View source for 1927 World Snooker Championship

{{Short description|Professional snooker tournament}}
{{Featured article}}

{{Infobox individual snooker tournament
|tournament_name=[[World Snooker Championship]]
|logo=
|dates={{Start and end dates|1926|11|29|1927|05|12|df=y}}
|final_location=yes
|venue=[[Camkin's Hall]]
|location=[[Birmingham]]
|country=England
|organisation=[[Billiards and Snooker Control Council|BACC]]
|Total prize fund=
|winners_share=
|highest_break={{flagathlete|[[Albert Cope]]|ENG}} (60)
|winner={{flagathlete|[[Joe Davis]]|ENG}}
|runner_up={{flagathlete|[[Tom Dennis (snooker player)|Tom Dennis]]|ENG}}
|score=20–11
|previous=First
|next=[[1928 World Snooker Championship|1928]]
}}
{{Location map many |United Kingdom
|relief     = 
|width = 200
|caption    = Venues
| label = <small>London</small>
  | pos = left
  | bg = 
  | marksize = 5
  | lat_deg = 51.510
  | lon_deg = -0.130
| label2 = <small>Nottingham</small>
  | pos2 = left
  | bg2 = 
  | mark2size = 5
  | lat2_deg = 52.953
  | lon2_deg =  -1.149
| label3 = <small>Liverpool</small>
  | pos3 = left
  | bg3 = 
  | mark3size = 5
  | lat3_deg = 53.400
  | lon3_deg = -3.000
| label4 = <small>Birmingham</small>
  | pos4 = left
  | bg4 = 
  | mark4size = 5
  | lat4_deg = 52.477
  | lon4_deg = -1.903
}}
The '''1927 World Snooker Championship''' was a [[snooker]] tournament held at several venues from 29 November 1926 to 12 May 1927. At the time, it was titled the '''Professional Championship of Snooker''' but it is now recognised as the [[inaugural]] edition of the [[World Snooker Championship]]. The impetus for the championship came from professional [[English billiards]] player [[Joe Davis]] and [[billiard hall]] manager [[Bill Camkin]], who had both observed the growing popularity of snooker, and proposed the event to the [[Billiards Association and Control Council]]. Ten players entered the competition, including most of the leading English billiards players. The two matches in the preliminary round were held at [[Thurston's Hall]] in London, and the semi-finals and final took place at [[Camkin's Hall]] in [[Birmingham]]. The players involved determined the venues for the quarter-finals, resulting in matches in London, Birmingham, [[Nottingham]] and [[Liverpool]].

The final took place from 9 to 12 May 1927. Joe Davis won the title by defeating [[Tom Dennis (snooker player)|Tom Dennis]] by 20 {{cuegloss|frame|frames}} to 11. Davis had led 7–1 following the first day's play and had achieved a winning margin at 16–7. The highest [[Glossary of cue sports terms#Break|break]] of the tournament was 60, compiled by [[Albert Cope]] in the 21st frame of his match against Davis. It remained the highest break in the Championship until Davis made a 61 in the [[1929 World Snooker Championship|1929]] final. The same trophy awarded to Davis is still presented to the world champion each year.

==Background==
Professional [[English billiards]] player and [[billiard hall]] manager [[Joe Davis]] had noticed the growing popularity of [[snooker]] compared to billiards in the 1920s, as had [[Birmingham]]-based billiard hall manager [[Bill Camkin]]. They persuaded the [[Billiards Association and Control Council]] (BACC) to recognise an official professional snooker championship in the 1926–27 season.<ref name="EVERTONEMB" /><ref name="ODNB">{{cite ODNB |last=Everton |first=Clive |date=23 September 2004 |title=Davis, Joseph [Joe] |url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-31013 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/31013 |access-date=11 May 2020 |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190903050418/https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-31013 |archive-date=3 September 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> The BACC's secretary, A. Stanley Thorn, had rejected a request in 1924 from professional [[Tom Dennis (snooker player)|Tom Dennis]], doubting that snooker was popular enough to attract large enough audiences to make such a competition viable.<ref name="EVERTONEMB">{{cite book |last=Everton |first=Clive |date=1993 |title=The Embassy Book of World Snooker |publisher=Bloomsbury |location=London |isbn=978-0-7475-1610-1 |pages=11–13}}</ref>

