{{Short description|Snooker variant tournament}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox individual snooker tournament |tournament_name=News of the World Tournament |logo= |dates={{Start and end dates|1959|10|26|1959|11|21|df=y}} |venue=Burroughes Hall |location=London |country=United Kingdom |organisation= |format= |Total prize fund=£750 |winners_share=£400 |highest_break={{flagathlete|Joe Davis|ENG}} (117) |winner={{flagicon|ENG}} Joe Davis |runner_up={{flagicon|ENG}} Fred Davis |score= |previous=1958 |next=Last }} The '''1959 News of the World Snooker Plus Tournament''' was a professional snooker tournament sponsored by the ''News of the World''. The event was played under the '''Snooker Plus''' rules, a variant of snooker with two additional {{Cuegloss|Colour ball|colours}} (orange and purple). The tournament was won by Joe Davis with Fred Davis finishing in second place. It was the eleventh and final News of the World Tournament, which ran from 1949/50 to 1959.

==Snooker plus==

thumb|Snooker plus table layout

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%;float:right; margin:1em 2em 1em 0em;" |- !Colour!!Value |- | 14px {{Cuegloss|Red ball|Red}}|| 1 point |- | 14px {{Cuegloss|Yellow ball|Yellow}} || 2 points |- | 14px {{Cuegloss|Green ball|Green}} || 3 points |- | 14px {{Cuegloss|Brown ball|Brown}} || 4 points |- | 14px {{Cuegloss|Blue ball|Blue}} || 5 points |- | 14px {{Cuegloss|Pink ball|Pink}} || 6 points |- | 14px {{Cuegloss|Black ball|Black}} || 7 points |- | 14px {{Cuegloss|Orange ball|Orange}} || 8 points |- | 14px {{Cuegloss|Purple ball|Purple}} || 10 points |}

'''Snooker plus''' was a variant of snooker created by Joe Davis in 1959 with two additional {{Cuegloss|Colour ball|colours}}, orange (8 points) and purple (10 points). The orange spot was midway between the pink and blue, while the purple spot was midway between the brown and blue. If a frame ended in a tie, the purple was re-spotted on the black spot. The extra colours allowed a maximum break of 210 (maximum break of 221 with free ball).<ref name="SGame">{{cite web|title=Definitions of terms used in Snooker and English Billiards (search for snooker plus)|url=http://www.snookergames.co.uk/glossary7.html|work=snookergames.co.uk|publisher=Snooker Games|access-date=9 April 2011|archive-date=1 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201131329/http://www.snookergames.co.uk/glossary7.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=day1/><ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Times |date=27 October 1959 |page=17 |title=J Davis launches Snooker Plus}}</ref> This variant failed to gain popularity but has appeared in some video games such as the ''World Snooker Championship'' series.<ref>[http://www.jeuxvideo.com/jeux/playstation-2-ps2/00013994-world-snooker-championship-2005.htm Word Snooker Championship 2005] (French) at jeuxvideo.com. Retrieved 2 April 2017.</ref>

==Format== There were three competitors, Joe Davis, Fred Davis and John Pulman, competing for prize money of £750. Matches were of 25 frames over two days. Each played the other, three times. All matches were played in Burroughes Hall, London.

==Results== Joe Davis made the first century break, 108, on the opening day of the tournament.<ref name=day1>{{cite news |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=p3dAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dKMMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2895%2C8253550 |date=27 October 1959 |page=10 |title=Snooker Plus}}</ref>

Joe Davis made sure of victory by beating John Pulman in the penultimate match.<ref name=match8/> Fred Davis lost the last match 13–12, but he had needed to win only 11 frames to finish in second place ahead of Pulman.<ref name=match9/>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" ! Winner !! Score || Loser || Dates || Ref |- | align=left|Joe Davis || 17–8 || align=left|Fred Davis || 26–27 October || <ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qHdAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dKMMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5309%2C8423786 |date=28 October 1959 |page=11 |title=Snooker Plus}}</ref> |- | align=left|John Pulman || 15–10 || align=left|Fred Davis || 28–29 October || <ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qndAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dKMMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4581%2C8741161 |date=30 October 1959 |page=10 |title=Snooker Plus}}</ref> |- | align=left|Joe Davis || 14–11 || align=left|John Pulman || 30–31 October || <ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Ueo-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=-EwMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3796%2C108519 |date=2 November 1959 |page=10 |title=Snooker Plus}}</ref> |- | align=left|John Pulman || 14–11 || align=left|Fred Davis || 9–10 November || <ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Times |date=11 November 1959 |page=17 |title=Snooker}}</ref> |- | align=left|Joe Davis || 15–10 || align=left|John Pulman || 11–12 November || <ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Times |date=13 November 1959 |page=17 |title=Snooker Plus}}</ref> |- | align=left|Fred Davis || 15–10 || align=left|Joe Davis || 13–14 November || <ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Times |date=16 November 1959 |page=17 |title=Snooker Plus}}</ref> |- | align=left|Fred Davis || 16–9 || align=left|John Pulman || 16–17 November || <ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WOo-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=-EwMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3729%2C2439497 |date=18 November 1959 |page=11 |title=Snooker Plus}}</ref> |- | align=left|Joe Davis || 14–11 || align=left|John Pulman || 18–19 November || <ref name=match8>{{cite news |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Wuo-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=-EwMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5126%2C2724329 |date=20 November 1959 |page=6 |title=Snooker Plus}}</ref> |- | align=left|Joe Davis || 13–12 || align=left|Fred Davis || 20–21 November || <ref name=match9>{{cite news |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XOo-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=-EwMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3791%2C3062132 |date=23 November 1959 |page=10 |title=Snooker Plus}}</ref> |}

'''Table''' {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |- ! Pos || Player || Pld || MW || FW || Prize |- style="background:#aaffaa;" | 1 || style="text-align:left;"|'''{{flagicon|ENG}} Joe Davis''' || 6 || 5 || 83 || £400 |- | 2 || style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|ENG}} Fred Davis || 6 || 2 || 72 || £250 |- | 3 || style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|ENG}} John Pulman || 6 || 2 || 70 || £100 |}

The positions were determined firstly by the number of matches won (MW) and, in the event of a tie, the number of frames won (FW).

==Century breaks==

The following century breaks were made at the tournament.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Joe Davis wins Snooker Plus tournament in a canter |magazine=The Billiard Player |page=11 |publisher=Billiards Association and Control Council |date=December 1959}}</ref>

* 117, 115, 108 – Joe Davis * 112, 104 – John Pulman * 112 – Fred Davis

==References== {{Reflist|2}}

{{Cue sports}} {{News of the World Snooker Tournament}}

Category:News of the World Snooker Tournament News of the World Snooker Plus Tournament News of the World Tournament News of the World Snooker Plus Tournament News of the World Snooker Plus Tournament Category:Snooker variants