1975 Masters (snooker)

Professional non-ranking snooker tournament held in January 1975 August 2026 1975 Benson & Hedges Masters 1975 01 13 1975 01 17 y West Centre Hotel London England Single elimination; non-ranking event £5,292 £2,000 John Spencer ENG (92) John Spencer ENG Ray Reardon WAL 9–8 1976 The 1975 Masters (officially the 1975 Benson & Hedges Masters) was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 13 to 17 January 1975 at the West Centre Hotel in London. It was the inaugural edition of the Masters and featured ten invited players. The tournament was organised by representatives of the cigarette brand Benson & Hedges and sanctioned by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. John Spencer won the event, defeating Ray Reardon 9–8 on a re-spotted black in the final frame. The highest break of the tournament was 92, made by Spencer in the first frame of the final. The inaugural tournament was not considered a great success, with sparse attendance attributed in part to its venue, and difficult playing conditions caused by the television lighting. Benson & Hedges continued to sponsor the Masters annually until 2003, when UK restrictions on tobacco advertising ended the arrangement, and the tournament has continued since under different sponsors. It is now regarded as one of snooker's most prestigious events, forming part of the sport's "Triple Crown" alongside the World Snooker Championship and the UK Championship. Overview The snooker journalist Clive Everton managed squash player Jonah Barrington and because of this got to know the sports sponsorship consultants Peter West and Patrick Nally.Everton Clive The day the Masters was born 31 January 2002 http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/snooker/benson_and_hedges_masters_2002/1764525.stm BBC Sport 17 July 2026 3 September 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170903213913/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/snooker/benson_and_hedges_masters_2002/1764525.stm live Hendon 2025 48 Everton suggested to West and Nally that in their pitch to tobacco company Gallaher, they include a proposal to sponsor snooker tournaments. West and Nally won a contract with Gallaher that led to the company sponsoring events under its Park Drive brand: Park Drive 2000 events in 1971 and 1972 and the World Snooker Championship in 1973 and 1974.Hendon 2025 48Park drive up prize money Snooker Scene February 1974 15 The 1975 World Championship was scheduled to be played in Australia and Park Drive exited from the sport, but another Gallaher brand, Benson & Hedges, instituted the Masters for 1975. Ten leading professionals were invited, and the winner's prize of £2,000 was a record in the game. The tournament was held in the ballroom of the West Centre Hotel, London, which could accommodate 750 spectators.Everton 2012 317 It was organised by representatives of Benson & Hedges and sanctioned by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA). Leonard Owen, director of special events for the sponsors, said that their ambition was to make the Masters the most stylish event in snooker and to "recreate the atmosphere" of Leicester Square Hall.Boost for snooker Evening Post Nottingham 19 December 1974 70 https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-post/201817483/ Newspapers.com The chairman of the WPBSA, Rex Williams, who was one of the ten players invited to participate, commented that "The style and scope of this new event is a real boost for the game. It's what the professional players have been trying to achieve for some time." Reardon, who was the World Champion at the time of the event, later wrote that "Snooker's rise in social status was amply illustrated by a dinner jacket, champagne and smoked salmon setting for the Benson and Hedges Masters tournament".Reardon Buxton 1982 109 Television lighting was in place throughout the event for consistency, although only highlights of the final received television coverage. The broadcast was part of Grandstand on BBC1, with commentary by Ted Lowe.Grandstand BBC Programme Index BBC https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/05e8b3d6bf224750a1676e7b635c3b1b 20 July 2026 5 May 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230505025641/https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/05e8b3d6bf224750a1676e7b635c3b1b live Prize fund The winner of the event received £2,000 from a total prize fund