Writing on "Billiard Table Adventures" in The Saturday Journal, John Roberts says.—"In the provinces some years ago, when commencing an important match (against Dawson, I think), I well remember the extraordinary behaviour of the spot-boy who attracted my attention The youngster seemed to have been practising hand-stroke billiards, and he returned the balls from the pockets to baulk in a wide variety of diverting styles. Sometimes he made the ball spin so tremendously that I almost had to wait while it stopped, but his best efforts took the form of swinging the ball back in a curve at top speed. I looked pretty hard at him once or twice, which only seemed to encourage him, but he stopped his pranks when, loud enough for all in the hall to hear, I said: ' Young fellow, do you think you are assisting in a circus?'"