Joe Davis
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- For the California governor often called "Joe Davis" by his critics, see Gray Davis.
| Joe Davis | |
|---|---|
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| Born | April 15, 1901, Whitwell, Derbyshire |
| Died | July 10, 1978 (aged 77), Hampshire |
| Nationality | English |
| Professional | 1927–1964 |
| Tournament wins | |
| Major | 18 (snooker); 4 (billiards) |
| World Champion | 1927–1940, 1946 (snooker); 1928–1932 (billiards) |
Joe Davis, OBE (born 15 April 1901 in Whitwell, Derbyshire, England; died 10 July 1978 in Hampshire, England) was an English professional player of English billiards and later snooker. Joe's brother Fred, twelve years his junior, was also a snooker player and multiple World Champion. When Joe met Fred in the world championship final of 1940, Joe won 37-36.
Joe Davis became a professional billards player at the age of 18, having won the Chesterfield Championship aged 13. In 1926 he reached his first World Billiards final but was unsuccessful against defending champion Tom Newman. He reached the final again the following year and was runner-up again to the same opponent. It was to be a case of third time lucky for Davis when he defeated Newman in 1928 to become the billiards world champion for the first time and he would defend his title for the next three years - against Newman again in 1929 and 1930 and New Zealender Clark McConachy in 1932. He contested the final two more times in 1933 and 1934 losing on both occasions to Australian Walter Lindrum.
Coinciding with his peak as a billiards player, Davis' interests shifted to snooker and he helped to organise the first snooker world championship in 1927 and won the tournament by beating Tom Dennis 20-10, for which he won £6 10s. He went on to win the world championship every year until 1940. Following the outbreak of World War 2 the world championship was not held for the next five years. On resumption in 1946, Davis defended his title making it his 15th consecutive win and thereby holding the title for 20 straight years. He retired from the event following this victory making him the only undefeated player in the history of the world championships.
Davis proved he was still the man to beat up to the 1950s by winning the News of the World Championship on three occasions during the decade. His nearest rivals were his brother, Fred, and future world champion John Pulman who each both won it on two occasions. He made history in 1955 by achieving the first officially recognised maximum break in snooker of 147 in an exhibition match at Leicester Square Hall, the country's mecca for billiards enthusiasts. Also during the decade Davis attempted to popularise a new game called snooker plus. This game had two extra coloured balls, an orange and a purple, but it never took off. He was awarded the OBE in 1963. He continued to play professionally until 1964.
Joe Davis died two months after collapsing while watching his brother play Perrie Mans in the 1978 world snooker championship semi-final. His home, in Whitwell, Derbyshire bears a plaque commemorating him.
- Joe Davis is no relation to snooker player Steve Davis.
- Currently, his grandson, Joe Davis III, lives in San Jose, California.
[edit] Tournament wins
- World Championship - 1927–1940, 1946
- News of the World Championship - 1950, 1953, 1956
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- Advanced Snooker, Country Life, ISBN B0000CJ1MO.
- Complete Snooker, WH Allen, ISBN 0-491-01521-6.
- How I Play Snooker, Country Life, ISBN B0000CJK63.
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