Jottings of the Month
- The Leicestershire Amateur Billiards Championship was
won by Mr. T. P. Harrison, against Mr. P. Matts.
- In a billiard match of 16,000 up at Melbourne, George
Gray has beaten Aiken, the Scottish champion, who is now
touring in Australia, by 311 points, the latter receiving 2,000.
- The Mount Vernon Hospital, Hampstead, has benefited to
the extent of £33 7s. 6d as the result of the amateur-professional
handicap organized at the Black Lion Hotel,
Kilburn, and which has just been brought to a successful
conclusion.
- W. J. Peall rendered an excellent account of himself in
his match of 22,000 up, in which Stevenson conceded him
11,000. At the end of the fortnight's play on May 3 there
were only 80 points separating the players, Stevenson just
winning the £100 stake by that margin.
- In the final for the Northumberland and Durham Miners'
Billiards Championship, placed at Messrs. Burroughes &
Watts's, Newcastle, on May 17, T. Winter, of Wheatley
Hill (champion of Durham) beat Jack Laws, Cambois
(champion of Northumberland) by 1,000 to 896.
- In the final game of the inter-club competition at the
Billiards Control Club, for the winners and holders (Junior
Constitutional Club) Mr. C H. Mortimer won his game
against Mr. H. Crosland by 97 points, while in the second
game Mr. Lewis Stroud won his game against Mr. G. M.
Roberts (Junior Constitutional Club) by 30 points The
final scores were:Junior Constitutional Club, 970; Royal
Automobile Club, 903.
- At Soho Square, on May 16, the final heat of the annual
Invitation Handicap, promoted by Messrs. Burroughes &
Watts, Ltd., for the West End Club markers, was played
between E. G. Clark (Junior Carlton Club) and F. Cox
(Wellington Club) the result being: Cox (rec. 60), 1,000;
Clark (owes 80), 724. The chief prize-winners of the competition
were 1st (12 gns.), F. Cox, Wellington Club, 2nd
(5 gns.), E. G. Clark, Junior Carlton Club; 3rd (£2 10s),
H. G. Norris, Argentine Club; 4th (£2 10s), J. Jevons,
Royal Automobile Club.
- Mr. C. Midgeley, Altrincham, won the Cheshire Amateur
Billiard Championship against Mr. G. Hinde, Nantwich, by
1,000 to 899. The winner made two breaks exceeding 50.
- There may be a match for considerable stakes next season
between Stevenson and Reece, and the suggestion has been
made by Reece that he should receive 1,000 in 18,000 for
£100 a side, and that the gate should be divided in the ratio
of 5 to Stevenson and 4 to Reece.
- The Acton magistrates, on May 7, sentenced Jean Weidenbaught,
19, a waiter, with no fixed abode, to six months'
imprisonment for stealing a quantity of jewellery, value
£450, the property of Melbourne Inman, of Grange Road,
Gunnersbury, the present billiard champion.
- The intended match for the championship of North
London, which was to be decided on tournament lines
amongst A. Brown, W. H. Sparrow, and E. Hoskin, has
been postponed until next season on account of the difficulty
experienced in finding a suitable place for the contest.
- A novel amateur match was played at the "William the
Fourth," Islington, between Mr E. C. Margetts (Canonbury)
and Mr. B. Leonard (Barnsbury). The conditions
were that the former should receive 100 start, but play every
stroke with the cue held behind his back. He ran out an
easy winner by 93, his best breaks being 24, 25, 28, 30, and
38. Mr. Leonard's best efforts were 21, 22, 22, 27, and 32.
- At the Central Conservative Club, Hull, the final game
for the "The King" Cup was decided between Mr. E. T.
Bartlett and Mr. H. M. Goldstein. The former conceded
40 start in a game of 150, and won by 13. The prizewinners
are E. T. Bartlett, cup and first prize; H. M. Goldstein,
second; R. Ferguson, H. C. Goldstein, G. Taylor, E.
Barker, W. R. Reynolds, and T. Wilson.
- The extraordinary fluctuations in billiard form (or luck)
are shown by Newman's performances early in the month
against Hoskin, who, receiving 150 in 800 in two games,
won by 800 to 381 and by 800 to 617, as compared with his
production at Leicester Square on the evening of May 19
of a 141 average against Inman, who only succeeded in
scoring a total of 63 in a 55 minutes' session, during which
Newman put together his necessary 563, including an
unfinished break of 343. Newman is still only in the
beginning of his twentieth year.
- When all the games had been decided in the Nottingham
Institutes Billiard League, three teams, Mapperley, Sneinton,
and Arkwright Street Wesleyans, tied for top place.
- As nothing counts but points, the three played off what are
described as "deciding" matches for the scroll and medals,
Arkwright Street losing to Mapperley, but beating Sneinton.
In the other "decider," however, which was played at St.
Andrew's, between Sneinton and Mapperley, the unexpected
happened, for Sneinton won, thus each of the three claims a
point, and the situation is precisely as it was at first, necessitating
the playing of the "deciders" all over again.
