1972 Men of the Midlands
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The 1972 Men of the Midlands was a professional invitational snooker tournament, that took place from 3 January to 20 March 1972. The tournament was won by Alex Higgins, who defeated John Spencer 4–2 in the final.
The competition featured a round-robin group stage, with four players progressing into the semi-finals. Higgins won 4–0 against Ray Reardon in one semi final, and Spencer defeated Graham Miles 4–0 in the other.
Higgins won the first frame of the final, after Spencer missed an easy pink, and Spencer won the second frame. In the third, Higgins made breaks of 37 and 28 to win. The fourth frame saw both players miss changes to win, with Higgins eventually taking it with a break of 48. Spencer compiled a 58 break in winning the fifth frame, before Higgins won the sixth, with breaks of 24, 20 and 27, to win the match 4–2.
The tournament was sponsored by Mitchells and Butlers, who provided a prize fund of £1,000. Higgins received £300 as winner, and Spencer took £225 as runner-up.
Round-robin
The players were divided into two groups, each of four players.
| Date | Player | Score | Player | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 January | John Spencer(ENG) | 4–1 | John Pulman(ENG) | Austin British Legion | |
| 10 January | Jackie Rea(NIR) | 4–3 | Graham Miles(ENG) | North Walsall Working Men's Club | |
| 17 January | David Taylor(ENG) | 4–2 | Geoff Thompson(ENG) | Redditch Liberal Club | |
| 20 January | Ray Reardon(WAL) | 4–0 | David Taylor(ENG) | Standard Triumph Club, Coventry | |
| 24 January | John Spencer(ENG) | 4–2 | Jackie Rea(NIR) | Parkinson Cowan | |
| 25 January | John Spencer(ENG) | 4–3 | Graham Miles(ENG) | Wilenhall Social, Coventry | |
| 31 January | Alex Higgins(NIR) | 4–1 | David Taylor(ENG) | Hinckley Liberal Club | |
| 1 February | Graham Miles(ENG) | w.o. | John Pulman(ENG) | Whitmore Reans Conservative Club, Wolverhampton | |
| 3 February | Jackie Rea(NIR) | w.o. | John Pulman(ENG) | Stewarts and Lloyds Club, Corby | |
| 7 February | Geoff Thompson(ENG) | 4–1 | Ray Reardon(WAL) | Saffron Lane Working Men's Club | |
| 9 February | Alex Higgins(NIR) | 4–1 | Ray Reardon(WAL) | Quarry Bank Labour Club | |
| 14 February | Alex Higgins(NIR) | 4–0 | Geoff Thompson(ENG) | Lower Gornal Miners' Welfare |
Playoff
Due to "confusion over dates", Pulman was unable to play his scheduled matches against Miles and Rea. They faced each other in two playoff matches, which Miles won to progress to the semi-finals.
| Date | Player | Score | Player | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| unknown | Graham Miles(ENG) | 4–1 | Jackie Rea(NIR) | Whitmore Reans Conservative Club, Wolverhampton | |
| unknown | Graham Miles(ENG) | 4–3 | Jackie Rea(NIR) | British Steel, Corby |
Knockout results
The match between Spencer and Miles was staged at Longbridge Social Club, and Higgins played Reardon at British Steel, Halesowen. The final was at Smethwick Working Men's Club.
| Semi-finals Best-of-seven frames | Final Best-of-seven frames | ||||||||
| Alex Higgins(NIR) | 4 | ||||||||
| Ray Reardon(WAL) | 1 | ||||||||
| Alex Higgins(NIR) | 4 | ||||||||
| John Spencer(ENG) | 2 | ||||||||
| John Spencer(ENG) | 4 | ||||||||
| Graham Miles(ENG) | 0 |