1980–81 snooker season

The 1980–81 snooker season was a series of snooker tournaments played between 18 June 1980 and 16 May 1981. The following table outlines the results for the ranking and the invitational events.

1980–81 snooker season
Details
Duration18 June 1980 – 16 May 1981
Tournaments18 (1 ranking event)
Triple Crown winners
UK Championship Steve Davis
Masters Alex Higgins
World Championship Steve Davis

New professional players

In February 1980, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) accepted the application of Tony Knowles to become a professional from the 1980–81 season, and rejected Eugene Hughes and Ian Williamson.[1] Jimmy White, the 1979 English Amateur Champion, opted to remain as an amateur until after the 1980 World Amateur Championship;[2] he became a professional after winning it in November 1980.[3] Dave Martin won the 1980 Professional Ticket Event.[4] Jim Rempe became a professional in 1980 and played in the 1980 World Challenge Cup but he did not participate in a singles event until the 1985 Matchroom Trophy.[5][6] Knowles, White, and Martin all made their World Snooker Championship debuts at the 1981 edition.[7][8]

The new professionals were, therefore:

Calendar
Date[n 1] Rank Tournament name Venue City Winner Runner-up Score Reference
06-18 06-20  AUS NR Australian Masters Channel 10 Television Studios Sydney John Spencer Dennis Taylor [n 2] [9]
08-13 08-31  CAN NR Canadian Open Canadian National Exhibition Stadium Toronto Cliff Thorburn Terry Griffiths 17–10 [10]
10-02 10-12  ENG NR Champion of Champions New London Theatre London Doug Mountjoy John Virgo 10–8 [11]
10-18 10-26  ENG TE World Challenge Cup New London Theatre London  Wales  Canada 8–5 [12]
11-16 11-29  ENG NR UK Championship Guild Hall Preston Steve Davis Alex Higgins 16–6 [13]
12-01 12-02  ENG NR The Classic Blighty's Farnworth Steve Davis Dennis Taylor 4–1 [14]
12-07 12-13  ENG TQ Professional Ticket Event Snooker Centre Sheffield Dave Martin Eugene Hughes 9–6
12-28 12-31  ENG NR Pot Black[n 3] BBC Studios Birmingham Cliff Thorburn Jim Wych 2–0 [15][16]
01-27 02-01  ENG NR The Masters Wembley Conference Centre London Alex Higgins Terry Griffiths 9–6 [17][18][19]
02-05 02-08  WAL NR Welsh Professional Championship Ebbw Vale Leisure Centre Ebbw Vale Ray Reardon Cliff Wilson 9–6 [20]
02-18 02-21  IRL NR Irish Masters Goff's Kill Terry Griffiths Ray Reardon 9–7 [21][22]
02-24 02-25  ENG NR Tolly Cobbold Classic Corn Exchange Ipswich Graham Miles Cliff Thorburn 5–1 [23]
03-02 03-08  ENG NR Yamaha Organs Trophy Assembly Rooms Derby Steve Davis David Taylor 9–6 [24]
03-12 03-14  NIR NR Irish Professional Championship Riverside Theatre Coleraine Dennis Taylor Patsy Fagan 22–21 [25]
03-08 03-15  ENG NR English Professional Championship Haden Hill Leisure Centre Birmingham Steve Davis Tony Meo 9–3 [26][27]
03-?? 03-??  SCO NR Scottish Professional Championship Cumbernauld Theatre Kildrum Ian Black Matt Gibson 11–7 [28]
04-07 04-20  ENG WR World Snooker Championship Crucible Theatre Sheffield Steve Davis Doug Mountjoy 18–12 [29]
05-09 05-16  WAL NR Pontins Professional Pontins Prestatyn Terry Griffiths Willie Thorne 9–8 [30][31]
WR = World ranking event
NR = Non-ranking event
TE = Team event
TQ = Tour qualifier

Official rankings
Main article: Snooker world rankings 1980/1981

The top 16 of the world rankings.[32][33][34]

No. Ch. Name
1 Ray Reardon
2 Cliff Thorburn
3 Eddie Charlton
4 Alex Higgins
5 Terry Griffiths
6 Dennis Taylor
7 Perrie Mans
8 Fred Davis
9 David Taylor
10 Bill Werbeniuk
11 Kirk Stevens
12 John Virgo
13 Steve Davis
14 Doug Mountjoy
15 John Spencer
16 Graham Miles

Notes
  1. Dates use the mm-dd date format.
  2. The final was decided on aggregate score over three frames.
  3. Event was played and recorded in December 1980, but broadcast in the spring of 1981.

References
  1. Everton, Clive (5 February 1980). "Higgins is fined". The Guardian. p. 22.
  2. Everton, Clive (28 August 1979). "Johnson's chance to shine". The Guardian. p. 25.
  3. Glenn, Patrick (16 November 1980). "A pot of gold for White". The Observer. p. 22.
  4. "Martin earns ticket". Snooker Scene. February 1981. p. 7.
  5. Hale, Janice (1987). Rothmans Snooker Yearbook 1986–87. Aylesbury: Queen Anne Press. p. 132. ISBN 9780356123639.
  6. "State Express World Cup". Snooker Scene. December 1980. pp. 18–25.
  7. Everton, Clive (7 April 1981). "Thorburn on cue to retain title". The Guardian. London. p. 23.
  8. Everton, Clive (8 April 1981). "Fine start by Davis". The Guardian. London. p. 18.
  9. Turner, Chris. "Australian Masters". Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 30 September 2010. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
  10. Turner, Chris. "Canadian Open, Canadian Masters". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  11. Turner, Chris. "Other Non-Ranking and Invition Events". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  12. Turner, Chris. "World Cup, World Team Classic, Nations Cup". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
  13. Turner, Chris. "UK Championship". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  14. Turner, Chris. "Wilson Classic, Lada Classic, Mercantile Credit Classic". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  15. "Pot Black History". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 24 December 2008.
  16. "Pot Black, Junior Pot Black". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  17. Turner, Chris. "The Masters". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 7 January 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
  18. "1981 Benson & Hedges Masters". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 7 October 2008. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  19. Turner, Chris. "On this Week: English shame". Eurosport UK. Archived from the original on 12 February 2010. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  20. Turner, Chris. "Welsh Professional Championship". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  21. Turner, Chris. "Irish Masters". Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
  22. Turner, Chris. "On this Week: Ranking first for Carter". Eurosport. Archived from the original on 18 September 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  23. Turner, Chris. "Tolly Cobbold Classic". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 28 February 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  24. Turner, Chris. "British Open Including British Gold Cup, Yamaha Organs Trophy and Yamaha International Masters". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  25. Turner, Chris. "Irish Professional Championship". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  26. Turner, Chris. "English Professional Championship". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 28 February 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  27. Turner, Chris. "On this Week: Birth of the Hurricane". Eurosport UK. Archived from the original on 11 September 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  28. Turner, Chris. "Scottish Professional Championship". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  29. Turner, Chris. "World Professional Championship". Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 April 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
  30. "Pontin's Roll of Honour". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 6 April 2008. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  31. Turner, Chris. "Pontins Open, Pontins Professional, Pontins World Pro-Am Series". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 28 February 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
  32. Turner, Chris. "Historical World Rankings 1975/76 to 1989/90". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 8 June 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  33. "Ranking History". Snooker.org. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  34. Hayton, Eric (2004). The CueSport Book of Professional Snooker. Lowestoft: Rose Villa Publications. pp. 119–123. ISBN 0-9548549-0-X.
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