1973 World Snooker Championship

Park Drive World Snooker Championship

Tournament information
Dates	16–28 April 1973
Venue	City Exhibition Hall
City	Manchester
Country	England
Organisation(s)	WPBSA
Total prize fund	£8,000
Winner's share	£1,500[1]
Highest break	John Spencer (139)
Final
Champion	Ray Reardon
Runner-up	Eddie Charlton
Score	38–22
← 1972 1974 →

The 1973 World Snooker Championship (also known as 1973 Park Drive World Snooker Championship for sponsorship reasons) was a snooker tournament that took place between 16 and 28 April 1973 at the City Exhibition Hall in Manchester, England.^[1]

Ray Reardon won in the final 38–22 against Eddie Charlton.

Tournament summary

• The competition took place over 13 days, rather than the months it had taken to complete previous championships. Park Drive continued to sponsor the event.^[1]
• The first-round matches were played on 16 April, the second round matches on 17 and 18 April, the quarter-finals on 19 and 20 April, the semi-finals from 21 to 23 April with the final played over 5 days from 24 to 28 April.
• Cliff Thorburn and Dennis Taylor made their debuts; both would later become world champions. They played each other in the first round and Thorburn won 9–8.^[2][3]
• Alex Higgins beat Fred Davis in the quarter-finals 16–14. The match is noted for a rain interruption.^[4]
• Reardon staged a recovery when, having trailed John Spencer 12–19, he won their semi-final 23–22. Reardon lost the first session of the final against Eddie Charlton 0–7, but went on to win 38–32. For the first time some frames of the final were televised by the BBC.^[4]
• Spencer made the highest break of the tournament with 139.^[5]

Main draw

^[6][7][8]

	Round 1 Best of 17 frames					Round 2 Best of 31 frames					Quarter-finals Best of 31 frames					Semi-finals Best of 45 frames					Final Best of 75 frames
		Pat Houlihan	9				Alex Higgins	16
		Jackie Rea	2				Pat Houlihan	3
												Alex Higgins	16
												Fred Davis	14
		David Greaves	9		Fred Davis	16
		Bernard Bennett	8				David Greaves	1
																	Alex Higgins	9
																Eddie Charlton	23
		Graham Miles	9				John Pulman	10
		Geoff Thompson	5				Graham Miles	16
												Graham Miles	6
												Eddie Charlton	16
		Perrie Mans	9		Eddie Charlton	16
		Ron Gross	2				Perrie Mans	8
																						Eddie Charlton	32
																						Ray Reardon	38
		Warren Simpson	9				Gary Owen	16
		Maurice Parkin	3				Warren Simpson	14
												Gary Owen	6
												Ray Reardon	16
		Jim Meadowcroft	w/o		Ray Reardon	16
		Kingsley Kennerley	w/d				Jim Meadowcroft	10
																	Ray Reardon	23
																John Spencer	22
		Cliff Thorburn	9				Rex Williams	16
		Dennis Taylor	8				Cliff Thorburn	15
												Rex Williams	7
												John Spencer	16
		David Taylor	9		John Spencer	16
		John Dunning	4				David Taylor	5

References