tournament was established in the 1950s as an alternative to the Billiards Association and Control Council /
by some of the professional players following a dispute with the governing body. Following a decline in the popularity of snooker the event was discontinued after 1957.
A one off event was staged in 1976, this time sanctioned by the WPBSA. Held in
resurrected the event as an invitational tournament for the provisional top 12 players, and it ran for five years. The 1988 event was the first snooker tournament to offer a top prize of £100,000. It was sponsored by Everest in 1988 and 1989, and Coalite from 1990-1992. It was televised by
| Year |
Winner |
Runner-up |
Final score |
Season |
| 1952 The 1952 World Matchplay was won by Fred Davis. The event was held at the Houldsworth Hall, Manchester. - Results :...
|
England Fred Davis |
Scotland Walter Donaldson Walter Donaldson was a Scottish professional snooker player.He turned professional aged just 16, in 1923. He contested many world championships, finally achieving victory in 1947 after Joe Davis had retired from the tournament, and again in 1950...
|
38–35 |
n/a |
| 1953 The 1953 World Matchplay was retained by defending champion Fred Davis. The event was held at the Houldsworth Hall, Manchester. -Main Draw:-Qualification:...
|
England Fred Davis |
Scotland Walter Donaldson Walter Donaldson was a Scottish professional snooker player.He turned professional aged just 16, in 1923. He contested many world championships, finally achieving victory in 1947 after Joe Davis had retired from the tournament, and again in 1950...
|
37–34 |
n/a |
| 1954 The 1954 World Matchplay was retained by defending champion Fred Davis. The event was held at the Houldsworth Hall, Manchester. -Results:...
|
England Fred Davis |
Scotland Walter Donaldson Walter Donaldson was a Scottish professional snooker player.He turned professional aged just 16, in 1923. He contested many world championships, finally achieving victory in 1947 after Joe Davis had retired from the tournament, and again in 1950...
|
39–21 |
n/a |
| 1955 The 1955 World Matchplay was retained by defending champion Fred Davis. -Results:...
|
England Fred Davis |
England John Pulman John Pulman was an English professional snooker player who dominated the game throughout the 1960s.Pulman first reached the final of the World Matchplay in 1955, losing to Fred Davis. Davis beat him again in the 1956 final, but after Davis retired Pulman won the title in 1957, after which the...
|
37–34 |
n/a |
| 1956 The 1956 World Matchplay was retained by defending champion Fred Davis. The event was held at the Houldsworth Hall, Manchester. -Results:...
|
England Fred Davis |
England John Pulman John Pulman was an English professional snooker player who dominated the game throughout the 1960s.Pulman first reached the final of the World Matchplay in 1955, losing to Fred Davis. Davis beat him again in the 1956 final, but after Davis retired Pulman won the title in 1957, after which the...
|
38–35 |
n/a |
| 1957 -Results:...
|
England John Pulman John Pulman was an English professional snooker player who dominated the game throughout the 1960s.Pulman first reached the final of the World Matchplay in 1955, losing to Fred Davis. Davis beat him again in the 1956 final, but after Davis retired Pulman won the title in 1957, after which the...
|
Northern Ireland Jackie Rea Jack 'Jackie' Rea is a retired snooker player from Northern Ireland. He was a commando during the Second World War....
|
39–34 |
n/a |
| 1976 |
Australia Eddie Charlton Edward Francis Charlton AM was a top-class Australian snooker and billiards player. He remains the only player to have been world championship runner-up in both snooker and billiards without winning either title.Charlton was born in Merewether, New South Wales, Australia and came...
|
Wales Ray Reardon Ray Reardon, MBE is a retired Welsh snooker player. He dominated the sport in the 1970s, winning six World Championships in that decade...
|
31–24 |
197?/7? |
| 1988 |
England Steve DavisSteve Davis, OBE, is an English professional snooker player. He has won more professional titles in the sport than any other player, including six World Championships during the 1980s....
|
England John Parrott John Parrott MBE is an English professional snooker player.He won the World Snooker Championship in 1991, defeating Jimmy White in the final. Two years earlier he had lost 18-3 to Steve Davis, the heaviest final defeat in modern times...
|
9–5 |
1988/89 The snooker season 1988/1989 is a series of snooker tournaments played during the years 1988 and 1989. The following table outlines the results for ranking events and the invitational events....
|
| 1989 |
England Jimmy WhiteJames Warren White, MBE is an English professional snooker player, best known as Jimmy White. Nicknamed the "Whirlwind", White is a multiple World Championship finalist, appearing in six World Championship finals without ever winning the title - although he won the 1980 amateur World Championship,...
|
England John Parrott John Parrott MBE is an English professional snooker player.He won the World Snooker Championship in 1991, defeating Jimmy White in the final. Two years earlier he had lost 18-3 to Steve Davis, the heaviest final defeat in modern times...
|
18-9 |
1989/90 |
| 1990 |
England Jimmy WhiteJames Warren White, MBE is an English professional snooker player, best known as Jimmy White. Nicknamed the "Whirlwind", White is a multiple World Championship finalist, appearing in six World Championship finals without ever winning the title - although he won the 1980 amateur World Championship,...
|
Scotland Stephen HendryStephen Gordon Hendry, MBE is a Scottish professional snooker player. In 1990, he was the youngest-ever snooker World Champion, at 21. He has won the honour on six subsequent occasions. He was also snooker's world number one for eight consecutive years, between 1990 and 1998, and also in 2006-07...
|
18-9 |
1990/91 |
| 1991 |
England Gary Wilkinson Gary Wilkinson is an English professional snooker player.-Career:Wilkinson turned professional in 1987, and climbed the rankings to reach the no. 5 spot in the world within four years. He failed to sustain these results and has never won a ranking tournament, losing in the final of the 1991...
|
England Steve DavisSteve Davis, OBE, is an English professional snooker player. He has won more professional titles in the sport than any other player, including six World Championships during the 1980s....
|
18-11 |
1991/92 |
| 1992 |
Thailand James Wattana James Wattana is a Thai professional snooker player.-Career:...
|
England Steve DavisSteve Davis, OBE, is an English professional snooker player. He has won more professional titles in the sport than any other player, including six World Championships during the 1980s....
|
9-4 |
1992/93 The snooker season 1992/1993 was a series of snooker tournaments played during the years 1992 and 1993. The following table outlines the results for ranking events and the invitational events....
|