of £5,000 (excluding the highest break prize). The breakdown of prize money is shown below:1975 Benson & Hedges Masters http://www.globalsnookercentre.co.uk/files/Results/1900-1970/75bh.htm Global Snooker Centre 7 April 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20080907173415/http://www.globalsnookercentre.co.uk/files/Results/1900-1970/75bh.htm 7 September 2008Spencer wins on repotted black Belfast Telegraph 18 January 1975 13 https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/201851038/ Newspapers.com Winner: £2,000 Runner-up: £1,000 Semi-finals: £500 Quarter-finals: £250 First round: £100 Highest break: £92 (£1 per point) Total: £5,292 Summary First round First-round matches were played on 13 January as the best of nine frames.Advertisment for the Benson and Hedges Masters Fulham and Hammersmith Chronicle 10 January 1975 2 https://www.newspapers.com/article/fulham-and-hammersmith-chronicle/201847614/ Newspapers.com Bill Werbeniuk was whitewashed 5–0 by Alex Higgins.Reuters Thorburn tumbles in snooker series Vancouver Sun 14 January 1975 24 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun/201845704/ Newspapers.com Werbeniuk's cue had been stolen in December, and he was still not used to his new cue.Higgins to meet Williams Lancashire Telegraph 14 January 1975 14 https://www.newspapers.com/article/lancashire-telegraph/201848111/ Newspapers.com He led by 31 points in frame two with one red ball red remaining, but after losing that frame he never appeared to be in contention to win. Cliff Thorburn won the first three frames against John Pulman by comfortable margins. Pulman then took the next four frames and in frame eight he fluke fluked a snooker on the final blue ball; Thorburn failed to hit the blue and lost the frame and match. Quarter-finals The quarter-finals were played on 14 and 15 January as the best of nine frames. Graham Miles took a 2–0 lead against Ray Reardon, who had defeated him in the final of the 1974 World Snooker Championship.Reardon through to last four Evening Sentinel Stoke-on-Trent 15 January 1975 17 https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-sentinel/201849467/ Newspapers.com Reardon levelled the match at 2–2 and Miles won frame five. Miles lost frame six when he went in-off the re-spotted black. Reardon took the next two frames, to lead for the first time at 4–3 and then win 5–3. Rex Williams, the billiards world champion, trailed 0–3 to Higgins, but went on to win 5–3.Higgins throws away 3–0 lead Belfast Telegraph 16 January 1975 26 https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/201949188/ Newspapers.com The match report in Snooker Scene magazine said that although Williams's standard of potting was unremarkable, after winning frame four, "he dictated the pace of the game with his impeccable safety" and improved as the game went on and "nagged [Higgins] into impetuosity and error."6 The reporter wrote that Higgins missed many easy shots, "sometimes after playing a shot of extraordinary virtuosity."6 Fred Davis took a 3–1 lead against Eddie Charlton and looked likely to lead 4–1, but he missed a straightforward pot on the final pink ball and Charlton potted the pink to win the frame.Charlton 5–3 in snooker The Sydney Morning Herald 16 January 1975 16 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sydney-morning-herald/201846698/ Newspapers.com Charlton added the next three frames and won 5–3. The match was described in The Daily Telegraph as "a dogged battle full of errors and hardly worthy of the 'Masters' tag."Davis falls to Charlton The Daily Telegraph 15 January 1975 28 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-telegraph/201848823/ Newspapers.com Pulman recovered from 0–3 to 2–3 against John Spencer, the player who had defeated him in 1968 to end his ten-year reign as World Champion. Spencer won frame six 87–9 and Pulman took frame seven with a break of 64. Spencer won the match in frame eight with a break of 46. Semi-finals The semi-finals were held on 16 January as the best of nine frames. Spencer compiled a break of 73, the highest in the tournament at that point, in the second frame against Charlton, for a 2–0 lead.Spencer & Reardon in final The Daily Telegraph 17 January 1975 26 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-telegraph/201949482/ Newspapers.com He made a break of 49 in the third frame, but Charlton made a clearance of 44 to take the frame. Spencer moved into a 