship was a professional snooker tournament held at various venues from 28 December 1927 to 17 May 1928. It was the second staging of the World Snooker Championship. It was played on a challenge basis with the other six entrants playing off for the right to challenge defending champion Joe Davis in the final. The final was held at the Camkin's Hall in Birmingham, England, with three of the other matches contested there, and one each played in Leamington Spa and Nottingham. Davis won 16–13 in the final against Fred Lawrence, and retained the title. Davis had won the professional billiards championship earlier in May, and became the first person to hold the professional titles in billiards and snooker titles concurrently, and then the first person to win them both in the same season. The highest break of the snooker tournament was 46, compiled by Alec Mann in the third frame of his first round match against Albert Cope. Background Professional English billiards player and billiard hall manager Joe Davis had noticed the increasing popularity of snooker compared to billiards in the 1920s, and with Birmingham-based billiard hall manager Bill Camkin, who had also seen snooker's increasing appeal, persuaded the Billiards Association and Control Council (BACC) to recognise an official professional snooker championship in the 1926–27 season.Everton Clive 23 September 2004 Davis, Joseph [Joe] https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-31013 10.1093/ref:odnb/31013 11 May 2020 subscription https://web.archive.org/web/20190903050418/https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-31013 3 September 2019 live The inaugural event was won by Davis, who defeated Tom Dennis 20–11 in the final.Everton Clive 1993 The Embassy Book of World Snooker Bloomsbury London 0747516103 11–13 Originally called the Professional Championship of Snooker, the annual competition was not titled the World Championship until 1935,Billiards – Professional title Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer 3 November 1934 24 November 2015 http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000687/19341103/342/0007 British Newspaper Archive subscription 7 but the 1927 tournament is now referred to as the first World Snooker Championship.History of snooker – a timeline https://wpbsa.com/about-us/history/ World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association 29 May 2021 For the 1928 championship, a qualifying competition was held to produce a challenger to Davis, the defending champion.Thorn A. Stanley Notes from headquarters: Professional snooker championship The Billiard Player W. G. Clifford November 1927 2 Most of the rules of the competition were as per the previous year, except that the preliminary rounds were to be played over 23 frame frames (rather than the 15 in 1927). Entry fees would be used to provide prize money for the finalists, with 60 per cent going to the champion. As a trophy had been purchased the previous year, there was no need to deduct money from entry fees to buy one, unlike at the first staging. The venue for the semi-finals and final was to be Camkin's Hall, Birmingham, with those matches supervised by the Midland Counties Billiard Association, and the players concerned would be left to arrange the locations for earlier rounds. The entry fee was set at five guineas per player (UK 5 5 0 1928 eq £), with a five-guineas sidestake required.Thorn A. Stanley Notes from headquarters: Professional snooker championship The Billiard Player W. G. Clifford October 1927 2 The Billiards Championship had been contested on a similar basis, with qualifying matches to produce a challenger to the champion, previously, and the system continued for that competition as well, but with an entry fee of £50 for the preliminary rounds, UK 50 0 0 1928 eq £. The closing date for entries for the snooker championship was 1 November 1927. There were seven entrants: Davis, Dennis, Tom Newman, Fred Smith, Albert Cope, Alec Mann, and Fred Lawrence.Sports in brief: professional snooker 17 November 1927 The Times 7 Summary The first match played was between Tom Newman and Fred Smith at the Albert Hall, Kenilworth Street, Leamington Spa from 28 to 30 December. Newman led 7–1 after the first day and 10–6 at the end of the second day.Professional Snooker Championship – Contest at Leamington Leamington Spa Courier 30 December 1927 27 November 2015 http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000635/19271230/084/0004 British Newspaper Archive subscription 4 Newman won the first two frames on the final day to secure victory at 12–6.Professional Snooker Championship Leamington Spa Courier 6 January 1928 27 November 2015 http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000635/19280106/081/0004 British Newspaper Archive subscription 4 Alec Mann compiled a break of 46 in the third frame against Albert Cope and made a 23 break at his following visit. During that