By Elliott West
Introduction
The 1982 Lada Classic, held at the Civic Centre in Oldham is a tournament that will always be remembered for the first televised 147 break. A maximum performance that was so delightfully produced by Steve Davis in his quarter-final match against John Spencer. However beyond this magical snooker moment, in a year when Margaret Thatcher was dealing with the Falklands War and Laker Airlines collapsed, lies a very fascinating behind the scenes account of this tournament and one that few will know about.
The Sponsor
Lada cars at the time were the butt of many a joke, ridiculed for their cheap production and a car that not many people wanted to be seen driving in. A car make that rivalled another car of the time, the Robin Reliant. Aside from this, Lada had come to the rescue of this tournament when it looked like the event wouldn’t be able to get a sponsor. Entering the fray at the eleventh hour, the car manufacturer invested £16,000 into the four-day snooker tournament with the cash injection bringing it back from the brink. A decision that one of the advertising men later confessed brought :
“One of the best results I can remember from such a small outlay”.
The Helicopter Flight
Terry Griffiths nearly didn’t make it to the Lada Classic due to the heavy snow in West Wales. His answer to be able to attend was to hire a helicopter for the princely sum of £750 to fly to Oldham. Money that was later refunded to him by Lada. The flight not only saved Terry’s appearance but brought so much publicity for the car manufacturer and plenty of additional revenue with newspaper photographers flocking to Oldham Football ground to watch the Welshman land after his hour trip from Llanelli.
Worth the Effort
In the final, Terry produced his best snooker for two years after two weeks of relentless practice. Griffiths dominated the early part of the match, leading 4-3 and then 8-3 before Davis eventually kicked into gear. Steve had been pulled aside by his coach Frank Callan who provided him with some very wise words to reset his positive mindset, saying:
“Just one frame pinched and you will make him tremble”.
Frank Callan
This produced a classic Davis retaliation with the Nugget shortening Terry’s lead from 8-3 to 8-7 and then to a deciding frame. At 8-8, it would be the player that could keep his focus that would win the match. In the end, it was decided on the final black. Davis who had potted the final pink, gave the crowd a large grin before he attempted the black but it shuddered away from the pocket, leaving the Welshman a golden opportunity to take frame and match. A feat that he accomplished.
Perhaps Steve Davis lost due to being heavily jet-lagged from a previous trip to Las Vegas but Griffiths made history that night by breaking down the Davis steel wall and proving that he was human and beatable. Both men were winners at the end of the day with Terry going home with a cheque for £8,000 and flown home by Lada. Davis received £3,000 and a Lada car as a reward for his 147 break, a car that he gave to his brother Keith. A tournament that lit the touchpaper of being heavily rewarded from snooker for your efforts, a work ethic that was nicely summed up by the WPBSA Chief Executive at the time, Del Simmonds:
“The players are learning that you can earn a decent living from tournaments and are working to do just that”.
Del Simmonds, WPBSA Chief Executive.
