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Pontins Professional

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}

{{EngvarB|date=September 2019}}

{{Infobox Snooker tournament

|tournament_name = Pontins Professional

|image =

|venue = Pontins

|location = Prestatyn

|country = Wales

|establishment = 1974

|organisation = WPBSA

|format = Non-ranking event

|prizefund =

|final year = 2000

|Final Champion = {{flagicon|WAL}} Darren Morgan

}}

The Pontins Professional was an invitational professional non-ranking snooker tournament which ran from 1974 until 2000.

History

Top snooker professionals had regularly supplemented their income from professional events by playing exhibition matches on the holiday camp circuit, with Pontins being a regular venue for entertaining holiday-makers. Beginning in 1974, a tournament involving eight professional players began at Pontins and became a regular point in the snooker calendar, usually occurring in the summer after the World Snooker Championship. This ran in conjunction with an Open tournament, in which many young amateur players took part, and provided a springboard for future stars such as Paul Hunter and Judd Trump.{{cite web|title=Pontins Pointed The Way To Fame For Paul|url=http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/pontin-s-pointed-the-way-to-fame-for-paul-1-2074703|work=Yorkshire Evening Post|accessdate=14 November 2017}} There were also juniors, seniors, and ladies events.

While top professional players regularly entered in the tournament's early years, the increase in the number of events on the snooker tour led to the biggest stars choosing not to enter in later years, and the professional tournament was last held in 2000.

Winners

{{cite web|title=Brief History of the Pontins Open and Professional|url=http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/pontins.html|publisher=Chris Turner's Snooker Archive|accessdate=14 November 2017|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120228200841/http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/pontins.html|archivedate=28 February 2012}}

class="wikitable" style="margin: auto"

