World Women's Billiards Championship

The World Women's Billiards Championship is an English billiards tournament, first held in 1931 when organised by the cue sports company Burroughes and Watts then run from 1932 by the Women's Billiards Association (WBA).[1] It is currently run under the auspices of World Billiards Ltd (WBL), a subsidiary company of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association.

World Women's Billiards Championship
Tournament information
Established1931
Organisation(s)World Billiards
Recent edition2024
Current champion Shruthi L (IND)

It should not be confused with the Women's Professional Billiards Championship, which was also run by the WBA, or with the International Billiards and Snooker Federation World Women's Billiards Championship held in 2015.

Emma Bonney has won the title a record 13 times. The reigning champion is Shruthi L.

History

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A Women's Amateur Billiards Championship was organised by cue sports company Burroughes and Watts. 23 players entered, and the highest break made was 28. Ruth Harrison was the champion.[2][1]

The Women's Billiards Association took over responsibility for the tournament in 1932, when there were 41 entries. Thelma Carpenter made the highest break, 45, on her way to winning the title. Capenter won in 1933 and 1934 to complete a hat-trick of victories, before turning professional and going on to compete in the Women's Professional Billiards Championship. Vera Seals, a receptionist from Chesterfield that had learnt the game from Joe Davis,[3] took the 1935 title, and set a new highest break record of 62.[4] The tournament was held regularly until 1940, but then put on hold until after World War II. From 1947 to 1980 the tournament was held most years, with Vera Selby winning eight titles, and Maureen Baynton (Née Barrett) winning seven. Mrs Morland-Smith was another player to win multiple titles. In 1960, at the age of 75, she attempted to defend her title, but was unsuccessful.[5]

After a period of dormancy from 1980, the tournament was revived in 1998, when Karen Corr won the first of two titles. The dominant player since the 1998 revival has been Emma Bonney, who has won the title 13 times.

World Billiards Ltd (WBL), a subsidiary company of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, currently runs the competition. In June 2019, the International Billiards and Snooker Federation and World Billiards Ltd agreed that the World Billiards Championship would be held by the WBL in 2019 in Australia and by the IBSF in 2020 and to co-operate to avoid tournament dates clashing.[6] The tournament was not held in 2020 or 2021.[7]

Finals

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Main sources: Billiards and Snooker Control Council Handbook and Rules (1978);[8] Guinness Snooker – The Records (1985);[9] World Billiards: World Ladies Billiards Champions[10]
Additional sources are cited within the table where used. In some cases the information in those differs from the main sources mentioned.