Davis drafted the conditions under which a championship could take place, after a conversation with Camkin, and sent it to the BACC, who gave their consent.<ref name="HSB" /> At its meeting on 1 September 1926, the Professional Championship Committee of the BACC agreed the terms for the tournament, and set a closing date for entries of 1 November 1926.<ref name="BPOCT26A">{{cite magazine  |title=Professional billiards and snooker championships |magazine=The Billiard Player |publisher=W. G. Clifford |date=October 1926 |page=2}}</ref> All professional players of English billiards were eligible to enter.<ref name="BPOCT26A" /> The preliminary round matches were to be held at [[Thurston's Hall]] in London, and the venue for the semi-finals and final was to be [[Camkin's Hall]] on John Bright Street in Birmingham, the players having to arrange dates and venues for the other matches.<ref name="HSB">{{cite book|last=Everton |first=Clive |date=1986 |title=The History of Snooker and Billiards|publisher=Partridge Press |location=Haywards Heath |isbn=978-1-85225-013-3 |page=50}}</ref><ref name="BPOCT26A" /> The winner of the tournament would retain the title until either they resigned it, they were defeated in a BACC-sanctioned championship match, or they refused to defend it against a BACC-approved challenger; with a proviso that the champion would not be required to defend the title more than once a year. Match referees would require BACC approval, and the games were to be played with [[Billiard ball#History|composition balls]] and under the official BACC rules of snooker.<ref name="BPOCT26A" /> Stanley Thorn wrote that the decision to promote a professional championship was "in view of the increasing popularity of the game of snooker", and added that "the winner will be declared on the number of games won, but the conditions state that play shall be continued until the full number of games has been completed"; therefore {{cuegloss|dead frame}}s were played after the result of each match was determined.<ref name="BPOCT26B">{{cite magazine |last=Thorn |first=A. Stanley |title=Notes from headquarters: Professional billiards and snooker championships |magazine=The Billiard Player |publisher=W. G. Clifford |date=October 1926 |page=2}}</ref> The final was played over 31 {{cuegloss|frame}}s, the semi-finals were 23 frames, and the earlier matches were 15 frames.<ref name="SCENEEWC"/>

The entry fee was five [[Guinea (British coin)|guineas]] per player, with a five-guineas wager between the players for each match.<ref name="BPOCT26B"/><ref>{{cite book |last= Everton |first= Clive |author-link=Clive Everton |title=Guinness Book of Snooker |year=1981 |publisher=Guinness Superlatives |location=London |isbn=978-0-85112-230-4}}</ref> [[Gate receipts]] for each match, after expenses, were to be equally shared out between the players concerned.<ref name="BPOCT26B" /> The terms specified that half of the total entry fees would go to the finalists, the winner receiving sixty percent of the part allocated to prize money.<ref name="HSB" /> Davis, the eventual champion, received £6 and 10 [[Shilling (United Kingdom)|shillings]] from gate receipts, but the BACC used £19 from the players' part of the entry fees, which were expected to be used as prize money, towards purchasing the trophy.<ref name="HSB" /><ref>{{cite book |last=Morrison |first=Ian |date=1987 |title=The Hamlyn Encyclopedia of Snooker |edition=Revised |location=Twickenham |publisher=Hamlyn Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-600-55604-6 |page=161}}</ref> Snooker historian [[Clive Everton]] wrote that when the official professional snooker tournament started, "Billiards was still very much the premier game, with snooker a sideshow which few were convinced would ever come to much as a public entertainment," and that the early championships received "minimal publicity".<ref name="EVERTONEMB" /> The same trophy awarded to Davis is still presented to the world champion each year.<ref>{{cite web |title=Trophies |url=https://wpbsa.com/about-us/history/trophies/ |publisher=[[World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association]] |access-date=29 May 2021 |archive-date=7 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807182630/https://wpbsa.com/about-us/history/trophies/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Ten players entered the championship.<ref name="OBS1926"/> There were two matches in a preliminary round; the two winners of these would join the other six players in the quarter-finals.<ref name="BPDECC26">{{cite magazine  |title=Professional championship of snooker |magazine=The Billiard Player |publisher=W. G. Clifford |date=December 1926 |page=35}}</ref> ''[[The Observer]]'''s correspondent opined that "the policy of playing a serious [snooker] match in conjunction with the billiards has proved an additional public attraction", and that only three of the leading billiards players, [[Willie Smith (billiards player)|Willie Smith]], [[Tom Reece]], and Arthur Peall, had declined to participate in the championship.<ref name="OBS1926">{{cite news |author= |title=Billiards: snooker championships |work=[[The Observer]] |location=London |date=14 November 1926 |page=30}}</ref> An article in the ''[[Athletic News]]'' said that the field of entrants was "on the whole representative and piquant".<ref>{{cite news|title=New snooker championship |work=Athletic News |date=15 November 1926 |page=6}}</ref>

