The 1939/1940 Daily Mail Gold Cup was a professional snooker tournament sponsored by the Daily Mail. The cup was won by Alec Brown with Sydney Lee finishing in second place in the final table. It was the sixth and last Daily Mail Gold Cup tournament, although only the fourth as a snooker event. The Daily Mail Gold Cup ran from 1935 to 1940.
Format The 1939/1940 event was a round-robin snooker tournament and was played from 16 October 1939 to 10 February 1940. Most of the matches were played at Thurston's Hall in London. There were 7 competitors and a total of 21 matches. Each match lasted six days and was the best of 61 frames, a reduction from the 71 frames played in previous years. The 7 included three competitors new to the event: Fred Davis, Walter Donaldson and Sydney Lee. The handicap system was the same as the previous year, each match having a separate handicap.
Joe Davis gave Sidney Smith 20, Alec Brown 25, Walter Donaldson 25, Fred Davis 30, Tom Newman 40 and Sydney Lee 45. Sidney Smith played level with Alec Brown and gave Walter Donaldson 10, Fred Davis 15, Tom Newman 20 and Sydney Lee 30. Alec Brown played level with Walter Donaldson and gave Fred Davis 10, Tom Newman 10 and Sydney Lee 25. Walter Donaldson played level with Fred Davis 15 and gave Tom Newman 10 and Sydney Lee 20. Fred Davis gave Tom Newman 10 and Sydney Lee 25. Tom Newman gave Sydney Lee 15.
Results Joe Davis struggled with the harsh handicaps given against him and lost his first three matches. He then had a remarkable win against Sydney Lee. Conceding 45 points in every frame, Davis was 16–14 behind after three days play. He then won 16 of the 20 frames on the next two days to lead 30–20 and eventually won 35–26. Joe lost to brother Fred but won his last match against Sidney Smith. With a 20-point advantage, Smith led 29–26 but Davis won the first 5 frames of the final evening session to win the match and avoid the "wooden spoon".
Winner Score Loser Dates VenueFred Davis 40–21 Sidney Smith 16–21 October Thurston's Hall, LondonAlec Brown 39–22 Joe Davis 23–28 October Thurston's Hall, LondonWalter Donaldson 32–29 Tom Newman 30 October–4 November Thurston's Hall, LondonSydney Lee 37–24 Sidney Smith 6–11 November Thurston's Hall, LondonFred Davis 32–29 Tom Newman 13–18 November Thurston's Hall, LondonWalter Donaldson 34–27 Joe Davis 20–25 November Thurston's Hall, LondonAlec Brown 33–28 Sidney Smith 27 November–2 December Thurston's Hall, LondonTom Newman 35–26 Joe Davis 4–9 December Thurston's Hall, LondonFred Davis 31–30 Sydney Lee 11–16 December Thurston's Hall, LondonSidney Smith 33–28 Walter Donaldson 18–23 December Thurston's Hall, LondonAlec Brown 36–25 Tom Newman 1–6 January Thurston's Hall, LondonSydney Lee 39–22 Walter Donaldson 1–6 January Burroughes Hall, LondonJoe Davis 35–26 Sydney Lee 8–13 January Thurston's Hall, LondonAlec Brown 35–26 Fred Davis 8–13 January ManchesterAlec Brown 35–26 Walter Donaldson 15–20 January Thurston's Hall, LondonTom Newman 32–29 Sidney Smith 15–20 January Burroughes Hall, LondonFred Davis 35–26 Joe Davis 15–20 January Houldsworth Hall, ManchesterSydney Lee 37–24 Tom Newman 22–27 January Thurston's Hall, LondonWalter Donaldson 37–24 Fred Davis 29 January–3 February Thurston's Hall, LondonSydney Lee 37–24 Alec Brown 29 January–3 February Hayes, MiddlesexJoe Davis 31–30 Sidney Smith 5–10 February Thurston's Hall, London
Table Pos Player Pld MW FW 1 Alec Brown 6 5 202 2 Sydney Lee 6 4 206 3 Fred Davis 6 4 188 4 Walter Donaldson 6 3 179 5 Tom Newman 6 2 174 6 Joe Davis 6 2 167 7 Sidney Smith 6 1 165
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