1957/1958 News of the World Snooker Tournament

The 1957/1958 News of the World Snooker Tournament was a professional snooker tournament sponsored by the News of the World. The tournament was won by Fred Davis who won 4 of his 5 matches, ahead of John Pulman.[1] Pulman also won 4 matches but Davis won more frames overall. The News of the World Snooker Tournament ran from 1949/50 to 1959.

News of the World Tournament

Tournament information
Dates	14 October 1957–15 March 1958
Venue	various
Format	Non-Ranking event
Total prize fund	£1500
Highest break	Walter Donaldson (141)
Final
Champion	Fred Davis
Runner-up	John Pulman
← 1956/57 1958 →

Format

The 1957/1958 event was a round-robin snooker tournament and was played from 14 October 1957 to 15 March 1958. Matches were played at various locations around the United Kingdom and also on Jersey. There were 6 competitors and a total of 15 matches. The competitors were the same as in the previous two seasons, Joe Davis, Fred Davis, Walter Donaldson, John Pulman, Jackie Rea and Rex Williams. Each match lasted three days and was the best of 37 frames.

Each match was separately handicapped. Joe Davis gave Fred Davis and John Pulman, a 10-point start each frame, Walter Donaldson 14, Jackie Rea 17 and Rex Williams 20. Fred Davis gave Walter Donaldson 12, Jackie Rea 14 and Rex Williams 18. John Pulman gave Jackie Rea 14 and Rex Williams 18. Walter Donaldson gave Jackie Rea 7 and Rex Williams 10 while Jackie Rea gave Rex Williams 5 points. The handicaps in the Fred Davis/Pulman and Pulman/Donaldson matches are not known.

Results

Walter Donaldson made a break of 141 in his opening match against Joe Davis.[2]

Winner	Score	Loser	Date	Venue	Ref
Walter Donaldson	21–16	Joe Davis	14–16 October	Burroughes Hall, London	[2]
Rex Williams	22–15	Jackie Rea	17–19 October	Burroughes Hall, London	[3]
Fred Davis	21–16	Rex Williams	4–6 November	Smethwick, Birmingham	[4]
Rex Williams	23–14	Walter Donaldson	7–9 November	Smethwick, Birmingham	[5]
Joe Davis	19–18	Rex Williams	11–13 November	Burroughes Hall, London	[6]
John Pulman	21–16	Walter Donaldson	14–16 November	Burroughes Hall, London	[7]
John Pulman	20–17	Jackie Rea	18–20 November	Ipswich	[8]
Fred Davis	22–15	Joe Davis	21–23 November	Ipswich	[9]
Fred Davis	22–15	John Pulman	2–4 December	Jersey	[10]
Walter Donaldson	21–16	Jackie Rea	5–7 December	Jersey	[11]
John Pulman	19–18	Rex Williams	13–15 January	Newcastle	[12]
Fred Davis	20–17	Jackie Rea	16–18 January	Newcastle	[13]
Walter Donaldson	21–16	Fred Davis	21–23 January	Liverpool	[14]
Joe Davis	24–13	Jackie Rea	10–12 March	Houldsworth Hall, Manchester	[15]
John Pulman	23–14	Joe Davis	13–15 March	Houldsworth Hall, Manchester	[1]

Table

[16]

Pos	Player	Pld	MW	FW
1	Fred Davis	5	4	101
2	John Pulman	5	4	98
3	Walter Donaldson	5	3	93
4	Rex Williams	5	2	97
5	Joe Davis	5	2	88
6	Jackie Rea	5	0	78

The positions were determined firstly by the number of matches won (MW) and, in the event of a tie, the number of frames won (FW).

Broadcasting

The BBC showed a short, 35 minute, TV programme of the final day of the final match from Houldsworth Hall, Manchester. The commentator was Sidney Smith.[17]

References

1. "Snooker". The Glasgow Herald. 17 March 1958. p. 4.
2. "Snooker". The Glasgow Herald. 17 October 1957. p. 4.
3. "Snooker". The Glasgow Herald. 21 October 1957. p. 11.
4. "Glasgow Snooker League". The Glasgow Herald. 7 November 1957. p. 4.
5. "Snooker". The Glasgow Herald. 11 November 1957. p. 15.
6. "Snooker". The Glasgow Herald. 14 November 1957. p. 4.
7. "Snooker". The Glasgow Herald. 18 November 1957. p. 4.
8. "Snooker". The Glasgow Herald. 21 November 1957. p. 4.
9. "Snooker". The Glasgow Herald. 25 November 1957. p. 11.
10. "Snooker". The Glasgow Herald. 5 December 1957. p. 4.
11. "Snooker". The Glasgow Herald. 9 December 1957. p. 10.
12. "Snooker & Billiards". The Glasgow Herald. 16 January 1958. p. 4.
13. "Snooker & Billiards". The Glasgow Herald. 20 January 1958. p. 4.
14. "Snooker". The Glasgow Herald. 24 January 1958. p. 4.
15. "Snooker". The Glasgow Herald. 13 March 1958. p. 4.
16. "Fred Davis wins". The Billiard Player. No. 448. Billiards Association and Control Council. April 1958. p. 7.
17. "BBC Television – 15 March 1958 – 14:15 Snooker". BBC Genome Project. BBC. Retrieved 4 January 2016.