​Matching Names Questions Strategy Practice

A potted history of snooker

The origin of snooker dates back to the latter half of the 19th century. In the 1870s,
billiards was a popular activity among British Army officers stationed in India, and
several variations of the game were devised during this time. One variation that
originated at the officers' mess of the 11th Devonshire Regiment in 1875 combined
the rules of two pocket billiards games: pyramid and black pool. The former was
played with fifteen red coloured balls positioned in a triangle, while the latter involved
the potting of designated balls. The game was developed in 1884 when its first set of
rules was finalised by Sir Neville Chamberlain, an English army officer who helped
develop and popularise the game at Stone House in Ooty (Ootacamund) on a table
built by Burroughes & Watts that was brought over by boat.

The word ​snooker was a slang term for first-year cadets and inexperienced military
personnel, but Chamberlain would often use it for the performance of one of his
fellow officers at the table. In 1887, snooker was given its first definite reference in
England in a copy of ​Sporting Life which caused a growth in popularity. Chamberlain
came out as the game's inventor in a letter to ​The Field published on 19 March 1938,
63 years after the fact.

In 1927 the first World Snooker Championship was organised by Joe Davis. Davis,
as a professional English billiards and snooker player, moved the game from a
pastime to a professional activity. Davis won every world championship until 1946,
when he retired from the championships. The game went into a decline through the
1950s and 1960s with little interest generated outside of those who played. In 1959,
Davis introduced a variation of the game known as "Snooker Plus" to try to improve
the game's popularity by adding two extra colours, but this failed to gain interest. In
1969, David Attenborough commissioned the snooker television series ​Pot Black to
demonstrate the potential of colour television, with the green table and
multi-coloured balls being ideal for showing off the advantages of colour
broadcasting. The series became a ratings success and was for a time the
second-most popular show on BBC2. ​Interest in the game increased and the 1978
World Snooker Championship was the first to be fully televised. The game quickly
became a mainstream game in the United Kingdom, Ireland and much of the
Commonwealth, and has enjoyed much success since the late 1970s, with most of
the ranking tournaments being televised. By the 1985 World Snooker Championship,
a total of 18.5 million viewers watched the concluding frame of the final between
Dennis Taylor and Steve Davis, a record viewership for the United Kingdom for any
broadcast after midnight. In the early 2000s, a ban on tobacco advertising led to a

Note: This is not a real IELTS test. This practice test is to give you an opportunity to practise
implementing the strategies from the course. It does not reflect the scores, time needed or
level of difficulty of a real IELTS test.
 ​Matching Names Questions Strategy Practice
decrease in the number of professional tournaments, with professional tournaments
being cut to only 15 events in 2003, from 22 in 1999. However, the increasing
popularity of the game in Asia, with exciting emerging talents such as Liang Wenbo
and more established players such as Ding Junhui and Marco Fu, boosted the sport
in the Far East. By 2007, the BBC dedicated 400 hours to snooker coverage,
compared to just 14 minutes 40 years earlier.

In 2010, promoter Barry Hearn gained a controlling interest in World Snooker Ltd.
and the World Snooker Tour, pledging to revitalise the "moribund" professional
game. Since this time, the number of professional tournaments has increased, with
44 events in the 2019/20 season. Events have also been made to be more suitable
for television broadcasts, such as the Snooker Shoot-Out, a timed, one-​frame
tournament. Prize money for professional events has also increased, with top
players making several million pounds during their careers.

In the professional era that began with Joe Davis in the 1930s and continues until
the present day, a relatively small number of players have succeeded at the top
level. Joe Davis was world champion for twenty years, retiring unbeaten after
claiming his fifteenth world title in 1946 when the tournament was reinstated after the
Second World War. Davis was unbeaten in World Championship play, and was only
ever beaten four times in his entire life, with all four defeats coming after his World
Championship retirement and inflicted by his own brother Fred Davis. He did lose
matches in handicapped tournaments, but on level terms these four defeats were the
only losses of his entire career. He was also world billiards champion. It is regarded
as highly unlikely that anyone will ever dominate the game to this level again.

