86.—"If a stroke in snooker involving a penalty is seen by the marker but not by the opponent should the marker score the penalty?"
Certainly.
87.—"Are balls to be spotted after all foul strokes (defined by the B.C.C. Rules) or any stroke made in contravention of those rules?"
Yes.
88.—"When a player causes a ball to leave the table, are the balls to be spotted then, and is his opponent to play from the D? Does the same rule apply when a player uses the wrong ball?"
Yes.
89.—"When a losing hazard is combined with a cannon red ball being struck first, how many points does it count?"
Five.
90.—"Our working men's club is forming a billiard handicap on the American principle and we want, while assisting the poorer players, to encourage also better players. What is the best system to adopt?"
We do not think you can do better than follow the general lines of the Burroughes and Watts tournament, which is providing keen games on the lines laid down. The points are allotted irrespective of the handicap, the best proportionate break receiving one, the best at half-way two, and the winner of the heat three.
91.—"Are run-throughs easier with ivories than with composition balls?"
With ivories. 92.—"Will you please give the line of aim and contact for the so-called 'half run-through' in-off stroke?"
Line of aim half-an-inch inside the edge, and contact one-quarter inch from centre.
93.—"May I ask you to describe the half-ball angle mathematically? Is the angle measured from point of contact or point of aim?"
It is an angle of about 45 degrees from centre and 35 degrees from edge of cue ball. The angle is taken from the point of aim, i.e., the edge.
94.—"What allowance in aim has to be made in using running and reverse side respectively?"
One inch fuller or finer the full length of the table for an average amount of side and with average nap and lesser distances proportionately. Down the table the side is reversed, or the aim is made an inch fuller with check side and at edge with running side. This only applies to slow side and the strokes must be practised and noted on the broad basis above laid down. In fast, cross-table, or near strokes the deflection caused by side is non-existent or inconsiderable and the strokes must be differently treated.
95.—"Seeing in your valuable paper, or possibly it was in one of those that preceded it, that if in snooker pool the balls aretouching a miss cannot be given as in pyramids, and taking this to mean that if a player is on a red and touching the black he has to give seven away I am making that the rule in the billiard hall where I am the marker, but feeling not quite sure on the subject I should be glad if you would give me your opinion."
If the player whose ball is touching a coloured ball can play away from such ball without disturbing it there is no penalty, and the game proceeds as usual. This point has not been dealt with previously in The Billiard Monthly.
96.—"When making the cross in-off what are the different angles of throw-off in the cases of ivory, crystalate, and bonzoline balls as applied to the half-ball shot?"
Throw-off is wider in crystalate than in ivory, and wider still in bonzoline.
The best way to overcome this extra throw-off, and to assimilate the angle to the half-ball angle, is to aim proportionately thicker.
There are other ways of overcoming the difference according to the subsequent position required for the object ball, such as spotting a little wider (when playing from baulk), aiming a little finer, or using check side. It is largely a question of the exact sort of stroke to be negotiated.
97.—"How should the cue ball be placed for half-ball strokes with ivory, crystalate, and bonzoline, in the different recognised positions?"
With ivories and with the object ball on the centre spot and the cue ball in hand the cue ball should be four inches inside either end spot of the D; with object ball on pyramid spot the cue ball should be on end spot of the D; with object ball on billiard spot cue ball should be against a middle pocket upper shoulder or a top pocket upper shoulder for the top corner pocket in-off. Other positions must be judged by the eye. As regards the placing for crystalates and bonzolines please refer to reply No. 96.
98.—"Is it possible to straighten a billiard cue? I am told that the only thing to do in such a case is to buy a new one."
The following plan might be worth trying. Place the cue in hot sand until it is heated through at the bent part and then straighten it by bending it in the direction required. This is the way in which walking sticks are treated.
99.—"At a discussion in a club over a billiard handicap I happened to mention that I would rather owe sixty in one hundred than give forty in one hundred, but few who were present seemed to agree with me. What would you say is the equivalent of forty in one hundred in owing, and is there any book that shows how to calculate this for handicapping purposes?"
If you give forty in one hundred up your opponent has to score sixty while you score one hundred, or three-fifths of your score.
If you owe sixty in one hundred your opponent has to score 100 while you score 160, or five-eighths of your score, which is 2½ per cent more than three-fifths. That being so you are evidently right. The handicapping cards issued by the Billiards Control dub are extremely convenient for calculating starts on a known average.