1954/1955 News of the World Snooker Tournament

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox individual snooker tournament

|tournament_name=News of the World Tournament

|logo=

|dates={{Start and end dates|1954|09|6|1955|01|15|df=y}}

|venue=Leicester Square Hall

|location=London

|country=United Kingdom

|organisation=

|format=Non-Ranking event

|Total prize fund=£1500

|winners_share=£500

|highest_break={{flagicon|ENG}} Joe Davis (146)

|winner={{flagicon|NIR}} Jackie Rea

|runner_up={{flagicon|ENG}} Joe Davis

|score=

|previous=1953/54

|next=1955/56

}}

The 1954/1955 News of the World Snooker Tournament was a professional snooker tournament sponsored by the News of the World. The tournament was won by Jackie Rea who won all of his 8 matches. He finished ahead of Joe Davis who won 6 matches. The News of the World Snooker Tournament ran from 1949/50 to 1959 but this was the last to be held at Leicester Square Hall, which closed soon after the end of the tournament.

Format

The 1954/55 event was a round-robin snooker tournament and was played from 6 September 1954 to 15 January 1955. All matches were played at Leicester Square Hall in London. There were 9 competitors and a total of 36 matches. The competitors were Joe Davis, Fred Davis, Walter Donaldson, John Barrie, Albert Brown, Alec Brown, John Pulman, Jackie Rea and qualifier Kingsley Kennerley. Each match lasted three days and was the best of 37 frames.

Each match was separately handicapped. Joe Davis played level with Fred Davis and gave Walter Donaldson and John Pulman 14, Albert Brown 18, Alec Brown 23, John Barrie 24, Jackie Rea and Kingsley Kennerley 25. Fred Davis gave John Pulman 10, Walter Donaldson 12, Albert Brown and John Barrie 14, Alec Brown 16, Jackie Rea 18 and Kingsley Kennerley 21. Walter Donaldson played level with John Pulman and gave Albert Brown and John Barrie 12, Alec Brown 14, Jackie Rea 16 and Kingsley Kennerley 18. John Pulman gave Albert Brown 5, Alec Brown 10, John Barrie 14, Jackie Rea 16 and Kingsley Kennerley 18. Albert Brown played level with Alec Brown and John Barrie and gave Kingsley Kennerley 12 and Jackie Rea 14. John Barrie played level with Alec Brown 0 and Jackie Rea and Kingsley Kennerley 7. Alec Brown gave Jackie Rea 5 and Kingsley Kennerley 12. Jackie Rea gave Kingsley Kennerley 7.

Results

Joe Davis made a break of 146 on 7 December, the second day of his match against Albert Brown. He potted a pink after his fourth red. The break equalled Davis's own record break, set on 1 March 1950.{{cite news |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OjpAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XFkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1460%2C4071147 |date=8 December 1954 |page=4 |title=Joe Davis equals record break – One short of 'possible'}}

Jackie Rea won all his 8 matches, clinching victory after his 19–18 win against John Barrie on 15 December.{{cite news |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QTpAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XFkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5196%2C4935750 |date=16 December 1954 |page=2 |title=Snooker}}

The match between Joe Davis and his brother, Fred was the last competitive match played at Leicester Square Hall before it closed. Joe won the match 19–18 and made a 137 clearance on the final day.{{cite news |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8UZAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=bFkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6753%2C1409664 |date=17 January 1955 |page=7 |title=Snooker and billiards}}{{cite news |title=Joe beats Fred for second place |work=Dundee Courier |date=17 January 1955 |accessdate=30 November 2015 |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000564/19550117/091/0006 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription}} The following Saturday, Joe Davis compiled the first officially recognised maximum break in a match against 68-year-old fellow Englishman Willie Smith.{{cite news |newspaper=The Times |date=24 January 1955 |page=12 |title=Maximum Snooker Record}} The match between Davis and Smith was played as part of a series of events marking the closure of the hall.

