Jottings of the Month

• Lindrum was entertained at luncheon at the Billiards Control Club on December 13 and afterwards played half-a-dozen games with leading members of the club. Going easily in the first few games, but always winning, he finished by only allowing his opponent (Mr. A. J. Peters), the opening miss.
• The professional championship will be decided a month earlier than usual this year, namely, during the latter half of March.
• Reece did not quite beat Inman in their match for £100 aside which was played at Leicester Square concurrently with the Stevenson-Gray match at Holborn Hall. He made a great fight of it, however, leaving off at 15,711 to 16,000.
• Reece has now deposited £25 to fix three further matches with Inman of 18,000 at £100 aside each and another £200 aside on the final result by points and on the rubber. Meanwhile Inman has issued a challenge to play anyone in the world (H. W. Stevenson preferred) 18,000 up level, with ivory balls, the best of three games for £250 aside. In the event of each winning one game he would play for another £250 on the rubber game.
• Some part of the comparatively poor play of both Stevenson and Gray in the great match at Holborn Hall is attributed to a cold on the part of Stevenson and a damaged finger on that of Gray.
• T. Aiken, the Scottish champion, is playing a great game this season. T. Newman is also maintaining his good season's form. Receiving 2,000 in 10,000 from John Roberts he won by 264, and at Glasgow on December 29, playing against Green, he averaged 125, whilst scoring 627 within the hour.
• W. Smith, the young Darlington player, offered to receive a 6,000 start in 18,000 from the leading players or to meet others whom he named level. This E. C. Breed accepted and the match was fixed for January 1, at Darlington, 8,000 points, and for £50 a-side. W. Smith has made breaks of 505 and 346 during the month on ordinary tables.
• F. Dixon, the well-known and generally-respected referee and marker at Leicester Square, terminates his connection there on January 6 in order to be nearer to his home in Norfolk. A Dixon Testimonial Fund has been opened in The Sporting Life.
• There have been the usual incidents during the month of professional players being put off their stroke by a spectator suddenly striking a match or leaving his seat in the line of aim. Once the victim was Reece and once Gray.
• George Clarke, head marker at the Junior Carlton Club, beat Frank Bass, head marker at the Conservative Club, St. James's, on December 28, by 46 points in 1,200 up.
• At Leicester Square on December 28, against Reece, Lindrum, following his 584 at Liverpool, made a 401 break mostly off the red, and used the top pockets in doing so 50 per cent. more frequently than the middle ones. On December 29, Reece more than got his own back with a break of 645. At Hull on December 1 C. Dawson made a break of 347 against Stevenson, his highest since his recent return to the game.