It is really difficult to realise the wonderful advance made in billiards during the past twenty years, and it was not until I looked over some of the older records that I fully realised how great the difference is in the billiards of today and of twenty years ago, when John Roberts, sen., was regarded as an exception to all rule-a player whose like would never be seen again.
To illustrate what I mean it is not necessary to go farther back than the December of 1866, when a handicap took place at the Philharmonic Hall, Islington, and in one of the heats Roberts, sen., met Charley Hughes, the former owing 60 points, and the latter starting at scratch in a heat of 200 up. In this heat Roberts made a break of 128, concluding with a series of 38 consecutive spot hazards.
The leading sporting newspaper comments as follows, and it is but just to say that these comments were in accordance with the opinions of all the best judges of billiards of the day:-"What can we say about such a performance ? Nothing save that there never before was such a player, and that there is not his equal in the whole wide world. We do not include England and the continental countries alone, but America, the very hotbed of billiards. To write that there was immense cheering would be absurd. Our pen indeed must fail to describe the applause which followed so great an achievement. "It is really difficult to repress a smile when we read this account, and think of the breaks made by Roberts, jun., Peall, and Mitchell in the present day.
In 1861 Roberts, sen., stood alone, for no player would accept 300 in 1,000 from him. Next came Bowles, Tabley, C. Hughes, and Dufton. I remember the first match between these latter players which took place at the Eyre Arms Tavern, St. John's Wood, in January, 1861. Dufton was favourite, and was expected to perform wonders at the quill stroke, just then coming into fashion, as well as on the spot. Hughes won the game by 90 points, his best break being 50. The break of the evening was one by Dufton, viz., one of 56. The Sporting Life says, "Dufton continued scoring in a brilliant manner, making no less than 17 red hazards with the spot stroke in a break of 56 off the balls."
In a return match made shortly afterwards between the same two men Hughes again won, this time by 190 points, making breaks of 56, 52, 93, and 60, Dufton's best break being 54.
In March in the same year a match took place between Alfred Bowles, of Brighton, and James Tabley, to decide which was the second best player in England. Bowles won by 85 points. His best break was 68, while Tabley never scored 50 throughout the game.
Later on in the same month Roberts, the champion, played one of his very best matches, at Savile House, his opponent being a Mr. Downs, an amateur, who accepted the start of 700 in 1,000. This match well illustrated Roberts's powers. He played a fine dashing, brilliant game, striking his ball, as a rule, far harder than first-rate players do nowadays.
One stroke is worth mentioning. Mr. Downs very properly calculated that if Roberts scored 3 while he made 1, that he would reach game while Roberts's score stood at 900. Consequently Mr. Downs ran a coup. If Roberts gave a miss he would probably run another coup, and so on. Roberts's answer was most effective. He merely said, "Look out, gentlemen," and played at the red ball on the spot, hitting his ball clown, and very hard. Away flew the ball like lightning, red and white both sprang up in the air, one of the balls doubling up the hat of a gentleman who was sitting on some raised seats fronting the spot end of the table. Of course, Mr. Downs soon saw that he could not run coups against nothing, and was then obliged to give a miss. The result of this game was that Roberts, who scored breaks of 96, 58, 195, 200, etc., won by 93 points.
Those who, like myself, were fortunate enough to witness this magnificent performance, as indeed it was at the time, will remember how vastly different was the style then from what it is now. The brilliant forcing hazards-the dash-the evident pleasure the player had of sending in a ball with a bang-the occasional fancy shot, such as some kiss cannon right up the table, or some wonderful screw back, seemed to stamp Roberts's game as something different to any other ever seen before or since.
Probably the same play now would look comparatively poor, after what we have witnessed in more recent times.
For some time after 1861 but little change took place in the way of improvement of play. In December, 1861, Roberts gave C. Hughes 375 points in 1,000, and beat him by 180 points, making two good breaks of 160 and 114. About this time Bowles was universally considered the second-best player in England, and in January, 1864, he played Roberts a match for £100, Roberts giving him 300 points. In this match the Field states: "Then came the break of the evening, the champion making 90 off the balls, and great was the excitement caused thereby.' Bowles won this match by 109 points. In March in the same year Roberts gave Hughes 350 points in 1,000, and won by 243 points; the Sporting Life remarking apropos of the time of the game, which was 2 hours 23 minutes, "an extraordinary performance truly."
The year 1865 was chiefly memorable for a famous money match between Dufton and Green for the large stake of £1,000. Dufton won by 107 points, his best break being 75.
In October, 1866, Roberts and Dufton gave 200 points in a game of 1,000 up to C. Hughes and Joseph Bennett. The latter players won by 344 points. At this period, evidently, the rising player was Charles Hughes, as in this four-handed match the points scored by each were as follows:-Charles Hughes 497, Roberts 488, J. Bennett 281, Dufton 136; though it must not be forgotten that Bennett, who played before Roberts, acted strictly on the defensive, and invariably gave a miss whenever he did not feel sure of scoring, his mission evidently being to prevent the champion from getting a break.