After Davis retired from World Championship play, the next dominant force was his
younger brother Fred Davis, who had lost the 1940 final to Joe. By 1947, Fred Davis
was deemed ready by his brother to take over the mantle, but lost the world final to
the Scotsman Walter Donaldson. Davis and Donaldson would contest the next four
finals. After the abandonment of the World Championship in 1953, with the 1952 final
boycotted by British professionals, the World Professional Match-play Championship
became the unofficial world championship. Fred Davis won the event every year until
its penultimate one, in 1957, which he did not enter.

John Pulman was the most successful player of the 1960s, when the world
championship was contested on a challenge basis. However, when the tournament
reverted to a knockout formula in 1969, he did not prosper. Ray Reardon became

Note: This is not a real IELTS test. This practice test is to give you an opportunity to practise
implementing the strategies from the course. It does not reflect the scores, time needed or
level of difficulty of a real IELTS test.
 ​Matching Names Questions Strategy Practice
the dominant force in the 1970s, winning six titles (1970, 1973–1976 and 1978), with
John Spencer winning three.

Steve Davis' first world title in 1981 made him only the 11th world champion since
1927, including the winner of the boycotted 1952 title, Horace Lindrum. Davis would
win six World Championships (1981, 1983, 1984 and 1987–1989), and competed in
the most watched snooker match ever, the 1985 World Snooker Championship final
with Dennis Taylor. Stephen Hendry became the 14th in 1990 and dominated
through the 1990s, winning seven titles (1990, 1992–1996 and 1999). Ronnie
O'Sullivan has achieved most dominance in the modern era, having won the title on
five occasions in the 21st century (2001, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2013).

Adapted from: ​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snooker

Questions 1-10
Look at the information below (Questions ​1-10)​ and the list of people below.
Match each piece of information with the correct person A ​ -P​.
Answers A​ -P​ can be used more than once.

1.​ Has dominated the game since 2001.

2.​ Promised to re-energize snooker.
3.​ Used snooker as a means of displaying the benefits of colour TV.
4.​ Was only ever beaten by his sibling.
5.​ Was part of the recent boom in snooker in Asia.
6. ​Was responsible for first devising the rules of the game.
7. ​Was the top player in the world for two decades.
8. ​Won one more World Championship than Steve Davis.
9. ​Won the 1985 World Championship final.
10. ​Won the World Championship in 1940.

A.​ Sir Neville Chamberlain

B.​ Joe Davis
C. ​David Attenborough
D.​ Dennis Taylor
E. ​Steve Davis
F.​ Liang Wenbo
G.​ Barry Hearn

Note: This is not a real IELTS test. This practice test is to give you an opportunity to practise
implementing the strategies from the course. It does not reflect the scores, time needed or
level of difficulty of a real IELTS test.
 ​Matching Names Questions Strategy Practice
H. ​Fred Davis
I.​ Walter Donaldson
J. ​John Pulman
K. ​Ray Reardon
L. ​John Spencer
M.​ Horace Lindrum
N.​ Dennis Davis
O.​ Stephen Hendry
P.​ Ronnie O’Sullivan

(For answers, see next page.)

Note: This is not a real IELTS test. This practice test is to give you an opportunity to practise
implementing the strategies from the course. It does not reflect the scores, time needed or
level of difficulty of a real IELTS test.
 ​Matching Names Questions Strategy Practice
Answer Key:
Answer guidance video:
https://www.loom.com/share/4e36a807e1e0498898d8de4487b77a67

1.​ P Extra info- para 8

2.​ G Extra info- para 4
3.​ C Extra info- para 3
4.​ B Extra info- para 5
5. ​F Extra info- para 3
6.​ A Extra info- para 1
7.​ B Extra info- para 5
8.​ O Extra info- para 8
9.​ D Extra info- para 8
10.​ B Extra info- para 6

Note: This is not a real IELTS test. This practice test is to give you an opportunity to practise
implementing the strategies from the course. It does not reflect the scores, time needed or
level of difficulty of a real IELTS test.