The 1952 World Professional Match-play Championship was a snooker tournament held from 12 November 1951 to 15 March 1952, with the final taking place at the

Tower Circus Blackpool Tower is a tourist attraction in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, which was opened to the public on 14 May 1894. When it opened, Blackpool Tower was the tallest man made structure in the British Empire. Inspired by the Eiffel Tower in ...

in Blackpool, England. The event was created following a dispute between the Professional Billiard Players' Association (PBPA) and the Billiards Association and Control Council (BACC). The BACC claimed that the championship was primarily about honour, and financial consideration should come behind this, 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' called the

World Professional Match-play Championship The World Professional Match-play Championship was a professional snooker tournament established in 1952 as an alternative to the professional World Snooker Championship by some of the professional players, following a dispute with the Billiar ...

, editions of which are now recognised as world championships. Fred Davis won his fourth world title by defeating

Walter Donaldson Walter Donaldson (February 15, 1893 – July 15, 1947) was an American prolific popular songwriter and publishing company founder, composing many hit songs of the 1910s to 1940s, that have become standards and form part of the Great American Song ...

by 38 to 35 in the final. Davis recorded the highest of the tournament, 140, a new championship record.

Background

The

World Snooker Championship The World Snooker Championship is the longest-running and most prestigious tournament in professional snooker. It is also the wealthiest, with total prize money in 2022 of £2,395,000, including £500,000 for the winner. First held in 1927, it ...

, established in 1927, is a professional tournament and the official

world championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

of the game of snooker. The sport was developed in the late 19th century by British Army soldiers stationed in India. Professional

English billiards English billiards, called simply billiards in the United Kingdom and in many former British colonies, is a cue sport that combines the aspects of carom billiards and pool. Two (one white and one yellow) and a red are used. Each player or team ...

player and

billiard hall A billiard, pool or snooker hall (or parlour, room or club; sometimes compounded as poolhall, poolroom, etc.) is a place where people get together for playing cue sports such as pool, snooker or carom billiards. Such establishments commonly serv ...

manager

Joe Davis Joseph Davis (15 April 190110 July 1978) was an English professional snooker and English billiards player. He was the dominant figure in snooker from the 1920s to the 1950s, and has been credited with inventing aspects of the way the game is ...

noticed the increasing popularity of snooker compared to billiards in the 1920s, and with

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

-based billiards equipment manager Bill Camkin, persuaded the Billiards Association and Control Council (BACC) to recognise an official professional snooker championship in the 1926–27 season. In 1927, the final of the first professional snooker championship was held at Camkin's Hall; Davis won the tournament by beating Tom Dennis in the final. The annual competition was not titled the World Championship until 1935, but the 1927 tournament is now referred to as the first World Snooker Championship. Davis also won the title each year until 1940, when the contest was cancelled during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, and again when the championship resumed in 1946, accumulating a total of 15 titles before retiring from the event. In 1952, the

was created following a dispute between the Professional Billiards Players' Association (PBPA) and the BACC. In response to player complaints that the BACC was taking too large a percentage of income from the tournament, the BACC claimed that the championship "has always been, and in theory is to be, regarded as an affair of honour and a test of merit", and that "every effort is made to arrange terms advantageous to the professionals competing in the championship, compatible with securing an equitable return for the promoters of it, the B.A.& C.C." The PBPA members established an alternative competition called the World Professional Match-play Championship, perceived in general as the genuine title competition, and now recognised as world championships. Only two of the leading professional players,

Horace Lindrum Horace Lindrum (born Horace Norman William Morrell, 15 January 1912 – 20 June 1974) was an Australian professional snooker and billiards player. A dominant snooker player in Australia, he lived in Britain for long periods and played in the maj ...

and

Clark McConachy Clark McConachy (15 April 1895 – 12 April 1980), often known simply as Mac, was a New Zealand professional player of English billiards and snooker. Life and career McConachy was born at Glenorchy in Otago in 1895. He was the New Zealand ...

, had declined to join the PBPA, and they were the only two entrants to the BACC's 1952 World Snooker Championship. Lindrum won their match, and therefore the title, 94-49 after . The other professionals at the time, with the exception of Joe Davis who had retired from world title competitions, entered the PBPA's tournament. Ten players entered the PBPA's first World Professional Match-play Championship. The two finalists in the

1951 World Snooker Championship The 1951 World Snooker Championship was a professional snooker tournament. The final was held at the Tower Circus in Blackpool, England. For the fifth consecutive year, the final was contested by Fred Davis and Walter Donaldson. Davis won his th ...

, Fred Davis and

, 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.