4–1 lead and won the match 5–3. Reardon defeated Williams 5–4 in a match described by Snooker Scene magazine as "one of the most gripping matches of the season".6 Williams's consistent safety play kept pressure on Reardon throughout. Williams won the opening frame, aided by breaks of 21 and 32, and followed it with breaks of 34 and 23 to take the second frame. Reardon responded with a break of 61 to win the third frame and then levelled the match at 2–2, but Williams regained the lead in the next frame with a break of 42. Reardon then equalised with a break of 63 in the sixth frame.Everton Clive Masters final for Spencer The Guardian 17 January 1975 25 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-guardian/201949493/ Newspapers.com According to Snooker Scene, Williams generally controlled the tactical exchanges and demonstrated tighter concentration. Williams went into a 4–3 lead before Reardon squared the match at 4–4, setting up a deciding frame that was tightly fought and low-scoring, with neither player managing a break above 20. In the closing stages, Reardon appeared to have secured the win with a long shot sending the blue into a top pocket, but the frame remained unsettled as both players became snookered in the following exchanges; Reardon went in-off attempting to escape one of them. Williams also had an opportunity when he fluked a snooker of his own, and later had a further chance to win the frame but was unable to convert it. Reardon ultimately won the match by potting a pink down the middle of the table at a half-ball angle. Final thumb|alt=A head and shoulders picture of Ray Reardon|Ray Reardon (pictured circa 1983) lost the final on a re-spotted black. The final between Spencer and Reardon was played on 17 January as the best of 17 frames across two sessions. Gus Lillygreen was the referee. In the first frame, Spencer made a 92 break, the highest of the tournament.Everton Clive Spencer wins in the end The Guardian 18 January 1975 19 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-guardian/201819107/ Newspapers.comJanuary 18 down the years: Golden Boy remains unbeaten http://www.espn.co.uk/onthisday/sport/story/33.html ESPN 23 May 2012 8 August 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20130808231846/http://www.espn.co.uk/onthisday/sport/story/33.html live During the first session of eight frames, Spencer was a frame ahead four times with Reardon levelling the match each time.Spencer by a whisker Lancashire Telegraph 18 January 1975 15 https://www.newspapers.com/article/lancashire-telegraph/201818875/ Newspapers.com In the evening session, the highest break by each player was only 37. Reardon's break of 37 contributed to him taking the lead at 5–4; Spencer's 37 in frame ten helped him to draw level.The Benson and Hedges Masters Snooker Scene February 1975 5–7 According to the match report in Snooker Scene magazine, "As the session wore on... mistakes became more and more frequent."7 Reardon was in the lead at 6–5 and the pair were level at 6–6. In the 13th frame, Reardon was on the final pink ball, needing to pot that and the black to win the frame, when he jumped the cue ball over the pink, leaving it pottable for Spencer. Spencer failed to take that opportunity and Reardon won the frame, also adding frame 14 for 8–6. Spencer won frames 15 and 16 to force a decider. In the deciding frame, Reardon was on a break when he was disturbed by the presentation party getting ready.Hendon 2025 48 In 1987, the snooker journalist Janice Hale described how the "golden haired, golden clad" women of the party started to make their way down to the playing area while Reardon was on the colours in the final frame.Hale 1987 4 She added that Reardon recalled they were "Altogether. Just like the Tiller Girls. I can see the funny side of it now."Hale 1987 4 Reardon had been 33 points behind at one point, but when he potted the final black both players had 58 points, meaning that the match would be decided on a re-spotted black.Hayton Dee 2004 10 After Reardon had played the ball first, Spencer potted the re-spotted black from distance to claim victory. Spencer remarked afterwards, "I'm not going to thank Ray for giving me a match like that. If I have any more like that I won't be playing snooker for long. I will be a nervous wreck." Reception and legacy Ian Morrison wrote in The Hamlyn Encyclopedia of Snooker (1987) that "the tournament was not a resounding success in