Tournament information | |
---|---|
Dates | 21 February – 7 May 1949 |
Venue | Leicester Square Hall |
City | London |
Country | England |
Organisation | Billiards Association and Control Council |
Highest break | Walter Donaldson (SCO) (115) |
Final | |
Champion | Fred Davis (ENG) |
Runner-up | Walter Donaldson (SCO) |
Score | 80–65 |
← 1948 1950 → |
The 1949 World Snooker Championship was a snooker tournament held at the Leicester Square Hall in London, England and was that year's edition of the World Snooker Championship.[1]
For the third year running the final was contested by Fred Davis and Walter Donaldson. Davis became the second player to defend his first world title after Joe Davis in 1928 by defeating Donaldson 80–65 in the final,[1] although he had taken a winning lead of 73–58 on the previous day. The match was still in the balance with the score at 63–58 before Davis won 10 frames in a row to take the title.[2] Donaldson made the highest break of the tournament with 115 on the last day of his semi-final match against John Pulman.[3][4]
Schedule
Match | Dates | Venue, city | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Walter Donaldson v Conrad Stanbury | 21–26 February 1949 | Leicester Square Hall, London | [5][6] |
Sidney Smith v Alec Brown | 28 February–5 March 1949 | Leicester Square Hall, London | [7] |
Fred Davis v Kingsley Kennerley | 7–12 March 1949 | Leicester Square Hall, London | [8][9] |
John Pulman v Albert Brown | 14–19 March 1949 | Leicester Square Hall, London | [10][11] |
Walter Donaldson v John Pulman | 28 March–2 April 1949 | Leicester Square Hall, London | [12][13] |
Fred Davis v Sidney Smith | 4–9 April 1949 | Leicester Square Hall, London | [14][15] |
Fred Davis v Walter Donaldson | 25–30 April, 2–7 May 1949 | Leicester Square Hall, London | [16][17][18][19] |
Tournament summary
Quarter-finals
The quarter-finals were played over 71 frames.[20] Walter Donaldson led Conrad Stanbury 4–2, 5–1 and 9–3, with four of his nine frames won on the final black ball.[21] He increased his lead to 18–6,[22] and to 29–7.[23] On the fourth day of the match, Donaldson made a 104 break in the first frame, and finished the day 38–10 ahead, having secured a winning margin at 36–10.[24][25] On the penultimate day, Donaldson took eleven of the twelve frames played,[26] and the final score was 58–13.[27] The reporter for The Billiard Player magazine wrote that Donaldosn played "brilliant pots and almost audacious shots, some of which might never have been seen even in an exhibition match".[24]
Having taken an early lead, Sidney Smith defeated Alec Brown 41–30, having made the highest break of the match, 98.[20][28] Fred Davis led Kingsley Kennerley 18–6 and 23–6, and secured a winning margin at 36–13.[20] His 104 break during the afternoon session on 10 March was the highest of the match.[20] Kennerley won five of the six frames on the last afternoon and finished 21–50 behind.[20][29] John Pulman established a winning lead of 36–24 on the penultimate day of his match against Albert Brown, to reach the semi-finals of the world championship for the first time.[30][20] After dead frames, the final score was 42–29.[31]
Semi-finals
The semi-finals were contested over 71 frames.[32] Donaldson made breaks of 100 and 115 in successive frames against Pulman.[20] It was the first time that century breaks had been made in consecutive frames in competition.[33] He acheived a winning margin by winning the first frame on 1 April to make it 36–13.[34] The eventual score was 49–22.[32]
Smith and Davis each won six frames on the first day of their match,[14] and were level again at 9–9 before Davis gained a lead of 13–11 at the end of the second day.[35] Davis secured a winning margina at 36–18,[36] and won 42–29 after dead frames.[32]
Final
The final was contested over 145 frames.[32] For the third consecutive year, the final was contested by Donaldson and Davis.[36] The match started on 25 April, as the best-of-145 frames.[37] Donaldson took a 7–5 lead on the first day.[37] He was still two frames ahead, 13–11, after the second day,[38] but the third day finished with the players level at 18–18.[39] Donaldson regained a two-frame lead (25–23) the next day,[40] and increased his lead to 34–26 on 29 April.[41]
Davis had reduced his deficit, at 33–39, by the end of day 6, and made a break of 102 in the last of those frames;[42] It was the only century break of the match.[43] Donaldson maintained a six frame lead (45–39) after the next day of play.[44] Davis then took eight of twelve frames on 3 May, including all six frames in the earlier of the two sessions, to lead 49–47.[43][45] He moved a further two frames ahead on both of the next two days, and led 63-57.[46][47] By taking ten of the twelve frames on 6 May, in what the reporter for The Times called "his best form of the match", Davis achieved a decisive lead of 63–58.[48] After 13 dead frames on 7 May, the final score was 80–65 to Davis.[49]
