1947 World Snooker Championship
The 1947 World Snooker Championship was a professional snooker tournament. The final was held at the Leicester Square Hall in London, England, from 13 to 25 October.[1] The semi-finals had been completed on 15 March but the finalists agreed to delay the final until the autumn so that it could be played at the rebuilt Thurston's Hall which had been bombed in October 1940.
Tournament information | |
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Dates | 20 January–25 October 1947 |
Final venue | Leicester Square Hall |
Final city | London |
Country | England |
Organisation(s) | Billiards Association and Control Council |
Highest break | ![]() |
Final | |
Champion | ![]() |
Runner-up | ![]() |
Score | 82–63 |
← 1946 1948 → |
The World Championship was the first to be played since the "retirement" of Joe Davis who had won all 15 of the previous Championships. He had announced in October 1946 that he would no longer play in the World Championship.[2] Davis did not, in any other sense, retire from snooker, continuing to play in other tournaments and exhibition matches for many years.
Walter Donaldson won the title by defeating Fred Davis 82–63 in the final,[1] although he already reached the winning margin at 73–49.[3] Davis made the highest break of the tournament with a 135 clearance in frame 86 of the final, just one short of the championship record.[4]
Schedule
Match | Dates | Venue, city |
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Fred Davis v Clark McConachy | 20–25 January 1947 | Clifton Hotel, Blackpool |
Sidney Smith v Alec Brown | 27 January–1 February 1947 | Newcastle |
Horace Lindrum v Albert Brown | 10–15 February 1947 | Burroughes Hall, London |
Walter Donaldson v Stanley Newman | 10–15 February 1947 | Wellington, Shropshire |
Fred Davis v Sidney Smith | 17–22 February 1947 | Manchester |
Walter Donaldson v Horace Lindrum | 10–15 March 1947 | Liverpool |
Walter Donaldson v Fred Davis | 13–18, 20–25 October 1947 | Leicester Square Hall, London |
Main draw
Quarter-finals 71/73 frames | Semi-finals 71 frames | Final 145 frames | ||||||||||||
![]() | Fred Davis | 53 | ||||||||||||
![]() | Clark McConachy | 20 | ![]() | Fred Davis | 39 | |||||||||
![]() | Sidney Smith | 43 | ![]() | Sidney Smith | 32 | |||||||||
![]() | Alec Brown | 28 | ![]() | Fred Davis | 63 | |||||||||
![]() | Walter Donaldson | 46 | ![]() | Walter Donaldson | 82 | |||||||||
![]() | Stanley Newman | 25 | ![]() | Walter Donaldson | 39 | |||||||||
![]() | Horace Lindrum | 39 | ![]() | Horace Lindrum | 32 | |||||||||
![]() | Albert Brown | 34 |
Final
Final: 145 frames. Leicester Square Hall, London, 13–18, 20–25 October 1947.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] | ||
Walter Donaldson![]() |
82–63 | Fred Davis![]() |
Day 1: 42–88, 65–49, 77–29, 23–91, 65–51, 70–21, 26–72, 62–43, 13–113, 66–60, 40–86, 85–36 Day 2: 88–31, 84–22, 33–50, 71–32, 49–71, 65–35, 63–65, 80–36, 73–56, 32–86, 87–48, 34–96 Day 3: 73–44, 95–14, 64–50, 89–31, 79–23, 28–63, 70–38, 59–40, 30–55, 62–47, 28–82 (55), 38–86 Day 4: 80–20, 52–82, 83–43, 13–144 (73), 65–36, 69–24, 99–24 (97), 100–24, 112–5, 78–45, 47–77, 62–61 Day 5: 65–53, 12–112, 84–33, 77–24, 83–37, 25–94, 31–84, 50–71, 56–82, 37–64, 22–89, 32–80 Day 6: 85–18, 72–45, 21–88, 60–46, 94–38, 70–39, 72–31, 90–11, 87–28, 46–70, 29–79, 74–51 Day 7: 63–41, 116–8, 96–24, 8–111 (103), 65–59, 68–61, 16–106, 26–85, 19–119 (107), 56–69, 89–42, 97–12 Day 8: 53–44, 0–139 (135), 97–32, 51–63, 67–37, 39–96, 57–36, 90–28, 32–75, 103–6, 65–73, 22–103 Day 9: 40–67, 67–55, 30–94, 72–59, 82–21, 20–86, 95–51, 119–31, 51–93, 14–94, 55–64, 12–120 Day 10: 51–56, 111–20, 95–31, 88–23, 91–6, 86–36, 28–80, 57–55, 73–53, 24–86, 65–55, 101–26 Day 11: 68–66, 95–48, 77–38, 66–67, 68–23, 76–50, 72–53, 74–40, 44–82, 43–79, 4–114, 31–78 Day 12: 13 frame scores not known | ||
"Dead" frames were played, Donaldson had won the match 73–49. |
Qualifying
