In those days the Reigning Champion was always in the final, they didnt have to compete in the rounds up to the final. Thats why he won so many titles. Still a great player.
A lot of English professional snooker players after WW2 would go to South Africa, Australia and NZ doing exhibitions play. Joe, world champion then, was on a tour of SA in the early 50s and had a long wait in a town for a connecting train. He saw a snooker hall and went in. A local champion, not recognising him, hustled him into a game for £10. Joe wiped the table with him. The guy said jokingly, "You must know Joe Davis!" Joe replied, "Know him? I've slept with his wife!" An amusing but probably apocryphal story. This is a lovely little video.
Interesting watching the balls rolling on this table. The cloth looks incredibly slow compared to today's tables. I'm also curious how the cushions used to rebound back then. Looks quite difficult.
Joe Davis won it 15 times. 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940 and then the next one after that was 1946 which he won for the 15th consecutive time.
I suppose that in those days, the mindset was more that you held the title until someone took it off you, much like a boxer remains the champion until defeated. Surely Joe would have won anyway had it not been for WW2.
Exactly Exitvim. It shows the other side of Davis; in my opinion, the less likable side! The side of him that said he stopped playing the World Championship because "he wanted to give other players a chance", rather than because he was afraid of losing. The side of him that liked to keep snooker as an upper-class club.
I think he would level those players. What you've got to remember is the competition probably wasn't as grand in the thirties. Not saying there weren't many great players but I mean professionals who had a sixth sense about the game like Joe Davis had.
Easier game by and large these days, lighter balls, far faster tables, looser pockets. A player like Joe Davis in his prime would do well in the modern game. Put players from the modern game into the older era and they wouldn't do as well with heavier balls, slower cloths, it necessitates having to play shots harder which means less accuracy.
It’s a difficult call. He’d be playing on different cloth with different balls. I wonder how Ronnie & Hendry would do playing against him on the sort of table & with the balls he was used to.
147 can be beaten today, but i'm not sure it could have been beaten in his days because the rules have changed a little. i don't know if free ball rule existed than.
if a player fouls and a free ball is awarded, the opposing player can then pot a colour which would count as 1 and be replaced (counts as a red due to the free ball). and then go on to pot a black after, then make a 147, u can make a 155, the points for the foul dont add to the break total.
It was Davis sneaky way of inflating his achievements. He ‘held’ the title for 20 consecutive years but won it 15 times in a row. Also Davis used to spot player’s points so he could claim they never beat him otherwise. Joe was a good PR man!
When he won the world championship, against how many other players were there in the tournament? He won it 20 years on the spin, so I'm sorry, everyone else must have been pretty average. Still have great respect for him though.
You know a lot more than I do about snookers past! My OP I just meant if he won it 20 times, then it may have been an era when not many players with his skill played the game. Whereas these days, everyone top 16 player is capable of getting a maximum break. I guess its impossible to compare between different eras. I agree with you about wondering how good he may have been as a younger player as he always seems an older gentleman when he won all his titles. I wonder when he started playing? For example, how good was he when he say 20 years old? It goes to show, that snooker isn't age oriented necessarily.
David Shreeves That is so true, I mean the fact that the players of that era would have had other jobs and that snooker would have just been a passion for him and others . And to get that good is amazing. I don't know what Joe and Patsy did for their normal everyday jobs without looking it up, but they were certainly pioneers. Nowadays, snooker players, well that's their full time job and they practice upto 10 hours a day. Joe wouldn't have been able to practice that much at all. After a hard weeks work, and fending for his family he maybe just got to play little compared to the pro's these days. Just like in all sports as you say pre 1980's But that's where I'm coming from. Although Joe Davis was a pioneer of the game, and I have utmost respect for him, exactly how good was he compared to later players?
through some of the comments on here and what is said on the film you get a small insight into the real Joe Davis - he was a bit shady - ie his lie of how many world championships he won - he was a petty man and a tyrant - ironically given the nature of the game he black balled a lot of players out of the game because he didnt like them - i am not also convinced that he was telling the truth about the 147 either as i suspect that the free ball rule did exist then.
