World Snooker Championship 1969
Encyclopedia
The 1969 World Snooker Championship
was the first championship in a knockout format since 1951, following years of single matches and challenge matches. The event was held at the Victoria Hall, London. In 1969 there were only eight players competing for the title.
John Spencer
won in the final 37–24 against Gary Owen.
World Snooker Championship
The World Snooker Championship is the leading professional snooker tournament in terms of both prize money and ranking points. The first championship was held in 1927; since 1977, it has been played at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England...
was the first championship in a knockout format since 1951, following years of single matches and challenge matches. The event was held at the Victoria Hall, London. In 1969 there were only eight players competing for the title.
John Spencer
John Spencer (snooker player)
John Spencer was an English professional snooker player who won the World Professional title at his first attempt, was the first winner at the Crucible Theatre, was the inaugural winner of the Masters and Irish Masters and was the first player to make a 147 break in competition...
won in the final 37–24 against Gary Owen.
Notable happenings
- The eight-man draw providentially brought the four established professionals up against four newcomers. The first match, at Wryton Stadium, BoltonBoltonBolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
, saw the end of John PulmanJohn PulmanJohn Pulman was an English professional snooker player who dominated the game throughout the 1960s....
's reign as champion at the hands of John SpencerJohn Spencer (snooker player)John Spencer was an English professional snooker player who won the World Professional title at his first attempt, was the first winner at the Crucible Theatre, was the inaugural winner of the Masters and Irish Masters and was the first player to make a 147 break in competition...
. Pulman, at one time eleven frames behind, recovered to only three behind but eventually lost 18-25. Jackie ReaJackie ReaJack 'Jackie' Rea is a retired snooker player from Northern Ireland.Rea was born in Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland...
was lost 17-25 at Stratford Hippodrome by Gary Owen, while Rex WilliamsRex WilliamsRex Williams , son of Minnie Roberts and William Williams, is a retired English professional snooker and billiards player.Williams was an excellent junior player in both snooker and billiards. His professional career began in 1951, during a period of decline in snooker...
scored a very comfortable victory over Bernard BennettBernard BennettBernard Bennett was an English professional player of snooker and English billiards, who competed in the late 1960s and 1970s, and was a professional player for nearly 30 years, although he spent most of his latter playing years in relative obscurity well down the rankings.He entered the 1969...
, a SouthamptonSouthamptonSouthampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
player who had turned professional without any tournament victories in his home city. The last first round match was Ray ReardonRay ReardonRay Reardon, MBE is a retired Welsh snooker player. He dominated the sport in the 1970s, winning six World Championships in that decade...
's first appearance in the championship: he lost to Fred Davis in a final-frame decider at Turnstall British Legion, Stoke-on-TrentStoke-on-TrentStoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
. - Two new professionals made the semi-final, Spencer and Owen, and both won their matches. Spencer beat Williams 37-12 at the Co-op Hall in Bolton, and Owen beat Davis 37-24 at Wolstanton Miners Club, Stoke-on-Trent.
- Gary Owen, who had beaten Spencer in previous matches, started favourite for the final, a week-long match at the Victoria Hall in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, but John Spencer established a psychological ascendancy in the early stages and won very comfortably: it was the first of his three world titles. - It was also sponsored for the first time by a cigarette company, Players No 6 being the featured brand.
- The total prize money for this years event was £3,500, with the winner picking £1,300 up.
- The highest break of the tournament was 80 by Gary Owen.