The 1937/1938 Daily Mail Gold Cup was a professional snooker tournament sponsored by the Daily Mail. The cup was won for the second successive year by Joe Davis with Willie Smith finishing in second place in the final table. It was the fourth Daily Mail Gold Cup tournament, although only the second as a snooker event. The Daily Mail Gold Cup ran from 1935 to 1940.
Format As in 1936, the 1937/1938 event was a round-robin snooker tournament and was played from 27 September 1937 to 29 January 1938. Most of the matches were played at Thurston's Hall in London. There were 7 competitors and a total of 21 matches. As in 1936, each match was of 71 frames and lasted six days. The 7 competitors were the same in the 1936 event with the addition of Alec Brown. Each player had a handicap which was given in each frame. The handicaps were: Joe Davis - 0, Horace Lindrum - 10, Sidney Smith - 17, Willie Smith - 21, Alec Brown - 24, Tom Newman - 27, Melbourne Inman - 45. The "sealed" aspect of the 1936 event was abandoned.
Results The cup was won for the second successive year by Joe Davis who won all his five of his six matches. Davis had been handicapped slightly harsher than in 1936 but only lost one match, and that by a single frame to Willie Smith. Giving Willie Smith a 21-point lead in each frame, Davis had taken a 35–34 lead but lost the last two frames. As in the previous event Melbourne Inman finished last, despite receiving the most generous handicap. The other five players were very close in the final table.
Winner Score Loser Dates VenueTom Newman 36–35 Alec Brown 27 September–2 October Thurston's Hall, LondonSidney Smith 36–35 Willie Smith 4–9 October Thurston's Hall, LondonJoe Davis 39–32 Tom Newman 11–16 October Thurston's Hall, LondonWillie Smith 37–34 Horace Lindrum 18–23 October Thurston's Hall, LondonJoe Davis 43–28 Melbourne Inman 25–30 October Thurston's Hall, LondonSidney Smith 36–35 Horace Lindrum 1–6 November Thurston's Hall, LondonTom Newman 43–28 Melbourne Inman 8–13 November Thurston's Hall, LondonAlec Brown 36–35 Willie Smith 8–13 November LeedsJoe Davis 42–29 Alec Brown 15–20 November Thurston's Hall, LondonHorace Lindrum 43–28 Melbourne Inman 15–20 November LiverpoolWillie Smith 38–33 Melbourne Inman 22–27 November Thurston's Hall, LondonTom Newman 36–35 Sidney Smith 22–27 November LeicesterAlec Brown 40–31 Sidney Smith 29 November–4 December Thurston's Hall, LondonWillie Smith 36–35 Joe Davis 6–11 December Thurston's Hall, LondonHorace Lindrum 39–32 Tom Newman 13–18 December Thurston's Hall, LondonAlec Brown 47–24 Melbourne Inman 27 December–1 January Thurston's Hall, LondonHorace Lindrum 39–32 Alec Brown 3–8 January Thurston's Hall, LondonWillie Smith 38–33 Tom Newman 10–15 January Thurston's Hall, LondonJoe Davis 38–33 Sidney Smith 10–15 January Houldsworth Hall, ManchesterSidney Smith 43–28 Melbourne Inman 17–22 January Thurston's Hall, LondonJoe Davis 37–34 Horace Lindrum 24–29 January Thurston's Hall, London
Table Pos Player Pld MW FW 1 Joe Davis 6 5 234 2 Willie Smith 6 4 219 3 Horace Lindrum 6 3 224 4 Alec Brown 6 3 219 5 Sidney Smith 6 3 214 6 Tom Newman 6 3 212 7 Melbourne Inman 6 0 169
The positions were determined firstly by the number of matches won (MW) and, in the event of a tie, the number of frames won (FW).
References