To the Editor:
Could not an amateur championship be arranged on the American tournament principle, with the proviso that the preliminary results are to be final in certain specified districts and that the number of entries shall be limited according to known form to meet the requirements of the case.
When a man has been merely knocked out of a championship he always has the feeling that if he had chanced to be pitted against some other man he would probably have won, but if he went through on the American principle he would know his exact value for little or much and might not be tempted to present himself uselessly for the honour in future Witness recent "championship" play, in which the winner in his section averages 6 46 and the loser 3.48."
Personally, I feel very keen on the idea of county championships and I hope that in some form or other the B.C.C. will find itself prepared to tackle the amateur championship question in time for next season. Could not there be county championships, the winner of which, say in the South- Eastern district, might contest on the American principle for the championship of such district, leaving the champions of districts to contest again on the American principle for National or United Kingdom championships, so that it would be known beyond a doubt that the titular amateur champion was the actual amateur champion, and best amateur player, beyond cavil or doubt, in the United Kingdom.
The objection will, of course, be raised that this scheme would involve a lot of playing and a lot of matches, but it seems to me that this is precisely what the best amateurs need and that it is the lack of it that prevents them from showing form more nearly akin to that of the professional.