1952 World Professional Match-play Championship

The 1952 World Professional Match-play Championship was a snooker tournament with the final held at the Tower Circus in Blackpool, England.[1]

World Professional Match-play Championship
Tournament information
Dates12 November 1951 – 15 March 1952
Final venueTower Circus
Final cityBlackpool
CountryEngland
Organisation(s)Professional Billiard Players' Association
Highest breakFred Davis (140)
Final
Champion Fred Davis (ENG)
Runner-up Walter Donaldson (SCO)
Score38–35
← 1952
1953 →
Wellington
Slough
Darlaston
South Shields
Derby
Scunthorpe
Blackpool
Venues

The event was created following a dispute between the Professional Billiards Players' Association (PBPA) and the Billiards Association and Control Council (BACC).[2] The BACC claimed that the championship was primarily about honour, and financial consideration should come at second place,[3] whilst the PBPA members felt that the BACC was taking too large a share of the income from the events and established an alternative 'world championship' which became known as the World Professional Match-play Championship.[4]

Fred Davis won his fourth World title by defeating Walter Donaldson 38–35 in the final.[1] Davis also compiled the highest break of the tournament with a new championship record of 140.[5]

Schedule
Match Dates Venue, city Ref.
Jackie Rea v Jim Lees12–17 November 1951Wellington, Shropshire[6]
Albert Brown v John Pulman27 November–1 December 1951Slough[7][8]
Alec Brown v Rex Williams17–22 December 1951Darlaston, Staffordshire[9][10]
Jackie Rea v Kingsley Kennerley7–11 January 1952South Shields[11]
Albert Brown v Alec Brown14–18 January 1952Derby[12]
Walter Donaldson v Albert Brown21–25 January 1952Scunthorpe[13]
Fred Davis v Jackie Rea4–9 February 1952Wellington, Shropshire[14]
Fred Davis v Walter Donaldson10–15 March 1952Tower Circus, Blackpool[15][16]

Summary

Ten players entered the event. The two finalists in the 1951 World Snooker Championship, Fred Davis and Walter Donaldson were given byes to the semi-final stage in opposite halves of the draw. The remaining eight played two rounds to determine the other two semi-finalists.[17]

First Round

Sydney Lee withdrew, granting Kingsley Kennerley a walkover into the quarter-finals.[18] Jackie Rea defeated Jim Lees 33–28,[19] Albert Brown scored a 33–28 win over John Pulman,[8] and Alec Brown had achieved a winning margin at 33-17 before his last day's play against Rex Williams, finishing at 39–22.[10]

Quarter-finals

Kennerley took a 4–1 lead over Rea, who had won the first frame. At the end of the first day they were tied at 6-6.[20] Rea then took ten of the next day's twelve frames to lead 16–8,[21] and on subsequent days was 23–13, 25-17 and 29-19 ahead,[22] eventually finishing the match at 35–26.[23]

In the other quarter-final match, Albert Brown won six of the nine frames against Alec Brown on the first day.[24] He won the opening six frames on the second day, and finished that day 18-6 ahead,[25] maintaining a six frame lead at the end of the next day, which ended with him leading 24–12.[26] Alec Brown reduced the deficit on the fourth day by winning eight of the twelve frames played, meaning Albert Brown led 28-20 going in to the last day.[27] Albert Brown achieved a certain win at 31–22, and after the remaining scheduled frames were played, he was 36-25 ahead.[28]

Semi-finals

The first semi-final, between Walter Donaldson and Albert Brown, was played in Scunthorpe from 21 to 25 January 1952. Donaldson held a 21–15 lead after three days.[29] However, Brown reduced Donaldson's lead to two frames on the fourth day and the match ended 31–30.[30]

The second semi-final, between Fred Davis and Jackie Rea, was played at Wellington, Shropshire from 4 to 9 February 1952. After four days Davis led 29–11.[31] Davis took a winning 34–16 lead on the fifth day and eventually won 38–23.[32]

Final

The final started on 10 March 1952. In advance of the match, Davis and Donaldson issued a challenge to Horace Lindrum, who had effectively won the BACC-recognised 1952 World Snooker Championship by taking an insurmountable lead on 6 March, that the winner of their match would play him for £500 and gate receipts.[15] Davis won six of the eight frames in their first session, and they each won four frames in the second session, leaving the score at 7–5 to Davis after the first day. Donaldson had compiled a break of 104.[33] Donaldson recorded another century break, 106, in the twentieth frame, but Davis increased his lead over Donaldson to 14-10 by the end of the second day.[34] On the third day, Davis achieved a break of 140, a new world championship record, and Donaldson made a 111. Davis finished the day 21-15 ahead.[35] After another day's play, Davis was 29-19 ahead,[36] Donaldson won eight of the next twelve frames to reduce his arrears to six frames at 27–33.[37] Davis won the title, finishing the last day at 38–35.[16]

