1955 World Professional Match-play Championship

World Professional Match-play Championship
Tournament information
Dates 13 December 1954–19 March 1955
Final venue Tower Circus
Final city Blackpool
Country England
Highest break England John Pulman (103)
Final
Champion England Fred Davis
Runner-up England John Pulman
Score 38–35
← 1954
1956 →
London
Edinburgh
Belfast
Jersey
Blackpool
Venues

The 1955 World Professional Match-play Championship was a professional snooker tournament, the final being held at the Tower Circus in Blackpool from 14 to 19 March 1955.[1] The entries did not include Walter Donaldson who, after his heavy defeat in the 1954 final, had joined Joe Davis in "retiring" from the Championship.[2]

Fred Davis won his seventh World title by taking a winning 37–34 lead over John Pulman in the 73-frame final.[1] The match ended with the score at 38–35 after the dead frames were played out[3] It was Pulman's first appearance in the final. Pulman made the highest break of the tournament with two breaks of 103 in the final.[4][5][6]

Schedule

Match Dates Venue, city
John Pulman v Rex Williams 13–18 December 1954 Leicester Square Hall, London[7]
Jackie Rea v Harry Stokes 27 December 1954 – 1 January 1955 Edinburgh[8]
Fred Davis v Jackie Rea 17–21 January 1955 RAOB Hall, Belfast[9]
John Pulman v Alec Brown 24–29 January 1955 Jersey[10]
Fred Davis v John Pulman 14–19 March 1955 Tower Circus, Blackpool[11]

Detail

John Pulman and Rex Williams met in the first quarter-final match at Leicester Square Hall, London. The venue was being used for the 1954/1955 News of the World Snooker Tournament and the match was reduced to 37 frames with just one session each day. This was the last World Championship match played at Leicester Square Hall before its closure. The match was level at 12–12 after the fourth day[12] but Pulman won 5 of the 6 frames on day 5 to lead 17–13[13] and won 22–15 on the final day.[7]

Jackie Rea led Harry Stokes 7–3 after the first day of their quarter-final match in Edinburgh, although Stokes made a break of 82, a "Scottish record", in the last frame of the day.[14] Rea extended his lead to 14–6 on the second day, scoring a break of 102 in frame 15. Stokes made a break of 90, setting another "Scottish record".[15] Stokes won 7 frames on day 3 but Rea then pulled ahead and won the match 31–19, taking the last frame on the fifth day.[16] Rea eventually won 37–24.[8]

Fred Davis and Jackie Rea met in the first semi-final at the RAOB Hall, Church Street in Belfast. Davis took a 9–3 lad on the first day[17] but Rea held his own on the next three days and Davis only led 26–22 after four days.[18] Davis led 30–24 after the final afternoon session and took a winning lead of 31–24 by taking the first frame in the evening. The match ended 36–25 after the dead frames were played out.[9]

John Pulman met Alec Brown in the second semi-final, played in Jersey. They played just one session on the first day, the score being level at 3–3.[19] There was also just one session on the fourth day, Pulman having taken a 23–13 lead.[20] Pulman had taken a winning lead of 31–17 at the end of day 5[10] and won 37–24 after the 13 dead frames that were played on the final day.[21]

The 73-frame final was again held at the Tower Circus in Blackpool. Fred Davis took a 10–2 lead after the first day[22] but John Pulman had slightly the better of the second day and Davis only led 15–9.[5] Davis led 20–16 after day 3, 27–21 after day 4 and 33–27 after day 5.[6] Davis won the title on the sixth day, the final score being 38–35.[3] Pulman made three century breaks in the final, 103 on day 2,[5] another 103 on day 4[6] and 101 in the very last frame.[3]

Main draw

Sources:[23][24][25]

  Quarter-finals
61 frames		     Semi-finals
61 frames		     Final
73 frames
                           
        England  Fred Davis 36  
  Northern Ireland  Jackie Rea 37     Northern Ireland  Jackie Rea 25    
  Scotland  Harry Stokes 24         England  Fred Davis 38
      England  John Pulman 35
        England  Alec Brown 24    
  England  John Pulman 22     England  John Pulman 37  
  England  Rex Williams 15  

References

  1. 1 2 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. ↑ "Donaldson retired from world snooker". Dundee Courier. 10 May 1954. Retrieved 23 March 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required (help)).
  3. 1 2 3 "Snooker & billiards". The Glasgow Herald. 21 March 1955. p. 11.
  4. ↑ "2004 Embassy World Championship Information". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 8 December 2004. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 "Snooker". The Glasgow Herald. 16 March 1955. p. 4.
  6. 1 2 3 "Snooker". The Glasgow Herald. 18 March 1955. p. 4.
  7. 1 2 "Snooker". The Glasgow Herald. 20 December 1954. p. 9.
  8. 1 2 "Snooker". The Glasgow Herald. 3 January 1955. p. 4.
  9. 1 2 "Snooker: Davis wins world semi-final". Northern Whig. 21 January 1955. Retrieved 23 March 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required (help)).
  10. 1 2 "Another Century for Joe Davis – Snooker and Billiards". The Glasgow Herald. 29 January 1955. p. 3.
  11. ↑ "Snooker & Billiards". The Glasgow Herald. 21 March 1955. p. 11.
  12. ↑ "Snooker". The Glasgow Herald. 17 December 1954. p. 4.
  13. ↑ "Snooker". The Glasgow Herald. 18 December 1954. p. 2.
  14. ↑ "Snooker". The Glasgow Herald. 28 December 1954. p. 2.
  15. ↑ "Rea's snooker century – Match-play event". The Glasgow Herald. 29 December 1954. p. 9.
  16. ↑ "Snooker: Rea has winning lead". Northern Whig. 1 January 1955. Retrieved 22 March 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required (help)).
  17. ↑ "Davis much too good for local hope in first round". Northern Whig. 18 January 1955. Retrieved 22 March 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required (help)).
  18. ↑ "Snooker: Davis retains four frame lead". Northern Whig. 21 January 1955. Retrieved 22 March 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required (help)).
  19. ↑ "Snooker and Billiards". The Glasgow Herald. 25 January 1955. p. 2.
  20. ↑ "Joe Davis has 2 more centuries – Snooker and Billiards". The Glasgow Herald. 28 January 1955. p. 10.
  21. ↑ "World Championship". The Times. 31 January 1955. p. 9.
  22. ↑ "Snooker". The Glasgow Herald. 15 March 1955. p. 4.
  23. ↑ "World Championship 1955". Global Snooker. Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  24. ↑ "Embassy World Championship". Snooker Scene. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  25. ↑ Hayton, Eric (2004). The CueSport Book of Professional Snooker. Lowestoft: Rose Villa Publications. p. 144. ISBN 0-9548549-0-X.
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