! style="text-align: center; background-color: #00af00" | Year

! style="text-align: left; background-color: #00af00" | Winner

! style="text-align: left; background-color: #00af00" | Runner-up

! style="text-align: left; background-color: #00af00" | Final score

! style="text-align: left; background-color: #00af00" | Season

1974

| {{flagicon|WAL}} Ray Reardon

| {{flagicon|ENG}} John Spencer

| style="text-align: center" | 10–9

| 1973/74

1975

| {{flagicon|WAL}} Ray Reardon

| {{flagicon|ENG}} John Spencer

| style="text-align: center" | 10–9

| 1974/75

1976

| {{flagicon|WAL}} Ray Reardon

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Fred Davis

| style="text-align: center" | 10–4

| 1975/76

1977

| {{flagicon|ENG}} John Spencer

| {{flagicon|ENG}} John Pulman

| style="text-align: center" | 7–5

| 1976/77

1978

| {{flagicon|WAL}} Ray Reardon

| {{flagicon|ENG}} John Spencer

| style="text-align: center" | 7–2

| 1977/78

1979

| {{flagicon|WAL}} Doug Mountjoy

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Graham Miles

| style="text-align: center" | 8–4

| 1978/79

1980

| {{flagicon|ENG}} John Virgo

| {{flagicon|WAL}} Ray Reardon

| style="text-align: center" | 9–6

| 1979/80

1981

| {{flagicon|WAL}} Terry Griffiths

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Willie Thorne

| style="text-align: center" | 9–8

| 1980/81

1982

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Steve Davis

| {{flagicon|WAL}} Ray Reardon

| style="text-align: center" | 9–4

| 1981/82

1983

| {{flagicon|WAL}} Doug Mountjoy

| {{flagicon|WAL}} Ray Reardon

| style="text-align: center" | 9–7

| 1982/83

1984

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Willie Thorne

| {{flagicon|ENG}} John Spencer

| style="text-align: center" | 9–7

| 1983/84

1985

| {{flagicon|WAL}} Terry Griffiths

| {{flagicon|ENG}} John Spencer

| style="text-align: center" | 9–7

| 1984/85

1986

| {{flagicon|WAL}} Terry Griffiths

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Willie Thorne

| style="text-align: center" | 9–6

| 1985/86

1987

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Neal Foulds

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Willie Thorne

| style="text-align: center" | 9–6

| 1986/87

1988

| {{flagicon|ENG}} John Parrott

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Mike Hallett

| style="text-align: center" | 9–1

| 1987/88

1989

| {{flagicon|WAL}} Darren Morgan

| {{flagicon|MLT}} Tony Drago

| style="text-align: center" | 9–2

| 1988/89

1990

| {{flagicon|SCO}} Stephen Hendry

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Mike Hallett

| style="text-align: center" | 9–6

| 1989/90

1991

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Neal Foulds

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Mike Hallett

| style="text-align: center" | 9–6

| 1990/91

1992

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Steve James

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Neal Foulds

| style="text-align: center" | 9–8

| 1991/92

1993

| {{flagicon|IRL}} Ken Doherty

| {{flagicon|WAL}} Darren Morgan

| style="text-align: center" | 9–3

| 1992/93

1994

| {{flagicon|IRL}} Ken Doherty

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Nigel Bond

| style="text-align: center" | 9–5

| 1993/94

1995

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Peter Ebdon

| {{flagicon|IRL}} Ken Doherty

| style="text-align: center" | 9–8

| 1994/95

1996

| {{flagicon|IRL}} Ken Doherty

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Nigel Bond

| style="text-align: center" | 9–7

| 1995/96

1997

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Martin Clark

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Andy Hicks

| style="text-align: center" | 9–7

| 1996/97

1998

| {{flagicon|WAL}} Mark Williams

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Martin Clark

| style="text-align: center" | 9–6

| 1997/98

1999

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Jimmy White

| {{flagicon|WAL}} Matthew Stevens

| style="text-align: center" | 9–5

| 1998/99

2000

| {{flagicon|WAL}} Darren Morgan

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Jimmy White

| style="text-align: center" | 9–2

| 1999/00

Statistics

=Finalists=

class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:100%; text-align: center; width:90%"
Rank

! Name

! Nationality

! Winner

! {{nobreak|Runner-up}}

! Finals

1

|align="left"|{{sortname|Ray|Reardon}}

|align="left"|{{WAL}}

|4

|3

|7

2

|align="left"|{{sortname|Ken|Doherty}}

|align="left"|{{IRL}}

|3

|1

|4

3

|align="left"|{{sortname|Terry|Griffiths}}

|align="left"|{{WAL}}

|3

|0

|3

4

|align="left"|{{sortname|Neal|Foulds}}

|align="left"|{{ENG}}

|2

|1

|3

4

|align="left"|{{sortname|Darren|Morgan}}

|align="left"|{{WAL}}

|2

|1

|3

6

|align="left"|{{sortname|Doug|Mountjoy}}

|align="left"|{{WAL}}

|2

|0

|2

7

|align="left"|{{sortname|John|Spencer|dab=snooker player}}

|align="left"|{{ENG}}

|1

|5

|6

8

|align="left"|{{sortname|Willie|Thorne}}

|align="left"|{{ENG}}

|1

|3

|4

9

|align="left"|{{sortname|Martin|Clark|dab=snooker player}}

|align="left"|{{ENG}}

|1

|1

|2

9

|align="left"|{{sortname|Jimmy|White}}

|align="left"|{{ENG}}

|1

|1

|2

11

|align="left"|{{sortname|Steve|Davis}}

|align="left"|{{ENG}}

|1

|0

|1

11

|align="left"|{{sortname|Peter|Ebdon}}

|align="left"|{{ENG}}

|1

|0

|1

11

|align="left"|{{sortname|Stephen|Hendry}}

|align="left"|{{SCO}}

|1

|0

|1

11

|align="left"|{{sortname|Steve|James|dab=snooker player}}

|align="left"|{{ENG}}

|1

|0

|1

11

|align="left"|{{sortname|John|Parrott}}

|align="left"|{{ENG}}

|1

|0

|1

11

|align="left"|{{sortname|John|Virgo}}

|align="left"|{{ENG}}

|1

|0

|1

11

|align="left"|{{sortname|Mark|Williams|dab=snooker player}}

|align="left"|{{WAL}}

|1

|0

|1

18

|align="left"|{{sortname|Mike|Hallett}}

|align="left"|{{ENG}}

|0

|3

|3

19

|align="left"|{{sortname|Nigel|Bond}}

|align="left"|{{ENG}}

|0

|2

|2

20

|align="left"|{{sortname|Fred|Davis|dab=snooker player}}

|align="left"|{{ENG}}

|0

|1

|1

20

|align="left"|{{sortname|Tony|Drago}}

|align="left"|{{MLT}}

|0

|1

|1

20

|align="left"|{{sortname|Andy|Hicks}}

|align="left"|{{ENG}}

|0

|1

|1

20

|align="left"|{{sortname|Graham|Miles}}

|align="left"|{{ENG}}

|0

|1

|1

20

|align="left"|{{sortname|John|Pulman}}

|align="left"|{{ENG}}

|0

|1

|1

20

|align="left"|{{sortname|Matthew|Stevens}}

|align="left"|{{WAL}}

|0

|1

|1

=Champions by country=

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

!Players

!Total

!First title

!Last title

align="left"|{{flag|Wales}}

|5

|12

|1974

|2000

align="left"|{{flag|England}}

|10

|11

|1977

|1999

align="left"|{{flag|Ireland}}

|1

|3

|1993

|1996

align="left"|{{flag|Scotland}}

|1

|1

|1990

|1990

See also

References

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Pontins Professional}}

{{Snooker tournaments}}

Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1974

Category:Recurring sporting events disestablished in 2000

Category:1974 establishments in Wales

Category:2000 disestablishments in Wales

Category:Snooker non-ranking competitions

Category:Snooker competitions in Wales

Category:Defunct snooker competitions

Category:Defunct sports competitions in Wales