its first year, largely because of its location".Morrison 1987 13 An editorial in Snooker Scene noted that the event attracted "sparse crowds – barely a hundred for some sessions" and suggested that the short time between the announcement of the event and its staging contributed to this.Two cheers for Benson and Hedges Snooker Scene February 1975 3–4 The ticket prices were double those of the recent 1974 Norwich Union Open, which, the editorial commented, seemed to be designed to "attract an exclusive, upper crust type audience composed of the sort of people Gallahers believe smoke their classiest brand."3 Formal dress was advised for the audience, with evening dress required for the final. The television lighting that was in place throughout the tournament caused dry conditions, making the balls run very quickly on the snooker table table as the event progressed. Everton's assessment was that the table was "running between seven and eight lengths, as opposed to the ideal five and a half."Everton 2012 317 The Snooker Scene editorial suggested that these conditions meant that players played less freely: "Tentative cueing engenders mistakes and any imperfections tended to be magnified by the far from true table."4 Benson & Hedges continued to sponsor the annual Masters until 2003, after which they were prevented from doing so by UK restrictions on tobacco advertising.Hendon David History of the Masters https://www.wpbsa.com/history-of-the-masters/ World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association 5 January 2021 20 July 2026 23 April 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20260423061120/https://www.wpbsa.com/history-of-the-masters/ live The event was staged at the New London Theatre from 1976 to 1978 and then at Wembley Conference Centre.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 The tournament has continued on an annual basis with different sponsors and is regarded as a prestigious event, forming part of snooker's "Triple Crown" together with the World Snooker Championship and the UK Championship.Johnstone's Paint Masters https://www.wst.tv/themasters/ World Snooker Tour 20 July 2026 2026 9 December 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20241209124940/https://www.wst.tv/themasters/ live Tournament draw The draw of the tournament is shown below. The match winners are shown in bold.Benson & Hedges Masters snooker.org https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?event=1726 20 July 2026 14 October 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20241014175521/https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?event=1726 live high auto no First roundBest of 9 frames Quarter-finalsBest of 9 frames Semi-finalsBest of 9 frames FinalBest of 17 frames y Alex Higgins NIR 5 Bill Werbeniuk CAN 0 John Pulman ENG 5 Cliff Thorburn CAN 3 Ray Reardon WAL 5 Graham Miles ENG 3 Rex Williams ENG 5 Alex Higgins NIR 3 Fred Davis ENG 3 Eddie Charlton AUS 5 John Spencer ENG 5 John Pulman ENG 3 Ray Reardon WAL 5 Rex Williams ENG 4 Eddie Charlton AUS 2 John Spencer ENG 5 Ray Reardon WAL 8 John Spencer ENG 9 Final: details and frame scores + FinalTriple 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 17 frames. Referee: Gus LillygreenWest Centre Hotel, London, England, 17 January 1975.Numbers in parentheses are breaks over 50. John Spencer ENG 9–8 Ray Reardon WAL First session: 121–13 (92), 52–81, 63–37, 59–68 (Spencer 57), 67–51, 22–77, 82–22 (70), 16–96Second session: 46–63, 68–20, 50–72, 68–40, 57–63, 22–82, 53–3, 64–25, 65–58 92 Highest break 40 3 50+ breaks 0 References 2 Books Everton Clive 2012 Black Farce and Cue Ball Wizards Mainstream Edinburgh 978-1-78057-568-1 Hale Janice No deliberate misses 4–5 Karen Earl Ltd West One Creative Benson and Hedges Masters Snooker Tournament: Official Souvenir Programme London The Furnival Press 1987 Hayton Eric Dee John 2004 The CueSport Book of Professional Snooker: The Complete Record & History Rose Villa Publications Lowestoft 978-0-9548549-0-4 Hendon David 2025 Pots of Gold: a History of Snooker Swift Press London 978-1-80075-353-2 Kindle Morrison Ian 1987 The Hamlyn Encyclopedia of Snooker Revised Twickenham Hamlyn Publishing Group 978-0-600-55604-6 Reardon Ray Ray Reardon 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 Category:Masters (snooker) Masters Masters (snooker) Masters Category:Sport in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Category:West Brompton