By Elliott West
Introduction
Held in the post war years and the same year as the Festival of Britain, the 1948 Sunday Empire News Tournament was a non-ranking, professional event, sponsored by the Sunday Empire newspaper. Using a round-robin format that hadn’t been used since the Daily Mail Gold Cup before the Second World War, the competition was played in the famous Leicester Square Hall, formerly Thurston’s Hall. This was the only time that this event was held under this name and was re-named the News of the World Tournament the following year but used the same format.
The Tournament
Held over two months between 11th October until 18th December, 1948, the competition was made up of five players, Joe Davis, Fred Davis, John Pulman, Walter Donaldson and Sidney Smith. Played to a backdrop of an era where Clement Attlee had swept to power in 1945, this was a time of hope and rebuilding a country whose buildings had been largely destroyed by Hitler’s Germany. Snooker during this period, was in its infancy, played over long periods of time and endless frames but gave the working man, the opportunity to purchase a ticket and to witness the electric atmosphere of the snooker environment.
Prior to this tournament, there was a qualifying competition with John Pulman being the victor. Pulman would later win the World Championship in 1957 and again in the years between 1964-1968 but on this occasion, it was Joe Davis who was the dominant force. Davis made his 300th century in his match against Sidney Smith and his brother Fred made breaks of 138 and 139 in the competition. Joe Davis also almost broke his record of 140 which he had scored earlier in February. On a break of 123, Davis missed the blue when a 141 break was possible.
In the end, Joe Davis topped the table of the five players with 8 points, winning £450 for his efforts. John Pulman came second on 6 points, topping up his prize winnings by being the winner of the qualifying competition, earning him £150, totalling £250 for his second place in the main tournament. Joe’s brother, Fred, received 4 points, receiving £150 with Walter Donaldson and Sidney Smith in third and fourth positions. The final match was contested between Joe and Fred Davis with Fred winning 36-35 but his brother won the tournament on points difference.
Summary
Joe Davis was the original goat of snooker and dominated the sport in the early day of the game. A master of billiards and snooker, he and later his brother, Fred caused carnage on the baize and won a hoard of silverware and titles. Playing in iconic venues like the Leicester Square Hall, Joe brought colour to this black and white era, exciting and mesmerising the audience that flocked to spend their hard earned money for a chance to witness this snooker artist perform. Joe and the others of his era, were trailblazers of the modern game, putting their stamp on snooker, a game that would ebb and flow to its modern form.
