Jottings of the Month

• W. Pindar is 6ft. 4in. in height and C. Falkiner is 5ft. 3in. John Roberts is 65 years old and T. Newman is 20.
• The Irish Amateur Billiards Championship commences at Dublin on or about February 20.
• The Welsh professional champion is now T. Carpenter, who decisively beat Llewellin by 9,000 to 4,916 on January 25.
• In his tournament heat against Peall, Smith averaged 47 for the entire week—a great performance.
• Both Mr. P. Wood and Mr. S. Harwitz, two of the most heavily penalized of the Stock Exchange Handicap players, are now out of the contest.
• With the view of promoting contentment and good feeling among the staff, the Cardiff Guardians have decided to provide a billiard table at the workhouse.
• The annual break handicap held by the Stock Exchange Billiard Association, was won on January 24th by E. C. Garland, with a break of 32. The highest break was 37, by W. D. Waite.
• It has been arranged for the contest for the Midlands Championship and £25 aside between E. C. Breed, Derby, and W. Osborne, Leicester, to be played at the Athenaeum Rooms, Derby, commencing February 3rd.
• For a fifteen-guinea trophy, which has been twice previously won by Mr. J. Bailey, of Penzance, and the amateur championship of Cornwall, play has commenced in the Central Club, Penzance.
• Reece was in great form against Diggle on January 14, scoring 751 to 93 in the afternoon session, and at the afternoon session on January 16 he averaged 134 against 36 by Diggle.
• In connection with the Sheffield and District Championship a special prize was offered for the biggest break. W. Hardinge and W. Andrews each made a break of 75 in the course of the games, and on January 23rd these two played 250 up for the prize. Andrews now put together a fine break of 103, and ran out an easy winner, as follows:—W. Andrews, 250; W. Hardinge, 125.
• Playing Gray in India, Stevenson seems, from such records as are to hand, to have had the greater success of he two. The players remained in Bombay a fortnight, and then started on a comprehensive tour across country to Calcutta, They had obtained introductions to a number of native chiefs, and have played exhibition games at some of their palaces. They part at Colombo on February 15th, Stevenson to go to Burma and Gray to sail home for Australia after an absence of three years. There has been a good deal of rough travelling to be done. In the first week in December last they were playing on the borders of Afghanistan, where they had plenty of ice and extreme cold, and the week following, in Lahore, under extreme heat.
• A match for £25 between G. Clarke and H. Holliwell (old opponents) is suggested by a supporter of the latter player, who is prepared to back his opinion with a stake of £25.
• One of the entrants for the B.A. Amateur Championship, playing 600 up against C. Roberts at Leigh-on-Sea, made breaks of 125, 61, 57, 48, and 44.
• J. Brady and E. Hoskin will play 7,000 up for £25 a-side at Soho Square during the week commencing March 24.
• Amongst the entrants for the B.A. Amateur Championship are Sir A. Conan Doyle and Mr. S. H. Fry.
• In the Stock Exchange Handicap a break of 112 was made by Mr. V. L. Harrington. Apart from this and a 40 by W. Blumenthal, the breaks for the month have been somewhat small.
• Inman and Reece will meet level in two matches in April and May for £250 a-side, the gate proceeds to be equally divided. They will also meet in the Tournament, at Glasgow, and in the championship.
• The third and final match of 18,000 up between Inman and Diggle is proceeding at Leicester Square. Each has won one match and on the result of the present one £150 a-side depends. At the half-way on January 25 the scores were: Diggle (rec. 1,250) 9,234, Inman 7,954.
• In the Welsh markers' tournament there was a replay for the third prize between Tuxworth and Turner, in which the former proved successful. The prize for the highest break (157) went to Hannam and the red ball break prize to Carpenter, who scored 90 by this means.
• Playing against Newman in the professional tournament at Soho Square, on January 2, Reece made a break of 751, and scored 2,737 in the course of two sessions. The break was both a personal and an ivory ball record under existing rules. In recognition of this great combined feat a cheque was presented to the player on behalf of Messrs. Burroughes and Watts.
• When playing Reece at Leicester Square on January 17, Diggle made remarks whilst playing, which annoyed Reece, who protested. Diggle thereupon left the hall for a short time, and stated on his return that he had a perfect right to talk during his own play if he chose, as there was no rule against it. He furthermore said that he was agreeable to the session being abandoned and the money returned to the spectators!
• Although met with magnificent play on the part of Reece in the 9th heat of the professional tournament Newman, who received 2,250 in 9,000 against 1,000 received by Reece, won the heat by 535 points. On January 25 he again rendered a good account of himself by defeating Smith in the Tournament by 1,431 points. It will be remembered that in the level match between these players at the end of last season Smith was the winner largely by grace of a 736 break put up towards the close.
