The 1979 Castle Open was a pro-am snooker tournament held from late 1978 to January 1979 at the Castle Snooker Club.[1][2] It was won by Alex Higgins, who defeated Fred Davis 5–1 in the final.[3]
The promoter, snooker professional Bernard Bennett, who owned the Castle Club, provided a prize fund of £3,500,[1] including a first prize of £750.[2] Almost all of the professional snooker players who were in the country at the time participated, alongside many of the leading amateurs.[1] All matches were played on level terms; no handicaps were applied.[1]
The tournament was played across two blocks.[1] The earlier rounds featured amateurs and lower-ranked professionals, with higher-ranked professionals joining in the second block,[1] held from 19 to 21 January 1979.[4] Only two amateurs progressed to the second block: 16-year-old Jimmy White and 19-year-old Tony Meo.[1] White defeated professionals Jack Karnehm and David Taylor, and Meo eliminated eight-time world champion John Pulman.[1][5]
Terry Griffiths, who had turned professional that season,[6] later wrote that, "The matches were short and the prize money not all that much but because the proprietor, Bernard Bennett, is a professional who is well liked in the snooker world, there was a good turn-out of professionals to support his tournament."[7]
Fred Davis reached the final at the age of 65, having eliminated Willie Thorne and Cliff Thorburn during the tournament.[8] He won the first frame, but lost 1–5 to Alex Higgins.[9][10][11]
^ abcdefgh"Meo and White beat pros in Castle prelims". Snooker Scene. February 1979. p. 19.
^ abCite error: The named reference SCENEMAR was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Hurricane too strong for battling Fred". Daily Mirror. 22 January 1979. p. 23.
^Everton, Clive (13 January 1979). "top=spin weeks for tournament professionals". The Guardian. p. 13.
^"Hall of Fame". World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
^"New professionals". Snooker Scene. June 1978. p. 27.
^Griffiths, Terry (1981). Championship Snooker. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-3620-0543-1.
^Morrison, Ian (1987). The Hamlyn Encyclopedia of Snooker (Revised ed.). Twickenham: Hamlyn Publishing Group. p. 95. ISBN 978-0-600-55604-6.
^"Higgins is Castle champion". The Birmingham Post. 22 January 1979. p. 12.
^"Snooker: Castle pro-am tournament". Daily Mirror. 22 January 1979. p. 23.
^"Fred shows the old style". Sports Argus. 27 January 1979. p. 4.
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Global Information
Alex Higgins (NIR)
Fred Davis (ENG)