The 1967 World Open Snooker Championship was a series of 51 matches between Fred Davis and Rex Williams for the title won by Davis at the 1960 World Open Snooker Championship. Despite the name of the competition, Davis and Williams were the only contestants. Williams took the title by winning 26 matches to Davis' 25, a winning margin having been achieved at 26–23.
Summary Fred Davis had won the 1960 World Open Snooker Championship, which had been held in Australia with eight players competing in a round-robin. Davis and Rex Williams arranged to play a series of 31 matches with the winner taking the title, and with each player taking a fee from each of the match venues. Snooker historian Clive Everton has suggested that the agenda behind the contest was to allow Williams to gain a world snooker title and become more marketable, at a time when he was unlikely to win against the reigning world champion John Pulman. Everton claims that Davis remarked "I had a devil of a job to let him win."
All matches were of five . Originally there were going to be 31 matches in the series, but this was later extended to 51.
Davis won the first three matches, before Williams had his first win in the fourth match. These were played in front of capacity crowds at each venue. Williams later levelled at 5–5, with Davis then winning three of the next five matches to lead 8–7 by Christmas 1966. After the resumption of the series in January 1967, Williams won two matches to take the lead for the first time, at 9–8, but then lost the next three to trail 9–11, before winning four in succession to lead 13–11. With the pair each obtaining four wins from the next eight matches, Williams led 17–16. Thirteen matches later, Williams had increased his lead to 25–21, needing only one further win out of the remaining five matches.
Williams reached a winning margin at British Sidac, St. Helens, to win the title at 26–23. Davis won the last two matches to make the final score 26–25. Williams was presented with the trophy by Harold Phillips, Chairman of the Billiards Association and Control Council, after the final match, which was held at Ferranti Recreation, Manchester.
Known match details
Date Winner Score Venue Notes November 1966 1. Davis 3–2 0–1 United Club, Workington Davis compiled an 89 . November 1966 2. Davis 3–2 0–2 Heaton Norris Conservative Club, Stockport Williams had led 2–0. November 1966 3. Davis 3–2 0–3 Wilmslow British Legion November 1966 4. Williams 3–2 1–3 Acregate Labour Club, Preston Williams won the first three frames. December 1966 5. Davis 4–1 1–4 Boscombe Conservative Club, Bournemouth Davis compiled an 87 break. December 1966 6. Davis 3–2 1–5 Mackworth Club, Neath Davis compiled a 103 break, in his second visit to the table. December 1966 7. Williams 3–2 2–5 Crewkerne Conservative Club 5 December 1966 8. Williams 4–1 3–5 Moreton Social Club, Birkenhead December 1966 9. Williams 3–2 4–5 Hall Green Home Guard Club, Birmingham December 1966 10. Williams 4–1 5–5 Central Conservative Club, Ashton-under-Lyne December 1966 11. Davis 4–1 5–6 Sleaford Social Club Davis compiled a break of 89. December 1966 12. Davis 3–2 5–7 Kirkby-in-Ashfield Williams compiled breaks of 77 and 102. December 1966 13. Williams 4–1 6–7 Lancing British Legion Williams compiled a break of 87. December 1966 14. Davis 4–1 6–8 Tooting Conservative Club December 1966 15. Davis 3–2 7–8 High Wycombe British Legion Williams compiled a break of 97 in the . 9 January 1967 16. Williams 3–2 8–8 James Gibbons Social Club, Pensnett 11 January 1967 17. Williams 4–1 9–8 Belmont Conservative Club, Swadlincote 12 January 1967 18. Davis 3–2 9–9 Eastwood View Working Men's Club, Rotherham Davis won on the in the deciding frame. 13 January 1967 19. Davis 4–1 9–10 Wellington Tube, Tipton 16 January 1967 20. Davis 3–2 9–11 Louth Town and Country Club 17 January 1967 21. Williams 3–2 10–11 Ironopolis Men's Club, Middlesbrough 18 January 1967 22. Williams 3–2 11–11 Castle Ward Conservative Club, Lenton 19 January 1967 23. Williams 3–2 12–11 Retford Conservative Club, Nottingham 20 January 1967 24. Williams 3–2 13–11 Nu-Way Sports and Social Club, Droitwich Williams compiled a break of 109. 1 February 1967 25. Elliot Lucas Sports and Social, Cannock 2 February 1967 26. Elliot Lucas Sports and Social, Cannock 3 February 1967 27. Audco Sports and Social, Newport, Shropshire 9 February 1967 28. Parish Hall, Rhabon, near Wrexham 13 February 1967 29. Hitchin Conservative Club 14 February 1967 30. Fordham British Legion, Ely 15 February 1967 31. Maldon Constitutional Club 16 February 1967 32. Victoria Billiards Club, Southend 17 February 1967 33. Eastbourne Constitutional Club 23 February 1967 34. Marconi Athletic, Chelmsford 24 February 1967 35. A.C. Delco Sports and Social, Dunstable 27 February 1967 36. Port Sunlight Men's Club 28 February 1967 37. Grange Town British Legion, Middlesbrough ?? 8 March 1967 ?? Davis 4–1 19–17 Friendly Societies' Hall, Tunbridge Wells ?? 46. 25–21 April 1967 47. Davis 5–0 25–22 Newark Conservative Club 4 April 1967 48. Davis 5–0 25–23 Skipton British Legion April 1967 49. Williams 3–2 26–23 British Sidac, St. Helens Williams achieved a winning margin. April 1967 50. Davis 3–2 26–24 Merthyr Labour Club April 1967 51. Davis 4–1 26–25 Ferranti Recreation, Manchester
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