Norwich Union Grand Prix
| Tournament status | |
|---|---|
| Ranking tournament: | - |
| Minor ranking tournament: | - |
| Invitation tournament: | 1988-1990 |
| Tournament dates of the last edition | |
| Venue: | different, final in Monte Carlo |
| Prize money (total): | £ 60,000 |
| Prize money (winner): | £ 25,000 |
| Frames in the final: | Best of 7 |
| Records | |
| Most wins: |
 Steve Davis Joe Johnson John Parrott (1 × each)
|
| Highest Break: | 138 John Parrott 1990
|
| Venue (s) on the map | |
| largely unknown | |
The Norwich Union Grand Prix was a professional snooker tournament held three times at the end of the 1980s with the status of an invitation tournament. The tournament took place at different locations within Europe , with the final being held in Monte Carlo . England's Steve Davis , Joe Johnson and John Parrott each won one of the editions of the Norwich Union sponsored tournament. At the last edition of the tournament in 1990, Parrott played the highest break in tournament history with a 138 break.
history
The first edition of the tournament took place at the end of 1988 and after 14 years, when the Norwich Union Open was held for the last time, a comeback of Norwich Union as tournament sponsor. Eight players took part, divided into two groups and played a simple round- robin tournament at different locations in Europe , with the two best players in each group advancing to the semi-finals. From this point on, the winner was determined in the knockout system . The final of the tournament, with a total of £ 105,000 to win, took place in Monte Carlo and was contested by Steve Davis and Jimmy White ; Davis won 5-4. At the same time he played the highest break of the tournament with a 136 break.
At the end of 1989 the tournament took place again in different locations, with the prize money being reduced significantly to £ 40,000 despite the constant number of participants and sponsorship. In addition, the tournament mode was changed; now the tournament took place in the knockout system from the start. The finals reached Joe Johnson and the aspiring Stephen Hendry ; Ex-world champion Johnson won the title 5-3. The highest break of the edition was played by Mike Hallett with his 137 break, with which he exceeded the previous year's record by Steve Davis, who had not participated this time, by one point.
From June 8th to October 7th 1990, the third edition took place in different locations and with eight participants and Norwich Union as sponsor, in which the prize money was increased again to £ 60,000. The tournament mode remained the same compared to last year. With Steve Davis, a previous winner of the tournament reached the final for the first time, but he had to admit defeat to John Parrott 4-2. Parrott also played the 138 break, the highest break in the edition and in tournament history, as the previous year's record was once again exceeded by one point. The tournament was then discontinued.
winner
| year | venue | winner | Result | finalist | sponsor | season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norwich Union Grand Prix - Invitational Tournament | ||||||
| 1988 |
 different
|
Steve Davis
|
5: 4 |
Jimmy White
|
Norwich Union | 1988/89 |
| 1989 |
Joe Johnson
|
5: 3 |
 Stephen Hendry
|
1989/90 | ||
| 1990 |
John Parrott
|
4: 2 |
Stephen Hendry
|
1990/91 | ||
Web links
- Overview of the expenses at CueTracker
- Overview of the expenses in the snooker database
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Chris Turner: Other Non-Ranking and Invition Events - First held 1980-1989. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive, 2008, archived from the original on February 16, 2012 ; accessed on June 7, 2020 (English).
- ^ Ron Florax: 1988 Norwich Union Grand Prix. CueTracker.net, accessed June 7, 2020 .
- ^ Ron Florax: 1989 Norwich Union Grand Prix. CueTracker.net, accessed June 7, 2020 .
- ^ Ron Florax: 1990 Norwich Union Grand Prix. CueTracker.net, accessed June 7, 2020 .
