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'''Fred Lawrence''' 18 June 1887<ref name="bio1" /><ref name="bio2" /><ref>{{cite news | url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/57209753 | title=Billiards | date=21 January 1906 | newspaper=Sunday Times | location=Perth, Australia | page=3 | accessdate=30 December 2018 }}</ref> – 4 January 1964<ref name="dd1">[https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/1904/images/32858_606246_2063-00346?usePUB=true&_phsrc=cgo19752&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=19150120 "England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995 for Frederick William Lawrence, 1964, p.683, image p.342"] From Ancestry.com. ''England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995'' [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.,2010.{{subscription required|s}} </ref><ref name="dd2" />was an [[English Billiards]] and [[snooker]] player.
'''Fred Lawrence''' 18 June 1887<ref name="bio1" /><ref name="bio2" /><ref>{{cite news | url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/57209753 | title=Billiards | date=21 January 1906 | newspaper=Sunday Times | location=Perth, Australia | page=3 | accessdate=30 December 2018 }}</ref> – 4 January 1964<ref name="dd1">[https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/1904/images/32858_606246_2063-00346?usePUB=true&_phsrc=cgo19752&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=19150120 "England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995 for Frederick William Lawrence, 1964, p.683, image p.342"] From Ancestry.com. ''England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995'' [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.,2010.{{subscription required|s}} </ref><ref name="dd2" /> was an [[English Billiards]] and [[snooker]] player. In 1919 he won the Second-class Professional billiards tournament. He was Midland billiards champion in 1920. Lawrence lost 13 - 16 to [[Joe Davis]] in the final of the 1928 [[World Snooker Championship]].


==Early life and billiards career==
==Early life and billiards career==

Revision as of 11:05, 5 April 2021

Fred Lawrence
Born18 June 1887[1]
Birmingham, Warwickshire, England[1][2]
Died4 January 1964[3][4]
Birmingham, Warwickshire, England [3][4]
Sport country England
Professional1906–1947

Fred Lawrence 18 June 1887[1][5][6] – 4 January 1964[3][4] was an English Billiards and snooker player. In 1919 he won the Second-class Professional billiards tournament. He was Midland billiards champion in 1920. Lawrence lost 13 - 16 to Joe Davis in the final of the 1928 World Snooker Championship.

Early life and billiards career

His full name was Frederick William Lawrence. [7][8][9]. Lawrence was born in Birmingham on 18 June 1887, and was the oldest son of Frederick John Lawrence and his wife Elizabeth (maiden surname of Bristow).[10][7]

At the time of the 1891 census, Lawrence was living with his parents and two siblings at Alfreton in Derbyshire.[8] Lawrence's mother Elizabeth died in 1899 at Birmingham.[11] Fred's father then married Nellie Wybrow at Birmingham in the same year.[12]

Fred started playing billiards at the age of 13,[1]and his father was the manager of a billiard room at Birmingham, during the time of the 1901 census.[9]By the time he was 15 Fred had made his first hundred break.[1] By the age of 16, he had made more than twenty breaks over a hundred.[13]By 27 January 1905, he had made eighty seven breaks of a hundred or over.[14]

Lawrence's progress as a billiards player came to the attention of the veteran player John Roberts Jr. (billiards player). It was announced in The Birmingham Daily Mail, that Roberts was greatly impressed with his performances, and would play Fred Lawrence at Stockton-on-Tees on 3 March 1905.[14] In a game of the first to 1,500 Roberts gave Lawrence a 700 start.[15] By the end of the afternoon session, Fred was winning 1,101 - 546. Roberts managed to catch up in the evening session, but he lost the game by 48 points after Lawrence made an unfinished break of 65.[16][5]

In newspaper articles during this time he was described as "the boy champion,"[17][15][16] and had become a professional billiards player by February 1906.[18]

By the time of his 21st birthday, Lawrence had played 638 matches, winning 523 of those. And he had made 700 breaks ranging from 100 - 363.[5]

Due to ill health, Fred was out of the game from 1912 and did not start playing again until early in 1919.[1] He returned to form and won the Second-class Professional Tournament held at Thurston's in London. Victory for Lawrence was secured on 26 August 1919 in a 4,000 - 2,515 win over Tom Carpenter. This was the sixth player that Fred had defeated in this tournament.[19] He also had the highest break of that tournament, which was a 422 that he made on 25 July 1919 [20]during a win over Albert Raynor.[1]

He became the Midland Billiards champion on 10 January 1920, beating E.C. Breed in the final at Derby 7,000 - 6,165.[21]

Snooker career

Lawrence entered the World Snooker Championship on six occasions in the first half of the twentieth century. At his first attempt in 1927, he lost at the quarter-final stage 7–8 to Tom Dennis, and in 1928, he defeated Alec Mann 12–11 and Tom Newman 12–7 to reach the final, where he lost 13–16 to Joe Davis.

