By Elliott West
Introduction
As the Second World War raged across vast swathes of the globe, two snooker pioneers, the brothers Joe and Fred Davis met for probably one of the most scintillating and dramatic snooker finals that the game produced. The year was 1940, an era where a hat was a must and smart dress prevailed despite the potential threat of German bombs and a strained ear to listen out for the droning din of the air raid siren, an alarm to send you running to the nearest air-raid shelter or place of safety.
The Tournament
Amidst this threat of danger, the fourteenth edition of the World Championship was being played out at Thurstons Hall in London. A tournament that ran between 22 February and 20 March 1940. Then only a small sporting affair, consisting of eight players, with the eighth decided in a qualifying match between Herbert Holt and Conrad Stanbury. A match where Stanbury fell foul and missed out on the meat and bones of the tournament.
With Alec Brown, Fred Davis, Joe Davis, Walter Donaldson, Herbert Holt, Sydney Lee, Tom Newman and Sidney Smith in the competition, it remained to be seen if any of the contenders could prevent one of the brothers, Joe or Fred Davis from claiming this treasured accolade.
The Final
In the end, this snooker battle would be fought out between the two best players of this era, Joe and Fred Davis. A fitting finale to the last staging of this prestigious tournament that was postponed subsequently until 1946 after the end of the war. The final lasted from the 14 to 20 March with only one day off on Sunday 17 March. A best of 73 frames, Joe took an early lead on the first day 8-4, winning both sessions 4-2. Joe increased this lead on the second day despite a fightback from his brother, taking a narrower lead of 14-10.
Perhaps a good night’s sleep helped the trailing Fred Davis because when he came back on the third day, all his guns were blazing, winning the first ten frames and taking his first lead of the match 21-15, a run of 11 successive winning frames when you include the last frame of the second day. However, this surge would be short-lived with Joe winning the next nine frames to tie the match at 24-24 on the fourth day.
If the audience weren’t entertained enough on the fourth day, the fifth day would produce even more snooker fireworks. The fifth afternoon was shared including a fabulous 101 break from Fred which consisted of 13 reds, 11 blacks, a pink and a blue, the first-century break of the tournament. An undeterred brother wasn’t phased and Joe won four frames in the evening to lead 31-29.
On the final day of play, Joe won the first three frames to lead 34-29 but Fred came back to win the next four. Joe won frame 70 to lead 31-29 but Fred won the next. Thanks to a 101 break Joe took a winning 37-35 lead. A century that caused the audience to stand up and applaud for over a minute. Fred won the last frame to give a final seismic scoreline of 37-36 to Joe Davis.
Afterthoughts
This was the last time that the Davis brothers were in a tournament and was the closest that Joe Davis came to defeat in the history of the tournament. Joe would go on to retire after winning his fifteenth title when the tournament resumed in 1946. Writing in his book Talking Snooker, Fred Davis hit out at the critics who thought that Joe went easy on his younger brother in the final. An accusation that was not born out in the close result in the final.
It was actually Fred who played the best snooker of his career and Joe who clearly not at his best. There was clearly immense pressure on Joe playing his brother but tried his hardest whenever he played him. Joe later said in his autobiography that this was the toughest of his championship finals.
Results
Quarter-Finals
Joe Davis beat Alec Brown 24-7
Walter Donaldson beat Herbert Holt 24-7
Fred Davis beat Sydney Lee 20-11
Sidney Smith beat Tom Newman 22-9
Semi-Finals
Joe Davis beat Walter Donaldson 22-9
Fred Davis beat Sidney Smith 17-14
Final
Joe Davis beat Fred Davis 37-36