Year Association Winner Runner-up Final score Venue Ref.
1931 WBA   Ruth Harrison (ENG)   Ellen Eddowes (ENG) 1,000-581 Burroughes Hall, London [11][12]
1932 WBA   Thelma Carpenter (ENG)   Ethel Brown (ENG) 1,000-730 Burroughes Hall, London [13][1]
1933 WBA   Thelma Carpenter (ENG)   Vera Seals (ENG) 1,000-552 Burroughes Hall, London [14][15]
1934 WBA   Thelma Carpenter (ENG)   Vera Seals (ENG) 1,200–915 Burroughes Hall, London [16][17]
1935 WBA   Vera Seals (ENG)   Evelyn Morland-Smith (ENG) 1,000-499 Burroughes Hall, London [4]
1936 WBA   Vera Seals (ENG)   Ella Morris (ENG) 1,000-528 Burroughes Hall, London [18][19]
1937 WBA   Grace Phillips (ENG)   Vera Seals (ENG) 1,000-968 Burroughes Hall, London [20]
1938 WBA   Victoria McDougall (ENG)   Evelyn Morland-Smith (ENG) 1,000-991 Burroughes Hall, London [21][22]
1939 WBA   Victoria McDougall (ENG)   G M Saunders (ENG) 674–563 Burroughes Hall, London [23][24]
1940–46 No tournament
1947 WBA   Sadie Isaacs (ENG)   Doris Keene (ENG) 373–355 Empire Club, Shaftesbury Avenue, London [25]
1948 WBA   Evelyn Morland-Smith (ENG)   Gladys Burton (ENG) 537–399 Thurston's Hall [26][27]
1949 WBA   Marie Keeton (ENG)   Gladys Burton (ENG) 455–398 Burroughes Hall, London [28]
1950 WBA   Helen Futo (ENG)   Sadie Isaacs (ENG) 420–359 Burroughes Hall, London [29]
1951 No tournament [30]
1952 WBA   Evelyn Morland-Smith (ENG)   Helen Futo (ENG) 431–408 Burroughes Hall, London [31]
1953 WBA   Evelyn Morland-Smith (ENG)   Helen Futo (ENG) 411–388 Burroughes Hall, London [32]
1954 WBA   Helen Futo (ENG)   Maureen Barrett (ENG) 448–430 Burroughes Hall, London [33]
1955 WBA   Maureen Barrett (ENG)   Evelyn Morland-Smith (ENG) 451–401 Burroughes Hall, London [34]
1956 WBA   Maureen Barrett (ENG)   Evelyn Morland-Smith (ENG) 553–334 Burroughes Hall, London [35]
1957-58 No tournament [10]
1959 WBA   Evelyn Morland-Smith (ENG)   Ray Craven (ENG)[a] 330–328 Burroughes Hall, London [36][37]
1960 WBA   Muriel Hazeldene (ENG)[b]   Ray Craven (ENG) 339–324 Burroughes Hall, London [38]
1961 No tournament
1962 WBA   Thea Hindmarch (ENG)   Ray Craven (ENG) 438–385 Burroughes Hall, London [39]
1963 WBA   Sadie Isaacs (ENG)   Ray Craven (ENG) 485–315 Burroughes Hall, London [40]
1964 WBA   Maureen Baynton (née Barrett) (ENG)   Ray Craven (ENG) 649–336 Burroughes Hall, London [41]
1965 WBA   Vera Youle (ENG)   Ray Craven (ENG) 393–386 Burroughes Hall, London [42][43]
1966 WBA   Maureen Baynton (née Barrett) (ENG)   Vera Youle (ENG) 514–319 Burroughes Hall, London [44]
1967 WBA   Thea Hindmarch (ENG)   Sally Bartley (ENG) 416–319 Burroughes Hall, London [45][46]
1968 WBA   Maureen Baynton (née Barrett) (ENG)   Ray Craven (ENG) 434–265 Billiards and Snooker Centre,[c] London [47]
1969 WBA   Thea Hindmarch (ENG)   Vera Selby (ENG) 452–409 Billiards and Snooker Centre,[d] London [48][49]
1970 WBA   Vera Selby (ENG) unknown unknown unknown [50]
1971 WBA   Vera Selby (ENG)   Ray Craven (ENG) 506–304 Billiards and Snooker Centre,[e] London [51][52]
1972 WBA   Vera Selby (ENG)   Ray Craven (ENG) 736–354 London [53][54]
1973 WBA   Vera Selby (ENG)   Ray Craven (ENG) w.o. n/a [55]
1974 WBA   Vera Selby (ENG)   Thea Hindmarch (ENG) unknown Windmill Billiards Club, London [56][57]
1975 No tournament
1976 WBA   Vera Selby (ENG)   Ray Craven (ENG) 407–157 [56][58]
1977 WBA   Vera Selby (ENG)
1978 WBA   Vera Selby (ENG)   Maureen Baynton (née Barrett) (ENG) 366–319 Fishers, Acton, London [56][59]
1979 WBA   Maureen Baynton (née Barrett) (ENG)   Vera Selby (ENG) 697–683 Gateshead BRSA [60][61]
1980–97 No tournament
1998 WLBSA   Karen Corr (NIR)   Emma Bonney (ENG) 403–219 Radion Executive Club, Sheffield [62]
1999 WLBSA   Karen Corr (NIR)   Kelly Fisher (ENG) 354–276 Radion Executive Club, Sheffield [63]
2000 WLBSA   Emma Bonney (ENG)   Caroline Walch (ENG) 218–50 Radion Executive Club, Sheffield [64]
2001 WLBSA   Kelly Fisher (ENG)   Emma Bonney (ENG) 290–219 Jesters Snooker Hall, Swindon [65]
2002 WLBSA   Emma Bonney (ENG)   Kelly Fisher (ENG) 227–196 Jesters Snooker Hall, Swindon [66]
2003 WLBSA   Kelly Fisher (ENG)   Emma Bonney (ENG) 299–155 Jesters Snooker Hall, Swindon [67]
2004 No tournament
2005 WLBSA   Anuja Thakur (IND)   Lynette Horsburgh (SCO) 243–136 Cambridge Snooker Centre [68]
2006 WLBSA   Chitra Magimairaj (IND)   Emma Bonney (ENG) 193–164 Cambridge Snooker Centre [69]
2007 WLBSA   Chitra Magimairaj (IND)   Emma Bonney (ENG) 187–148 Cambridge Snooker Centre [70]
2008 WLBSA   Emma Bonney (ENG)   Eva Palmius (SWE) 216–119 Cambridge Snooker Centre [71]
2009 WLBSA   Emma Bonney (ENG)   Chitra Magimairaj (IND) 272–118 Cambridge Snooker Centre [72]
2010 WLBSA   Emma Bonney (ENG)   Chitra Magimairaj (IND) 269–220 Stadium Snooker Club, Birmingham [73]
2011 WLBSA   Emma Bonney (ENG)   Tina Owen-Sevilton (ENG) 202–181 Pot Black Sports Bar, Bury St Edmunds [74]
2012 WLBSA   Revanna Umadevi (IND)   Emma Bonney (ENG) 201–143 Cambridge Snooker Centre [75]
2013 WLBSA   Emma Bonney (ENG)   Eva Palmius (SWE) 329–207 Cambridge Snooker Centre [76]
April 2014 WLBSA   Emma Bonney (ENG)   Revanna Umadevi (IND) 226–209 Northern Snooker Centre, Leeds [77]
October 2014 WLBSA   Emma Bonney (ENG)   Revanna Umadevi (IND) 237–191 Northern Snooker Centre, Leeds [78]
2015 WLBSA   Emma Bonney (ENG)   Rochy Woods (ENG) 334–119 Northern Snooker Centre, Leeds [79]
2016 WLBS   Emma Bonney (ENG)   Revanna Umadevi (IND) 239–169 Northern Snooker Centre, Leeds [80]
2017 WLBS   Emma Bonney (ENG)   Eva Palmius (SWE) 295–185 Northern Snooker Centre, Leeds [81]
2018 World Billiards   Emma Bonney (ENG)   Rebecca Kenna (ENG) 329–209 Northern Snooker Centre, Leeds [82]
2019 World Billiards   Anna Lynch (AUS)   Judy Dangerfield (AUS) 244–204 Royal Automobile Club of Victoria, Melbourne [83]
2020–21 Tournament not held [7]
2022 World Billiards   Jamie Hunter (ENG)   Snenthra Babu (IND) 304–148 Sharkx Academy, Newbridge [7]
2023 Tournament not held
2024 World Billiards   Shruthi L (IND)   Keerath Bhandaal (IND) 215–202 Landywood Snooker Club, Great Wyrley [84]

