Tolly Cobbold Classic


The Tolly Cobbold Classic was a non-ranking snooker tournament staged between 1979 and 1984. It was held at the Corn Exchange in Ipswich and sponsored by local brewers Tolly Cobbold. It is not to be confused with the Classic ranking event.

History

began a four-man tournament in Corn Exchange, Ipswich in 1978, and with television coverage of Anglia TV the Tolly Cobbold Classic began in 1979 at the same location.
The event used three different formats during its history. In 1979 and 1981 there were two groups of four, with the winner of the groups advancing to the final. In 1980 only four players participated in a round-robin group, with the top 2 players advancing to the final. Between 1982 and 1984 the tournament was converted to a knock-out format with eight players. After the 1984 event Tolly Cobbold decided to sponsor the English Professional Championship instead, and the event was abandoned.

Winners

YearWinnerRunner-upFinal scoreSeason
1979 Alex Higgins Ray Reardon5–41978/79
1980 Alex Higgins Dennis Taylor5–41979/80
1981 Graham Miles Cliff Thorburn5–11980/81
1982 Steve Davis Dennis Taylor8–31981/82
1983 Steve Davis Terry Griffiths7–51982/83
1984 Steve Davis Tony Knowles8–21983/84