Summary

First round

Sydney Lee withdrew, granting

Kingsley Kennerley Kingsley Kennerley (27 December 1913 – 26 June 1982) was an English billiards and snooker player. Career In the period from 1937 to 1940 Kennerley enjoyed considerable success as an amateur in both billiards and snooker. He won the English ...

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into the quarter-finals.

Jackie Rea John Joseph "Jackie" Rea (6 April 1921 – 20 October 2013) was a Northern Irish snooker player. He was the leading Irish snooker player until the emergence of Alex Higgins. Rea reached the semi-final of the 1952 World Championship losing to ...

defeated Jim Lees 33–28 in their match from 12 to 17 November 1951, Albert Brown scored a 33–28 win over

John Pulman Herbert John Pulman (12 December 192325 December 1998) was an English professional snooker player who was the World Snooker Champion from 1957 to 1968. He won the title at the 1957 Championship, and retained it across seven challenges from 1 ...

when they met from 27 November to 1 December, and in a match from 17 to 22 December,

Alec Brown Alec Thomas Brown (born July 23, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for BC Budivelnyk of the European North Basketball League and the Champions League. He played college basketball at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay. Br ...

achieved a winning margin at 33–17 before his last day's play against

Rex Williams Desmond Rex Williams (born 20 July 1933) is a retired English professional snooker and billiards player. He was the second player to make an official maximum break, achieving this in an exhibition match in December 1965. Williams won the Wo ...

, finishing at 39–22. Williams had turned professional in 1951, becoming the first player to make the transition from being an amateur since Pulman and Brown had done so in 1946. Snooker historian

Clive Everton Clive Harold Everton (born 7 September 1937) is a sports commentator, journalist, author and former professional snooker and English billiards player. He founded '' Snooker Scene'' magazine, which was first published (as ''World Snooker'') i ...

wrote that Williams was "hammered" by Brown, and that this demonstrated the gulf in ability between the top amateurs and the professionals of the time.

Quarter-finals

In the first quarter final, held from 7 to 11 January 1952, 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. Rea then took ten of the next day's twelve frames to lead 16–8, and on subsequent days was 23–13, 25–17 and 29–19 ahead, eventually finishing the match at 35–26. In the other quarter-final match, Albert Brown won six of the nine frames against Alec Brown on the first day of their match which lasted from 14 to 18 January. He won the opening six frames on the second day, and finished that day 18–6 ahead, maintaining a six frame lead at the end of the next day, which ended with him leading 24–12. 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. Albert Brown achieved a certain win at 31–22, and after the remaining scheduled frames were played, he was 36–25 ahead.

Semi-finals

The first semi-final, between Walter Donaldson and Albert Brown, was played in

Scunthorpe Scunthorpe () is an industrial town and unparished area in the unitary authority of North Lincolnshire in Lincolnshire, England of which it is the main administrative centre. Scunthorpe had an estimated total population of 82,334 in 2016. A ...

from 21 to 25 January 1952. Donaldson held a 21–15 lead after three days. However, Brown reduced Donaldson's lead to two frames on the fourth day and the match ended 31–30. The second semi-final, between Fred Davis and Jackie Rea, was played at

Wellington, Shropshire Wellington is a market town in Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire, England. It is situated 4 miles (6 km) northwest of central Telford and 12 miles (19 km) east of Shrewsbury. The summit of The Wrekin lies 3 miles southwest of the town. The ...

from 4 to 9 February 1952. After four days Davis led 29–11. Davis took a winning 34–16 lead on the fifth day and eventually won 38–23.

Final

The final started on 10 March 1952 and continued until 15 March. 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 Gate receipts, or simply "gate", is the sum of money taken at a sporting venue for the sale of tickets. Traditionally, gate receipts were largely or entirely taken in cash. Today, many sporting venues will operate a season ticket scheme, which will ...

. Lindrum wrote in his 1974 book that he never received the challenge in writing, and that if he had, the principle that the title should be contested in an official tournament, apart from his existing commitments at the time which made it impractical, meant that he would not have agreed. In the World Professional Match-play final, Davis won six of the eight frames in their first , and each player won four frames in the second session, leaving the score at 7–5 to Davis after the first day. Donaldson had compiled a of 104. 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. 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. After another day's play, Davis was 29–19 ahead, Donaldson won eight of the next twelve frames to reduce his arrears to six frames at 27–33. Davis won the title, finishing the last day at 38–35 after achieving a winning margin at 37–30. Davis was trailing by 8 points to 66 in the 67th frame, but compiled a of 67 to take the frame and secure victory.

Schedule

Main draw

The result for the tournament are shown below. Players in bold denote match winners.

References

{{World Professional Match-play Championship 1952 (2)

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

Sport in Blackpool