frame he conceded points from five successive foul shots, and more from two later fouls, finally winning the frame by 107 points to 42. The match was 2–2 at the first interval, before Mann took three of the next four to lead 5–3 after the first day.Snooker experts in opposition Birmingham Daily Gazette 24 January 1928 10 On the second day, Mann added the first four frames, with Cope subsequently recovering from 3–9 to 6–10,Mann doing well Birmingham Daily Gazette 25 January 1928 10 and on the third day secured the win at 12–8. The three "dead" frames were played, resulting in a final score of 14–9 to Mann.Snooker test Birmingham Daily Gazette 26 January 1928 10 Mann's break of 46 was the highest made in the 1928 tournament.1931 World Professional Championship http://www.globalsnookercentre.co.uk/files/Results/31world.htm globalsnookercentre.co.uk Global Snooker Centre 29 February 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20060517050555/http://www.globalsnookercentre.co.uk/files/Results/31world.htm 17 May 2006 On 16 January, the day after he had eliminated Cope, Mann's match against Fred Lawrence commenced. Mann obtained a 3–1 lead, before the first day finished at 4–4.Keen snooker Birmingham Daily Gazette 27 January 1928 10 Lawrence took a 7–5 lead, and after the players each added a further two frames, was 9–7 ahead going into the last day.Snooker experts in opposition Birmingham Daily Gazette 28 January 1928 10 After the first session on the third day, Lawrence led 11–9, but Mann won the following frame, and added the almost 50-minute long 22nd frame. In the deciding frame, Lawrence led by 17 points to 4, before a 21 break from Mann. Lawrence, through safety play and snooker snookers, gained penalty points conceded by Mann and won the frame with a 20 break from the yellow ball to the pink ball.Snooker test Birmingham Daily Gazette 30 January 1928 10 The match between Tom Dennis and Newman was played from 29 to 31 March at The Lounge, Shakespeare Street, Nottingham. Newman took a 5–3 lead on the first day and increased this to 11–5 after two days, just one frame from victory. Newman won the first frame on the final day to take a winning 12–5 lead. The evening session was rearranged to include a billiards match as well as a frame of snooker.Snooker Championship – Newman proves too good for Dennis Nottingham Evening Post 31 March 1928 1 December 2015 http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000321/19280331/016/0005 British Newspaper Archive subscription 5 Newman and Lawrence met in Birmingham from 7 to 9 May. Lawrence led 6–2 after the first day. From 5–9, Newman won the last two frames on the second day to reduce Lawrence's lead to 9–7 but Lawrence progressed to the final against Davis by securing the first three frames on the final day to win the match 12–7.All sorts of sport Nottingham Evening Post 10 May 1928 1 December 2015 http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000321/19280510/008/0003 British Newspaper Archive subscription 3 On 5 May, Davis became the professional English billiards champion for the first time, defeating Newman 16,000 – 14,874, making sixty century centuries in the last professional final to be played with ivory balls.Everton Clive 2012 A History of Billiards englishbilliards.org Malmesbury 978-0-9564054-5-6 84 Davis thereby became the first player to hold the professional titles in both billiards and snooker, an achievement not matched until his brother Fred Davis won the billiards championship in 1980.Everton Clive Fred v Joe: the continuing battle Snooker Scene Everton's News Agency Halesowen July 1980 2 Final The final between Davis and Lawrence was played from 14 to 17 May in Camkin's Hall in Birmingham. Lawrence and Davis shared the opening four frames in the afternoon session for 2–2, but Davis won all four frames in the evening to lead 6–2 after the first day.The Snooker title – Davis and Lawrence start professional final Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer 15 May 1928 1 December 2015 http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000687/19280515/422/0020 British Newspaper Archive subscription 20 Lawrence won three frames on the second evening but Davis still led 9–7 after two days play.The Snooker title – Davis maintains his lead in the final Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer 16 May 1928 1 December 2015 http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000687/19280516/271/0015 British Newspaper Archive subscription 15 Three consecutive frame victories on the third afternoon helped Davis obtain a 14–10 after the third day, needing just two frames on the final day.The Snooker title – Davis still leading in the final Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer 17 May 1928 1 December 2015 http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000687/19280517/386/0019 British Newspaper Archive subscription 19 Lawrence won three of the four