• Carpenter's successful assault upon the Welsh professional championship is mentioned elsewhere in this issue.
• In one of his breaks, it may be added, he exceeded the 200.
• Although not so prominently to the fore this season so far as leading fixtures are concerned, Harverson has been playing with great consistency and ability and has achieved several notable wins.
• Great as was Smith's week's average of 47 against Peall it pales as a record against the phenomenal 89.83 by Stevenson in that memorable season in which the exchampion made one thousand breaks exceeding 100.
• There have been some good breaks in the Professional tournament during the month, in addition to Reece's 751.
• Reece made one of 497 against Aiken and Aiken replied almost immediately to a 570 by Inman with one of 531 on his own account.
• As mentioned in another paragraph Pindar beat Breed in their match of 7,000 level at Leeds. As regards speed the match illustrated the fable of the hare and the tortoise.
• Breed is a very quick and attractive player to watch, but a trifle less speed and a little more consideration would often carry him farther.
• Breaks have ruled low in the press handicap. There have been very few in the thirties and forties and not many in the twenties. The highest thus far is 49, by T. W. Morris. This handicap, by the way, is being played under "Rimington-Wilson" rules, which only allows a miss after a double baulk. The red must also be played upon at the opening of the game.
• Inman and Harverson have been in communication during the month with regard to a match, but nothing is yet settled. The idea is that Harverson should receive 1,500 in 18,000 for £100 a side and that Inman should take six-tenths of the admission receipts. Smith also wants a match with Harverson on the basis of 1,000 points conceded in 16,000 for £100 a side.
• The Lord Mayor of Leeds (Mr. A. W. Bain) has consented formally to open the new club for Leeds shop assistants of both sexes, warehousemen, and clerks, on February 19th. One of the first players at the billiard tables was a young lady member, who exhibited a surprising degree of skill. Already some of the non-playing lady members have announced their intention of taking up the game.
• In a sense Newman won his tournament heat against Reece twice over. The game seemed to be his before Reece put on that wonderful 751 and equally wonderful day's total, and to rise superior to such a "back-hander" was grit indeed on the part of the winner. By the way, Newman, on the afternoon of January 24, in his heat with Smith, averaged 112, and altogether he has shown himself well worthy of his position in this month's Billiard Monthly portrait gallery.
• In the B.A. Amateur Handicap at the Temple Restaurant several breaks exceeding 50 have been made. P. S. Fewings made 54 and 57, A. "Shaw" 60, J. G. Taylor 64, W. S. Jones 53, G. Samwell 60, J. L. Taylor 58, and A. C. Edwards 56, and eclipsing all these was a fine 137 by Mr. A. W. T. Good. The following were the winners of the five prizes: First prize (presented by the B.A.), W. G. Holmes; second prize (presented by Mr. Eumorfopoulos), A. C. Edwards; prizes for players beaten in the semi-finals, A. "Shaw" and S. S. Fewings; highest proportionate break prize (presented by the president), A. W. T. Good.
• The Professionals' Association Handicap and Championship will be commenced at the Bedford Head Hotel on February 17.
• A Welsh Billiards Association has been formed, including such members as A. F. Hill, an old International football player, J. L. Perry, Welsh ex-amateur champion, etc.
• Lancashire and Yorkshire have many billiard champions. John Roberts, E. Diggle, and T. Reece are Lancastrians. C. Dawson and H. Stevenson are Yorkshiremen. During the past ten years the amateur championship has been won five times by Yorkshiremen and once by a Lancastrian.— Yorkshire Evening News.
• Members of the B.C.C. who have entered the Billiard Association championship event include Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, R. Hill New, Lewis Stroud, and A. W. Sellar, while the holder of the British and English championship—H. E. Virr—is also club champion of the B.C.C. Since the portion of this issue that contains page 8 was printed we have been informed that the heals in the London section of the B.A. Amateur Championship will be played at Messrs. Orme's, in Soho Square, and not at Olympia, as at first arranged.
• Cannot Aiken overcome that habit of tapping the cue ball on the top whilst taking aim?
• The New Year's Handicap at the Globe Club resulted in a victory for Mr. J. Barnett, who beat Mr. G. Summers by 17. The starts in 200 up of the players were respectively 128 and 115.
• Why is the better amateur form so much below professional form? Because professionals in their earlier years of practice have usually almost the unlimited use of a table. Moral to aspiring amateurs: Have your own table.
• Recent additional members to the Executive Council of the B.C.C. are:—Sir John H. Dimsdale, Dr. Frank Smith, and Messrs. W. Bessemer Wright and M. H. Spielmann.