Jottings of the Month

• By scoring 7,000 to 6,906 against A. Brown, E. Hoskin won the North London professional championship.
• By scoring 510 in his tournament match against Newman, Inman gained three points under the regulation relating to merit breaks.
• At the Globe Club in the Christmas handicap, the final was won by one point by G. Summers (rec. 100) from R. King (rec. 150).
• E. C. Breed, the Midlands champion, has offered T. A. Dennis 1,000 start in 8,000 up with ivory balls for £25 a side. The challenge has been accepted, and the match will be played about the end of January.
• At the Midland Hotel billiard room, Birmingham, on December 4, Albert Cope, a Midland professional, made a record Snooker break of five blacks, two pinks, one blue, two browns, one green, three yellows, and fourteen reds, or 83 in all.
• Playing against Falkiner on December 5, George Gray made his 28th 1,000 break—but only just, as the run came to an end at 1,001. Other breaks made by Gray in the same match included five above 500, and Falkiner, who played exceedingly well throughout the succession of avalanches, made a 306.
• Diggle has probably never played either so badly or so well in succession in the tournament as during the past month. Playing Aiken he actually scored 3,427 fewer points than his opponent, and playing Stevenson 1,238 more. Truly billiards is the game of uncertainties.
• Two boy amateurs, named Fraser Farrar, of Wandsworth, and J. J. Ashley, of Camberwell, each 19 years old, played a match for the amateur boy championship of London on successive days in the week ending December 13, and the result was: Ashley, 2,000; Farrar, 1,757. The latter made a top of the table break of 70, in which were 26 close cannons.
• The professional championship this year promises to be more interesting than any that has been contested for many seasons. The entrants are:—M. Inman (champion), H. W. Stevenson (ex-champion), T. Reece, and G. Gray. Practically the whole of March will be occupied with these contests, in which Stevenson will play the winner of the first heat between Reece and Gray, and Inman will play the winner of the second heat. The challenge heat will be contested in the Holborn Hall.
• Much interest is felt in the decision of George Gray to try conclusions with ivory balls with the leading players. It has always been understood that upon his relinquishing the composition ball he would require at least six months of private practice to fit himself for championship form with ivories. The Billiard Monthly has never supported this view, and has instanced, amongst other things, the extraordinary performances of Stevenson with ivory balls immediately after the protracted use of bonzolines in company with Gray and elsewhere in various parts of the world.
• In the final heat of the Jockeys' Billiard Handicap at the Bedford Head Hotel, Fox beat Hewitt by 28.
• There was an exciting finish to the Birmingham Amateur Championship of 1,000 up, which was won by Mr. J. H. Smith after the game had been called 990 all.
• Alec Taylor, writing to G. Nelson, says that he is leaving New Zealand for China, where he has already been three times.
• Playing against Inman at Burroughes Hall on December 2 Newman made a break of 539, which was his record up to that date. He had previously scored a 526 and has since made a 590.
• The semi-final in the Northampton Amateur Championship was won by Mr. W. Reesby by 500 against Mr. M. Morris with 464. The final, to be played this month, will be between Mr. Reesby, the holder, and Mr. W. Gooing, the previous winner.
• The Victoria Club handicap, in which eight of the best players of the Club took part, resulted as follows:—Mr. A. A. Moore (rec. 90), 300, v. Mr. F. Brighton (rec. 50), 231.
• The Christmas handicap secured an entry of 64 players, and was won by Mr. J. T. Crossley (rec. 94), 200, v. Mr. A. H. Watkins (rec. 107), 179.
• Harverson played very finely in his 17,000 match with Reece, and it is a pity that the game ended in a draw, although play was continued on the last day until midnight, with the following result:—Harverson (rec. 1,000), 16,793; Reece, 14,243. It will thus be seen that on actual points Harverson beat Reece by over 1,500.
• December has been a good month for Newman. There was a time during his tournament match with Inman when he had some reason to feel discouraged as to the result, and in his longer match with Aiken in Glasgow the result was by no means a foregone conclusion in his favour, but in the end he won both games, and is, so far, the one unbeaten leading cueist this season.
• Making breaks of 81, 65, 61, and 58, A. F. Peall beat Frank Collins, to whom he conceded 150 in 650, by 147, on the occasion of the benefit of the markers at the headquarters of the Stock Exchange Billiard Association. In three subsequent games of Snooker Pool, however, with an exceedingly good amateur player, Mr. H. O. W. Holmes, Peall was narrowly defeated in the first and third games and drew in the other one.