In the 1929 event, Lawrence was victorious over Alec Mann once more, this time by 13 frames to 12, to set up another meeting with Davis in the semi-final; he lost this match 10–13. The 1930 tournament followed a similar path - again, Lawrence beat Mann, this year by two frames at 13–11, but again, he lost to Davis in the semi-final, the 2–13 scoreline marking the heaviest defeat of Lawrence's career to that point.

He next appeared at the World Championship in 1946, losing in the first round 9–22 to Kingsley Kennerley, and the 1947 tournament, which proved to be Lawrence's final as a professional, ended with a 10–25 loss to John Barrie in his opening match.

Fred Lawrence died in Birmingham, on 4 January 1964. At the time of his death he was living at Small Heath.[3][4]

Career finals

Non-ranking event finals: 1 (1 runner-up)

Outcome Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Runner-up 1928 World Snooker Championship England Joe Davis 13–16

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Fred Lawrence." Derby Daily Telegraph, 14 November 1925, p.5 - via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 03 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Frederick Lawrence in household of Frederick Lawrence, Balsall Heath, Worcestershire, England, United Kingdom." "England and Wales Census, 1911," database, FamilySearch, from "1911 England and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 14, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.
  3. ^ a b c d "England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995 for Frederick William Lawrence, 1964, p.683, image p.342" From Ancestry.com. England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.,2010.(Subscription required.)
  4. ^ a b c d "Frederick W Lawrence, 1964; Death Registration: Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, p.650, vol.9C, Quarter Jan-Feb-Mar." England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007, database, FamilySearch.
  5. ^ a b c Birmingham Daily Gazette, Thursday 18 June 1908, p.8 - via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 03 April 2021.
  6. ^ "Billiards". Sunday Times. Perth, Australia. 21 January 1906. p. 3. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  7. ^ a b "Frederick William Lawrence, 1887, Birth Registration, Aston, Warwickshire, England, citing General Register Office, Southport, England." England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008,database, FamilySearch.Retrieved 05 April 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Frederick Wm Lawrence in household of Fredk John Lawrence, Alfreton, Derbyshire, England, United Kingdom." "England and Wales Census, 1891," database with images, FamilySearch, from "1891 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast; citing PRO RG 12, Derbyshire county, subdistrict, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey. Retrieved 05 April 2021.
  9. ^ a b "F W Lawrence in household of F J Lawrence, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom." "England and Wales Census, 1901," database, FamilySearch, from "1901 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast ; citing Lady Wood subdistrict, PRO RG 13, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey. Retrieved 03 April 2021.
  10. ^ "LAWRENCE, FREDERICK WILLIAM. Mother's Maiden Surname: BRISTOW. GRO Reference: 1887 S Quarter in ASTON Volume 06D Page 224." From General Register Office, Southport, England: GRO Online Indexes at www.gro.gov.uk. Retrieved 05 April 2021.
  11. ^ "Elizabeth Lawrence, 1899; Death Registration: Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, p.79, vol.6D, Quarter Apr-May-Jun." England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007, database, FamilySearch.
  12. ^ "Frederick John Lawrence, 1899 quarter 2, vol.6D, p.369, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England. General Register Office, Southport, England." England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005, database, FamilySearch. Retrieved 05 April 2021.
  13. ^ "Billiard Column." Dundee Evening Telegraph, Thursday 11 February 1904, p.3 - via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 03 April 2021.
  14. ^ a b "Sporting Items." The Birmingham Daiy Mail, Friday 27 January 1905, p.4 - via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 03 April 2021.
  15. ^ a b "Roberts On Tees-Side." Leeds Mercury, Saturday 04 March 1905, p.8 - via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 03 April 2021.
  16. ^ a b "Boy Champion Beats Roberts." Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser, Saturday 04 March 1905, p.8 - via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 03 April 2021.
  17. ^ "Billiards. The Boy Champion In Leeds." Leeds Mercury, Monday 15 February 1904, p.9 - via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 03 April 2021.
  18. ^ "The London Billiards Press Handicap." Sporting Life, Monday 19 February 1906, p.6 - via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 03 April 2021.
  19. ^ "Lawrence Wins. Overwhelming Victory Over Welsh Champion." Birmingham Daily Gazette, Wednesday 27 August 1919, p.6 - via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 04 April 2021.
  20. ^ "News In Brief." Nottingham Journal, Saturday 26 July 1919, p.5 - via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 04 April 2021.
  21. ^ "Midland Billiards. Championship Goes To Birmingham: Lawrence Wins By 835." Nottingham Journal, Monday 12 January 1920, p.7 - via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 03 April 2021.
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