The championship trophy was presented by Aubrey Ellwood, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Bomber Command.[50] Richard Holt of the Billiards Association and Control Council's magazine The Billiard Player felt that Davis was "the 'compleat' snooker player", who emonstrated skill in potting, safety play and tactics.[51] Snooker historian Clive Everton later noted that several of the sessions took more than three hours and wrote that "caution was the watchword".[43]
Main draw
Results of the main tournament were are follows.[52][53][32]
Quarter-finals 71 frames | Semi-finals 71 frames | Final 145 frames | ||||||||||||
Fred Davis | 50 | |||||||||||||
Kingsley Kennerley | 21 | Fred Davis | 42 | |||||||||||
Sidney Smith | 41 | Sidney Smith | 29 | |||||||||||
Alec Brown | 30 | Fred Davis | 80 | |||||||||||
Walter Donaldson | 58 | Walter Donaldson | 65 | |||||||||||
Conrad Stanbury | 13 | Walter Donaldson | 49 | |||||||||||
Albert Brown | 29 | John Pulman | 22 | |||||||||||
John Pulman | 42 |
Qualifying
John Barrie withdrew for business reasons, giving Herbert Holt a bye into the final of the qualifying event.[54] Conrad Stanbury beat Herbert Francis 18–17 in his first round match played from 10 to 12 February 1949[55] and then beat Jackie Rea by the same score in a match played from 14 to 16 February. Stanbury then played Holt in the final of the qualifying from 17 to 19 February and recorded his third 18–17 victory, winning the exciting final frame.[56] All three matches were at Leicester Square Hall.[24]
Round 1 Best of 35 frames | Round 2 Best of 35 frames | Round 3 Best of 35 frames | ||||||||||||
Herbert Holt | w/o | |||||||||||||
John Barrie | w/d | |||||||||||||
Herbert Holt | 17 | |||||||||||||
Conrad Stanbury | 18 | Conrad Stanbury | 18 | |||||||||||
Herbert Francis | 17 | Conrad Stanbury | 18 | |||||||||||
Jackie Rea | 17 |
References
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- ^ "Snooker title for Fred Davis". Nottingham Evening Post. 7 May 1949. Retrieved 21 March 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "2004 Embassy World Championship Information". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 8 December 2004. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
- ^ "Snooker and billiards". The Glasgow Herald. 4 April 1949. p. 2. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Snooker". Evening Despatch. 21 February 1949. p. 4 – via Newspaper.com.
- ^ "Donaldson nears 100th 100". Sunday Mail. 27 February 1949. p. 15.
- ^ "Other results". The Billiard Player. March 1949. p. 6.
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- ^ "Pulman meets Albert Brown". Belfast Telegraph. 14 March 1949. p. 5.
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- ^ a b "Western Daily Press". 5 April 1949. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
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- ^ "Donaldson leads 18–6". Aberdeen Press and Journal. 23 February 1949. p. 4.
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- ^ "Sports in brief: snooker". The Times. 21 March 1949. p. 6.
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- ^ Everton, Clive (August 2022). "Joe Davis and his century of centuries". Snooker Scene. p. 16.
- ^ "Sports in brief: professional snooker". The Times. 2 April 1949. p. 2.
- ^ "Davis and Smith play for safety". Western Morning News. 6 April 1949. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Professional snooker". The Times. 9 April 1949. p. 2.
- ^ a b "Snooker". The Times. 26 April 1949. p. 6.
- ^ "Snooker". The Times. 27 April 1949. p. 2.
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- ^ "Snooker". The Times. 29 April 1949. p. 2.
- ^ "Snooker". The Times. 30 April 1949. p. 6.
- ^ "Snooker". The Times. 2 May 1949. p. 6.
- ^ a b c Everton, Clive (1986). The History of Snooker and Billiards. Haywards Heath: Partridge Press. p. 58. ISBN 978-1-85225-013-3.
- ^ "Snooker". The Times. 3 May 1949. p. 6.
- ^ "Snooker". The Times. 4 May 1949. p. 6.
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- ^ "Snooker". The Times. 9 May 1949. p. 6.
- ^ "Sir Aubrey B. Ellwood, KCB, DSC". The Billiard Player. June 1949. p. 7.
- ^ Holt, Richard (June 1949). "World's Professional Snooker Championship". The Billiard Player. p. 4.
- ^ "World Championship 1949". Global Snooker. Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
- ^ "Embassy World Championship". Snooker Scene. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ "J Barrie". The Times. 15 October 1948. p. 6.
- ^ "C Stanbury". The Times. 14 February 1949. p. 2.
- ^ "Snooker". The Times. 21 February 1949. p. 6.