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! Winner !! Score

LoserDate
align=left|Jackie Rea22–15align=left|Kingsley Kennerley6–8 September
align=left|Kingsley Kennerley21–16align=left|Albert Brown9–11 September
align=left|Albert Brown25–12align=left|John Barrie13–15 September
align=left|Walter Donaldson21–16align=left|John Barrie16–18 September
align=left|Jackie Rea22–15align=left|Alec Brown20–22 September
align=left|Jackie Rea23–14align=left|John Pulman23–25 September
align=left|Fred Davis20–17align=left|Alec Brown27–29 September
align=left|Fred Davis19–18align=left|Walter Donaldson30 September–2 October
align=left|Joe Davis22–15align=left|Walter Donaldson4–6 October
align=left|Joe Davis24–13align=left|John Pulman7–9 October
align=left|Jackie Rea26–11align=left|Albert Brown11–13 October
align=left|Fred Davis19–18align=left|Albert Brown14–16 October
align=left|Jackie Rea21–16align=left|Joe Davis18–20 October
align=left|Kingsley Kennerley19–18align=left|John Barrie21–23 October
align=left|Kingsley Kennerley22–15align=left|John Pulman25–27 October
align=left|Fred Davis19–18align=left|John Pulman28–30 October
align=left|Joe Davis19–18align=left|Alec Brown1–3 November
align=left|Alec Brown21–16align=left|John Barrie4–6 November
align=left|Jackie Rea21–16align=left|Walter Donaldson8–10 November
align=left|Walter Donaldson23–14align=left|Kingsley Kennerley11–13 November
align=left|John Pulman20–17align=left|Albert Brown15–17 November
align=left|John Barrie25–12align=left|Joe Davis18–20 November
align=left|Fred Davis22–15align=left|John Barrie22–24 November
align=left|Jackie Rea20–17align=left|Fred Davis25–27 November
align=left|John Pulman21–16align=left|Alec Brown29 November–1 December
align=left|Joe Davis28–9align=left|Kingsley Kennerley2–4 December
align=left|Joe Davis23–14align=left|Albert Brown6–8 December
align=left|Alec Brown20–17align=left|Walter Donaldson9–11 December
align=left|Jackie Rea19–18align=left|John Barrie13–15 December
align=left|Kingsley Kennerley19–18align=left|Alec Brown16–18 December
align=left|John Pulman20–17align=left|John Barrie27–29 December
align=left|Albert Brown22–15align=left|Walter Donaldson30 December–1 January
align=left|Kingsley Kennerley19–18align=left|Fred Davis3–5 January
align=left|Albert Brown?–?align=left|Alec Brown6–8 January
align=left|Walter Donaldson20–17align=left|John Pulman10–12 January
align=left|Joe Davis19–18align=left|Fred Davis13–15 January

Table

the final standings are shown below.{{cite magazine |title=Final table - 'News of the World' £1,500 Snooker Tournament |magazine=the Billiard Player |date=February 1955 |page=13}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
Pos || Player || {{abbr|Pld|Matches played}} || {{abbr|MW|Matches won}} || {{abbr|FW|Frames won}} ||{{abbr|FL|Frames lost}} || Prize
style="background:#aaffaa;"

| 1

align=left|{{flagicon|NIR}} Jackie Rea88174122£500
2align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} Joe Davis86163133£300
3align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} Fred Davis85152144£200
4align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} Kingsley Kennerley85138158£150
5align=left|{{flagicon|SCO}} Walter Donaldson83145151£100
6align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} Albert Brown83142154£75
7align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} John Pulman83138158£75
8align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} Alec Brown82143153£50
9align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} John Barrie81137159£30

The positions were determined firstly by the number of matches won (MW) and, in the event of a tie, the number of frames won (FW). Albert Brown led Alec Brown 15–9 after the second day of their match,{{cite news |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6kZAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=bFkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4275%2C589197 |date=8 January 1955 |page=2 |title=Snooker}} after which Alec Brown withdrew due to illness.{{cite magazine |title=Professional results - Final table - 'News of World £1,500Tournament' |magazine=the Billiard Player |date=February 1955 |page=13}}

Qualifying

The qualifying tournament was held from 6 to 15 May 1954. These matches were also played at Leicester Square Hall in London. There were 3 competitors: Kingsley Kennerley, Sydney Lee and Harry Stokes. Like the main event, each match lasted three days and was the best of 37 frames. Kennerley won both his matches to qualify.{{cite news |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FzxAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UVkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1466%2C1346436 |date=13 May 1954 |page=4 |title=Snooker}}{{cite news |newspaper=The Times |date=17 May 1954 |page=10 |title=Professional Snooker}} Stokes beat Lee in the other match.{{cite news |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FDxAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UVkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4463%2C1031247 |date=10 May 1954 |page=11 |title=Snooker}}

Broadcasting

The BBC showed three short, 30 minute, TV programmes during the matches between Joe Davis and John Pulman on 8 October,{{cite web|title=BBC Television – 8 October – Snooker: Joe Davis v. John Pulman |url=http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbctv/1954-10-08 |website=BBC Genome Project| publisher=BBC |accessdate=9 January 2016}} between John Pulman and John Barrie on 28 December,{{cite web|title=BBC Television – 28 December – Snooker: John Pulman v. John Barrie |url=http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbctv/1954-12-28 |website=BBC Genome Project| publisher=BBC |accessdate=9 January 2016}} and between Walter Donaldson and John Pulman on 12 January.{{cite web|title=BBC Television – 12 January – Snooker: Walter Donaldson v. John Pulman |url=http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbctv/1955-01-12 |website=BBC Genome Project| publisher=BBC |accessdate=9 January 2016}} The commentator on each occasion was Sidney Smith.

References