By Elliott West
Introduction
The year was 1927 and Britain was nearing the Great Depression. Out of the darkness, came the birth of the Professional Snooker Championship with the final that year being held at Camkin’s Hall in Birmingham. The title of this tournament wouldn’t change to the World Championship until 1935 with the original concept being devised by Joe Davis and given the green light after a conversation between Davis and John Camkin. All venues bar the final had to be organised by the players with an entry fee for players of five guineas and a five guineas sidestake.
The Final
The first final of this tournament was between Tom Dennis and Joe Davis. After the earlier part of the event being held in a multitude of locations including Thurston’s Hall, Lord Nelson Hotel and Cable Street Billiards Hall, the final eventually happened in May, 1927 after six months of play. The highest break of the tournament being a 60 from Albert Cope in his match against Joe Davis. This break remained the highest until Joe Davis topped it in 1929 final with a 61 break.
The final was played between the 9th-12th May, 1927 and refereed by Bill Camkin with Joe Davis dominating the first session, winning the first seven frames before Dennis managed to steal the last frame of the day, leaving Davis with a 7-1 lead. Joe Davis won three frames on the second afternoon and although the evening session was shared, Davis led 12-4. Davis made a 57 break in frame 11, winning the frame 78-32. Both sessions on the third day were shared with Davis 16-8 ahead. Joe had taken frame 23 to take a winning lead, 80-34 to lead 16-7. Davis then won four of the seven frames on the final day to win the match 20-11.
Joe Davis’s prize for winning this first championship sinks into insignificance the today’s standards. He earned six pounds and ten shillings raised from ticket sales and to contribute to the cost of the trophy, one that is fondly remembered as the Joe Davis trophy. Known as the ‘Sultan of Snooker’, this was a tremendous achievement for a man who was a financial pragmatist and immediately saw snooker’s greater earning potential. Someone who couldn’t focus with his right eye.
Summary
Joe Davis was the original goat of snooker and helped shape the early days of snooker, bringing financial support and venues to a game that was being played in the shadows. His dominance in the game was a credit to a player who had natural ability and could probably see his way around a billiards or snooker table blindfolded. Davis really was the ‘Emperor of Pot’, a titan of his time.
