1979 Castle Open
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | December 1978–22 January 1979 |
| Venue | Castle Snooker Club |
| City | Southampton |
| Country | England |
| Organisation | Bernard Bennett |
| Total prize fund | £3,500 |
| Winner's share | £750 |
| Final | |
| Champion |  Alex Higgins (NIR) |
| Runner-up |  Fred Davis (ENG) |
| Score | 5–1 |
The 1979 Castle Open was a pro-am snooker tournament held from late 1978 to January 1979 at the Castle Snooker Club.[1][2] It was won by Alex Higgins, who defeated Fred Davis 5–1 in the final.[3]
The promoter, snooker professional Bernard Bennett, who owned the Castle Club, provided a prize fund of £3,500,[1] including a first prize of £750.[2] Almost all of the professional snooker players who were in the country at the time participated, alongside many of the leading amateurs.[1] All matches were played on level terms; no handicaps were applied.[1]
The tournament was played across two blocks.[1] The earlier rounds featured amateurs and lower-ranked professionals, with higher-ranked professionals joining in the second block,[1] held from 19 to 21 January 1979.[4] Only two amateurs progressed to the second block: 16-year-old Jimmy White and 19-year-old Tony Meo.[1] White defeated professionals Jack Karnehm and David Taylor, and Meo eliminated eight-time world champion John Pulman.[1][5]
Terry Griffiths, who had turned professional that season,[6] later wrote that, "The matches were short and the prize money not all that much but because the proprietor, Bernard Bennett, is a professional who is well liked in the snooker world, there was a good turn-out of professionals to support his tournament."[7]
Fred Davis reached the final at the age of 65, having eliminated Willie Thorne and Cliff Thorburn during the tournament.[8] He won the first frame, but lost 1–5 to Alex Higgins.[9][10][11]
Main Draw
[edit]Results from the sixth round onwards are shown below.[2]
| Sixth round | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||||||||
 Ray Reardon (WAL)
| 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
 Cliff Thorburn (CAN)
| 4 | Cliff Thorburn (CAN)
| 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| Terry Griffiths (WAL)
| 2 | Cliff Thorburn (CAN)
| 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| Fred Davis (ENG)
| 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Fred Davis (ENG)
| 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
 Eddie Charlton (AUS)
| 1 | Willie Thorne (ENG)
| 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| Willie Thorne (ENG)
| 4 | Fred Davis (ENG)
| 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Alex Higgins (NIR)
| 5 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Alex Higgins (NIR)
| 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
 Perrie Mans (RSA)
| 4 | Perrie Mans (RSA)
| 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| Dennis Taylor (NIR)
| 2 | Alex Higgins (NIR)
| 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| Doug Mountjoy (WAL)
| 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| John Spencer (ENG)
| 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Doug Mountjoy (WAL)
| 4 | Doug Mountjoy (WAL)
| 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| Graham Miles (ENG)
| 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
Earlier rounds
[edit]| Player | Score | Player |
|---|---|---|
| Tony O'Beirne (ENG) |
4–1 | T. McCarver (ENG)
