Tournament Name: | 1973 Men of the Midlands |
Dates: | January – February 1973 |
Venue: | various |
Country: | England |
Format: | Non-ranking event |
Winners Share: | £500 |
Score: | 5–3 |
Previous: | 1972 |
Next: | Last |
The 1973 Men of the Midlands was a professional invitational snooker tournament, that took place in January and February 1973 The tournament was won by Alex Higgins, who defeated Ray Reardon 5–3 in the final.
The competition featured a round-robin group stage, with four world snooker champions, John Pulman, John Spencer, Reardon and Higgins each playing the other three once.[1] Reardon finished on top of the group table.[2]
In the final, Higgins won the first, making a break of 47, and Reardon won the next making a break of 45. Higgins won the next to lead 3–1. Reardon won the fifth frame, but Higgins achieved victory by winning the sixth frame with a break of 70 and going on to take the match 5–3.
The tournament was sponsored by Mitchells and Butlers. Higgins earned £500 prize money as champion.
Final: Best-of-9 frames. Whispering Wheels Club, Wolverhampton, 5 February 1973 | ||||||||
Alex Higgins | 5–3 | Ray Reardon | ||||||
Frame | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
Alex Higgins | 75 | 56 | 75 | 82 | 31 | 82 | 49 | 86 |
Ray Reardon | 5 | 58 | 48 | 38 | 77 | 39 | 72 | 52 |
Frames won (Higgins first) | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 4–2 | 4–3 | 5–3 |
Alex Higgins wins the 1973 Men of the Midlands title |