• An interesting exhibition billiard match was played between Mr. Sellars (Southern Counties amateur billiard champion) and Mr. Chignall, a member of the Reading and County Liberal Club. Mr. Sellars conceded Mr. Chignall 400 start in 1,000, and when the game was called the score was: Mr. Chignall, 1,000; Mr. Sellars, 997. Mr. Sellars' chief breaks were 81, 73, 61, 58, 42, 39, 30 and eight breaks over 20. Mr. Chignall's best breaks were 32, 28, 26, 23, 22, 21 and 20.
• At Darlington W. Smith is conceding Breed 2,750 in a match of 9,000 up.
• W. J. Ayres, the chairman of the Billiard Professionals' Association, defeated W. J. Hogbin, of Kilburn, by 1.000 to 7 7 7.
• Arrangements are, according to The Canterbury (New Zealand) Times, in hand for a New Zealand tour of Miss Ruby Roberts.
• The Beaufort Club's Christmas handicap was won by Mr. C. W. Branstone (rec. 120), 200, v. Mr. George Richards (rec. 78), 179.
• Inman has again been robbed. This time of a Snooker Pool cabinet and balls from his billiard room at the Castle Hotel, Richmond.
• The first round of the Press Handicap, for which there was an enormous number of entries, has been proceeding during the past month.
• The Welsh Billiard Association intend to bring off both the Welsh Professional and Amateur championships at Pontypridd in the latter part of January.
• Gray's first matches with ivory balls will be in an important series of three encounters, each of 18,000 up, with Newman (rec. 4,000). No less a sum than £2,100 is at stake on these three matches, and the winnings will be paid over at the conclusion of each game. The first match of the series will take place in London probably about the end of January.
• Three successive scores which would have rejoiced some amateurs exceedingly, but are not so regarded by more careful players, and were probably rather annoying on the present occasion, occurred during the Reece Harverson match. Having potted the white, and desiring to leave a double baulk, Harverson fluked the red ball down on three successive occasions before succeeding in carrying out his desire.
• Stevenson was stopped in a break in his tournament heat through playing on to an object ball before the other object ball had come to a standstill. This is, of course, quite a sound rule, as no one knows for certain otherwise what might happen to, or on account of, the ball in question. On another little point also the referee did not quite seem to please Stevenson, who protested that a certain 100 completed by Diggle was not at once marked on the indicator.
• A break competition under handicap conditions was carried through on December 23 by the members of the Stock Exchange Billiard Handicap Association, and the first prize was won by Mr. V. Blumenthal with a break of 22. Other leading scores were:—Mr. F. Yates, 47; Mr. P. Harwitz, 39; Mr. P. Tharp, 25; Mr. M. Linde. 23; Mr. B. W. Thornton, 20; Mr. H. V. Jones, 20; Mr. W. D. Waite, 19; Mr. C. Warr, 18; Mr. S. Harwitz, 17; Mr. E. Garland, 13; Mr. W. M. Edwards, 10.
• Harry Taylor, who is not yet seventeen years of age, easily won the Leeds handicap. He received £50 as his guerdon, and Mr. Jones, of Guiseley, won the second prize, value £20. Unfortunately, the handicap was not a financial success, except for the successful competitors, and there will be no surplus to hand over to Charity. Playing Inman at Pembroke Dock, with a start of 400 in 800 up, Taylor won by 500, thus actually scoring 100 more points than the champion. In a second game, however, receiving 300. in 1,000, Taylor lost by 149.

• Sixty Years with the Gresham Club.

  Is billiards conducive to good health and permanency of occupation?

  

  Mr. L. Price

  Mr. L. Price, the doyen of billiard stewards, completed sixty years' service at the Gresham Club, Gresham Place, E.C. on the 9th November, 1913. No member is now living who was connected with the club when Mr. Price entered its service in 1853. Mr. Price is still hale and hearty in spite of his years, as the photograph seen here will show, and still remains in harness.

• A twelve hours' match was played between Alec Brown and W. R. Wall (who made an excellent show in last year's B.A. Amateur Championship, and has now become a professional), and the result was: Brown 4,130, Wall 3,270.
• It is not generally known that King George is an extremely good billiard player, and this is now practically his only form of recreation after dinner. The billiard-room at Balmoral, which was recently redecorated for the use of His Majesty, has a very handsome appearance.—Mayfair.
• The Albert Club Benevolent Handicap, for which there were 64 entries at one guinea each, was won by Mr. P. Topping (rec. 85), 200. v. Mr. F. W. Eason (rec. 55), 140.
• Mr. Topping has nominated the Charing Cross Hospital 10 receive £40, and Mr. Eason gives his share to the Royal Ear and Throat Hospital.