Don't wanna ruin the vintage feeling, but this guy wouldn't stand a chance against S.Davis, Hendry and Ronnie. Also, if I may not wrong, the champion back then had to play only one game in the final. Like the wrestling competitions.
fares57 impossible to compare champions from different eras. standards change as time goes on. maybe in 40-50 years time people will be saying Ronnie was useless....
fares57 the conditions were different. .the pockets were harder ..the cloth had more nap ..he was a billiard player ..the balls were different ..they're lighter now I think ..Steve Davis learnt from joes book ..of course they're all great players ..a lot of the pots when they hit the knuckle go in now ..but would have wobbled then ..colour TV brought fame and fortune into the game ..like a lot of other things like football ..technology moves on ..I mean the tennis has changed ..golf clubs ..balls training diet ..money ..Joe cultivated a rp accent but he still had the northern a sound ..bath instead of barth. .like my dad ..someone said to him once you're from up north ..he said no the guy said you said bath ..my dad said no I said barth. .ha ha ..a lot of people did it . .probably still do Bruce kept his London twang
Fares57 They may have only had to play one match but it went on for much longer. Today's final is like a sprint compared to the marathon they had to do in those days. He would have wiped the floor with O'Sullivan. But as has been stated you can't compare champions from different eras. Conditions change and skills improve with each generation. This goes for all sports. All you have done is shown your ignorance. You are obviously a youngster who has grown up in the modern era and has no respect for players of those days. You don't refer to the great Joe Davis as 'this guy'.
I know how long the final was. That was my point. I do know what I'm talking about. Probably known it for longer than you. No need to be so insulting. What sort of ignorant person are you.
Joe overlooked the possibility of a break higher than 147 in a situation when a free ball is awarded and a black taken after the substitute red (ie the free ball) and then a total clearance with black after every red potted. This would give a possible 155.
***** Maybe. Not sure when it was introduced. Even so, he could only take a free ball if he could not contact both sides of a red. Perhaps a chinese snooker after a foul on the break-off would create this possibility.
@@hystericalwolf yeh it could,,,, theoretically, player could foul and snooker opponent, he's given a free ball, takes the black off the free ball, it goes back on its spot, then he goes on to take 147 break, total of 155,,,,billions to one of it happening tho
Davis claimed he was never beaten on equal terms ..... but he never gave them. He always gave a handicap to keep that "record" in shape. And of course, in his day there were only a handful of professionals around anyway. I bought his book when I was a kid, and quickly realized he was conceited:)
Seriously... You think he won his World Championships with a handicap? There was a handicap in the first few years of the News of World tournament in the 50s, but most of the time he played on equal terms and won.
get it right in 1949 fred beat joe on level terms but the organiser made it a sealed handicap match sponsored by Sunday Empire News on level terms over 71 frames fred won 36-35 when envelope was opened fred had to give 2 frames to joe.Fred beat Joe on level terms twice more in their careers. As for handicaps in the later years 1950s onwards there were no handicaps at the world championships ever.As for handicaps with other players i cannot comment.
I loved watching this material. So original!
In those days the Reigning Champion was always in the final, they didnt have to compete in the rounds up to the final. Thats why he won so many titles. Still a great player.
good game....good game 😊
that's amazing - stand, backswing, chin, finger, and cue action - everything's perfect. I think he is the first snooker player has all of that.
His books an amazing read
Thought you were talking about Bruce Forsyth for a minute! Haha.
I was impressed with Brucie's technique. I wouldn't fancy playing him for money.
A lot of English professional snooker players after WW2 would go to South Africa, Australia and NZ doing exhibitions play. Joe, world champion then, was on a tour of SA in the early 50s and had a long wait in a town for a connecting train. He saw a snooker hall and went in. A local champion, not recognising him, hustled him into a game for £10. Joe wiped the table with him. The guy said jokingly, "You must know Joe Davis!" Joe replied, "Know him? I've slept with his wife!" An amusing but probably apocryphal story. This is a lovely little video.
Interesting watching the balls rolling on this table. The cloth looks incredibly slow compared to today's tables.
I'm also curious how the cushions used to rebound back then. Looks quite difficult.
A national treasure. Joe is a credit too.
Lovely! 2 unreplacable icons
Hi, does anyone know what programme this clip is taken from? Thanks
Good video, I’d love know the year (or decade) this was filmed 😊
Some very "Laurel & Hardy" style reaction shots into camera from Brucie here.
It was a simpler time eh mate 😂
Joe Davis won it 15 times. 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940 and then the next one after that was 1946 which he won for the 15th consecutive time.
I suppose that in those days, the mindset was more that you held the title until someone took it off you, much like a boxer remains the champion until defeated. Surely Joe would have won anyway had it not been for WW2.
great footage,thanks for posting :)
Good old Bruce
G-G-Good Game, Good Game. As Brucey would say.
Thought I'd seen most things, but this was definitely a brucie bonus.
Didn't he do well
4:26 very funny and see Joe's acting such a good actor~
Gold.
Anonomousxxx Ah, what he should have said was, he held it for 20 consecutive years.
Exactly Exitvim. It shows the other side of Davis; in my opinion, the less likable side! The side of him that said he stopped playing the World Championship because "he wanted to give other players a chance", rather than because he was afraid of losing. The side of him that liked to keep snooker as an upper-class club.