Early in the year 1869, Charles Hughes left England for a tour in Australia, India, and other places, and shortly before he started played a match with Roberts at the Golden Lion Hotel, Deansgate, Manchester. In this match, which Hughes won by 264 points, he made the very fine break of 269 off the balls. Hughes had made many friends, but his promising career was cut off, and, like many others, he may be said to have been killed with kindness.
It was about 1866 that W. Cook first appeared above the horizon, and it required a prophet indeed to foresee that this young player, whose reputation then was, figuratively speaking, no bigger than a man's hand, was destined to rise and eclipse the very sun itself; that had shone so long and so uninterruptedly.
Such, however, was the case, and the history of billiards for the next fourteen years is almost the history of Cook himself. He has had many brilliant victories, and many disastrous defeats. But throughout, friends and foes equally admit that he has done much to raise the tone of the game, and to render it popular. Indeed, in few sports can it be said that through a series of years a man has taken a leading position, and yet even the breath of suspicion has never been known to taint his name. This, however can be said of William Cook, and the universal respect in which he is held by all, once more proves the grand old saying that "Corruption wins not more than honesty."
In 1866 and 1867 Roberts, jun., J. Bennett, and W. Cook were all rapidly coming to the front. In February, 1867, J. Bennett and Roberts, jun., played a match, which Bennett won by 71 points, the break of the evening being one of 52 by Roberts. In the December of the same year Roberts, jun., beat Bennett in another match by 97 points, Roberts scoring breaks of 77, 93, and 61.
In November, 1868, W. Cook played J. Bennett both players having been previously beaten by Dufton. Cook had an easy victory, making breaks of 78, 64, 76, and 60, and winning by 357 points; and in the close of this year Cook played his first match for money with Roberts, Jun. Cook at the time was nineteen years of age, and Roberts twenty-one. The following account of the match appeared in the Sportsman paper, and is well worth studying, contrasting as it does with the play of the present day:-
Roberts, jun., and W. Cook, jun., for £200.
"For nearly twenty years John Roberts, the elder, has been the undisputed Champion of the 'noble game.' And his claims to supremacy have been acknowledged universally, and we have thus been called on to chronicle but few matches of late to which any great interest has attached. When Dufton and Green played, a lot of speculation took place, and when the former and Smith, of Liverpool, met, a good deal of excitement pended. The handicaps two seasons back created somewhat of a furore, and several matches resulted, but no large sums of money have been betted until the encounter of last night came upon the tapis. The opponents were William Cook, jun., and John Roberts, the Champion's eldest son, who played a match of 1,000 up even, for £100 a side, at the new Bentinck Club, 404, Strand. Since the signing of the articles Roberts has practised with Dufton at the Prince of Wales Club, where he put together some remarkably fine breaks. Cook, prior to the match, resided at Brighton, and played a good deal with Bowles.
"Amongst racing men Roberts was the favourite 'for choice,' but at the West End Cook held his own in the quotations. Before the game commenced, however, Roberts's supporters, who mustered strongly, laid £25 to £20 on him, and in some cases £6 to £4.
Long before eight o'clock the room was full, and prior to play opening it was crammed. We were informed that tickets had been issued for 350 persons, but it seemed to us that many more were spectators, and new seats had to be put together for the accommodation of late comers. At sixteen minutes past eight, the balls having been duly weighed, and the remainder of the stakes (£50 a side) posted with our representative, play commenced, Roberts winning the string, and ordering his opponent to begin. Cook was first to score, but they had several strokes each ere a break was made, Roberts getting in with a 19. Cook followed with a 15, and presently the marker called them '29 all.' Then Roberts missed an easy kiss cannon, and Cook having the balls near the top of the table went away with a pretty break of 41, including six spot hazards. From 48 Roberts got in with a 25, and became 73 against his opponent's 78. Then another run of 24 made Roberts 119, Cook being 94 only. The latter, however, here improved his position greatly, consecutive breaks of 21,18, 32, and 36, the last including eight losers off the red, making the game-Cook 191, Roberts 123. Slow scoring succeeded for half a dozen strokes, but from 213 Cook put together 27 (eight 'spots'), and then 18, reaching 258 against Roberts's 159. Here the latter fluked a cannon, and added 13, Cook following with 39, and becoming 302 against his adversary's 172. Then Roberts, in the midst of a break, landed a red winner, and 25 resulted, Cook from 309 getting farther away with a 37, inclusive of a lucky red loser. Game- Cook 346, Roberts 208. From this point the play changed altogether, Roberts, who had been less fortunate in the breaks than his adversary, and had hit out once or twice rather wildly, 'pulling himself together,' and inspiring his backers with fresh