Agnes Davies

Agnes Davies
Born(1920-09-30)30 September 1920
Saron, Carmarthenshire, Wales
Died13 February 2011(2011-02-13) (aged 90)
Sport country Wales
Highest ranking46 (aged 77)

Agnes Davies (née Morris, 30 September 1920 – 13 February 2011)[1] was a Welsh snooker and billiards player. She was known for having a competitive playing career spanning 64 years,[2] during which she won the Women's Professional Snooker Championship in 1949,[3] and was runner-up in 1940,[4] 1948,[5] 1950,[6] and 1980.

Biography

Davies learned how to play billiards in her father's billiard hall in Saron, which he had set up using his compensation payment for pneumoconiosis caused by working as a coal miner. She first won the Welsh women's amateur championship in 1939, and won the following two years as well.[1]

Davies, then still known as Agnes Morris, was runner up in the 1940 Women's Professional Snooker championship[7] and the winner in 1949. She was married to Dick Davies (who died in 1996) in 1940, and took a break of some 30 years from competitive snooker. Returning to competition in the late 1970s, she won three tournaments before reaching another world championship final in 1980. In 1985 Davies was Voted Life President of the World Ladies' Billiards and Snooker Association (WLBSA).[1][2]

In 1998 she qualified for the Ladies Welsh Open at Newport, Wales at the age of 77 – sixty years after winning as a 17-year-old[8] and was ranked 46 in the Embassy Ladies World Rankings for 1997/98.[9]

Until 1999, Davies played in the home international series for Wales. She also played in the Amman Valley league until 2001.[2]

Davies died in 2011.[1]

Legacy

In 2012, Women's World Snooker held the Agnes Davies Memorial tournament, which was won by Jaique Ip. [10]

In June 2025 a Purple Plaque in Davies' memory was unveiled at Saron's Hall in Saron. The plaque, organised by Purple Plaques, was intended to highlight remarkable women in Wales.[11]

Titles and achievements

OutcomeNo.YearChampionshipOpponentScoreRef.
Winner 11937Welsh Ladies' Snooker Champion[9]
Winner 21938Welsh Ladies' Snooker Champion[9]
Winner 31939Welsh Ladies' Snooker Champion[9]
Winner 41939Welsh Ladies' Billiards Champion[9]
Winner 51939Women's Amateur Snooker Championship[9]
Runner-up 61940Women's Professional Snooker ChampionshipRuth Harrison2–11[7][12]
Runner-up 71948Women's Professional Snooker ChampionshipRuth Harrison14–16[13][14]
Winner 81949Women's Professional Snooker ChampionshipThelma Carpenter16–15[3][9]
Runner-up 91950Women's Professional Snooker ChampionshipThelma Carpenter10–20[15][16]
Winner 101977Pontins Ladies' Bowl ChampionSue Foster3–1[17][9]
Winner 111978Women's Amateur Snooker Championship[9]
Runner-up 121979Pontins Ladies' Bowl ChampionMaureen Baynton0–3[17][9]
Runner-up 131980Guinness World Women's Snooker ChampionshipLesley McIlrath2–4[9][18]
Winner 141982Pontins Ladies' Bowl ChampionSue Foster3–0[17][9]
Runner-up 151999Ladies Regal Scottish Masters seniors' (over 40s) finalMary Hawkes0–2[19]
Runner-up 162003Ladies Regal Welsh Championship seniors' (over 40s) finalMaureen Twomey1–2[9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Everton, Clive (1 March 2011). "Agnes Davies obituary". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 26 July 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 "Snooker Queen Agnes Dies". South Wales Guardian. 9 March 2011. Archived from the original on 28 July 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  3. 1 2 "Bath City Signings". Snooker Title Won on Last Frame. 20 June 1949. p. 5 – via The British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  4. ↑ "Snooker Championship". The Times. No. 48578. 1 April 1940. p. 3 – via The Times Digital Archive. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  5. ↑ "Miss Adcock Takes Snooker Title". Daily Mirror. 22 May 1948. p. 5 – via The British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  6. ↑ "Bath City Signings". Western Mail. 25 June 1950. p. 5 – via The British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  7. 1 2 "Snooker Championship". The Times. No. 48578. 1 April 1940. p. 3 – via The Times Digital Archive.
  8. ↑ Malone, Emmet (3 January 1998). "On The Sidelines". Irish Times (Dublin, Ireland) – via NewsBank.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Agnes Davies Ammanford's World Snooker Champion". users.ic24.net/~terrynorm/. Welcome to the town of Ammanford. 26 August 2020.
  10. ↑ "Jaique Ip Wan In". Women's World Snooker. Archived from the original on 28 July 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  11. ↑ D'Alessio, Dan (24 June 2025). "Hundreds attend purple plaque unveiling of Agnes Davies". South Wales Guardian. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  12. ↑ "Women's Title". The Manchester Guardian. 28 March 1940. p. 2.
  13. ↑ "The Women's Championships". The Billiard Player. No. May 1948). p. 6.
  14. ↑ "A really grand finale". The Billiard Player. No. June 1948). p. 8.
  15. ↑ "North East West South". The Billiard Player. No. June 1950). p. 5.
  16. ↑ "Women's Professional Championships (1949–50)". The Billiard Player. No. July 1950). p. 7.
  17. 1 2 3 Morrison, Ian (1987). The Hamlyn Encyclopedia of Snooker. Twickenham: Hamlyn Publishing Group. p. 43. ISBN 0600556042.
  18. ↑ "World Champions". Women's World Snooker. Archived from the original on 18 August 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  19. ↑ "1999 Regal Scottish Masters (Seniors) – Results". snookerscores.net. World Women's Snooker. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
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