Joe Davis

For other people named Joe or Joseph Davis, see Joe Davis (disambiguation).

Joseph Davis

File:Joe Davis.jpg
Born	(1901-04-15)15 April 1901 Whitwell, Derbyshire
Died	Hampshire
Sport country	England
Professional	1919–1964
Highest break	147 (1955)
Century breaks	687
Tournament wins
Major	22
World Champion	1927–1940, 1946

Joseph "Joe" Davis, OBE (15 April 1901 – 10 July 1978) was an English professional player of snooker and English billiards.

Biography

Joe Davis became a professional billiards player at the age of 18, having won the Chesterfield Championship at age 13. In 1926 he reached his first World Professional Billiards Championship 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 world champion at English billiards for the first time. He would defend his title for the next three years – against Newman again in 1929 and 1930 and New Zealander 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's interests shifted to snooker and he helped to organise the first snooker world championship in 1927 and won the tournament by beating Tom Dennis, for which he won UK£6 10s. He went on to win the world championship every year until 1940. 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.

Following the outbreak of World War II 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. To date, he has won more world championships than any other player. 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 Tournament 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 of 147 in snooker in an exhibition match at Leicester Square Hall. He had previously made the game's first official century break in 1930. Also during the decade Davis attempted to popularise a new game called snooker plus. This game had two extra colours, an orange and a purple and was used for the 1959 News of the World Snooker Plus Tournament but it never took off. Davis was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1963. He continued to play professionally until 1964.

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.

Tournament wins

Non-ranking wins: (22)

• World Championship – 1927–1940, 1946 ( 15 Times )
• Daily Mail Gold Cup – 1936, 1937
• Sunday Empire News Tournament – 1948
• News of the World Tournament – 1950, 1953, 1956
• Sporting Record Masters' Tournament – 1950

English billiards

• World Championship – 1928–1930, 1932