afternoon frames on the final day to reduce Davis's lead to 15–13, pot potting well in the first two frames before what the Birmingham Daily Gazette termed a "woefully weak shot" when he was attempting to pot the blue ball failed. Directly after this, Davis made a break of 18. Lawrence was 26 points behind after all the red ball red balls had been potted, and although he potted the first five of the six colour ball coloured balls, left an easy opportunity on the black ball, with Davis potting it to take the frame. Lawrence, who made a 42 break, claimed the following frame for 13–15. Lawrence led 52–14 in the first evening frame but Davis eventually won it 64–56 to retain his title by 16 frames to 13.Double for Davis – Chesterfield player retains snooker title Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer 18 May 1928 1 December 2015 http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000687/19280518/270/0014 British Newspaper Archive subscription 14 Davis became the first player to claim both the professional billiards and snooker titles in the same season. The highest break of the final was a 44 by Davis in the 24th frame, the last of the third evening.Snooker Championship Sheffield Daily Telegraph 17 May 1928 8 Two "dead" frames were then played, both won by Davis. The presentation of the trophy and a gold medal to Davis, and of cheques to both players, was made by Mr. T. Heyman, chairman of the Midland Amateur Billiards Association.Joe Davis retains snooker title Birmingham Daily Gazette 18 May 1928 10 Davis recorded in his 1976 autobiography that "my old rival Fred Lawrence ... played extremely well and made me sweat it out," adding that "the finances worked out rather more favourably than in 1927," with Davis receiving £32 prize money (UK 32 0 0 1928 eq £) and a £25 12s 6d share of the gate receipts (UK 26 0 0 1928 eq £). The Breaks Came My Way Davis Joe 1976 W. H. Allen London 0-491-01686-7 91 Main draw Schedule The schedule for the tournament is shown below. +1928 World Snooker Championship schedule Match Dates Venue, city Ref. Tom Newman v Fred Smith 28–30 December 1927 Albert Hall, Leamington Spa Alec Mann v Albert Cope 23–25 January 1928 Camkin's Hall, Birmingham Fred Lawrence v Alec Mann 26–28 January 1928 Camkin's Hall, Birmingham Tom Newman v Tom Dennis 29–31 March 1928 Lounge Hall, Nottingham Fred Lawrence v Tom Newman 7–9 May 1928 Camkin's Hall, Birmingham Joe Davis v Fred Lawrence 14–17 May 1928 Camkin's Hall, Birmingham Results Match results are shown below. Winning players and scores are denoted in bold text.Embassy World Championship http://www.snookerscene.co.uk/page.php?id=36 https://web.archive.org/web/20130124071753/http://www.snookerscene.co.uk/page.php?id=36 24 January 2013 Snooker Scene 4 April 2012 The score in the match between Mann and Cope includes "dead" frames. Round 1Best of 23 frames Round 2Best of 23 frames Round 3Best of 23 frames FinalBest of 31 frames Alec Mann ENG 14 Albert Cope ENG 9 Tom Newman ENG 12 Fred Smith ENG 6 Fred Lawrence ENG 12 Alec Mann ENG 11 Tom Dennis ENG 5 Tom Newman ENG 12 Fred Lawrence ENG 12 Tom Newman ENG 7 Joe Davis ENG 16 Fred Lawrence ENG 13 Final Final:The Snooker title – Davis and Lawrence start professional final Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer 15 May 1928 1 December 2015 http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000687/19280515/422/0020 British Newspaper Archive subscription 20 The Snooker title – Davis maintains his lead in the final Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer 16 May 1928 1 December 2015 http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000687/19280516/271/0015 15 British Newspaper Archive subscription The Snooker title – Davis still leading in the final Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer 17 May 1928 1 December 2015 http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000687/19280517/386/0019 19 British Newspaper Archive subscription Amateur snooker championship Leamington Spa Courier 18 May 1928 21 November 2015 http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000635/19280518/117/0006 6 British Newspaper Archive subscription Turner Chris World Professional Championship http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/world.html https://web.archive.org/web/20130416080933/http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/world.html 16 April 2013 cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk Chris Turner's Snooker Archive 9 February 2011Best of 31 framesCamkin's Hall, Birmingham, England14–17 May 1928Referee: Fred Smith. Joe Davis 16–13 Fred Lawrence Day 1: 95–38, 47–54, 93–28, 38–81, 84–59, 57–46, 89–20, 60–43Day 2: 68–42, 95–29, 43–69, 40–63, 54–51, 40–44, 32–73, 59–66Day 3: 74–65, 83–20, 41–74, 58–45, 50–78, 66–55, 44–71, 80–23Day 4: 41–68, 38–69, 54–43, 40–74, 64–56 References 30em 1928 World Snooker Championship World Snooker Championship World Snooker Championship