@@andrewmorton3344 and the fact this is a comedy bit not a real documentary
By the look of Bruce I would say this is 1960
Funny the posh accent .I think Joe put it on a bit ha ha .
Surprised Bruce didn't break the cue with that chin
Wheres Ted Lowe when you need him?
Thank christ the cushions have more bounce these days!!
Buckets...
@MrMikeLancs I know, I already corrected myself
The maximum possible is 155 with a free ball
There a lot who free ball these days (so I’m told)🫢
Joe Davis completely controlled snooker and if he said 147 was the highest possible, then it was the highest possible break. End of discussion
It's possible to score 155 of course, with a free ball.
Mrphilharmonic Yes, 155 is possible now, but only because Mr Joe Davis says it is possible
I may be mistaking, but I think the free ball rule was introduced later in the game, in the second part of the 80s.
@alex b yeah free ball didn't exist in the Joe Davis era.
@@alexbalan87 Joe Davis decides, so whatever he says goes
between 1956 and 1963
I wonder who he would be as good as now. I dont think hed be near as good as ronnie or hendry. But who knows.
Oh, I don’t know. Tremendous eye for angles, good position and break-building. I think in his prime he would have adapted to modern tables no problem.
I think he would level those players. What you've got to remember is the competition probably wasn't as grand in the thirties. Not saying there weren't many great players but I mean professionals who had a sixth sense about the game like Joe Davis had.
Easier game by and large these days, lighter balls, far faster tables, looser pockets. A player like Joe Davis in his prime would do well in the modern game. Put players from the modern game into the older era and they wouldn't do as well with heavier balls, slower cloths, it necessitates having to play shots harder which means less accuracy.
It’s a difficult call. He’d be playing on different cloth with different balls. I wonder how Ronnie & Hendry would do playing against him on the sort of table & with the balls he was used to.
@@aloysiussnailchaser272 They would lose easily most likely.
Bruse Forsyth look like Judd Trump back then
Joe was so good. To have had any chance of beating him, you'd have had to glue his balls to the table.
Kinky
@TalkfusionDave 155 is the highest, but its never been made in play.
Jamie cope has a recorded 155 break in 2005, in a practice frame.
Adam T a guy called west did it in London. .he was never allowed to turn pro
Adam T mind you saying that ..it may have been in the clapham pot black club ..I think they were big pockets ..so it may not officially count ..
15 times Joe, 15.
147 can be beaten today, but i'm not sure it could have been beaten in his days because the rules have changed a little. i don't know if free ball rule existed than.
@dingwei7 not very clearly
*155
Not in them days. Dunno if freeball was a rule then.
if a player fouls and a free ball is awarded, the opposing player can then pot a colour which would count as 1 and be replaced (counts as a red due to the free ball). and then go on to pot a black after, then make a 147, u can make a 155, the points for the foul dont add to the break total.
147 WAS the highest possible break in those days because the free ball rule didn't exist then .
Sorry Joe, you can get more than 147. You can actually make a 155.
You can now with a free ball, but probably not back when Joe Davis was playing.
well he didnt win 20 consecutive years but great stuff anyway
He won 15 world titles
It was Davis sneaky way of inflating his achievements. He ‘held’ the title for 20 consecutive years but won it 15 times in a row. Also Davis used to spot player’s points so he could claim they never beat him otherwise. Joe was a good PR man!
I think Joe won £6.5 for his first world title win.
Two coffees today.
It is. Would be interesting to know the value or that £6.50 in today's money
Just looked it up. It's about £350 in today's money.
147 can be beaten
Now a 155 is possible if a player has a free ball and play all blacks.
+Thomas Heal but it is never achieved
+Blessed Jamie Cope did it in a match a few years ago actually.
TeifiValley123 In a Practice match not competitive
I stand corrected
@TalkfusionDave see above mate
When he won the world championship, against how many other players were there in the tournament? He won it 20 years on the spin, so I'm sorry, everyone else must have been pretty average. Still have great respect for him though.
David Shreeves
Of course not.
You know a lot more than I do about snookers past! My OP I just meant if he won it 20 times, then it may have been an era when not many players with his skill played the game. Whereas these days, everyone top 16 player is capable of getting a maximum break. I guess its impossible to compare between different eras. I agree with you about wondering how good he may have been as a younger player as he always seems an older gentleman when he won all his titles. I wonder when he started playing? For example, how good was he when he say 20 years old? It goes to show, that snooker isn't age oriented necessarily.
