World Snooker Championship
Tournament information
Dates17 December 1928 – 7 March 1929 (1928-12-17 – 1929-03-07)
Final venueLounge Hall
Final cityNottingham
CountryEngland
OrganisationBACC
Highest break Joe Davis (ENG) (61)
Final
Champion Joe Davis (ENG)
Runner-up Tom Dennis (ENG)
Score19–14
← 1928
1930 →

The 1929 World Snooker Championship, known at the time as the Professional Championship of Snooker, was a snooker tournament held between 17 December 1928 and 7 March 1929 at various venues in England, with the final taking place from 4 to 7 March 1929 at the Lounge Hall, Nottingham. Defending champion Joe Davis won the title for the third time by defeating Tom Dennis by 19 frames to 14 in the final, after securing a winning margin at 17–12.

It was the third edition of the World Snooker Championship. The first round match was held at Loughborough Town Hall, and the venue for the semi-finals was Camkin's Hall, Birmingham. The highest break of the tournament was 61, a new championship record, compiled by Davis in the 23rd frame of the final.

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.[1][2] The inaugural event was won by Davis, who defeated Tom Dennis 20–11 in the final.[1] Originally called the Professional Championship of Snooker, the annual competition was not titled the World Championship until 1935,[3] but the 1927 tournament is now referred to as the first World Snooker Championship.[1][4]

For the 1928 championship, a qualifying competition had been held to produce a challenger to Davis, the defending champion.[5] In July 1928 the BACC decided to abandon the challenge system that had been employed for both the Billiards Championship and the Professional Snooker Championship.[6] This meant that Davis, the champion, had to play through the 1929 tournament,[7] which was the third staging of the championship.[8]

The closing date for entries for the snooker championship was 15 October 1928. The entry fee was set at five guineas per player (equivalent to £340 in 2021), with a five-guineas sidestake required for each match. Preliminary heats and the semi-finals were to be best of 25 frames, played over three days, with the final contested over 33 frames across four days. When the conditions for the championship were published, Camkin's Hall in Birmingham was named as the venue for the final. For pre-final matches, the players concerned were to arrange the dates and venues.[9]

Summary

Five players entered the Championship: Joe Davis (Chesterfield), Tom Dennis (Nottingham), Fred Lawrence (Birmingham), Alec Mann (Birmingham) and Kelsall Prince (Loughborough).[10] Lawrence and Mann had to play a first round match, with the winner to meet Davis. Dennis and Prince faced each other in the other semi-final.[7]

The first match played was the semi-final between Dennis and Prince. This was scheduled from 17 to 22 December 1928 at Town Hall, Loughborough, over six evening session rather than across the three sets of afternoon and evening sessions envisaged when the tournament's conditions were announced.[10] There was just one of four frames each evening, with five planned for the final day. The match was close until halfway through the fourth session with Dennis then leading 8–6.[11] However, Dennis then took the next five frames to win the match 13–6. He added the final frame of the evening to leave the score at 14–6 after five sessions. The match did not continue to the planned sixth session and so finished on 21 December.[12]

The Championship Cup was presented by Tinsley Lindley.

The first round match and the other semi-final were arranged for the week of 21 to 26 January 1929 at Camkin's Hall, Birmingham. The first round match was on the first three days; the winner to play Davis on the last three days. Both matches were over 25 frames with two sessions of four frames each day. After 13 frames of their match, Lawrence led Mann 10–3 but Mann won the last three frames of the day to close the gap to 10–6. On the final day, Mann continued his run of frames, winning 9 out of 10, to take a 12–11 lead. However, Lawrence won the last two frames to take the match 13–12.[13] A columnist in the March 1929 edition of The Billiard Player magazine praised Mann's potting and Lawrence's safety play generally, but commented that "almost atrociously bad technique" by Mann when attempting to pot the yellow instead of playing for a snooker in the deciding frame lost him the match.[14] The same writer also added that "the scarcity of the London Press reports in connexion with the Professional Snooker Games ... was freely commented upon in Birmingham."[14]

In the Birmingham semi-final, Davis obtained a 5–3 lead on the first day, maintaining a two-frame advantage at 9–7 after two days. On the final day Davis won the first two frames but Lawrence took the next two to again close the gap. On the final evening, Davis won the first frame to lead 12–9 but lost the following frame. Davis added the third frame of the evening to secure a 13–10 victory.[15]