confidence by contributing the first substantial run-a 72-in which were a lot of finely judged strokes. Game- Roberts 299, Cook 360. Both were now very careful, and when at 370 Cook got away with a 28 his opponent succeeded with a 41, the marker shortly calling Cook 400, Roberts 404, the partisans of 'young Jack' being almost wild with excitement at this unlooked for alteration in the state of affairs. Roberts followed up his advantage with a break of 38, and was soon again a strong favourite, £14 to £8 being laid on him at 453 against Cook's 417. No contributions of any importance ensued until at 470 Roberts added a 29, and presently he reached 512 Then followed the break of the evening, made principally near the top of the table. It included ten spot hazards, and terminated eventually for 120, Roberts failing at an easy red loser. Game-Roberts 632, Cook 444. The latter made a 20, and then his opponent went on again with a run of 99, this time composed chiefly of 'spots,' of which he put on twenty consecutively. Game- Roberts 731, Cook 465. Betting £30 to £5 on Roberts taken. Shortly Cook got to 471 (Roberts 748), and then added a break of 59, including 17 'spots,' Roberts following with 36, and then with 50 more, in which were 13 spots. Game-Roberts 838, Cook 555. And now a second 'change came o'er the spirit of the dream.' Cook had been playing with the worst, and his adversary with the most outrageously good luck. Four times Roberts began breaks with a fluke, and as often his opponent lost the white ball after the first or second stroke. At 576 Cook added a 32, at 613 he followed with 92, in which were ten spot hazards, and at 703 he made 37 more, contributing no less than 166 while Roberts made 17. Game-Roberts 892, Cook 742. Those who earlier on had laid 'fancy' bets of £50 to £2 and £30 to £1, now began to feel rather 'in the hole,' and though their man here put on a fine run of 60, including 18 spot hazards, Cook continued to score well, and breaks of 31, 92 (20 'spots'), and 24 made him 900 against 976. Roberts now landed a lucky red hazard, and eventually won the best match we have ever seen by 92 points, after exactly three hours' play.
"After so lengthy a description of the game we do not feel called on to enter upon any very lengthy remarks. Everybody who saw the match was delighted, and every backer of Cook must have felt that he had a 'straight run' for his money, and a good man to carry it. At the outset both were undeniably nervous, and Roberts, too anxious to be going on, missed a lot of strokes he would otherwise have made. Then the balls began to break favourably, and from that point he went ahead like a steam engine. Nothing seemed too difficult, every stroke was accomplished by his dexterity and power of cue. His break of 120 was a splendid display of the scientific points of the game, and many of his shots showed that careful attention to finesse had not been without avail.
"Of Cook's performance we cannot speak too highly. Fortune seemed to forsake him early, when Roberts was having chances, and he never got well down to his work again until it was almost too late to retrieve his position. If the match were to be played again we should hardly know to whom to assign the position of favourite. At one time we were impressed by Roberts's dashing style. The result seemed a foregone conclusion. But afterwards Cook got the balls into play, and his remarkable judgement and delicacy of touch forced us to believe that there is little to choose between them. Cook's uphill play was the admiration of all, and though Roberts received the stakes, we are inclined to think the result might have been much closer had Cook's attention not been taken off by mistakes in the marking (particularly when 800 instead of 900 was called in the midst of a spot-hazard break), and by a lot of by-play and loud talking amongst several persons interested to the extent of a few sovereigns in bets."
This account of the match, which at this period of time there is no harm in saying was written by one who was himself a good amateur player, gives a very accurate description of the difference of style between Cook and Roberts, jun; the latter dashing and brilliant, like his father, the former remarkable for judgement and delicacy of touch.
Cook's backers were by no means discouraged by the defeat, and a return match was quickly made, and played in March in the following year-viz., 1869. On this occasion the tables were completely turned, Cook winning by no less than 323 points. His best breaks were 81, 51, 49, 52, and 76; whilst Roberts only once made more than 50 off the balls. Neither man played with such brilliancy as when they last met, and indeed Roberts seemed to be much out of form In addition, he had bad luck throughout, as far as the breaking of the balls was concerned. Cook made altogether 116 spot hazards, and Roberts 37- rather a contrast to the play in an "all in" match in 1888.
After this, Cook, during the remainder of the year, played better and better, making some of the largest breaks ever known. and beating all Roberts's best records. At the Royal Hotel, Dale Street, Liverpool, Cook made a break of 351; and at the Prince of Wales, Moss Side, Manchester, a still better one of 359. A match for the championship was now inevitable, and Cook challenged Roberts, senior, the result of which challenge, and the mode in which it was accepted, deserving a chapter to themselves.