1964–68 World Snooker Championships
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Since
1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General. * January 7 * ...
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 Wor ...
had been played as a
single-elimination tournament A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
, but between 1964 and 1968, it was defended over seven challenge matches. Following a hiatus after the 1957 World Professional Match-play Championship, the event was revived by
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 Worl ...
on a challenge basis, with the champion being opposed by prominent players. This began in 1964, organised by the
Billiards Association and Control Council The Billiards and Snooker Control Council (B&SCC) (formerly called the Billiards Association and Control Council (BA&CC)) was the governing body of the games of English billiards and snooker and organised professional and amateur championships ...
. The 1957 champion
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 ...
contested and won all seven challenge matches against various opponents in the next five years, until the tournament reverted to a knock-out format in
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. Each match was played over differing lengths and locations, with some being played over a series of matches rather than . Three of the matches were played at the
Burroughes Hall Burroughes Hall was an important English billiards, billiards and snooker venue in Soho Square, London from 1903 until it closed in 1967. The hall was in the premises of Burroughes & Watts Ltd., who had been at 19 Soho Square since 1836. Burroughes ...
in London, England; two across South Africa; one in St George's Hall, Liverpool, and the final match in Bolton. The highest made over the series was a 142 made by Williams in the 25–22 match loss to Pulman.


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 Wor ...
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 Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sports, cue sport played on a Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, rectangular table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets, one at each corner and o ...
. Founded in the late 19th century by
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soldiers stationed in India, the sport was popular in the mostly across the British Isles. The championship had traditionally been played as a
single-elimination tournament A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
annually since
1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General. * January 7 * ...
with a hiatus for between 1940 and 1946. Known as the World Professional Match-play Championship in
1957 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th y ...
the event failed to generate interest from the top professional players, with defending champion Fred Davis failing to enter. The event was won by
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 ...
, but with waning interest and the highest ranked players not playing the event was not held after 1957. English player
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 Worl ...
ran a four player tournament in
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in 1964, the first commercially sponsored professional snooker event since 1960. This and taking
Billiards Association and Control Council The Billiards and Snooker Control Council (B&SCC) (formerly called the Billiards Association and Control Council (BA&CC)) was the governing body of the games of English billiards and snooker and organised professional and amateur championships ...
(BA&CC) chairman Harold Phillips out to lunch led to the BA&CC to allow Williams to run a revival of the World Snooker Championship. The championship would be defended on a challenge basis, with defending champion Pulman facing a prominent snooker professional. The winner of the match would then become the new champion. The agreement between the BA&CC and the players in 1964 stated that there should be a minimum sidestake of £50 involved, that matches could be of any duration agreed by both participants, and that the challenger would be responsible for finding a suitable venue.


Summary


1964

The World Snooker Championship was revived in 1964 with a match between 40-year-old John Pulman and 50-year-old Fred Davis. It was a best-of-37 match, played over three days from 20 to 22 April at
Burroughes Hall Burroughes Hall was an important English billiards, billiards and snooker venue in Soho Square, London from 1903 until it closed in 1967. The hall was in the premises of Burroughes & Watts Ltd., who had been at 19 Soho Square since 1836. Burroughes ...
in London, England. Davis had won the official championship three times and the World Professional Match-play Championship five times. He had not taken part in the last championship in 1957, which Pulman had won. Pulman took an early 4–2 lead, but Davis was ahead 7–5 at the end of the first day and maintained his two-frame advantage after the second day, leading 13–11. Davis made a break of 108 on the afternoon of the final day, but Pulman won four of the six frames in the session to level the match at 15–15. He then won the first three frames of the evening session to lead 18–15 and, although Davis won the next frame, Pulman took the fifth to win the title 19–16. Six months after winning the first challenge match, John Pulman was challenged by organiser Rex Williams in another match held at Burroughes Hall. This consisted of a best-of-73 frames match played over six days, from 12 to 17 October 1964. Williams led 8–4 at the end of the first day, but Pulman won 11 of the 12 frames on the second day to go ahead 15–9, extending his lead to 31–17 after four days. Pulman won the match on the fifth day with a 37–23 winning lead, making a break of 109 in frame 57. The remaining 13 were played on the final day with Pulman finishing 40–33 ahead.


March 1965

Fred Davis challenged John Pulman for the world title in March 1965. The match was again 73 frames long, played over six days from 15 to 21 March at Burroughes Hall in London. The two players were closely matched throughout. Davis led 7–5 after the first day, but Pulman had taken the lead 13–11 by the end of the second day and pulled further ahead on the third, before Davis recovered to level the match at 18–18. Pulman made a break of 100 on the fourth day; they won six frames apiece to level the score once again at 24–24. The pair were still tied after the fifth day at 30–30, with Davis making a break of 105. Pulman eventually won the match 37–36.


