Fred Davis (snooker player) facts for kids
Davis with the World Snooker Championship trophy in 1948
|
|
| Born | 14 August 1913 Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England |
|---|---|
| Died | 16 April 1998 (aged 84) Denbighshire, Wales |
| Sport country |  England |
| Professional | 1929–1993 |
| Highest ranking | 4 (1976–77) |
| Best ranking finish | Semi-final (x2) |
| Tournament wins | |
| World Champion |
|
Fred Davis (born August 14, 1913 – died April 16, 1998) was a famous English professional player of snooker and English billiards. He was a world champion many times! Fred won the World Snooker Championship eight times between 1948 and 1956. He also won the World Billiards Championship twice.
Fred was the younger brother of Joe Davis, who won the snooker world championship 15 times. Fred and Joe are the only two players ever to win both snooker and English billiards world titles. Fred is second only to Joe for the most snooker world championship wins.
Fred started playing professionally in 1929 when he was just 15 years old. He played in his first snooker world championship in 1937. Three years later, he reached the final but lost to his brother Joe. From 1947, Fred played in five world finals in a row against Scottish player Walter Donaldson, winning three of them. Later, when the event changed to the World Professional Match-play Championship in 1952, Fred won five more championships. He beat Donaldson three times and then John Pulman twice.
Fred won the World Billiards Championship twice in 1980. He defeated Rex Williams in May and Mark Wildman in November. When snooker world rankings started in 1976, Fred was ranked fourth in the world. He continued to play professionally until 1993. At 80 years old, he retired because of arthritis in his left knee. Fred Davis passed away in 1998 after a fall at his home in Denbighshire, Wales.
Contents
Early Life and Billiards Beginnings
Fred Davis was born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England, on August 14, 1913. He was the youngest of six children. His older brother, Joe Davis, who was 12 years older, was also a snooker player. Joe initially thought Fred wasn't good enough to play professionally.
Fred learned to play on a small snooker table, which was a Christmas gift. He really loved English billiards first. In 1929, he won the British Boys Under-16 Billiards Championship. That same year, he became a professional player. Billiards was becoming less popular, but Fred still won the United Kingdom Professional Billiards Championship in 1951. He later said he thought he would never play billiards again once snooker became so popular.
Snooker Career Highlights
After playing billiards in his younger years, Fred focused on snooker.
Pre-War Snooker Journey
Fred first played in the World Snooker Championship in 1937. He lost in the first round. His brother Joe was very upset about this loss. This made Fred get special glasses to help his eyesight.
He reached the semi-finals in 1938 and 1939. Then, in 1940, he made it to the final. He lost a very close match, 36–37. Soon after, Fred joined the British Army to serve in the Second World War.
Post-War Snooker Success
After the war, Fred's brother Joe retired from the World Snooker Championship in 1946. Fred reached the final the next year, but lost to Walter Donaldson. Fred and Donaldson played in the final for five years in a row until 1951. Fred won in 1948, 1949, and 1951.
Joe Davis had never been beaten in the world championships. But Fred was the only player to beat Joe in a regular match. He did this four times between 1948 and 1954. Snooker was very popular then. Many people came to watch Fred beat Donaldson in the 1948 and 1949 finals.
In 1952, Fred did not play in the main World Snooker Championship. Instead, he played in a new tournament called the World Professional Match-play Championship. Fred won the first five of these championships. He beat Donaldson three times and John Pulman twice. After winning in 1956, Fred decided not to play in the 1957 Championship.
Fred and his wife bought a hotel in Llandudno after the war. This gave them financial security. By the early 1960s, Fred was mostly playing snooker for charity events. He then retired for a few years. In 1964, the championships started again with a new challenge format. Fred challenged Pulman three times but lost each match.
Modern Snooker Era
The World Championship became a single-elimination tournament again in 1969. Fred beat future world champion Ray Reardon in a very long match. Reardon later said he learned a lot from that game. Fred then lost in the semi-finals.
