Professional Matchplay Championship

Professional Matchplay Championship

Tournament status
Ranking tournament:
Minor ranking tournament:
Invitation tournament:	1976, 1988 - 1992
Tournament dates of the last edition
Venue:	The Dome , Doncaster
Prize money (total):	160,000 ₤
Prize money (winner):	70,000 ₤
Frames in the final:	Best of 17
Records
Most wins:	Fred Davis  (5 ×)
Highest Break:	142 Stephen Hendry , 1990 Jimmy White , 1991
Venue (s) on the map

The Professional Matchplay Championship was held with two interruptions from 1952 to 1992, of which until 1957 as the official snooker world championship .

history

The Professional Matchplay Championship was founded in 1952 by Fred Davis after a dispute between some professional players and the previous organizer, the Billiards Association and Control Council (BACC). This year there were therefore two snooker world championships .

As interest in snooker sank, the last tournament was held as an official world championship in 1957. After a 12-year hiatus, Eddie Charlton resumed the tournament for one season under the name World Professional Match-Play Championship . The venue was Melbourne in his native Australia . Only 16 players took part, John Spencer and other top players were absent.

After another, this time 12-year hiatus, Barry Hearn revived the tournament. Under the name World Matchplay he organized an invitation tournament for the 12 best players in the provisional world rankings. For the first time the tournament was held at the Brentwood Center in Brentwood , England . It was the first snooker tournament to pay the winner a six-figure sum, exactly £ 100,000.

The first four seeded players could skip the first round and had their first round match in the quarterfinals. Steve Davis , the best player of the time, defeated John Parrott 9: 5 in the final and was able to pocket the first 6-digit winner's check.

Television broadcasts were broadcast by ITV in 1988 and 1992 to replace the World Doubles Championship .

winner

year	venue	winner	Result	finalist	Main sponsor	season
Professional Matchplay Championship
1952	Blackpool , Tower Circus	Fred Davis	38:35	Walter Donaldson
1953	Manchester , Houldsworth Hall	Fred Davis	37:34	Walter Donaldson
1954	Manchester , Houldsworth Hall	Fred Davis	39:21	Walter Donaldson
1955	Blackpool , Tower Circus	Fred Davis	37:34	John Pulman
1956		Fred Davis	38:35	John Pulman
1957	jersey	John Pulman	39:34	Jackie Rea
World Professional Match-Play Championship
1976	Melbourne	Eddie Charlton	31:24	Ray Reardon
World Matchplay
1988	Brentwood Brentwood Center	Steve Davis	9: 5	John Parrott	Everest	1988/89
1989		Jimmy White	18: 9	John Parrott		1989/90
1990		Jimmy White	18: 9	Stephen Hendry	Coalite	1990/91
1991	Doncaster The Dome	Gary Wilkinson	18:11	Steve Davis		1991/92
1992		James Wattana	9: 4	Steve Davis		1992/93

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} World Matchplay ( Memento from February 28, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) on Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Retrieved April 6, 2012
2. ^ A brief history of the World Professional Championship ( Memento from April 16, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) on Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Retrieved April 6, 2012.
3. ↑ Global Snooker Archive 1952 ( Memento from February 22, 2012 in the Internet Archive ). Retrieved April 6, 2012
4. ↑ Global Snooker Archive 1953 ( Memento from July 14, 2014 in the Internet Archive ). Retrieved April 6, 2012
5. ↑ Global Snooker Archive 1954 ( Memento from February 22, 2012 in the Internet Archive ). Retrieved April 6, 2012
6. ↑ Global Snooker Archive 1955 ( Memento from February 22, 2012 in the Internet Archive ). Retrieved April 6, 2012
7. ↑ Global Snooker Archive 1956 ( Memento from February 22, 2012 in the Internet Archive ). Retrieved April 6, 2012
8. ↑ Global Snooker Archive 1957 ( Memento from December 28, 2010 in the Internet Archive ). Retrieved April 6, 2012