1980 Classic (1979/1980)

The 1980 Wilson's Classic (January) was the inaugural edition of the professional invitational snooker tournament, which took place on 7 and 8 January 1980. The tournament was played at the New Century Hall in Manchester, and featured eight professional players.

Wilson's Classic

Tournament information
Dates	7–8 January 1980
Venue	New Century Hall
City	Manchester
Country	England
Organisation(s)	WPBSA
Format	Non-Ranking event
Total prize fund	£8,900
Winner's share	£?
Highest break	Alex Higgins (75)
Final
Champion	John Spencer
Runner-up	Alex Higgins
Score	4–3
← First 1980 (December) →

John Spencer won the tournament, beating Alex Higgins 4–3 in the final.[1] A second Classic was staged in 1980 in December with Steve Davis winning the title.

Main draw

[2]

	Quarter-finals Best of 3 frames					Semi-finals Best of 3 frames					Final Best of 7 frames
		Terry Griffiths	2
		Jim Meadowcroft	0				Terry Griffiths	0
		Alex Higgins	2				Alex Higgins	2
		Dennis Taylor	0									Alex Higgins	3
		John Spencer	2									John Spencer	4
		Graham Miles	0				John Spencer	2
		John Virgo	2				John Virgo	0
		Doug Mountjoy	0

Final

Final: Best of 7 frames. Referee: Jim Thorpe. New Century Hall, Manchester, England, 8 January 1980.
Alex Higgins  Northern Ireland	3–4	John Spencer  England
46–64, 50–51, 102–39, 97(75)–19, 70 (52)–26, 29–67, 90(52)–30
75	Highest break	52
0	Century breaks	0
2	50+ breaks	1

Century breaks

No centuries were made.
Highest break of the tournament:

• 75 Alex Higgins

References

1. "Wilson's Classic, Lada Classic, Mercantile Credit Classic". Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
2. "1980 Mercantile Credit Classic Results Grid". Snooker Database. Retrieved 18 January 2018.