Final

At the request of Davis and Dennis, the BACC agreed to change the venue and date of the final from Camkin's Hall in late March.[16] The 33-frame final was played from 4 to 7 March. Eight frames were played each day, with four frames in the afternoon and four in the evening (five on the final day). The match was held at The Lounge, Shakespeare Street, Nottingham and was refereed by W. Malkinson of Nottingham.[17] Davis led 6–2 after the first day.[18] On the third day, the first frame featured prolonged exchanges of safety play, before a 45 break by Davis. Dennis had an opportunity to win if he completed a clearance, but went in-off the pink ball and left Davis an easy pot, which he made, to win the frame. The following frame saw Davis's 31 break followed by a 36 break made by Dennis, before Dennis went in-off the blue ball. Dennis's potted blue had resulted in a foul stroke, the blue was replaced on its spot, and Davis potted it from in-hand, following that by potting the pink to win the frame.[19] Dennis won the 15th frame by six points, after clearing the last three colours. He added the 16th frame, during which he escaped from a snooker with a massé shot, and potted the pink after Davis had gone in-off.[19] With the frames from the session shared, Davis retained his four frame lead at 10–6.[20]

On day three, Dennis took three of the four frames in the afternoon, but Davis won three in the evening to maintain his four frame advantage. Davis compiled a 61 break in that evening session, potting nine reds, six blacks and two blues in the 23rd frame.[21][22] In the fourth afternoon session, on 7 March, Davis lost the first frame by one point, 56–57, despite making a break of 45.[23] He took the next, aided by a fluke pot of a pink ball. With each player winning a further frame, the session finished with Davis 16–12 ahead.[23] Davis then won the first frame in the evening, with breaks of 33, 24 and 33, to claim the championship by achieving a winning margin at 17–12.[23] The four "dead" frames were played, with each player winning two.[24] The Championship Cup was afterwards presented by Tinsley Lindley.[25] Davis's break of 61 was a new championship record,[1] and the only break of over 50 made during the tournament.[22] The secretary of the BACC, A. Stanley Thorn, claimed that "the event attracted considerable interest in Nottingham, and excellent attendances were present during the four days' play."[26]

Main draw

Schedule

1929 World Snooker Championship schedule
Match Dates Venue, city Ref.
Tom Dennis v Kelsall Prince17–22 December 1928Town Hall, Loughborough[10]
Fred Lawrence v Alec Mann21–23 January 1929Camkin's Hall, Birmingham[13][27]
Joe Davis v Fred Lawrence24–26 January 1929Camkin's Hall, Birmingham[28]
Joe Davis v Tom Dennis4–7 March 1929Lounge Hall, Nottingham[26]

Results

Match results are shown below. Winning players and scores are denoted in bold text, with scores including "dead" frames.[29][30]

Round 1
Best of 25 frames 		Semi-finals
Best of 25 frames 		Final
Best of 33 frames
         
England Joe Davis 13
England Fred Lawrence 10
England Fred Lawrence 13
England Alec Mann 12
England Joe Davis 19
England Tom Dennis 14
England Tom Dennis 14
England Kelsall Prince 6