Draw

Sources:[38][39][40]

Round 1
61 frames		 Quarter-finals
61 frames		 Semi-finals
61 frames		 Final
73 frames
     
             
             
          Fred Davis 38  
Jackie Rea 33       Jackie Rea 23  
Jim Lees 28     Jackie Rea 35  
Kingsley Kennerley w/o     Kingsley Kennerley 26  
Sydney Lee w/d       Fred Davis 38
Albert Brown 32       Walter Donaldson 35
John Pulman 27     Albert Brown 36  
Alec Brown 39     Alec Brown 25  
Rex Williams 22       Albert Brown 30  
          Walter Donaldson 31  
                 
                 
     

References
  1. Turner, Chris. "World Professional Championship". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 April 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
  2. "World Snooker Title". The Glasgow Herald. 19 February 1952. p. 2. Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  3. Everton, Clive (30 April 2009). "Neil Robertson set to rewrite history as first genuine Australian world champion". London: guardian.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  4. Williams, Luke; Gadsby, Paul (2005). Masters of the Baize. Edinburgh: Mainstream. ISBN 1840188723.
  5. "2004 Embassy World Championship Information". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 8 December 2004. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  6. "Snooker". The Glasgow Herald. 19 November 1951. p. 7. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  7. "Snooker and Billiards". The Glasgow Herald. 28 November 1951. p. 9.
  8. "Brown beats Pulman". Belfast News-Letter. 3 December 1951. p. 7.
  9. "Snooker". The Glasgow Herald. 18 December 1951. p. 9.
  10. "Rex Williams out of championship". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 24 December 1951. p. 5.
  11. "Snooker". The Glasgow Herald. 12 January 1952. p. 2. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  12. "Two Snooker Centuries". The Glasgow Herald. 19 January 1952. p. 2. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  13. "Snooker and Billiards". The Glasgow Herald. 26 January 1952. p. 2. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  14. "Billiards and Snooker". The Glasgow Herald. 11 February 1952. p. 7. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  15. "Lindrum challenged to £500 match". Aberdeen Evening Express. 7 March 1952. p. 12.
  16. "Leeds billiards player in title semi-final". Bradford Observer. 16 March 1952. p. 6.
  17. ""World" Snooker Draw". The Glasgow Herald. 4 October 1951. p. 7. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  18. "Jackie Rea's snooker bid". Belfast Telegraph. 9 November 1951. p. 10.
  19. "Rea into second round". Belfast News-Letter. 19 November 1951. p. 2.
  20. "Rea on terms". Belfast Telegraph. 8 January 1952. p. 8.
  21. "Fred Davis gains lead in snooker match". Bradford Observer. 9 January 1952. p. 6.
  22. "Rea 10 frames ahead". Northern Whig. 11 January 1952. p. 2.
  23. "Rea now to meet Davis". Belfast Telegraph. 12 January 1952. p. 6.
  24. "Albert Brown in snooker lead". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 15 January 1952. p. 6.
  25. "Albert Brown increases his snooker lead". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 16 January 1952. p. 6.
  26. "Smith wins £500 on last frame". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 17 January 1952. p. 6.
  27. "Albert still leads". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 18 January 1952. p. 6.
  28. "Albert Brown in snooker semi-final". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 19 January 1952. p. 6.
  29. "Snooker and Billiards". The Glasgow Herald. 24 January 1952. p. 2.
  30. "Snooker and Billiards". The Glasgow Herald. 25 January 1952. p. 9.
  31. "Snooker and Billiards". The Glasgow Herald. 8 February 1952. p. 9.
  32. "Snooker". The Glasgow Herald. 9 February 1952. p. 9.
  33. "Fred Davis gains an early lead". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 11 March 1952. p. 6.
  34. "Fred Davis four frames ahead". Bradford Observer. 12 March 1952. p. 8.
  35. "Fred Davis beats his brother's record". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 13 March 1952. p. 3.
  36. "Fred Davis now ten frames ahead". Bradford Observer. 14 March 1952. p. 6.
  37. "Donaldson reduces gap". Bradford Observer. 15 March 1952. p. 6.
  38. "World Championship 1952". Global Snooker. Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  39. "Embassy World Championship". Snooker Scene. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  40. "Snooker". The Times. 19 November 1951. p. 4.
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