Qualifying matches were held at Burroughes Hall in London from 2 January to 8 February 1947. Herbert Holt had scratched from the qualifying in early December.[19] The first match, between John Pulman and Albert Brown was a repeat of the final of the 1946 English Amateur Championship which Pulman had won. Brown led 14–9 after two days and took a winning 18–9 lead on the final day.[20] Herbert Francis led Willie Leigh 14–10 after two days. Leigh levelled the score at 15–15 after the final afternoon session and eventually won 19–16.[21] Sydney Lee beat Jim Lees 19–16 in the third match.[22] In the last first-round match Kingsley Kennerley won easily against Conrad Stanbury, taking an 18–4 lead on the second evening.[23]
Round 1 35 frames |
Round 2 35 frames |
Round 3 35 frames |
Round 4 35 frames | |||||||||||||||
![]() |
Albert Brown | 21 | ||||||||||||||||
![]() |
John Pulman | 14 | ![]() |
Albert Brown | 28 | |||||||||||||
![]() |
Eric Newman | w/o | ![]() |
Eric Newman | 7 | |||||||||||||
![]() |
Herbert Holt | w/d | ![]() |
Albert Brown | 24 | |||||||||||||
![]() |
John Barrie | 11 | ||||||||||||||||
![]() |
John Barrie | 25 | ||||||||||||||||
![]() |
Fred Lawrence | 10 | ||||||||||||||||
![]() |
Albert Brown | 21 | ||||||||||||||||
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Kingsley Kennerley | 23 | ![]() |
Kingsley Kennerley | 14 | |||||||||||||
![]() |
Conrad Stanbury | 12 | ![]() |
Kingsley Kennerley | 23 | |||||||||||||
![]() |
Alec Mann | 12 | ||||||||||||||||
![]() |
Kingsley Kennerley | 21 | ||||||||||||||||
![]() |
Jim Lees | 16 | ![]() |
Willie Leigh | 14 | |||||||||||||
![]() |
Sydney Lee | 19 | ![]() |
Sydney Lee | 10 | |||||||||||||
![]() |
Willie Leigh | 19 | ![]() |
Willie Leigh | 25 | |||||||||||||
![]() |
Herbert Francis | 16 |
References
- Turner, Chris. "World Professional Championship". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 April 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
- "Billiards and Snooker – J Davis retires". The Times. 7 October 1946. p. 8.
- "New snooker champion". The Mercury. 27 October 1947. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
- "Professional Snooker – Big break by F Davis". The Times. 22 October 1947. p. 2.
- "World Championship 1947". Global Snooker. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
- "Embassy World Championship". Snooker Scene. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- Hayton, Eric (2004). The CueSport Book of Professional Snooker. Lowestoft: Rose Villa Publications. p. 144. ISBN 0-9548549-0-X.
- "World Snooker title". The Glasgow Herald. 14 October 1947. p. 4.
- "Scot's Snooker lead". The Glasgow Herald. 15 October 1947. p. 2.
- "World Snooker lead". The Glasgow Herald. 16 October 1947. p. 6.
- "World Snooker title". The Glasgow Herald. 17 October 1947. p. 2.
- "Davis 10 behind". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 18 October 1947. Retrieved 18 March 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "Professional Snooker". The Times. 20 October 1947. p. 2.
- "Two century breaks by Fred Davis". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 21 October 1947. Retrieved 18 March 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "Davis just misses world record". Western Daily Press. 22 October 1947. Retrieved 18 March 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "Donaldson has winning lead". Western Daily Press. 23 October 1947. Retrieved 18 March 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "Donaldson – Two frames to win". Western Daily Press. 24 October 1947. Retrieved 18 March 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "Donaldson wins snooker title". Aberdeen Journal. 25 October 1947. Retrieved 18 March 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "H Holt". The Times. 7 December 1946. p. 7.
- "Professional Snooker". The Times. 6 January 1947. p. 2.
- "Sport in brief". Western Daily Press. 9 January 1947. Retrieved 12 January 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "Professional Snooker". The Times. 13 January 1947. p. 8.
- "Missed his cue". Western Morning News. 15 January 1947. Retrieved 12 January 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.