South Africa matches

In September 1965, John Pulman and Rex Williams left England to play a series of 51 seven-frame matches in South Africa for the World Championship. The number of matches was later reduced to 49 and in December Pulman took a winning lead of 25–20 to retain the title. Eventually only 47 matches were played, with Pulman winning the series 25–22. In the 24th match of the series, played in November in the South African city of
East London East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...
, Williams compiled a break of 142, breaking the official tournament record of 136 set by
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 i ...
in 1946. Although equalled by
Bill Werbeniuk William Alexander Werbeniuk ( ; 14 January 1947 – 20 January 2003) was a Canadian professional snooker and pool player. Recognisable for his girth, he was nicknamed "Big Bill". Werbeniuk was a four-time World Championship quarter-finalist and ...
in 1979, this remained the highest break at the World Championship until
Doug Mountjoy Doug Mountjoy (8 June 1942 – 14 February 2021) was a Welsh snooker player from Tir-y-Berth, Gelligaer, Glamorgan, Wales. He was a member of the professional snooker circuit from the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, and remained within the ...
compiled a 145 in the 1981 tournament. After winning this series of matches, Pulman played South African
Fred Van Rensburg Fred "Freddie" van Rensburg was a South African professional snooker player. Career Rensburg challenged John Pulman for the World Championship title in early 1966. Pulman had played a series of matches against Rex Williams in South Africa in l ...
in December 1965, winning the match 39–12. The winner of the June 1965
South African Professional Championship The South African Professional Championship was a professional snooker tournament which was open only for South African players. History South Africa held a professional championship beginning in 1948. As with Australia it was originally held as ...
was supposed to be given the opportunity to challenge for the world title, with that match being sponsored by brandy company Richelieu et Cie. Although
Perrie Mans Pierre "Perrie" Mans (born 14 October 1940) is a retired professional snooker player from South Africa, who first won the South African Professional Championship in 1965, and won the event 20 times. Mans won the Benson & Hedges Masters in 1979 ...
defeated Van Rensburg 13–11 in the final, it was Van Rensberg who was given the opportunity. This decision was unpopular and contributed to a lack of coverage in the South African press of the match. Little is known about the match, except that Pulman led 9–1, 15–5 and 24–6 on his way to victory. In January 1966, Pulman and Williams played a five-day 35-frame match against Van Rensburg and amateur
Manuel Francisco Manuel Francisco, who died in 2020 aged 84, was a South African professional snooker and billiards player who won the South African amateur Snooker Championship 6 times. Francisco came from a snooker-playing family. His brother Silvino and e ...
, taking a winning 18–7 lead on the fourth day; the match ending 24–11.


April 1966 matches

Davis met John Pulman for a third challenge in April 1966, in a series of matches promoted by the Lancashire Billiard Traders' Association. There were seven best-of-five frame matches with the player who won four matches winning the championship. The matches were all played in the concert room of St George's Hall,
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
from 18 to 23 April. Pulman won the first three matches, 3–2, 4–1 and 4–1, with Davis winning the fourth and fifth matches 3–2. On 22 April Pulman achieved victory by winning the sixth match, 4–2. He won the last match the following day to finish with five wins to Davis's two.


March 1968

Australian player
Eddie Charlton Edward Francis Charlton, (31 October 1929 – 8 November 2004) was an Australian professional snooker and English billiards player. He remains the only player to have been world championship runner-up in both snooker and billiards without winn ...
challenged John Pulman in
Bolton Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish people, Flemish weavers settled in the area i ...
for a 73-frame match played from 4 to 9 March 1968. Pulman won the opening frame with a break of 77, but was 2–4 in arrears at the end of the first session. Charlton then extended the lead to 6–2, before Pulman won four consecutive frames to level at 6–6 by the end of the opening day's play. Pulman also won the first three frames on the second day, with Charlton taking the following two. The pair each took two of the next four frames as the score went from Pulman 9–8 ahead to 13–11 ahead at the end of the second day. In the 21st frame, after Pulman had potted the first red, Charlton potted the 14 remaining reds, with seven blacks, six pinks and a green, and then all the colours except the black, for a break of 122. On the third day, Charlton won five of the six frames in the afternoon session to lead 16–14. In the evening session, Pulman drew level at 16–16. Charlton won the 33rd frame, and looked likely to win the 34th as well after making a break of 52, but Pulman eventually won the frame on the black. Pulman then won the last two frame of the day, with the last frame of the day also being decided on the final black, meaning that Pulman retained a 19–17 lead after the third day. Pulman won five of six frames in the afternoon session of the fourth day, and four of six in the evening session, with his good safety play often leading to Charlton leaving him good opportunities, and so extended his lead to 28–20 after the fourth day. With the players both winning six frames on the fifth day, it ended with Pulman leading 34–26, needing three of the remaining 13 frames. Pulman won three of the first five frames on the final afternoon to win the match 37–28. The remaining eight dead frames were played, the final score being 39–34. This was the last challenge match, as the event reverted to a traditional tournament for the
1969 World Snooker Championship The 1969 World Snooker Championship (also known as the Player's No.6 World Snooker Championship for sponsorship reasons) was a professional snooker tournament. It was the first World Snooker Championship in a knock-out format since 1957, follow ...
, and except for a round-robin stage at the
1971 World Snooker Championship The 1971 World Snooker Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place between 28 September and 7 November 1970 in Australia. The tournament was the 1971 edition of the World Snooker Championship, first held in 1927 but was ...
, the event has been played as a single-elimination tournament since. Pulman had been touring snooker clubs as promotional work for the tobacco brand
John Player John Player & Sons, most often known simply as Player's, was a tobacco and cigarette manufacturer based in Nottingham, England. In 1901, the company merged with other companies to form The Imperial Tobacco Company to face competition from US ma ...
, and the company had sponsored his match against Charlton. The good attendances for the challenge match led to John Player deciding to sponsor the
1969 World Snooker Championship The 1969 World Snooker Championship (also known as the Player's No.6 World Snooker Championship for sponsorship reasons) was a professional snooker tournament. It was the first World Snooker Championship in a knock-out format since 1957, follow ...
as a knockout tournament.


Results


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:World Snooker Championships 1964-68 1964 in snooker 1965 in snooker 1966 in snooker 1968 in snooker 1964 in English sport 1964 sports events in London 1965 in English sport 1965 sports events in London 1965 in South African sport 1966 in English sport 1968 in English sport International sports competitions hosted by South Africa International sports competitions in London Sport in Bolton Sports competitions in Liverpool