Editing Joe Davis (section)

===1928–1934===
He defeated Newman in 1928 to become the world champion at English billiards for the first time, making sixty centuries in the last final to be played with ivory balls. It took place at Thurston's and the final score was 16,000–14,874.{{sfn|Everton|2012|p=84}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0000669/19280507/173/0009?browse=False |title=Billiards Title For J. Davis. Great Victory Over Newman, the Holder. Margin of 1,126 Points |newspaper=Birmingham Daily Gazette |date=7 May 1928 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |access-date=30 March 2021 |url-access=subscription |page=9}}</ref> Davis thereby became the first player to hold the professional titles in both billiards and snooker, an achievement not matched until his brother Fred Davis won the billiards championship in 1980.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Everton |first=Clive |title=Fred v Joe: the continuing battle |magazine=Snooker Scene |publisher=Everton's News Agency |location=Halesowen |date=July 1980 |page=2}}</ref> Davis successfully defended his title for the next three years. In the 1929 final against Newman, Davis made 63 century breaks and his average score per {{cuegloss|visit}} to the table was 100.{{sfn|Everton|2012|p=86}} The final ended on 20&nbsp;April 1929, with the score 18,000–17,219 to Davis.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000250/19290422/289/0009 |title=Billiards. Davis Retains Title. Electric Light Comedy |newspaper=Sheffield Daily Telegraph |date=22 April 1929 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |access-date=30 March 2021 |url-access=subscription |page=9}}</ref>

In 1930, he set a new record average score-per-visit of 113.3. Davis again won against Newman, 20,918–20,117, in the 1930 billiards final.{{sfn|Everton|2012|p=94}}<ref name="1930 final">{{cite news |title=Joe Davis Retains Title. Newman Beaten by 801 in Final |newspaper=Dundee Courier |date=19 May 1930 |page=4}}</ref> On 7&nbsp;May 1930 in this final Davis completed a break of 2,052. At that time this was a record for the championship under the existing rules, and the highest billiard break he ever made after the rule change in 1927.<ref>{{cite news |title=Davis's New Record. Championship Break of 2,052. Over 1,100 Points in an Hour |newspaper=Leeds Mercury |date=8 May 1930 |page=9}}</ref>{{sfn|Davis|1976|p=120}} The event was not held in 1931 as most of the leading professionals did not enter, mainly due to a disagreement with the BA&CC over the {{cuegloss|cloth}} to be used. The only entrant was Smith, who was not declared champion.{{sfn|Everton|2012|pp=96-96}}
[[File:SLNSW 6906 Walter Lindrum playing a shot.jpg|thumb|[[Walter Lindrum]] (pictured in 1934, playing a shot) defeated Davis twice for the [[World Billiards Championship (English billiards)|World English Billiards Championship]].]]
Davis played [[Walter Lindrum]] in a fortnight's match under time limit conditions at Thurston's, which began on 18&nbsp;January 1932. Davis was given a start of 7,000.<ref>{{cite news |title=Lindrum Starts Well Against Davis. Englishman Outpointed in Both Sessions |newspaper=Dundee Courier |date=19 January 1932 |page=9}}</ref> The second afternoon session ended with Lindrum on an unfinished break of 3,151 points.<ref>{{cite news |title=Remarkable Billiards |newspaper=Leeds Mercury |date=20 January 1932 |page=1}}</ref> The next day, Lindrum narrowly missed a difficult cushion cannon with the {{cuegloss|rest}} and the break ended at 4,137.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000327/19320121/056/0006 |title=The Latest |newspaper=Derby Daily Telegraph |date=21 January 1932 |page=6 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |access-date=1 April 2021 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> This surpassed Lindrum's previous record of 3,905.{{sfn|Davis|1976|pp=128-130}} Davis responded finishing the afternoon session on 1,131 unfinished. His break continued in the evening session and finished on 1,247. He considered this break, in many respects, to have been his finest.{{sfn|Davis|1976|p=130}} This was the first time that opponents in a billiards game had made four-figure breaks in consecutive visits to the table.<ref>{{cite news |title=World's Record Break |newspaper=Aberdeen Press and Journal |date=21 January 1932 |page=4}}</ref> In 1932, Davis faced New Zealander [[Clark McConachy]] in the final. McConachy had won three of their four warm-up matches but in the championship itself, Davis won 25,161–19,259, scoring over 11,000 of his points through a series of runs of "close cannons", in which the three balls are kept close together for consecutive cannons.{{sfn|Everton|2012|pp=96–100}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Title Again For Davis. McConachy Beaten by 5,902 Points |newspaper=Birmingham Daily Gazette |date=28 March 1932 |page=7}}</ref> Davis reached the final again in 1933 and 1934, losing on both occasions to Lindrum.{{sfn|Everton|2012|pp=212–213}}

The [[UK Professional English Billiards Championship]] was first contested in 1934, and for several years after that was regarded as the premier event of the billiards season in the UK, in the absence of any contests for the world championships.{{sfn|Everton|1985|pp=110–113}}<ref name="2015OPEN">{{cite web |title=2015 LITEtask UK Open |url=https://world-billiards.com/2015-litetask-uk-open/ |publisher=[[World Billiards]] |access-date=5 January 2021 |archive-date=5 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105145034/https://world-billiards.com/2015-litetask-uk-open/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Davis won the inaugural UK title with an 18,745–18,309 defeat of Newman.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=United Kingdom professional championship of English billiards |magazine=The Billiard Player |publisher=[[Billiards Association and Control Council]] |date=June 1934 |page=15}}</ref> After Lindrum had won the World Championship in 1933, he had insisted that the competition should be held in [[Australia]] for his defence. The Billiards Association and Control Council agreed to this, and Davis travelled to Australia for the 1934 Championship, where he was disappointed by the lack of planning for the tournament, and found it hard to raise the money for his return to the UK. Lindrum retained the world championship in 1934, and it was not contested again until 1952.{{sfn|Everton|2012|pp=105–107}}{{sfn|Everton|1985|pp=110–113}} Davis defeated Newman in each annual UK championship final up to 1939. The tournament was not held from 1940 to 1945, during [[World War II]].{{sfn|Everton|1985|pp=110–113}} Davis also took the first post-war UK title, with a [[walkover]] over [[John Barrie (snooker player)|John Barrie]].<ref name="WB">{{cite web |title=UK Championship History |url=https://world-billiards.com/uk-championship-history/ |publisher=[[World Billiards]] |access-date=5 January 2021 |archive-date=5 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105032437/https://world-billiards.com/uk-championship-history/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="2015OPEN" />