By Elliott West
Introduction
Back in 1983, the Smithwick’s Irish Professional Snooker Championship was held at the Maysfield Leisure Centre in Belfast. This was a venue that had previously been switched to the Riverside Theatre in Coleraine for Dennis Taylor’s first defence of the title against Patsy Fagan and stayed there for the first tournament proper, the previous year. Alex Higgins came to this event with an air of rage, complaining that it shouldn’t have been moved in the first place. The sponsors had put pressure on snooker’s governing body, the WPBSA to move it back but Higgins still believed the change was half-baked, saying in his acceptance speech:
“It will be back at the Ulster Hall next year or I won’t be playing”.
Alex Higgins
The Maysfield Theatre had an audience capacity of 1,000 compared to the more intimate, 380 of the Riverside Theatre but it was a considerable distance from Belfast. A logistical conundrum that could not keep all parties happy.
The Tournament
Made up of eight professional players and played between the 9th and 13th March, 1983, this was a non- ranking tournament that Alex Higgins had set his sights on and was determined to oust the reigning champion, Dennis Taylor. Consisting of the players, Pascal Burke, Billy Kelly, Patsy Fagan, Alex Higgins, Eugene Hughes, Tommy Murphy, Jackie Rea and Dennis Taylor, all victors in the first round, dispatched their opponents convincingly.
Quarter-Final Results (Best of 11 frames)
Alex Higgins v Jackie Rea 6-3
Eugene Hughes v Pascal Burke 6-2
Dennis Taylor v Billy Kelly 6-0
Patsy Fagan v Tommy Murphy 6-4
Quarter-Finals (Best of 11 frames)
In the quarter-finals, Billy Kelly came to Belfast with his confidence boosted after defeating newcomer, Ireland’s Paul Watchorn 6-3 in the qualifiers. However this run of form was not translated in his match with Dennis Taylor. Taylor just had to go through the motions to defeat his opponent and whitewashed him 6-0 with breaks of 83, 68, 86, 84, 77 and 74.
In the second match, Patsy Fagan drew Tommy Murphy. Fagan found Murphy in top form in the early frames and must have wondered whether this local player was going to eliminate him for the second year in a row. However Fagan produced a rush of good form and reeled off four frames in a row to go 4-2 from 2-0 down. A rush of form that was reminiscent of his performance in 1981 when he played a type of snooker that put him within one frame of Dennis Taylor’s title in 1981. A cruel fluke for Fagan in frame five did not help Murphy’s chances but Tommy couldn’t blame anyone for his downfall but himself as he never seized on the few chances that were provided to him by his opponent.
In the third quarter-final match, Jackie Rea was up against Alex Higgins. This match was more of a comedy than a drama with both players vying for laughter from the audience. The crowd loved it but in hindsight, they both went a little too far. Snooker-wise, Alex produced a memorable clearance in the second frame and his break of 75 to seal the match 6-3, was sublime.
In the last of the quarter-final matches, Eugene Hughes was pitted against Pascal Burke. Hughes was considered to be a strong contender for the title and a possible breaker of the stalwart, traditional wins of Alex Higgins and Dennis Taylor. Both Hughes and Burke were old amateur rivals. Both players had a point to prove, Burke wanting to seek revenge for losing out on the Benson and Hedges Masters in Dublin and Hughes wanted to prove that the Benson and Hedges sponsors had erred in by-passing him in favour of his opponent. On this occasion, Hughes won this popularity battle hands down and proved his worth in some style. Eugene’s 6-2 win over Pascal, didn’t reflect his opponent’s class. Previously, Burke had beaten Dessie Sheehan in the qualifiers 6-4 to qualify for the championship.
Semi-Finals (Best of 11 Frames)
In the first semi-final match, a hopeful Patsy Fagan was drawn against Dennis Taylor. This match promised to be a mouth-watering clash with both players determined to reach the final. Taylor produced a superb 128 break on his second visit to the table but from there on, the standard slumped immediately and dramatically. Patsy lacked his earlier air and looked crushed by his opponent. In the end, this turned into a hapless task for Fagan with Patsy only managing to seize one frame. A frame that was only won due to a brief lapse in concentration by Dennis. This allowed Fagan to get breaks of 24 and 22. However, in the end, Taylor won the match 6-1.
In the other semi-final, Alex Higgins was up against the very promising, Dubliner, 25 year old, Eugene Hughes. Hughes, who had performed superbly in previous tournaments, produced moments of magic but couldn’t kill off the frames. Like a bird of prey, Higgins seized on these opportunities and made three breaks over 50 to take the last four frames. Eugene had led the match at one stage 2-1 but then when back in, in the next frame, broke down on a potential, big break. Higgins surged to win the match 6-2 and left Hughes open-mouthed.
The Final (Best of 31 frames)
In the end, the final was contested by the two players who had already been there and got the silverware to prove it. This was one of the many finals between Dennis Taylor and Alex Higgins and fought over the best of 31 frames. This was the final that the sponsors wanted and drew a sigh of relief as they avoided a financial flop. The ‘Big Two’ players were playing each other in Belfast for the first time in three years.
This was a match that would always involve fireworks and Taylor had to hang onto to Alex’s coattails just to keep up with him. The first session of the match ended with Higgins having a slender 4-3 lead and when play began again, Higgins aimed to rule the roost but it was Taylor who took the next three frames. Higgins came back to win the next two and it ended even at this stage 6-6. Alex won the next frame but then ran out of steam, allowing Dennis to steal the session by a frame’s margin.
When Sunday’s play started, Alex took the first two frames and by the end of the session, Higgins was 12-10 up and looked a winner. Taylor only managed to capture one more frame and a jubilant Higgins won the match 16-11. Alex took home a cheque for £6,000 and £300 for the highest break of 132 and Dennis, one for £3,000. In a presentation ceremony that was filled with jibes towards the tournament by Alex whilst Dennis acted like a gentleman. A fact born out by Higgins giving away copies of his single ‘147’ to the audience while brushing them aside when they requested autographs.
Summary
The 1983 Smithwick’s Irish Professional Championship was a tournament that could have easily failed. A tournament that had first began life in 1947 and won by Jackie Rea. However, in the end, the two big guns of the event reached the final. Alex Higgins and Dennis Taylor met many times over the years and each clash was always fascinating to watch. Taylor is always remembered for his 1985 World Championship win but he was a very good player aside from that famous victory. When in form, Taylor was highly dangerous and someone you wouldn’t want to meet in any round of a tournament. On this occasion Higgins prevailed but Alex was always looking over his shoulder when he had to face his rival.
