The match of 16,000 up between George Gray and T. Aiken, the Scottish champion, was concluded at Alcock's billiard parlour in May, the result being a victory for George Gray by 311 points. The feature of the final day's play was the consistently good form displayed by Aiken. He made a desperate effort to overtake the Australian, and at one stage of the game it looked as if he would effect his purpose. Gray's play was patchy, and the Scottish player took full advantage of the frequent openings to score.
Some idea of the scoring during the evening session may be gained from the fact that Aiken averaged 51.1 for his 22 visits to the table. Gray essayed breaks on 23 occasions for an average of only 28.4. Throughout the match, devotees of the game were treated to fine exhibitions of champion billiards. Gray showed that he is a master of the losing hazard shot. He also displayed an all round knowledge of the game, particularly in top of table play.
Aiken has a different style altogether. His play on the last night was convincing proof of his ability as a cueist. He compiled breaks of 95, 73, 124, 144 and 208, while the Australian's best efforts were 115, 91 and 187.
The highest sessional average was secured by Gray, with 116.7. For the whole game the averages were:—Gray, 39.2; Aiken, 33.8.
The following table gives a clear indication of the play throughout the match:—
GRAY. AIKEN (Rec. 2000).
Points Aver- Points Aver- Session. Scored. Visits, age. Scored. Visits, age.
| GRAY | AIKEN | |||||
| Session | Points | Visits | Ave | Points | Visits | Ave |
| 1 | 586 | 35 | 16.7 | 585 | 34 | 17.2 |
| 2 | 593 | 27 | 21.9 | 582 | 27 | 21.5 |
| 3 | 596 | 13 | 45.1 | 584 | 13 | 44.9 |
| 4 | 876 | 28 | 31.3 | 582 | 28 | 20.9 |
| 5 | 683 | 18 | 37.9 | 522 | 19 | 27.4 |
| 6 | 666 | 28 | 23.6 | 573 | 28 | 20.4 |
| 7 | 667 | 15 | 44.6 | 458 | 15 | 30.5 |
| 8 | 582 | 16 | 36.3 | 781 | 15 | 52.1 |
| 9 | 749 | 19 | 39.4 | 470 | 20 | 23.5 |
| 10 | 669 | 16 | 41.8 | 487 | 16 | 30.7 |
| 11 | 664 | 14 | 47.4 | 378 | 14 | 27 |
| 12 | 667 | 21 | 31.7 | 672 | 21 | 32 |
| 13 | 668 | 9 | 74.2 | 369 | 9 | 41 |
| 14 | 665 | 16 | 41.5 | 450 | 16 | 25.1 |
| 15 | 669 | 9 | 74.3 | 766 | 9 | 85.1 |
| 16 | 667 | 4 | 166.7 | 298 | 4 | 74.5 |
| 17 | 664 | 11 | 60.3 | 533 | 11 | 48.6 |
| 18 | 667 | 13 | 51.3 | 415 | 13 | 31.9 |
| 19 | 669 | 18 | 37.2 | 882 | 18 | 43.4 |
| 20 | 665 | 8 | 83.1 | 423 | 8 | 52.8 |
| 21 | 668 | 17 | 39.3 | 441 | 17 | 25.9 |
| 22 | 665 | 11 | 60.4 | 532 | 11 | 48.3 |
| 23 | 667 | 19 | 35.1 | 683 | 19 | 35.9 |
| 24 | 666 | 23 | 28.4 | 1,123 | 22 | 51.1 |
| Totals | 16,000 | 408 | 39.2 | 15,689 | 407 | 33.8 |
Following are the breaks compiled by each player:—
Gray: 829 (516 red), 520 (516 red), 467 (453 red), 441 (405 red), 366 (249 red), 369 red, 254, 293, 283, 249, 235, 218 (2), 212, 211, 208, 203, 195, 189 (2), 184, 183, 179, 176, 165, 160, 158, 156, 148, 143, 137, 136, 133 (2), 128, 127, 119, 117, 115 (2), 112, 107, 105.
Aiken: 358. 258, 219, 212, 208, 183, 179, 178, 177, 151, 148, 144, 142, 141, 140, 178, 135, 133 (2), 131, 129, 127, 126, 124, 122. 119, 114, 107 (3), 105, 104 (2), 100 (2).