Pontins Professional

Pontins ProfessionalTournament information

Venue| Pontins
Location| Prestatyn
Country| Wales
Established| 1974
Organisation(s)| WPBSA
Format| Non-ranking event
Final year| 2000
Final champion|  Darren Morgan

The Pontins Professional was an invitational professional non-ranking snooker tournament which ran from 1974 until 2000.

## History

[edit]

Top snooker professionals had regularly supplemented their income from professional events by playing exhibition matches on the holiday camp circuit, with Pontins being a regular venue for entertaining holiday-makers. Beginning in 1974, a tournament involving eight professional players began at Pontins and became a regular point in the snooker calendar, usually occurring in the summer after the World Snooker Championship. This ran in conjunction with an Open tournament, in which many young amateur players took part, and provided a springboard for future stars such as Paul Hunter and Judd Trump.[1] There were also juniors, seniors, and ladies events.

While top professional players regularly entered in the tournament's early years, the increase in the number of events on the snooker tour led to the biggest stars choosing not to enter in later years, and the professional tournament was last held in 2000.

## Winners

[edit]

[2]

Year  | Winner  | Runner-up  | Final score  | Season

|
|
|
|

1974 |  Ray Reardon |  John Spencer | 10–9  | 1973/74
1975 |  Ray Reardon |  John Spencer | 10–9  | 1974/75
1976 |  Ray Reardon |  Fred Davis | 10–4  | 1975/76
1977 |  John Spencer |  John Pulman | 7–5  | 1976/77
1978 |  Ray Reardon |  John Spencer | 7–2  | 1977/78
1979 |  Doug Mountjoy |  Graham Miles | 8–4  | 1978/79
1980 |  John Virgo |  Ray Reardon | 9–6  | 1979/80
1981 |  Terry Griffiths |  Willie Thorne | 9–8  | 1980/81
1982 |  Steve Davis |  Ray Reardon | 9–4  | 1981/82
1983 |  Doug Mountjoy |  Ray Reardon | 9–7  | 1982/83
1984 |  Willie Thorne |  John Spencer | 9–7  | 1983/84
1985 |  Terry Griffiths |  John Spencer | 9–7  | 1984/85
1986 |  Terry Griffiths |  Willie Thorne | 9–6  | 1985/86
1987 |  Neal Foulds |  Willie Thorne | 9–6  | 1986/87
1988 |  John Parrott |  Mike Hallett | 9–1  | 1987/88
1989 |  Darren Morgan |  Tony Drago | 9–2  | 1988/89
1990 |  Stephen Hendry |  Mike Hallett | 9–6  | 1989/90
1991 |  Neal Foulds |  Mike Hallett | 9–6  | 1990/91
1992 |  Steve James |  Neal Foulds | 9–8  | 1991/92
1993 |  Ken Doherty |  Darren Morgan | 9–3  | 1992/93
1994 |  Ken Doherty |  Nigel Bond | 9–5  | 1993/94
1995 |  Peter Ebdon |  Ken Doherty | 9–8  | 1994/95
1996 |  Ken Doherty |  Nigel Bond | 9–7  | 1995/96
1997 |  Martin Clark |  Andy Hicks | 9–7  | 1996/97
1998 |  Mark Williams |  Martin Clark | 9–6  | 1997/98
1999 |  Jimmy White |  Matthew Stevens | 9–5  | 1998/99
2000 |  Darren Morgan |  Jimmy White | 9–2  | 1999/00

## Statistics

[edit]

### Finalists

[edit]

Rank  | Name  | Nationality  | Winner  | Runner-up | Finals

|
|
|
|
|

1  | Ray Reardon |  Wales | 4  | 3  | 7
2  | Ken Doherty |  Ireland | 3  | 1  | 4
3  | Terry Griffiths |  Wales | 3  | 0  | 3
4  | Neal Foulds |  England | 2  | 1  | 3
4  | Darren Morgan |  Wales | 2  | 1  | 3
6  | Doug Mountjoy |  Wales | 2  | 0  | 2
7  | John Spencer |  England | 1  | 5  | 6
8  | Willie Thorne |  England | 1  | 3  | 4
9  | Martin Clark |  England | 1  | 1  | 2
9  | Jimmy White |  England | 1  | 1  | 2
11  | Steve Davis |  England | 1  | 0  | 1
11  | Peter Ebdon |  England | 1  | 0  | 1
11  | Stephen Hendry |  Scotland | 1  | 0  | 1
11  | Steve James |  England | 1  | 0  | 1
11  | John Parrott |  England | 1  | 0  | 1
11  | John Virgo |  England | 1  | 0  | 1
11  | Mark Williams |  Wales | 1  | 0  | 1
18  | Mike Hallett |  England | 0  | 3  | 3
19  | Nigel Bond |  England | 0  | 2  | 2
20  | Fred Davis |  England | 0  | 1  | 1
20  | Tony Drago |  Malta | 0  | 1  | 1
20  | Andy Hicks |  England | 0  | 1  | 1
20  | Graham Miles |  England | 0  | 1  | 1
20  | John Pulman |  England | 0  | 1  | 1
20  | Matthew Stevens |  Wales | 0  | 1  | 1

### Champions by country

[edit]

Country  | Players  | Total  | First title  | Last title

|
|
|
|

Wales | 5  | 12  | 1974  | 2000
England | 10  | 11  | 1977  | 1999
Ireland | 1  | 3  | 1993  | 1996
Scotland | 1  | 1  | 1990  | 1990

## See also

[edit]

* 1980 Pontins Camber Sands
* Pontins International Open Series – successor of the event with increased amateur participation

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Pontins Pointed The Way To Fame For Paul". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
2. ^ "Brief History of the Pontins Open and Professional". Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 28 February 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2017.

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Pontins Professional

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* 1974
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* 1976
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