Originally called the Professional Championship of Snooker, the annual competition was re-titled as the [[World Snooker Championship|World Championship]] in [[1935 World Snooker Championship|1935]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Billiards – Professional title |work=Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer |date=3 November 1934 |access-date=24 November 2015 |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000687/19341103/342/0007 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |url-access=subscription }}</ref> but the 1927 tournament is now referred to as the first World Snooker Championship.<ref name="EVERTONEMB" /><ref>{{cite web |title=History of snooker – a timeline |url=https://wpbsa.com/about-us/history/ |publisher=[[World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association]] |access-date=29 May 2021 |archive-date=7 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107025119/https://wpbsa.com/about-us/history/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Schedule==
{| class="wikitable sortable" 
|+1927 World Snooker Championship schedule<ref name="BP0427">{{cite magazine |title=The Professional Championship of Snooker |magazine=The Billiard Player |publisher=W. G. Clifford | date=April 1927 |page=32}}</ref><ref name="BP0527">{{cite magazine |last=Thorn |first=A. Stanley |title=Notes from headquarters |magazine=The Billiard Player |publisher=W. G. Clifford | date=May 1927 |page=2}}</ref><!--Typo in source wrongly states Lawrence instead of Mann for the Cope/Mann match-->
!scope="col" | Round
!scope="col" class="unsortable" | Match
!scope="col" | Dates
!scope="col" | Venue, city
|-
| data-sort-value="01" | Preliminary || [[Melbourne Inman]] v [[Tom Newman (billiards player)|Tom Newman]] || data-sort-value="19261112" | 29 November–6 December 1926 || Thurston's Hall, London 
|-
| data-sort-value="02"| Quarter-finals || [[Tom Dennis (snooker player)|Tom Dennis]] v [[Fred Lawrence]] || data-sort-value="19261209" | 9–10 December 1926 || Lord Nelson Hotel, Nottingham
|-
| data-sort-value="02"| Quarter-finals || [[Joe Davis]] v [[Joe Brady (snooker player)|Joe Brady]] || data-sort-value="19261229" |29–30 December 1926 || Cable Street Billiards Hall, Liverpool 
|-
| data-sort-value="01"| Preliminary || [[Tom Carpenter]] v [[Nat Butler (snooker player)|Nat Butler]] ||  data-sort-value="19261231" |31 December 1926 – 1 January 1927 || Thurston's Hall, London 
|-
| data-sort-value="02"| Quarter-finals ||[[Albert Cope]] v [[Alec Mann]] || data-sort-value="19270105" | 5–6 January 1927 || Camkin's Hall, Birmingham 
|-
| data-sort-value="03"| Semi-finals  || Joe Davis v Albert Cope || data-sort-value="19270131" | 31 January–2 February 1927 || Camkin's Hall, Birmingham 
|-
| data-sort-value="02"| Quarter-finals || Tom Carpenter v Melbourne Inman || data-sort-value="19270314" |14–18 March 1927 || Thurston's Hall, London  
|-
| data-sort-value="03"| Semi-finals || Tom Dennis v Tom Carpenter || data-sort-value="19270420" | 20–22 April 1927 || Camkin's Hall, Birmingham 
|-
| data-sort-value="04"| Final || Joe Davis v Tom Dennis || data-sort-value="19270509" |9–12 May 1927 || Camkin's Hall, Birmingham
|}

