The first event of any consequence in 1874 was another match for the championship, Roberts, jun., once more challenging Cook, who had remained in undisturbed possession of the title of champion since March, 1872. Cook's star was still in the ascendant, as he won the match, the ninth for the championship by 216 points, in three hours and ten minutes. This game was played on the 4th February. Cook was in wonderfully good form, starting with a break of 121, the largest that had ever been made on a championship table.
About this period considerable discussion took place in various papers with regard to the spot-stroke. Timbrell had been credited with a break of 893, in which were no less than 296 spots; Cook, in the previous year, had made 936; Taylor's famous break with Stanley of 435, were all quoted to prove that the spot-stroke spoiled the game. Some, on the other hand, maintained that, without the spot-stroke, the game became dull and uninteresting. The result of this was that Messrs. Burroughes and Watts came forward once more and offered the liberal prize of a hundred-guinea table and a cue-case valued at ten guineas for a handicap in which the spot-stroke was barred.
This handicap was extremely interesting, and tended to prove that as a rule the best spot-stroke player will generally be also be best all-round player-that is, on an ordinary fairly-made table. This handicap was entrusted to me to make, and the following account of the final heat, which appeared in Land and Water, contains my views on the game written at the time:-
"Taylor, 180, and S. W. Stanley, 200, commenced their first game at three o'clock on Saturday, the final heat being the best of two games out of three. At starting Taylor made a break of 26, thus gaining the points which he had to concede, and getting ahead of his opponent. Stanley, however, soon began to play, and that too in remarkably good form. By means of one well-played break of 50 and several small ones he gradually drew 100 points ahead of his opponent, as he reached 366 to Taylor 259. The latter, however, who had rather the worst of the luck during this run of Stanley's, played on with good pluck. A break of 36 helped him to decrease the lead, and he reached 346 to Stanley 408. Soon after Taylor, by means of two more breaks of 25 and 26 each, got up to 428, while Stanley had in the meantime only reached 443. Here, however, Stanley got in again. A break of 34 brought him to 482 to Taylor 443, when the latter failing to score, Stanley made the game off the balls, thus winning the first match of the three by 57 points.
"The second match commenced as the former by Taylor getting the lead, he reaching 267 to Stanley 245, when the latter made a break of 51, and soon after, by means of another break of over 30, succeeded in reaching 329 to Taylor 268. Soon after however, a splendid break of 63 brought Taylor again to the fore, as he reached 342 to Stanley 337. A 36 break, however, enabled the latter to get away again, but not for long, as Taylor reached 423 to Stanley 407, and soon after the game was called 457 all. At this point Stanley made a very bad stroke, as he missed an easy hazard. Taylor, however; failed to make more than 2, and Stanley soon after by means of a 16 break won the game by 40 points, and with it Messrs. Burroughes and Watts's handsome 100-guinea table, Taylor receiving the second prize of a fitted cue-case worth £10 There can be no doubt but that the victory of a rising young player like Stanley is beneficial to sport. Nothing does so much harm as that systematic shutting out of young men in handicaps in order that well-known influential names may be left in at the finish to make what is called a gate.
"Fortunately billiards in the present day is conducted on very different principles to what it was some years back. The strict integrity of the leading professionals coupled with the wonderful liberality of Messrs. Burroughes and Watts, has been the means by which the game now ranks as high as chess for science, and is entirely dissociated from the vice of gambling.
"In reference to Stanley's well deserved victory, we would call attention to a letter from him we published two months ago, in which he states, ' I believe as a rule it will be always found that the best player at the spot-stroke is the best player after a time at the all-round game. To play the spot-stroke well requires great patience, a great deal of practice, and a great amount of nerve. Now any one who can combine all these is sure to be a good all-round player.... I believe after a certain point that the best player in a match for money will always be the one who funks the least, and not the one who can make the largest break in private, or when there is nothing on the game.'
"There is an old and somewhat vulgar saying that 'the proof of the pudding is in the eating,' which certainly applies in the present case."
It is certainly a curious feature in a "spot-stroke barred" handicap that the two players left in for the final heat were the two who were mostly noted for being entirely dependent on the spot-stroke for their game.
In the following week Stanley met a defeat at the hands of Timbrell, of Liverpool, for the large stake of £1,000 and on the same day Roberts, jun., in a match with Cook, at Stockton, made a break of 800 off the balls.
The next match of any moment in 1874 was one between John Roberts, jun., and J. Bennett, for £200, which took place at Bennett's rooms in Oxford Street, on Monday, June 1st. Roberts, whose best break was 140, won the game by 432 points.
Later on, Stanley got up a handicap at Rupert Street, Leicester Square, in which the following players contended: Joseph Bennett owe 50, Taylor and Stanley scratch, F. Bennett 50, H. Evans 80, Collins 100, Shorter, Richards, and Godwin 125, J. Bennett 140, G. Hunt 175, J. Hart 200, W. Dufton 220, H. Stenning 230, J. Stammers 250, Wilson scratched. This handicap was eventually won by G. Hunt, Stanley being left in to the last heat.
One feature of the year was the visit of W. Cook, the champion, to America, where he was ill-advised enough to play Rudolph at the cannon game. It is needless to say that Cook was defeated, which called forth shrieks of exultation in some of the American papers, which came out with sensational headings, such as "All England brought to grief," etc. Indeed the tone was almost as ludicrous as that of some of the second-rate French papers, who declared in 1865 that "at length Waterloo is avenged," because Gladiateur won the Derby.
To the Americans, however, we owe a deep debt of gratitude, and Cook's visit was certainly not in vain, as he brought back with him the American system of handicaps.