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.