==Summary==
[[File:Melbourne Inman.jpg|thumb|alt=Melbourne Inman, wearing a waistcoat and carrying a billiard cue.|[[Melbourne Inman]] (pictured {{circa}}1910–1915) won the opening match, against [[Tom Newman (billiards player)|Tom Newman]].]]
The first match was between [[Melbourne Inman]] and [[Tom Newman (billiards player)|Tom Newman]]; it was held at Thurston's Hall, Leicester Square in London, as an extra attraction to the main event, a billiards match between them. The match took place on an experimental [[billiard table]] with {{frac|3|1|4}} inch {{cuegloss|pocket|pockets}}, {{frac|1|4}} inch smaller than normal. The winner of the billiards match would be the first player to reach 16,000 points, with Inman receiving a 3,500 handicap head start. The match started on 29 November 1926 with two sessions per day until 11 December. One frame of snooker was played at the end of each {{cuegloss|session}}.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Times |date=30 November 1926 |page=16 |title=Billiards – Small pocket test}}</ref> Inman won the first two frames,<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Times |date=1 December 1926 |page=7 |title=Billiards – Smaller pocket test}}</ref> but after eight frames Newman led 5–3.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Times |date=3 December 1926 |page=16 |title=Billiards – Newman v Inman}}</ref> Inman then won the next five frames to secure victory 8–5, the match finishing on the Monday afternoon, a week after it started.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Times |date=7 December 1926 |page=18 |title=Billiards – Newman v Inman}}</ref> Newman won the billiards match easily 16,000–13,039 despite giving a 3,500 [[Handicapping|handicap]].<ref name=match1>{{cite news |newspaper=The Times |date=13 December 1926 |page=8 |title=Billiards – Newman's easy victory}}</ref>

Tom Dennis and [[Fred Lawrence]] played their match on 9 and 10 December at the Lord Nelson Hotel, Carlton Street, [[Nottingham]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Lord Nelson Hotel (advert) |work=Nottingham Evening Post |date=8 December 1926 |access-date=23 November 2015 |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000321/19261208/063/0007 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Dennis led 5–3 after the first day. Although Dennis won the first frame on the second afternoon, Lawrence won the other three to leave the match level at 6–6. In the evening session Dennis won the first two frames to eliminate Lawrence 8–6.<ref name=match2>{{cite news |title=Snooker Championship – Dennis wins his heat against Lawrence |work=Nottingham Evening Post |date=11 December 1926 |access-date=23 November 2015 |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000321/19261211/047/0008 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Joe Davis and [[Joe Brady (snooker player)|Joe Brady]] met on 29 and 30 December 1926 in Cable Street, [[Liverpool]]. Davis won all four frames in the afternoon and led 5–3 at the end of the first day.<ref>{{cite news |title=Snooker de luxe |work=Liverpool Echo |date=30 December 1926 |access-date=17 May 2020 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000271/19261230/110/0003 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |url-access=subscription }}</ref> The match ended 10–5 on the second day,<ref name=match3>{{cite news |title=Davis wins his snooker heat |work=Sheffield Daily Telegraph |date=1 January 1927 |access-date=17 May 2020 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000250/19270101/386/0013 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |url-access=subscription }}</ref> with Davis having achieved a winning margin at 8–5.<ref name="KOBY">{{cite book |last=Kobylecky |first=John |date=2019 |title=The Complete International Directory of Snooker Players – 1927 to 2018 |publisher=Kobyhadrian Books |location=Cambridge |isbn=978-0-9931433-1-1 }}</ref>{{rp|18}}

