1973 World Snooker Championship

The 1973 Park Drive World Snooker Championship snooker tournament took place at the City Exhibition Hall, Deansgate, Manchester between 16–28 April 1973.

Ray Reardon won in the final 38–22 against Eddie Charlton.

Notable moments

• The competition was scheduled to take a fortnight, rather than the months it had taken to complete previous championships. There was also a new sponsor, Park Drive, makers of Gallaher cigarettes.
• Cliff Thorburn and Dennis Taylor made their débuts this year; both would later become world champions. They played each other in the first round and Thorburn won 9-8.
• Defending champion Alex Higgins beat Fred Davis in a memorable quarter-final 16-14, which is perhaps best remembered for a rain interruption. Granada television sent a camera along to cover this unusual occurrence, and this brought referee John Williams fame.
• Ray Reardon staged a remarkable recovery when, having trailed John Spencer 12-19, he won their semi-final 23-22. Reardon lost the first session of the final against Eddie Charlton 0-7, but went on to win 38-32. For the first time some frames of the final were televised, by the BBC.
• The total prize money for this years event was £8,000, with the winner picking £1,500 up.

Main draw

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References