219.—"For some months I have been studying the columns of The Billiard Monthly, but have failed to find either there, or anywhere else, any advertisement of any professional who teaches billiards. I would like a few lessons from a professional of class, but have no idea of any name or scale of charges. Can you give me any information at all? I should be much obliged if you would."
The professional and referee at Messrs. Burroughes and Watts's is Mr. A. Williamson, and his charges (including use of table) are 7/6 per lesson for a course of six.
He is an excellent tutor. All the professionals give lessons at varying charges up to a guinea or more per lesson, and we could send you the addresses of any to whom you might wish to write.
220.—"It has occurred to me that an interesting article might be written in The Billiard Monthly on the subject of' Billiards for Boys.' The point to me is: Why should not boys be instructed in the game of billiards at school in the same way as they are in cricket and football, for which games special instructors are provided?"
We will certainly go into the subject of billiards for boys. There are already, to our knowledge, billiard tables in several schools—in a large one at Brighton, for example —but we take your point to be that there should also be professional instruction. As we have said, we will get some data on the subject.
221.—"Can you inform me, through The Billiard Monthly, if anything can be done to improve the appearance of a cloth worn white about the spots?"
We are of the opinion that nothing can be done effectually to improve the appearance of a cloth that has worn white round the spots. The use of a little "Dolly" dye, however, might not injure it, but such would probably be only a temporary remedy.
222.—"Sometimes I get quite good screw-backs, but at other times the cue ball jumps, and once or twice I have run the risk of cutting the cloth. Is there any safe rule with regard to screw-backs?"
The safest rule that we know of is also the safest for billiards in all its phases: "Overdo nothing." The unnecessary use of side; too low cueing; excessive force—all of these are bad things. Never use side when a plain stroke will produce equally good results—as in two cases out of three it will do—rarely strike the ball lower than midway between its centre and the cloth; and never use No. 6 strength when No. 4 would do quite nicely. With regard to your specific question, you have probably overlooked an important point, namely, that when the butt of your cue is raised the tip must be raised in proportion if a mis-cue beneath the ball is to be avoided, as the strikable centre of the ball is now more than one inch from the cloth.
223.—"One thing that I have never yet been able to understand in billiards is how certain 'kisses' that invariably occur with me never seem to happen With some other players. Take the gentle run-through into a corner pocket, for example, with both balls against the top cushion and only six inches separating the cue ball from the object ball and the object ball from the pocket?"
The cueing here must be low as well as gentle so as to retard the cue ball and give the object ball time to take both shoulders and clear away before the cue ball can reach it. It is this principle of a lagging cue ball that prevents kisses in some other positions where the collision would otherwise be inevitable. In other cases, again, the kiss is avoided by a finer or fuller contact with the object ball.
224.—"Can two balls out of baulk be played upon from hand if a cushion inside of baulk is struck first?"
Certainly. The cue ball is played out of baulk before reaching the object balls, and that is all that the rules require.
225.—"I know that it is necessary to aim fuller with running side and finer with check side whenever the cue is raised, but does not this also apply when no side at all is used and the cue is raised?"
No. You may seem to be using no side, but you are not standing according to the intended line of the cue.
You will find that it is quite possible for the cue ball to be sent straight up the table with the cue raised, and if this can be done once it can be done always under the same conditions.
226.—"When playing slow side up the table from hand is it the usual practice to increase or reduce the amount of side by altering the cue contact or the ball contact?"
It is entirely a question of where it is proposed to direct the first object ball.
If the usual amount of side will both make the cannon as desired and direct the first object ball as desired, well and good, but where this is not the case the cue tip must be adjusted nearer or farther from the centre of the cue ball when taking aim, and the aim must also be modified slightly, as the cue ball works off with the nap before reaching the object ball in proportion to the amount of side with which it is laden.
227.—"Is it considered to be better, when playing for a drop cannon and trying to get 'inside' the cannon ball, to play finer than half-ball or to spot a little wider?"
Unless it is necessary to play finer in order to ensure good position for object ball, it is always better to spot a little wider and play half-ball. Indeed, it is a sound billiard principle to take the edge of the object ball as the aiming point as often as possible, other things being equal.
228.—"How many consecutive safety misses may be given under Billiard Association rules?"
There is no limit to safety misses under B.A. rules.
229.—"Is it permissible, after having given a miss out of baulk at the beginning of a game, to give a direct miss into baulk as the second stroke by the same player?"
No. The rule on this subject (B.A. 4) is: "When commencing a game the red ball shall be placed on the billiard spot and the striker play from the D. His ball shall be forced out of baulk and shall not be brought back into baulk without having previously struck a ball or cushion. This rule shall not prevent the striker first playing at a cushion in baulk."