[[Tom Carpenter]] and [[Nat Butler (snooker player)|Nat Butler]] played their match on 31 December 1926 and 1 January 1927 at Thurston's Hall. There were eight frames played on the first day, in two sessions. The score was 2–2 after the afternoon but Carpenter won all four in the evening to lead 6–2.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Times |date=1 January 1927 |page=4 |title=Snooker's Pool – Professional Championship}}</ref> Butler won the first frame on the second day but Carpenter won the next two to win 8–3.<ref name=match4>{{cite news |newspaper=The Times |date=3 January 1927 |page=5 |title=Snooker's Pool}}</ref>

The first semi-final saw Joe Davis meet [[Albert Cope]] over three days from 31 January to 2 February in Birmingham. On the first day Davis won the four afternoon frames and three of the four in the evening to lead 7–1.<ref>{{cite news |title=Snooker – Davis' strong advantage in professional tourney |work=Sheffield Independent |date=1 February 1927 |access-date=23 November 2015 |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001464/19270201/293/0011 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |url-access=subscription }}</ref> On the second day Davis extended his lead to 10–1 before Cope won three successive frames. Davis still led 11–4 overnight, just one frame from victory.<ref>{{cite news |title=Snooker – Cope's improved display against Davis |work=Sheffield Independent |date=2 February 1927 |access-date=23 November 2015 |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001464/19270202/244/0009 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |url-access=subscription }}</ref> On the final day Davis won the first frame to take the match 12–4. He took two more frames in the afternoon to lead 14–5 and eventually won 16–7. Cope made a 60 break in frame 21, winning the frame 87–24.<ref name=match5>{{cite news |title=Davis in snooker final |work=Sheffield Independent |date=3 February 1927 |access-date=23 November 2015 |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001464/19270203/234/0009 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Joe Davis in snooker final |work=Sheffield Independent |date=3 February 1927 |access-date=17 May 2020 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000669/19270203/189/0008 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Cope's break of 60 was the highest made in the tournament,<ref>{{cite web|title=1931 World Professional Championship|url=http://www.globalsnookercentre.co.uk/files/Results/31world.htm|work=globalsnookercentre.co.uk|publisher=Global Snooker Centre|access-date=29 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060517050555/http://www.globalsnookercentre.co.uk/files/Results/31world.htm|archive-date=17 May 2006}}</ref> and in recognition of this Cope would receive a commemorative certificate from the BACC.<ref>{{cite news |title=Billiards awards |work=Dundee Evening Telegraph |date=28 July 1927 |access-date=12 November 2015 |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000563/19270728/116/0007 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |url-access=subscription }}</ref> The break remained the best in the Championship until Davis made a 61 in the [[1929 World Snooker Championship|1929]] final.<ref name="EVERTONEMB" />

The match between Inman and Carpenter was also played at Thurston's Hall, Leicester Square in London. As with the game between Inman and Newman, it was an extra to a billiards match. The billiards match was to 7,000 with Carpenter receiving a 1,000 start. The match lasted from Monday 14 to Saturday 19 March 1927 with two sessions per day. One frame of snooker was generally played in each session, although with a possible 15 frames and only 12 sessions, two frames were required on occasions. Two frames were played on the Wednesday afternoon. Carpenter won the evening frame on the Friday to win the match 8–3, having led throughout.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Times |date=19 March 1927 |page=12 |title=Billiards – Inman v Carpenter}}</ref> Carpenter also won the billiards match, which finished the following day, 7,000–4,798.<ref name=match6>{{cite news |newspaper=The Times |date=21 March 1927 |page=16 |title=Billiards – Carpenter wins}}</ref>