Wins by player

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Name Country Wins
Emma Bonney   England 13
Vera Selby   England 8
Maureen Baynton (Née Barrett)   England 7
E Morland-Smith   England 5
Thelma Carpenter   England 3
Thea Hindmarch   England 3
Victoria McDougall   England 2
Kelly Fisher   England 2
Sadie Isaacs   England 2
Chitra Magimairaj   India 2
Vera Seals   England 2
Helen Futo   England 2
Karen Corr   Northern Ireland 2
Anuja Thakur   India 1
Marie Keeton   England 1
Muriel Hazeldene1   England 1
Ruth Harrison   England 1
Vera Youle   England 1
Revanna Umadevi   India 1
Grace Phillips   England 1
Anna Lynch   Australia 1
Jamie Hunter   England 1
Shruthi L   India 1

Notes

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  1. ^ The spelling Rae is also found in some sources for this player
  2. ^ The spelling Hazeldine is also found in some sources for this player
  3. ^ in Great Windmill Street[47]
  4. ^ in Great Windmill Street[48]
  5. ^ in Great Windmill Street[48]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Women's Billiards". The Billiard Player. February 1932. p. 12.
  2. ^ "Women's Amateur Billiards Championship". The Billiard Player. January 1931. p. 29.
  3. ^ "Women's Championship". Aberdeen Press and Journal. 24 January 1933. p. 4 – via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  4. ^ a b Carpenter, Thelma (February 1935). "Billiards for women". The Billiard Player. p. 4.
  5. ^ "Billiards: First round win for women's champions". Birmingham Daily Post. 15 February 1954. p. 14 – via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  6. ^ "World Billiards agreement with IBSF". world-billiards.com. World Billiards Ltd. 14 July 2019. Archived from the original on 28 July 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
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  8. ^ Billiards and Snooker Control Council Handbook and Rules. Billiards and Snooker Control Council. 1978. pp. 106–107.
  9. ^ Everton, Clive (1985). Guinness Snooker – The Records. Guinness Superlatives Ltd. pp. 154–156. ISBN 0851124488.
  10. ^ a b "World Ladies Billiards Champions". world-billiards.com. World Billiards. 22 June 2015. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
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