Around this time, the BBC started its Pot Black TV show. Fred was used to long matches, but he adapted well to the shorter, single-frame format of Pot Black. He finished as runner-up in 1971. He also made some of the highest breaks in the 1970, 1971, and 1975 series.
In 1970, Fred won an event in Canada. Soon after, he faced some health challenges and did not play in the 1970 World Championship. He returned to play in 1972 and 1973. In 1973, he lost to the defending champion Alex Higgins in the quarter-finals.
Fred got his revenge in 1974, beating Higgins in the quarter-finals. Fred praised Higgins for his good sportsmanship. However, Fred then lost to Ray Reardon in the semi-finals.
In 1975, Fred lost a very close match to Dennis Taylor in the World Championship. Later that year, he reached the final of the Watney Open. He lost to Alex Higgins, but a win over John Spencer in that tournament made him believe he could still compete at the top level.
World rankings were introduced in 1976. Even though Fred was older, he was still ranked number 4 that season. He stayed in the top 16 players until 1982, when he was 67 years old. He only fell out of the top 64 in 1988, at age 74.
In 1976, Fred almost won his first professional title in 20 years at the 1976 Pontins Professional. He lost a very close final to Ray Reardon. In 1978, at 64 years old, he reached the semi-finals of the 1978 World Snooker Championship. This was the last time he would reach the semi-finals of this event.
In 1979, Fred made his last victory at the Crucible Theatre, the home of the World Championship. He made a great break of 109 points. He then lost in the quarter-finals. Fred also captained the England team in the first World Challenge Cup in 1979. England reached the final but lost to Wales.
In 1981, at 67 years old, Fred played in his last snooker final. He led Terry Griffiths 4–1 but eventually lost.
Later Years in Snooker
Fred continued to play professionally into his old age. His last appearance in the World Snooker Championship was in 1984, when he was 70. He showed great determination in qualifying matches, winning some very close games.
In 1988, Fred earned his highest prize money ever in a professional snooker competition, over £3,000. The next year, he won his last match in the World Championship qualifying rounds. He had first played in the championship 52 years earlier.
In 1990, Fred announced his retirement from competitive snooker due to arthritis in his knee. However, he later returned to play some snooker matches. His last TV appearance in a competitive match was in 1991. At 79, Fred played against a young Ronnie O'Sullivan in 1992.
Billiards Achievements
Fred Davis won the World Billiards Championships twice in 1980. He beat Rex Williams in June and Mark Wildman in November. By doing this, he became the only player besides Joe Davis to win both the World Snooker and World Billiards titles.
Fred received prize money and a bonus for making the highest break (583 points) in the June 1980 event. He also won the UK Billiards Championship in 1951 and the British Under-16 Boys Championship in 1929.
The billiards game saw a small comeback in the 1980s. Fred continued to play in these events. In 1982, he lost a very close semi-final match by just six points. In 1983, he reached the final of the World Championship but lost to Rex Williams. He also won the highest break prize in that event.
Fred continued to play billiards, but as he got older and the game changed, he had less success. His last entry in the World Billiards Championship was in 1992, but he did not play his first-round match.
Retirement and Passing
Fred Davis was honored with the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1977. He received the award from Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother at Buckingham Palace.
Fred officially retired in 1993, at the age of 79. His last competitive snooker match was in August 1992. He said he would have loved to keep playing, but severe arthritis in his left knee made it too painful to walk. This also affected his playing stance in his final matches. Fred Davis passed away in April 1998 in Denbighshire, a few days after a fall at his home.
Career Titles
Here is a list of Fred Davis's professional snooker and billiards championships:
Snooker (12 titles)
- World Snooker Championship – 1948, 1949, 1951
- World Professional Match-play Championship – 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956
- News of the World Tournament – 1957/58, 1958
- World Open Snooker Championship (Australia) – 1960
- Professional Snooker Association of Canada invitational event – 1970
Billiards (4 titles)
- World Billiards Championship – May 1980, November 1980
- UK Billiards Championship – 1951
- British Under-16 Boys Championship – 1929