David Shreeves
That is so true, I mean the fact that the players of that era would have had other jobs and that snooker would have just been a passion for him and others . And to get that good is amazing. I don't know what Joe and Patsy did for their normal everyday jobs without looking it up, but they were certainly pioneers. Nowadays, snooker players, well that's their full time job and they practice upto 10 hours a day. Joe wouldn't have been able to practice that much at all. After a hard weeks work, and fending for his family he maybe just got to play little compared to the pro's these days. Just like in all sports as you say pre 1980's
But that's where I'm coming from. Although Joe Davis was a pioneer of the game, and I have utmost respect for him, exactly how good was he compared to later players?
@dingwei7 look up pal
@TalkfusionDave If a foul is given and the 147 break follows, so a 151 or even a 154 being the highest
155 mate actually but 147 WAS the highest possible break in those days because the free ball rule didn't exist then .
through some of the comments on here and what is said on the film you get a small insight into the real Joe Davis - he was a bit shady - ie his lie of how many world championships he won - he was a petty man and a tyrant - ironically given the nature of the game he black balled a lot of players out of the game because he didnt like them - i am not also convinced that he was telling the truth about the 147 either as i suspect that the free ball rule did exist then.
Don't wanna ruin the vintage feeling, but this guy wouldn't stand a chance against S.Davis, Hendry and Ronnie. Also, if I may not wrong, the champion back then had to play only one game in the final. Like the wrestling competitions.
fares57 impossible to compare champions from different eras. standards change as time goes on. maybe in 40-50 years time people will be saying Ronnie was useless....
fares57 the conditions were different. .the pockets were harder ..the cloth had more nap ..he was a billiard player ..the balls were different ..they're lighter now I think ..Steve Davis learnt from joes book ..of course they're all great players ..a lot of the pots when they hit the knuckle go in now ..but would have wobbled then ..colour TV brought fame and fortune into the game ..like a lot of other things like football ..technology moves on ..I mean the tennis has changed ..golf clubs ..balls training diet ..money ..Joe cultivated a rp accent but he still had the northern a sound ..bath instead of barth. .like my dad ..someone said to him once you're from up north ..he said no the guy said you said bath ..my dad said no I said barth. .ha ha ..a lot of people did it . .probably still do Bruce kept his London twang
Fares57 They may have only had to play one match but it went on for much longer. Today's final is like a sprint compared to the marathon they had to do in those days. He would have wiped the floor with O'Sullivan. But as has been stated you can't compare champions from different eras. Conditions change and skills improve with each generation. This goes for all sports. All you have done is shown your ignorance. You are obviously a youngster who has grown up in the modern era and has no respect for players of those days. You don't refer to the great Joe Davis as 'this guy'.
The final took at least two weeks and was played over several hundred frames , don't post unless you know what you are talking about ......
I know how long the final was. That was my point. I do know what I'm talking about. Probably known it for longer than you. No need to be so insulting. What sort of ignorant person are you.
Joe overlooked the possibility of a break higher than 147 in a situation when a free ball is awarded and a black taken after the substitute red (ie the free ball) and then a total clearance with black after every red potted. This would give a possible 155.
Pretty sure the free ball rule didn't exist then.
***** Maybe. Not sure when it was introduced. Even so, he could only take a free ball if he could not contact both sides of a red. Perhaps a chinese snooker after a foul on the break-off would create this possibility.
Great video. But, the 147 can be beaten, of course.
Well back in his day no.
@@hystericalwolf yeh it could,,,, theoretically, player could foul and snooker opponent, he's given a free ball, takes the black off the free ball, it goes back on its spot, then he goes on to take 147 break, total of 155,,,,billions to one of it happening tho
@@Heygoodlooking-lk9kg Different rules then.
20 x world champion playing 4 other players ffs.
@MrMikeLancs 155 the highest break. Can't be more clear....
Davis claimed he was never beaten on equal terms ..... but he never gave them.
He always gave a handicap to keep that "record" in shape. And of course, in his day there were only a handful of professionals around anyway. I bought his book when I was a kid, and quickly realized he was conceited:)
Seriously... You think he won his World Championships with a handicap?
There was a handicap in the first few years of the News of World tournament in the 50s, but most of the time he played on equal terms and won.
get it right in 1949 fred beat joe on level terms but the organiser made it a sealed handicap match sponsored by Sunday Empire News on level terms over 71 frames fred won 36-35 when envelope was opened fred had to give 2 frames to joe.Fred beat Joe on level terms twice more in their careers. As for handicaps in the later years 1950s onwards there were no handicaps at the world championships ever.As for handicaps with other players i cannot comment.
great to watch, dont believe he ever made a 147 though
He did.
@@gerv55you saw do it did you ?
You could beat 147 if you get a free ball
This is ridiculous, it is not even funny.
+heelfan1234 you sees to be more ridiculous than this :D
Blessed Oh come on, you have to admit Forsyth is a complete cockwomble!
heelfan1234 but seems funny though