Final

Final: Best of 33 frames.
Lounge Hall in Nottingham, England, 4–7 March 1929. Referee: W Malkinson.[31]
Joe Davis
 England		 19–14 Tom Dennis
 England
Day 1: 70–34, 57–58, 95–4, 68–56, 71–24, 92–54, 47–56, 80–54
Day 2: 64–48, 83–22, 32–59, 29–50, 52–63, 75–29, 38–68, 105–15
Day 3: 73–51, 51–62, 50–62, 44–81, 73–41, 59–34, 100–42 (61), 24–50
Day 4: 56–57, 52–41, 45–78, 87–18, 98–16, 82–45, 63–32, 46–61, 38–70
"Dead" frames were played, Davis winning the match 19–14.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Everton, Clive (1993). The Embassy Book of World Snooker. London: Bloomsbury. pp. 11–13. ISBN 0747516103.
  2. ↑ Everton, Clive (23 September 2004). "Davis, Joseph [Joe]". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/31013. Archived from the original on 3 September 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2020. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  3. ↑ "Billiards – Professional title". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 3 November 1934. p. 7. Retrieved 24 November 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. ↑ "History of snooker – a timeline". World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  5. ↑ Thorn, A. Stanley (November 1927). "Notes from headquarters: Professional snooker championship". The Billiard Player. W. G. Clifford. p. 2.
  6. ↑ "Billiards – Important changes in the rules". The Times. 10 July 1928. p. 6.
  7. 1 2 "Professional Snooker". The Times. 20 October 1928. p. 6.
  8. ↑ Morrison, Ian (1987). The Hamlyn Encyclopedia of Snooker (revised ed.). Twickenham: Hamlyn Publishing Group. pp. 161–164. ISBN 0600556042.
  9. ↑ "The Billiards Association and Control Council. Conditions for the professional championship of snooker, 1928–29". The Billiard Player. W. G. Clifford. August 1928. p. 8.
  10. 1 2 3 Thorn, A. Stanley (January 1929). "Notes from headquarters: Professional snooker championship". The Billiard Player. W. G. Clifford. p. 3.
  11. ↑ "Snooker Championship". Nottingham Evening Post. 21 December 1928. p. 9. Retrieved 11 November 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. ↑ "Win for TA Dennis – Snooker Championship final reached". Nottingham Evening Post. 22 December 1928. p. 7. Retrieved 11 November 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  13. 1 2 "Lawrence to oppose Davis in to-day's semi-final". Sheffield Independent. 24 January 1929. p. 11. Retrieved 11 November 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  14. 1 2 W.A.C. (March 1929). "Notes from the midlands". The Billiard Player. W. G. Clifford. p. 14.
  15. ↑ "Snooker Championship – Davis and Dennis in the final at Nottingham". Nottingham Evening Post. 28 January 1929. p. 6. Retrieved 11 November 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  16. ↑ Thorn, A. Stanley (March 1929). "Notes from headquarters". The Billiard Player. W. G. Clifford. p. 5.
  17. ↑ "Snooker Championship – Joe Davis and Dennis in the final heat". Nottingham Evening Post. 4 March 1929. p. 8. Retrieved 11 November 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  18. ↑ "Snooker Title – Davis leading Dennis by 6 games to 2". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 5 March 1929. p. 10. Retrieved 12 November 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  19. 1 2 "Snooker break of 61 points". Nottingham Journal. 7 March 1929. p. 8.
  20. ↑ "Snooker Title – Davis leads Dennis by 10 games to 6". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 6 March 1929. p. 17. Retrieved 12 November 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  21. ↑ "Snooker Championship – Davis leading Dennis by 14 games to 10". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 7 March 1929. p. 20. Retrieved 12 November 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  22. 1 2 Kobylecky, John (2019). The Complete International Directory of Snooker Players – 1927 to 2018. Kobyhadrian Books. p. 47. ISBN 978-0993143311.
  23. 1 2 3 "Snooker: Davis". Sheffield Daily Telegraph. 8 March 1929. p. 10.
  24. ↑ "Snooker Championship – Title retained by Davis leading Dennis by 19 games to 14". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 8 March 1929. p. 21. Retrieved 12 November 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  25. ↑ "Snooker Champion – The title retained by Joe Davis". Nottingham Evening Post. 8 March 1929. p. 7. Retrieved 12 November 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  26. 1 2 Thorn, A. Stanley (April 1929). "Notes from headquarters: J Davis thrice snooker champion". The Billiard Player. W. G. Clifford. p. 2.
  27. ↑ "Joe Davis's visit to Tipton". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 22 January 1929. p. 11.
  28. ↑ "The Billiard Professionals' Association". The Billiard Player. W. G. Clifford. February 1929. p. 8.
  29. ↑ "Embassy World Championship". Snooker Scene. Archived from the original on 20 September 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
  30. ↑ Downer, Chris (2019). "Index to players". Crucible Almanac. Bournemouth. pp. 240–268.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  31. ↑ "Snooker Title – Davis leading Dennis by 6 games to 2". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 5 March 1929. p. 19. Retrieved 12 November 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
    "Snooker Title – Davis leads Dennis by 10 games to 6". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 6 March 1929. p. 17. Retrieved 12 November 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
    "Snooker Championship – Davis leading Dennis by 14 games to 10". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 7 March 1929. p. 20. Retrieved 12 November 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
    "Snooker Championship – Title retained by Davis leading Dennis by 19 games to 14". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 8 March 1929. p. 21. Retrieved 12 November 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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