The second semi-final, between Dennis and Carpenter, was held from 20 to 22 April in Birmingham. Carpenter led 5–3 after the first day<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Times |date=21 April 1927 |page=14 |title=Billiards}}</ref> but Dennis won all four frames on the second afternoon to lead 7–5. The second day ended with Dennis 9–7 ahead.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Times |date=22 April 1927 |page=6 |title=Professional snooker championship}}</ref> Carpenter won three frames on the final afternoon to level the match at 10–10 but Dennis won the first two in the evening to complete a 12–10 victory.<ref name=match7>{{cite news |newspaper=The Times |date=23 April 1927 |page=5 |title=Professional snooker}}</ref>

Starting on 25 April, Newman and Davis contested the [[World Billiards Championship (English billiards)|BACC Professional Billiards Championship]], a title later recognised as the world championship for billiards.<ref>{{cite news |title=Billiards. Professional championship final |work=Newcastle Journal |date=26 April 1927 |page=13}}</ref><ref name="HBIL">{{cite book |last=Everton |first=Clive |date=2012 |title=A History of billiards: (the English three-ball game) |location=Malmesbury |publisher=englishbilliard.org |isbn=978-0-9564054-5-6 |pages=212–213}}</ref> During the match, Davis compiled a billiards championship record break of 2,501, using the {{cuegloss|pendulum cannon}} shot, where the {{cuegloss|object ball|object balls}} are kept near a corner pocket for repeated {{cuegloss|cannon}} strokes.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sensational billiards. Davis finds secret of pendulum. 2,501 break. |work=Birmingham Daily Gazette |date=28 April 1927 |page=1}}</ref> Newman won the match 16,000–14,763 on 7 May.<ref>{{cite news |title=Billiards championship. Davis sits out session and Newman retains title |work=Sheffield Daily Telegraph |date=9 May 1927 |page=9}}</ref>

===Final===
The snooker final between Davis and Dennis was played from 9 to 12 May at Camkin's Hall in Birmingham and was refereed by Camkin.<ref name="HSB" /><ref name="BP0527" /> Davis won the first seven frames before Dennis took the last of the day to give Davis a 7–1 lead after the first day.<ref name=ypliday1>{{cite news |title=Snooker championship |work=Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer |date=10 May 1927 |access-date=23 November 2015 |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000687/19270510/591/0018 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Davis won three frames on the second afternoon and, although the evening session was shared, Davis led 12–4. Davis made a 57 break in frame 11, winning the frame 78–32.<ref name=ypliday2>{{cite news |title=Snooker championship |work=Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer |date=11 May 1927 |access-date=23 November 2015 |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000687/19270511/425/0020 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Davis secured a winning lead by taking the 23rd frame 80–34 to lead 16–7. Both sessions on the third day were shared, to leave Davis 16–8 ahead.<ref name=ypliday3>{{cite news |title=Billiards – Davis' good lead in snooker championship |work=Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer |date=12 May 1927 |access-date=23 November 2015 |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000687/19270512/389/0019 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Davis won four of the seven frames on the last day, resulting in a final score of 20–11.<ref name=ypliday4>{{cite news |title=Billiards – Snooker pool tile won by Davis |work=Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer |date=13 May 1927 |access-date=23 November 2015 |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000687/19270513/390/0018 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Davis was presented with the trophy by the BACC chairman John C. Bissett.<ref name="BPJUN27A">{{cite magazine |last=Thorn |first=A. Stanley |title=Notes from headquarters: professional snooker championship |magazine=The Billiard Player |publisher=W. G. Clifford |date=June 1927 |page=2}}</ref> After each of the sessions on 12 May, Davis was scheduled to perform an exhibition of the billiards pendulum cannon, which by that time was already on the way to being restricted in competitive play by the BACC.<ref>{{cite news |title=Joe Davis makes sure of snooker title |work=Birmingham Daily Gazette |date=12 May 1927 |page=8}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Restricting the 'pendulum' |work=Birmingham Daily Gazette |date=10 May 1927 |page=8}}</ref><ref name="BPSEP27">{{cite magazine |title='Pendulum' stroke restricted |magazine=The Billiard Player |publisher=W. G. Clifford |date=September 1927 |page=29}}</ref>

