1972 Men of the Midlands

The 1972 Men of the Midlands was a professional invitational snooker tournament, that took place from 3 January[1] to 20 March 1972.[2] The tournament was won by Alex Higgins, who defeated John Spencer 4–2 in the final.[2]

1972 Men of the Midlands

Tournament information
Dates	3 January – 20 March 1972
Venue	various
Country	England
Format	Non-ranking event
Total prize fund	£1,000
Winner's share	£300
Final
Champion	Alex Higgins (NIR)
Runner-up	John Spencer (ENG)
Score	4–2
← First 1973 →

The competition featured a round-robin group stage, with four players progressing into the semi-finals.[3] Higgins won 4–0 againstRay Reardon in one semi final,[4] and Spencer defeated Graham Miles 4–0 in the other.[5]

Higgins won the first frame of the final, after Spencer missed an easy pink, and Spencer won the second frame. In the third, Higgins made breaks of 37 and 28 to win. The fourth frame saw both players miss changes to win, with Higgins eventually taking it with a break of 48. Spencer compiled a 58 break in winning the fifth frame, before Higgins won the sixth, with breaks of 24, 20 and 27, to win the match 4–2.[2]

The tournament was sponsored by Mitchells and Butlers, who provided a prize fund of £1,000.[1] Higgins received £300 as winner, and Spencer took £225 as runner-up.[2]

Knockout results

	Semi-finals Best-of-seven frames					Final Best-of-seven frames
	Alex Higgins (NIR)		4
	Ray Reardon (WAL)		1			Alex Higgins (NIR)		4
	John Spencer (ENG)		4			John Spencer (ENG)		2
	Graham Miles (ENG)		0

References

1. "Snooker clash". Birmingham Daily Post. Birmingham. 1 January 1972. p. 16.
2. "Higgins in repeat win". Belfast Telegraph. Belfast. 7 March 1972. p. 17.
3. "Higgins in 'semi-final'". Belfast Telegraph. Belfast. 10 February 1972. p. 17.
4. "Higgins too hot for Reardon". Belfast Telegraph. Belfast. 7 March 1972. p. 19.
5. "Spencer plays Higgins again". Birmingham Daily Post. Birmingham. 15 March 1972. p. 18.