312.—"It would be of interest if you could give some guide as to when a table is 'fast,'' medium,' and 'slow.' Some of my friends say my table is' fast,' others say about average. Spotting on the centre of the baulk line, and striking hard and freely the centre of a 2 3/32 in. ivory ball, I can nearly get four lengths run, i.e., the ball finishes about touching the bottom cushion. Can a table be made faster than that, and would it be any advantage? If one can, without unduly hard striking, bring a ball from hand off three cushions back to baulk for a cannon, after first hitting the object ball, it seems all that is necessary. May I add that the hints in The Billiard Monthly and the Questions and Answers. have proved most helpful and interesting?"
We should say that when a good player with a very free stroke can drive the ball four table lengths from baulk the table is exactly right, neither too fast nor too slow. It is possible to make a ball go five, or even six, lengths by using the hand instead of the cue, but we do not regard this as a very exact test. Of course, a great deal depends upon the way in which the ball is struck. To get the best results the cue should be lightly held and swung right through the ball, say, from 10 inches behind to 10 inches in front, working meanwhile as low down and as level with the bed of the table as possible. The nearer the ball can be kept to the absolute middle of the table the better. Tables can certainly be made, and are made, faster than the one you describe, but we do not think that any great advantage arises therefrom, and we agree with you that a table on which the life is retained in the ball after a long all-round cannon should be fast enough for all practical purposes. Unnecessary variation in the fastness of tables is very perplexing and adds a new and gratuitous difficulty to the game. For instance, on some tables a long-range loser into a bottom corner pocket can never be relied upon, even at forcing pace, to bring the object ball out of baulk the second time, and the table is then too slow. Thanks for your kind remarks as to The Billiard Monthly.
313.—"When a player plays the wrong ball unnoticed, and has continued for a series of strokes, can his opponent claim a foul, and does the score count that he has made?"
Playing with the wrong ball constitutes a foul stroke, but all points made previously to the claim of foul may be scored (Rule 17, Section h, B.C.C). As soon as the foul is discovered the baits are spotted and the opponent becomes the striker.
314.—"I have just read your answer, No. 309 in the current number of The Billiard Monthly, and it is at variance with what I have been told by Mr. Williamson, the referee at Messrs. Burroughes & Watts, and by the Secretary of the Billiards Control Club. As the B.C.C. rules are not explicit on the point, I put the question to Mr. Williamson about a year ago, and he told me that when a ball in hand is touched in taking aim and is not sent out of baulk it is a foul stroke. Two months ago I questioned the Secretary of the B.C.C. on the same matter, and he stated that it is a foul stroke and a miss—for which the balls are spotted and one point scored to the opponent. I shall be very much obliged if you can definitely clear up this most important point, as it is constantly occurring in the game (it happened to me last night), and I would respectfully suggest that when the B.C.C. rules are next revised it should be specifically referred to and the penalty stated."
Mr. Williamson and the Secretary of the B.C.C. were right. Rule 6 says:—"When striker's ball is in band it shall be played out of baulk (save as hereinafter provided)."
Rule 7 says:—"When striker's ball is in hand it may he played against a cushion in baulk to hit a ball which is out of baulk." which appears to be the exception named in Rule 6.
Thus the stroke is foul and the balls should be spotted. The rules that misled us were Sections b and f of Rule 4, which define a ball as being in play when not off the table and the touching or striking a ball in play as a stroke. Rut we are now sure that you are right and we agree with you that the failure to play a ball in hand out of baulk after touching it should be definitely included as a foul stroke under Rule 17.
315.—"I would very much like your valuable advice on purchasing a cue: (1) As to best weight; (2) As to correct length. I may say that I play a delicate game. Perhaps if I knew the weight of cue used by Inman, Stevenson, Reece, Gray, or Falkiner, I might have a better idea, as I have seen all these play."
The standard length of cue is 4ft. 9in., and the standard weight 15½ ozs. All the leading professionals adhere to these standards. The balance and the diameter of butt are a matter of personal preference, as is also the width of tip, which, however, we should put at 7/16 in. as a good average width.
316.—"Can you explain, from the scientific and technical point of view, why potting with side is, or appears to be, so much more difficult than with a plain stroke? At present I frequently hesitate to use side in potting, either at billiards or snooker, because I feel that I am likely to miss the stroke altogether."
The reason why potting with side is more risky than without side is that it is more difficult to hold the cue exactly parallel with the central striking line than at the side of that line, and because there is a tendency to turn the point of the cue only away from the centre, instead of moving the entire cue to the side. Another difficulty is that when a potting stroke is played slowly with side, either up or down the table or transversely across it, the cue ball works with a slight bias and makes a correspondingly different contact, unless this has been provided for. In a table length up the table slow aim must be dead full with running side if the half-ball contact is to be made and an inch fine with running side. For quarter-table length the variation is quarterinch; half-table, half-inch; and three-quarter table, three-quarter inch. Down the table running side has to be exchanged for check side and vice versa, or the full and fine aims reversed.
More side is obtained by striking the cue ball on the centre, but longer sustained side by striking it below the centre as well as more reliable running.