- The professional billiard season opened in Australia with
a match of 16,000 level at Melbourne between F. Lindrum
and A. E. Williams.
- Stevenson is prepared to concede 2,000 start in 20,000 up
to any player, Inman preferred, for £250 (open to £500) a
side with ivory balls, taking 60 per cent. of the gate receipts,
or to play level, the winner taking everything.
- In the last match of the season between Inman and
Reece some very big breaks were made by both players.
Inman made a 698 and a 653, and Reece was responsible
for an exceptionally fine break of 708.
- Playing W. Cook at Soho Square on May 21st, A. E.
Williamson, the referee and professional at Soho Square,
made a fine break of 198 which stands as his record on a
standard table. On an ordinary table, Williamson has
made as many as 403.
- Nearly every book of billiards that describes the correct
positioning of the bridge hand on the table the "root" of
the thumb is called the "ball." Rather a funny bridge
would be made with the "ball" of the thumb resting on
the cloth.
- The latest proposals in connection with a match between
Inman and Stevenson, emanate from the former's backer,
Mr. Robert Topping, who announces that he is prepared to
match Inman to play Stevenson level with ivory balls for
£1,000 a side and the whole of the gate receipts, the loser in
addition to pay the expenses of the match for which purpose
each side shall deposit an extra £200.
- The Rev. Father Jones, of Runcorn, who has been
re elected president of the Runcorn Billiard League, says
the reason why he accepted the presidency of the league was
that he recognised it would be a means of bringing together
the various political and religious bodies in the town.
- Whether Conservatives, Liberals, Church of England, Wesleyans,
Catholic, or other denominations, they met socially
at the green table, and it had been the means of producing
a very good effect upon the people in the town.
- The second match of 18,000 points between Inman and
Reece, played at Leicester Square, resulted in Reece being
defeated by no fewer than 5,940 points. This was the
seventh important match between the two players within
twelve months, four having been won by Reece and three by
Inman. Reece's successes were at Sydney, Leicester Square,
Glasgow, and in the Tournament at Soho Square, and
Inman's in the Championship at Holborn Hall, at Liverpool,
and at Leicester Square. The match at Liverpool
ended on May 3 with the scores: Inman, 18,000; Reece,
13,864.
- An interesting idea for the curtailment of long sequences
of losing hazards has been devised by J. Mannock, who
gave a demonstration of his plan at the Hotel Victoria, on
May 5. Instead of the "D" area being used when the cue
ball is in hand, the player is restricted, except in the cases
of cannons and winning hazards, to a space within the "D"
marked out with the pyramid triangle. Test games were
played between Harverson and Mannock, and between Harverson
and Mr. S. H. Fry. The difficulty of scoring freely
from hand in this way was clearly demonstrated, but the
general opinion of the spectators, as gathered at the conclusion
of the demonstrations, was that the game of billiards
would not be improved in its general aspects by the adoption
of this method.
- The 14-year old brother of F. Lindrum (Walter Lindrum)
made a break of 203 on a standard table by all-round
methods at the commencement of the present season.
- A daily paper says that Reece, in the course of his 708
break at Leicester Square was "faced with an intricate
brasse cannon." This is more than billiards and less than
golf. Perhaps masse was intended.
- Beginning on October 20th and concluding on November
3rd, H. W. Stevenson and T. Reece will play 18,000 up for
£100 a side at Leicester Square, Stevenson conceding 1,000
points. This match has been settled since the paragraph
on Page 8 was printed.
- Newman has put up some excellent play and many good
breaks, including one of 446 in his match against Inman
at Leicester Square, in which he was conceded 4,500 in
18,000. Inman also made centuries galore.
- Miss Ruby Roberts, the champion lady billiardist, has
been beaten in a match at Sydney, New South Wales, in
which A. E. Williams allowed 5,000 in 8,000 and won by
8,000 to 7,839. Williams made breaks of 283, 242 and 182,
and Miss Roberts' best were 37, 36, and 35.
- The use of Mr. Vaile's cleverly devised billiard cue, or
"snooker jumper," described last month, which assists a
player who is "snookered," will, it is thought, undoubtedly
find favour with billiard players. The question of its use
in professional matches is at present under consideration by
the Billiards Control Committee; but it is likely to be popular
among amateurs, for it helps one to play with more
certainty, while the same amount of judgment is required
as when the ordinary cue is used.
- A new billiard table, purchased by the Rev. S. C.
Allderidge, vicar of Newport, Yorkshire, for the Reading
Room, was opened with a billiard match of 50 up between
Colonel Harrison-Broadley, M.P., C.C., and Mr. A. R.
Empson, C.C. Mr. Empson won a close game by 2. The
table, which formerly belonged to Mr. Whittaker, the donor
of the Reading Room is a remarkably fine addition to the
appointments of the Newport Reading Room, which now
possesses three billiard tables.
- An interesting match was played at Soho Square during
the week ending May 24 between W. Cook and A. E.
Williamson. The match was one of 7,000 points on level
terms, and was won by Cook, by 805. The contestants
are both on the teaching staff of Messrs. Burroughes &
Watts, Ltd.