Truly a different game in those days. No doubt many commenters will diss Perrie for being no good. BUT - one of the great skills of matchplay is making the opponent do what you want on the day. This day, Mans clearly thought that leaving Higgins a few tempters would work - he reasoned Higgins was unlikely to get them all, leaving a few easy points in the process, then Mans could play safe. It's not elegant, and it's not much fun to watch, but it worked. For a lot of modern snooker viewers, someone like Perrie Mans is an enigma simply based on his stats. "Never made a century, but still beat Reardon, Spencer, Higgins, Thorburn etc. and even won stuff? How?" Well, watch this and now you know why.

The full table screw back shot against ray reardon in the 1978 world championship final is one of the greatest shots in the history of snooker.

As a 26 years old snooker's lover, I was fascinated from the begininning by the evolution that the game had during the years. I discovered about Perrie Mans after the famous statment "Won the Masters without a 50+ break." When I wanted to know more about this man, I found out that there is basically nothing about him. Discover informations was quite difficult, but in some of the books I purchased in the last year, I realized why he was able to create problems for the other players. Fred Davis, eight time world champion, in his book "Talking Snooker": "I found Perrie an awkward opponent. He is an exceptionally good single ball potter and if there was a ball on, even at a long distance, he invariably knocked it in. His positional play is comparatively weak - which is pheraps as well for the rest of us - but the tactical side of his game was much better than I expected from simply observing him as spectator. In his matches, too, the colours seem to spend more time away from their respective spots than in usual top class snooker and many of the frames tend to develop in a way which suits his style. When the yellow, green and brown are disturbed from their spots it often means that the cue ball has no colour to "hide" behind. As Perrie is such a good long potter, there where many situations in which I felt that it was impossible to leave the cue ball safe." Featured in Jean Rafferty's "The Cruel Game": "Perrie Mans, the man Steve Davis once said was the only player who could destroy him because he could play the way he does and know what he's doing. [...] Perrie treats snooker as a game, a dangerous attitude for a professional player. He's got a couple of car, a couple of houses and his life is much easier than it used to be, when he was working as well playing snooker. "You enjoy it. If you get beat you take it like a man. Crying and complaining are not going to help. You make enemies and people will say: "What a bloody bad loser he is." Wheter you win or lose to me it's only a game." I'd still love to talk with Perrie and understand more of his personal way of considering snooker, I think a book about him will be fascinating. I do understand people that probably will not appreciate his style, especially because of the modern standard. But still, the South African did something special on the baize. Thank you mjt_snooker, hope to see more Perrie's footages!

Great vid. Just a pity about the constant snooker interruptions during the world coughing championships.

Pierre mans played me in a local league match...what an honor...my highest break at that time was 64... Pierre mans made an amazing 134 in his last frame against my friend... one of those times when it inspires a person to practice more. Everytime I played the nationals he would show up and watch the players compete... always fun to see these old masters in action.

Gonna watch this fully later. Thanks for posting 👏

RIP Perrie Mans - he's pushing the baulk colours against the cushions in heaven now...

A great watch and great vid. Never see that before. Alex could not get going.

Wonderful. What a lovely gentleman Perrie Mans appears. Alex is pleasant form also

It's snooker Jim, but not as we know it.

Hello mjt Big Thankyou for all your Snooker Uploads and Videos in 2021 Much Appreciated. Have a Healthy and a Happy New Year . Wayne.

Well done Perrie!😊 RIP Perrie😊

Lovin’ Perry mans waistcoat. 👍🏻

Loved the Hurricane at t’end there😆

mjt snooker .... u find some nuggets out there and this video is just another example from your excellent channel.

Shows someone on their best day can beat someone on their worst day.

Not the prettiest way to win but it's still a win. If it was a game beetween him and Eddie Charlton, I think I'd might want to rethink a few things.

30:23 "Bloody Hell" 🤣🤣🤣

11.46 Cracking twitch there by Alex

Only two centuries in the entire comp. Must have been those tight pockets!

South Africa 🇿🇦 The only time a player from the Rainbow Nation has ever won a Triple Crown event

Alex had a very good sense of humour when he was in a good mood , and ,could also accept defeat with good grace - I suppose it depended on what side he got out of the bed on as the saying goes

Super crystalate balls, different pockets and faster/thinner cloth all changed the game and the way it was played.

I love oom Pierre,i met him true his son Kobus.I don't care you what between the two of them I became a better pool player I never saw oom Pierre play snoeker or pool,him and his son had a club called Cascade's and I was privileged too play league their.Thanks Oom and Kobus.Oom Pierre you are a ligend and Kobus always kept his dad's name high.

Dig the arty subdued lighting during the post match interviews

'And £50 for every century made-there has however only been 1 other made during the tournament'-snooker is ridiculously hard and the players in those days certainly made you aware of that

Man's highest break in the final frame was 16 .. unusual even in those days

Alex Higgins chucked it really.....2 up....lose next 7??? Sometimes he doesn't turn up....seen it many times!!!! Perrie was capable and did also beat Steve Davis here once!!!!

Alex was alright 👍,just liked a drink ,gambling and a smoke 🚬 ,top bloke 👍

Not Alex's finest moment by a long way, there were glimpses but nothing either substantial or consistent. Over all it was little better than a club game if as good. We all know he was far better but we all have bad days. Mans I always liked, not a great player especially by later standards but an assuming gentleman style not unlike Ray Reardon but not as many grins. and it was good to see him win a tournament. Was nice to see Alex losing with good grace too.

Higgins absolutely drunk as F here, didn't even bother with orange in the vodka, just straight up 🤣🤣🤣

Different game on those heavy clothes. Reminds me of my amateur days hitting the ball hard with little effect.

Probably the very match that showed up Alex Higgins inconsistency

Alex lost 7 frames in a row because he was on a bender before the session

Nice to see a bit of a laugh and a joke at the start

To all sbooker players of all levels. Learn how to grind and win even on the days that you are not playing well

Think Alex had been on the Vodka?

How much coughing in the audience. They wait until the shot, then cough in between..

Perrie Mans…phenomenal long potter but often let down by his positional play which could be seriously dodgy on occasions.

How loud is the referee.

The real winner of this final was Alex Higgins. He probably ended up in bed with the Benson and Hedges girls. 😂

friendly game back then, chances galore, today's clinical players would destroy them and as a reasonable standard club player I would have taken frames off them, don't think I could snatch a frame off today's players.

Jenni Hermoso in reverse 33:21 😂

perrie should not really have won much as he made low breaks .alex must have been out of sorts to lose this.mabey on the drink too much by look of him.

Perrie Mans highest ever break was 7!

Being c

Man's Was a great single ball potter but poor on breaks .reached a world final once lost to reardon.

What an absolute disgrace this frame was. Total embarrassment

I think I’d have been the snooker world champion in the 70s and my highest break (with luck) is about 28!

The game has evolved so much; these two wouldn't even get through a 1st round qualifying match these days. But both great characters of the sport and the foundations of Snookers wonderful history.

Shocking standard good club player would beat them

It's unwatchable. Don't forget Higgins was on at least one class A drug, probably two or more....

The coughing. The fucking coughing. Sound like a tuberculosis clinic.

Boy was this slow ,don't think l could watch a world championship match if it was this slow

Anyone could have done Ted Lowes job

Nice guy but worse winner ever

Alex Higgins. Probably the worst cue action in the history of snooker.

Any club player of today could have beaten either of these 2. Such poor playing conditions but such a low standard. When Masters finals didn't mean a thing.

Higgins very ungracious at end interview

Both lads could play when potting balls but what you see is safety not great compaired to todays game sport as all things moves on