Having dominated snooker from 1927 to 1946, Joe Davis retired from the World Snooker Championship after his 1946 victory. Fred reached the final the following year, but lost 62–82 to Scot Walter Donaldson. The pair made up the final for five straight years until 1951, with Davis winning in 1948, 1949 and 1951. Joe Davis had been undefeated in the world championships, but Fred would go on to be the only player to beat Joe on level terms – a feat he achieved four times between 1948 and 1954, despite Joe previously telling Fred that he would never beat him. Snooker remained a huge attraction at this time, and crowds filled Blackpool Tower Circus to see Davis beat Donaldson 84–61 in the 1948 final and 80–65 in the 1949 final. However, times were changing, and from 1950 matches became shorter. Donaldson beat Davis for the last time to win the 1950 title, 51–46.