Writing about the snooker final in ''The Billiard Player'', Arthur Goundrill commented that "without casting any doubts on Dennis's skill as a player, it may be said that Davis is in a class by himself at the 22-ball game. 'Extraordinary' is the only way to describe his potting, and his positional play is perfect in its conception."{{efn|Snooker is played with 21 object balls and a cue ball.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |author=((The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica)) |title=Snooker |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/snooker |date=20 September 2020 |access-date=30 May 2021}}</ref>}}<ref name="BPJUN27B">{{cite magazine |last=Goundrill |first=Arthur |title=Big billiards in the provinces |magazine=The Billiard Player |publisher=W. G. Clifford |date=June 1927 |page=10}}</ref> Quoting Davis's brother [[Fred Davis (snooker player)|Fred Davis]], who said that "Joe was a great player before anyone else knew how to play the game," Everton added "he was certainly far too good for his rivals in the early championships".<ref name="EVERTONEMB" /> Davis went on to win the World Championship every year until 1940, after which the event was on hold, due to [[World War II]], until 1946, when he won his fifteenth title and announced that he would no longer play in the tournament.<ref name="BAIZE">{{cite book |last1=Williams |first1=Luke |last2=Gadsby |first2=Paul |date=2005 |title=Masters of the Baize |location=Edinburgh |publisher=Mainstream |isbn=978-1-84018-872-1 |pages=18–21}}</ref>

== Main draw ==
Match results are shown below. Winning players and scores are denoted in bold text. The numbers in parentheses are the scores at which the result of the match was determined; "*" indicates that the score after any {{cuegloss|dead frame}}s is not known.<ref name="SCENEEWC">{{cite web|title=Embassy World Championship |url=http://www.snookerscene.co.uk/page.php?id=36 |publisher=Snooker Scene |access-date=4 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920115553/http://www.snookerscene.co.uk/page.php?id=36 |archive-date=20 September 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="KOBY"/>{{rp|28,46,55}}<ref name="DOWNER">{{cite book|last=Downer|first=Chris|title=Crucible Almanac |chapter=Index to players|year=2019|pages=240–268 |location=Bournemouth}}</ref>{{efn|Downer (2019) lists Nat Butler as English, but other sources, preferred here, have Butler as Scottish, e.g. "Nat Butler v Peall", ''Birmingham Daily Gazette'', 2 February 1928 p.10 describes him as Scottish; "Tom Carpenter opposes Nat Butler", ''Western Mail'', 1 January 1927, p.4 has "Nat Butler (Aberdeen)".}}

{{16TeamBracket-Compact-NoSeeds-Byes
| RD1= '''Round 1'''<br />Best of 15 frames
| RD2= '''Quarter-finals'''<br />Best of 15 frames
| RD3= '''Semi-finals'''<br />Best of 23 frames
| RD4= '''Final'''<br />Best of 31 frames
| RD4b=

| team-width=
| score-width=50
| score-align=

| RD1-team01=
| RD1-score01=
| RD1-team02=
| RD1-score02=

| RD1-team03=
| RD1-score03=
| RD1-team04=
| RD1-score04=

| RD1-team05='''{{flagathlete|[[Tom Carpenter]]|WAL|1807}}'''
| RD1-score05='''10''' ('''8''')
| RD1-team06={{flagathlete|[[Nat Butler (snooker player)|Nat Butler]]|SCO}}
| RD1-score06=5 (3)

| RD1-team07='''{{flagathlete|[[Melbourne Inman]]|ENG}}'''
| RD1-score07=* ('''8''')
| RD1-team08={{flagathlete|[[Tom Newman (billiards player)|Tom Newman]]|ENG}}
| RD1-score08=* (5)

