1948 Sunday Empire News Tournament
The 1948 Sunday Empire News Tournament was a professional snooker tournament sponsored by the Sunday Empire News newspaper. Joe Davis won the event, with John Pulman finishing in second place. The tournament saw the re-introduction of the popular round-robin handicap format that had been used for the Daily Mail Gold Cup tournament before World War II. The home of the Daily Mail Gold Cup, Thurston's Hall, had re-opened in late 1947 when it was renamed the Leicester Square Hall. This was the only edition of the Sunday Empire News Tournament, although the same format was used for the News of the World Snooker Tournament from 1949 onwards.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 11 October – 18 December 1948 |
| Venue | Leicester Square Hall |
| City | London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Format | Non-Ranking event |
| Total prize fund | £1000 |
| Winner's share | £450 |
| Highest break | Fred Davis (139) |
| Final | |
| Champion | Joe Davis |
| Runner-up | John Pulman |
In the final match of the tournament, Fred Davis, who was playing without a points handicap, beat his brother Joe 36–35. This was the first time that Joe had lost a competitive match when playing on level terms; however, under the "sealed handicap" aspect of the event, he received two frames and won the match 37–36.