World Snooker Championship 1972
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The 1972 World Snooker Championship, between March 1971 to February 1972, took nearly a year to complete. In a preliminary competition eight qualifiers were reduced to two, and they joined the eight other entrants in the competition proper. Those in the qualifying section included Alex Higgins, who became the first champion who played qualifying matches, and four former amateur champions, Ron Gross, Maurice Parkin, Pat Houlihan and Geoffrey Thompson, who all turned professional when well past their prime.
Higgins was not extended until the semi-final when Rex Williams led by six frames before the Irishman got home in an exciting finish by the odd frame in 61. Williams had beaten Ray Reardon 25-23, one of the surprise results of the championship, in a match contested in five different club venues in Scotland.
The final, at Birmingham's Selly Park British Legion, was evenly matched until Higgins struck the front with a 6-0 victory in the Thursday evening session, a gap which John Spencer was never able to close. Higgins' win made him the youngest champion at the age of 22 years and 345 days until Stephen Hendry in 1990.
[edit] Prize Money
The prize money was by arrangement with individual promoters. The winner Alex Higgins won £480
[edit] The Results
First Round Best of 37 frames
John Pulman 19-7 John Dunning
Alex Higgins 19-11 Jackie Rea
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| Best of 61 frames | ||||||||||
| John Spencer |
31 | |||||||||
| Best of 73 frames | ||||||||||
| Fred Davis |
21 | |||||||||
| John Spencer |
37 | |||||||||
 Eddie Charlton |
32 | |||||||||
| Eddie Charlton |
31 | |||||||||
| Best of 73 frames | ||||||||||
| David Taylor |
25 | |||||||||
| John Spencer |
32 | |||||||||
| Alex Higgins |
37 | |||||||||
| Alex Higgins |
31 | |||||||||
| Best of 61 frames | ||||||||||
| John Pulman |
23 | |||||||||
| Alex Higgins |
31 | |||||||||
| Best of 49 frames | ||||||||||
| Rex Williams |
30 | |||||||||
| Rex Williams |
25 | |||||||||
 Ray Reardon |
23 | |||||||||
| World Snooker Championship |
|---|
| The early years |
| 1927 | 1928 | 1929 | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 |
| Post-War to decline |
| 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 |
| Challenge Matches |
| 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1968 |
| The modern era pre-Crucible |
| 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 |
| The Crucible Theatre |
| 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
| Winners and statistics |
| List of winners from 1927 to present |