| RD1-team09=
| RD1-score09=
| RD1-team10=
| RD1-score10=

| RD1-team11=
| RD1-score11=
| RD1-team12=
| RD1-score12=

| RD1-team13=
| RD1-score13=
| RD1-team14=
| RD1-score14=

| RD1-team15=
| RD1-score15=
| RD1-team16=
| RD1-score16=

| RD2-team01='''{{flagathlete|[[Tom Dennis (snooker player)|Tom Dennis]]|ENG}}'''
| RD2-score01='''8''' ('''8''')
| RD2-team02={{flagathlete|[[Fred Lawrence]]|ENG}}
| RD2-score02=7 (6)

| RD2-team03='''{{flagathlete|[[Tom Carpenter]]|WAL|1807}}'''
| RD2-score03=* ('''8''')
| RD2-team04={{flagathlete|[[Melbourne Inman]]|ENG}}
| RD2-score04=* (3)

| RD2-team05='''{{flagathlete|[[Albert Cope]]|ENG}}'''
| RD2-score05=* ('''8''')
| RD2-team06={{flagathlete|[[Alec Mann]]|ENG}}
| RD2-score06=* (6)

| RD2-team07={{flagathlete|[[Joe Brady (snooker player)|Joe Brady]]|IRE}}
| RD2-score07=5 (5)
| RD2-team08='''{{flagathlete|[[Joe Davis]]|ENG}}'''
| RD2-score08='''10''' ('''8''')

| RD3-team01={{flagicon|ENG}} '''[[Tom Dennis (snooker player)|Tom Dennis]]'''
| RD3-score01=* ('''12''')
| RD3-team02={{flagicon|WAL|1807}} [[Tom Carpenter]]
| RD3-score02=* (10)

| RD3-team03={{flagicon|ENG}} [[Albert Cope]]
| RD3-score03=7 (4)
| RD3-team04={{flagicon|ENG}} '''[[Joe Davis]]'''
| RD3-score04='''16''' ('''12''')

| RD4-team01={{flagicon|ENG}} [[Tom Dennis (snooker player)|Tom Dennis]]
| RD4-score01=11 (7)
| RD4-team02={{flagicon|ENG}} '''[[Joe Davis]]'''
| RD4-score02='''20''' ('''16''')

| RD4b-team01=
| RD4b-score01=
| RD4b-team02=
| RD4b-score02=

}}

==Final==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; margin: 1em auto 1em auto;"
|-
| colspan="3" align="center" bgcolor="#ffd700" | '''Final:''' Best of 31 frames.<br />Camkin's Hall, Birmingham, England, 9–12 May 1927. Referee: [[Bill Camkin]].<ref name=ypliday1/><ref name=ypliday2/><ref name=ypliday3/><ref name=ypliday4/>
|-
| width="230" align="right" | '''[[Joe Davis]]'''<br />{{ENG}}
| width="100" align="center" | '''20'''–11
| width="230" | [[Tom Dennis (snooker player)|Tom Dennis]]<br />{{ENG}}
|-
| colspan="3" align="center" style="font-size: 100%" | '''Day 1:''' '''65'''–42, '''81'''–48, '''75'''–44, '''74'''–36, '''78'''–37, '''76'''–43, '''51'''–49, 30–'''80'''<br />'''Day 2:''' '''68'''–49, 43–'''56''', '''78'''–32 ('''57'''), '''54'''–26, 28–'''76''', 40–'''76''', '''83'''–26, '''91'''–32<br />'''Day 3:''' '''91'''–27, 30–'''77''', '''42'''–36, 29–'''77''', '''82'''–35, 54–'''58''', '''80'''–34, 55–'''77'''<br />'''Day 4:''' '''89'''–14, 37–'''54''', 32–'''108''', '''108'''–16, '''65'''–48, 23–'''82''', '''74'''–54
|-
| colspan="3" align="center" | Davis secured victory at 16–7. {{cuegloss|Dead frame}}s were played, after which Davis won the match 20–11.
|}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{World Snooker Championship}}

[[Category:World Snooker Championships|1927]]
[[Category:1926 in snooker|World Snooker Championship]]
[[Category:1927 in snooker|World Snooker Championship]]
[[Category:1927 in English sport|World Snooker Championship]]