| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 26 October – 9 November 1980 (1980-10-26 – 1980-11-09) |
| Venue | Albert Hall |
| City | Launceston, Tasmania |
| Country | Australia |
| Organisation | Billiards and Snooker Control Council, International Billiards and Snooker Federation |
| Format | Round-robin and knockout |
| Highest break |  Eugene Hughes (IRE), 127 |
| Final | |
| Champion |  Jimmy White (ENG) |
| Runner-up |  Ron Atkins (AUS) |
| Score | 11–2 |
| ← 1978 1982 → | |
The 1980 World Amateur Snooker Championship was the ninth edition of the tournament also known as the IBSF World Snooker Championship. The 1980 tournament was played in Launceston, Tasmania from 26 October to 9 November 1980. Jimmy White defeated Ron Atkins 11–2 in the final to win the title.
Tournament summary
The first World Amateur Snooker Championship was held in 1963, and, after the second event in 1966, had been played every two years since. The 1980 tournament was held at the Albert Hall in Launceston, Tasmania from 26 October to 9 November 1980, with 28 participants playing in four seven-player round-robin groups followed by a knockout to determine the champion. Cliff Wilson, the 1978 champion, had turned professional in 1979.
Jimmy White, aged 17, was the top seed in the event, and reached the final where he played Ron Atkins. Atkins, president of the Tasmanian snooker association, and a resident of Launceston, had entered the competition as late replacement, filling a place vacated by Chris Cooper from the Isle of Man. White led 9–1 after the first session and won the match 11–2, becoming the youngest player to win the World Amateur Championship. His application to turn professional after the tournament had previously been accepted by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association.
Eugene Hughes compiled a record World Amateur championship break of 127 against Arvind Savur in the group stage, which remained the highest break of the 1980 tournament.
Qualifying groups
The final tables are shown below. Players in bold qualified for the next round. The top eight seedings are shown in parentheses.
Group A
| Player | MW | FW | FL | Break |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jimmy White (ENG) (1) |
6 | 24 | 9 | 99 |
 Arvind Savur (IND) (8) |
4 | 20 | 11 | 67 |
| Eugene Hughes (IRE) |
4 | 21 | 13 | 127 |
 Joe Grech (MLT) |
3 | 19 | 18 | 80 |
 Len Adams (NZL) |
3 | 15 | 18 | 54 |
 Loo Yap Long (SIN) |
1 | 6 | 23 | 57 |
 Raymond Burke (NIR) |
0 | 11 | 24 | 50 |
Group B
| Player | MW | FW | FL | Break |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Giannaros (AUS) |
6 | 24 | 11 | 54 |
 Steve Newbury (WAL) (2) |
4 | 20 | 14 | 100 |
 Robert Paquette (CAN) (7) |
4 | 20 | 15 | 90 |
| Dale Meredith (NZL) |
4 | 20 | 16 | 67 |
| Girish Parikh (IND) |
2 | 17 | 18 | 46 |
| Sam Clarke (NIR) |
1 | 10 | 22 | 44 |
| Lau Weng Yew (SIN) |
0 | 8 | 24 | 36 |
Group C
| Player | MW | FW | FL | Break |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Mifsud (MLT) (5) |
6 | 24 | 3 | 77 |
| Ron Atkins (AUS) |
4 | 19 | 15 | 67 |
| Jim Bonner (AUS) |
4 | 17 | 17 | 53 |
| Warren King (AUS) |
3 | 19 | 15 | 57 |
 Eddie McLaughlin (SCO) |
3 | 16 | 16 | 67 |
| Joe O'Boye (ENG) (4) |
1 | 14 | 21 | 98 |
 Som Padayachi (FIJ) |
0 | 2 | 24 | 40 |
Group D
| Player | MW | FW | FL | Break |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alwyn Lloyd (WAL) (6) |
6 | 24 | 4 | 47 |
| John Campbell (AUS) (3) |
5 | 22 | 8 | 84 |
| Dessie Sheehan (IRE) |
4 | 17 | 14 | 69 |
| Matt Gibson (SCO) |
3 | 16 | 20 | 80 |
 Henry Boteju (LKA) |
2 | 16 | 20 | 45 |
 Peter Reynolds (IOM) |
1 | 11 | 23 | 35 |
| Bill Barrie (AUS) |
0 | 7 | 24 | 39 |
Knockout
Players in bold denote match winners.
| Quarter-finals Best of 9 frames | Semi-finals Best of 15 frames | Final Best of 21 frames | ||||||||||||
| Jimmy White (ENG)
| 5 | |||||||||||||
| Steve Newbury (WAL)
| 4 | |||||||||||||
| Jimmy White (ENG)
| 8 | |||||||||||||
| Paul Mifsud (MLT)
| 6 | |||||||||||||
| Paul Mifsud (MLT)
| 5 | |||||||||||||
| John Campbell (AUS)
| 3 | |||||||||||||
| Jimmy White (ENG)
| 11 | |||||||||||||
| Ron Atkins (AUS)
| 2 | |||||||||||||
| James Giannaros (AUS)
| 3 | |||||||||||||
| Ron Atkins (AUS)
| 5 | |||||||||||||
| Ron Atkins (AUS)
| 8 | |||||||||||||
| Arvind Savur (IND)
| 6 | |||||||||||||
| Alwyn Lloyd (WAL)
| 3 | |||||||||||||
| Arvind Savur (IND)
| 5 | |||||||||||||
Final
Scores in bold indicate winning frame scores.
| Final: Best of 21 frames. | ||
| Jimmy White
|
11–2 | Ron Atkins
|
| 59–51; 86–47; 56–42; 103–13; 63–67; 118–13; 72–64; 107–7; 86–38; 70–30; 76–13; 29–47; 70–50 | ||
Notes
- Replaced Chris Cooper (Isle of Man), who did not arrive for the tournament
- Replaced Tom Lee (Canada), who did not arrive for the tournament
- Replaced John Sue Lum (Fiji), who withdrew
References
- ^ Everton, Clive (1981). The Guinness Book of Snooker. Enfield: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. pp. 144–153. ISBN 0851122302.
- "No 1 at 17". The Sydney Morning Herald. 27 October 1980. p. 36.
- Everton, Clive (7 October 1980). "White's case reviewed". The Guardian. London. p. 20.
- Hale, Janice (1987). Rothmans Snooker Yearbook 1987–88. Aylesbury: Queen Anne Press. pp. 195–197. ISBN 0356146901.
- ^ "Two straight to Campbell". The Sydney Morning Herald. 29 October 1980. p. 50.
- Everton, Clive (7 November 1980). "Replacement reaches final". The Guardian. London. p. 21.
- ^ "Amateur snooker to London youth". The Sydney Morning Herald. 10 November 1980. p. 35.
- Everton, Clive (10 November 1980). "White bows out in style". The Guardian. London. p. 21.
- "Lloyd's list longer". The Observer. London. 2 November 1980. p. 24.
- Morrison, Ian (1989). Snooker: records, facts and champions. Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 131. ISBN 0851123643.