|
| J. Pike (ENG) |
4–3 | P. Marshall (ENG)
|
| Steve Newbury (WAL) |
4–2 | B.Miltell (ENG)
|
| Geoff Foulds (ENG) |
4–2 | S. Ross (ENG)
|
| Vic Spetch (ENG) |
4–1 | Jack Fitzmaurice (ENG)
|
| Bob Harris (ENG) |
4–3 | Mike Watterson (ENG)
|
| John Beech (ENG) |
4–3 | O. Gilbert (ENG)
|
| Ian Williamson (ENG) |
4–2 | B. Browne (ENG)
|
| Mike Darrington (ENG) |
4–1 | Terry Whitthread (ENG)
|
| Clive Everton (WAL) |
4–0 | P. Walker (ENG)
|
| Jimmy White (ENG) |
4–0 | Wally Broomfield (ENG)
|
| O. Clark (ENG) |
4–1 | Stan Haslam (ENG)
|
| Brian Watson (ENG) |
4–0 | A. Watson (ENG)
|
| George Eaton (ENG) |
4–1 | Nick Fairall (ENG)
|
| Player | Score | Player |
|---|---|---|
| Tony O'Beirne (ENG) |
4–1 | J. Pike (ENG)
|
| Geoff Foulds (ENG) |
4–1 | Steve Newbury (WAL)
|
| Vic Spetch (ENG) |
4–2 | Bob Harris (ENG)
|
| Ian Williamson (ENG) |
4–0 | John Beech (ENG)
|
| Mike Darrington (ENG) |
4–3 | Clive Everton (WAL)
|
| Jimmy White (ENG) |
4–3 | O. Clark (ENG)
|
| Brian Watson (ENG) |
4–0 | D. Edwards (ENG)
|
| Tony Meo (ENG) |
4–0 | George Eaton (ENG)
|
| Player | Score | Player |
|---|---|---|
| Steve Davis (ENG) |
4–3 | Tony O'Beirne (ENG)
|
| Terry Griffiths (WAL) |
4–1 | Geoff Foulds (ENG)
|
| Pat Houlihan (ENG) |
4–1 | Spetch (ENG)
|
| John Barrie (ENG) |
4–1 | Ian Williamson (ENG)
|
| Mike Darrington (ENG) |
w.o. | David Greaves (ENG)
|
| Jimmy White (ENG) |
4–1 | Jack Karnehm (ENG)
|
| Ray Edmonds (ENG) |
4–1 | Brian Watson (ENG)
|
| Tony Meo (ENG) |
w.o. | Roy Andrewartha (ENG)
|
| Player | Score | Player |
|---|---|---|
| Steve Davis (ENG) |
4–1 | Jim Meadowcroft (ENG)
|
| Terry Griffiths (WAL) |
4–1 | Bill Werbeniuk (CAN)
|
| Pat Houlihan (ENG) |
4–1 | Bernard Bennett (ENG)
|
| Willie Thorne (ENG) |
4– 1 | John Barrie (ENG)
|
| John Virgo (ENG) |
4–3 | Mike Darrington (ENG)
|
| Jimmy White (ENG) |
4–2 | David Taylor (ENG)
|
| Ray Edmonds (ENG) |
4–2 | John Dunning (ENG)
|
| Tony Meo (ENG) |
4–0 | John Pulman (ENG)
|
| Player | Score | Player |
|---|---|---|
| Cliff Thorburn (CAN) |
4–3 | Steve Davis (ENG)
|
| Terry Griffiths (WAL) |
4–3 | Rex Williams (ENG)
|
| Eddie Charlton (AUS) |
4–3 | Pat Houlihan (ENG)
|
| Willie Thorne (ENG) |
4–1 |  Patsy Fagan (IRE)
|
| Perrie Mans (RSA) |
4–2 | John Virgo (ENG)
|
| Dennis Taylor (NIR) |
4–0 | Jimmy White (ENG)
|
| Doug Mountjoy (WAL) |
4–2 | Ray Edmonds (ENG)
|
| Graham Miles (ENG) |
4–3 | Tony Meo (ENG)
|
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Meo and White beat pros in Castle prelims". Snooker Scene. February 1979. p. 19.
- ^ a b c Eaton, Richard (March 1979). "Alex Higgins still king of the Castle". Snooker Scene. pp. 10–11.
- ^ "Hurricane too strong for battling Fred". Daily Mirror. 22 January 1979. p. 23.
- ^ Everton, Clive (13 January 1979). "top=spin weeks for tournament professionals". The Guardian. p. 13.
- ^ "Hall of Fame". World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ "New professionals". Snooker Scene. June 1978. p. 27.
- ^ Griffiths, Terry (1981). Championship Snooker. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-3620-0543-1.
- ^ Morrison, Ian (1987). The Hamlyn Encyclopedia of Snooker (Revised ed.). Twickenham: Hamlyn Publishing Group. p. 95. ISBN 978-0-600-55604-6.
- ^ "Higgins is Castle champion". The Birmingham Post. 22 January 1979. p. 12.
- ^ "Snooker: Castle pro-am tournament". Daily Mirror. 22 January 1979. p. 23.
- ^ "Fred shows the old style". Sports Argus. 27 January 1979. p. 4.