1970 World Snooker Championship

trophy was first used in 1927.|alt=The World Snooker Championship trophy The World Snooker Championship is a professional tournament and the official world championship of the game of snooker. The sport was developed in the late 19th century by British Army soldiers stationed in India. Professional English billiards player and billiard hall manager Joe Davis noticed the increasing popularity of snooker compared to billiards in the 1920s, and with Birmingham-based billiards equipment manager Bill Camkin, persuaded the Billiards Association and Control Council (BACC) to recognise an official professional snooker championship in the 1926–27 season. The annual competition was not titled the World Championship until 1935, but the 1927 tournament is now referred to as the first World Snooker Championship. In 1952, the, following a dispute between the Professional Billiards Players' Association (PBPA) and the BACC about the distribution of income from the world championship, the PBPA members established an alternative competition known as the World Professional Match-play Championship, the editions of which are now recognised as world championships, whilst only Horace Lindrum and Clark McConachy entered for the BACC's 1952 World Snooker Championship. The World Professional Match-play Championship continued until 1957, after which there were no world championship matches until it was revived on a challenge basis in 1964. John Pulman retained the title in several challenges from 1964 to 1968. using their "Players No. 6" brand. The 1969 championship is regarded as the first of the modern snooker era, and was won by John Spencer, who defeated Gary Owen 37–24 in the final. The 1970 Championship was sponsored by tobacco company John Player, using their Player's No.6 brand, the second and last time that they were the world championship sponsors. The tournament was played between 15 October 1969 and 11 April 1970. Prize fund Prize money was awarded as follows: • Quarter-final losers £125; quarter-final winners £175 • Semi-final losers £250; semi-final winners £300 • Runner-up £500 • Winner £750 ==Tournament summary==

There was one first round match, which was played as the best of 21 between Taylor and Bernard Bennett at the Yew Tree Labour Club, West Bromwich, from 15 to 17 October 1969. Bennett won the first two frames, and the players were level at 3–3 before the first day finished with Bennett 4–3 up. He added the eighth frame, with Taylor then taking four consecutive frames. After Bennett won the 13th frame, Taylor made a break of 52 and led 8–6. Taylor ensured qualification for the next round by securing a winning margin at 11–8, with the score 12–9 after . in London was the venue for the final The quarter-finals were played as the best of 61 frames. Owen met Williams at West Bromwich Community Centre from 1 to 6 December, Spencer played Jackie Rea at the Co-Op Hall, Bolton, from 8 to 12 December, and won 31–15. Reardon and Fred Davis contested their semi-final from 15 to 19 December at Longport W.M.C., Bolton, with Reardon prevailing 31–26. The semi-finals were both contested over 73 frames. In his 1982 autobiography, Reardon recalled that the of the billiard table were "far too tight for a championship" and that "You could not pot the off the at speed with much confidence. The ball was drifting and skidding everywhere and was uncontrollable." Reardon built an 8–5 lead on the first day, and led 13–6 after day two. Writing for Billiards and Snooker magazine, Norman Haseldine thought that Reardon started to manage the "peculiar running" of the balls on the table better than Spencer did, although "both players were guilty of innumerable misses ... and the match never attained the high standard expected". Pulman led 9–3 after the first day, and extended this to 19–5 on the next day, then to 27–9 after day three. He won 37–13, and the match finished 48–25 after dead frames. The final was held at the Victoria Hall in Bloomsbury Square, London, from 6 to 11 April, as the best of 73 frames. Reardon later extended his lead to 27–14, but Pulman narrowed the deficit to a single frame at 33–34. Reardon eventually won 37–33. Pulman said after the match that Reardon had deserved to win, and acclaimed Reardon's long potting. Pulman also stated that he felt that his own consistency in matches had been diminished due to a lack of match practice, leading to lapses in concentration. == Main draw ==

The draw and results for the tournament are shown below. Match winners are denoted in bold. ==Century breaks==

Two century breaks were made at the tournament. • 118 Ray Reardon • 105 Gary Owen ==Notes==