317.—"Are amateurs to be advised to practise the Gray stroke? In other words, would not Gray, even in justice to himself, do better to cultivate the all-round game?"
He has plenty of time before him to do this. Meanwhile he is making money and perfecting the losing hazard phase as Inman did before him.
Now Inman merely falls back upon his absolutely certain losing hazards the moment he scents danger in the close game, whereas both Stevenson and Reece at times carry theirs beyond the safety point and sometimes get out of touch with the long range losers.
318.—"I am rather a nervous player and one gentleman with whom I play always seems to find something fidgety to do when I am settling down to a difficult shot. He adjusts the blinds or stands with his back to the table chalking his cue, or taps a cage in which there is a canary—all little unobtrusive things, but I cannot help noticing them. What do you advise?"
There are two things that might be done. Compel yourself to ignore it all or chalk your own cue and consider your shot until the little interlude ceases. The first course, if you can manage it, is much the better.
319.—"Is it possible to make a six-cushion cannon?"
Certainly, and these contacts can be made either before or after striking an object ball.
320.—"I find that I can play losing hazards with more certainty into the right middle pocket than into the left. And yet I think I have practised them equally. Is there any reason for this?"
Perhaps in your earliest stages years ago you favoured one side and have not yet quite got over it. Or it may be that your sighting varies a little on the two sides of the object ball, as it frequently does with intended central striking of the cue ball. Make a chalk (tailor's, of course) mark on the cloth 24 inches above central baulk spot and play alternately into right and left pockets.
Note to which side of the chalk mark the object ball returns, and if you find that with the left pocket strokes you are nearly always "cutting" or "driving," instead of making half-ball contact, you will know the trouble and be able to apply the cure. In the meantime it must always be remembered that the position of the feet cannot be quite the same for both sides of the object ball.
321.—"In your issue dated May, 1914, I read here in Bombay with some interest -your answer (No. 309) to a query that had been addressed to you anent 'touching ball when taking aim,' when the player is in hand. May I draw your attention to Rule 6—' Play from hand' —which says, inter alia, 'When striker's ball is in hand it shall be played out of baulk,' etc. This appears to me to be quite emphatic and perfectly clear, so much so that I have always understood when a player (in hand) does not send his ball out of baulk, the penalty is not merely a miss but a foul against him, inasmuch as his ball has not gone out of baulk as required by Rule 6. A case arose quite recently in one of the clubs here where a player was faced with a double baulk— the two balls lying in such a position that the red could easily be potted in the middle pocket. Now the player who was' in hand 'wished so to place his ball, out of baulk, as to cover up this middle pocket and put the three balls in a straight line, with his own ball as close to the red as possible. He failed in his attempt and his ball did not go out of baulk. Might I ask what the penalty is in a case of this sort? Does the player merely give away one point to his opponent, as a' miss,' or should he play the stroke over again? Or is it a foul strokes? Rule 6 seems clear enough:' The striker's ball shall be played out of baulk.' Your decision, however (No. 309) is to the effect that the penalty is merely a 'miss.'"
We corrected this in the June issue. Rule 6 says:—"When striker's ball is in hand it shall be played out of baulk (save as hereinafter provided)."
Rule 7 says:—"When striker's ball is in hand it may be 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. But we are now sure that you and our previous correspondent are right and think that the failure to play a ball in hand out of baulk after touching should be definitely included as a foul stroke under Rule 17.
322.—"In playing losing hazards is it necessary to look to and from the pocket and object ball? Professionals only appear to glance at the object ball?"
They see the pocket without looking at it, and it is the white netting, or most open part of the pocket, that strikes their eye. Decision as to whether the shot is finer or wider than half-ball should be taken instantly, and then the only mental queries are: Fine or run-through contact and free, gentle, or forcing strength. Where gentle strength is required for wider than half-ball, slow side compensates for strength.
323.—"Is it ever the game to play a sequence of close cannons along the bottom cushion? I do not remember to have seen this done, but do not know why it should not be."
We remember an instance in which Stevenson made 30 cannons in this position—it was before the rule limiting close cannons came in—after which a pot and in-off shaped up the drop cannon and 50 more points were added. But the top rail is naturally more favoured for the close cannons as the position for them is more easily gained there, and the alternative strokes when the sequence ends are more available and certain.
324.—"I have had the misfortune to let fall several large drops of oil partly on the bed of my table and partly on the cushion. Can you kindly say how these stains can best be extracted?"
Those on the bed-cloth might be considerably reduced by the application of the hot iron, with a piece of brown paper intervening.
But this must on no account be done with the cushion cloth, or the cushion will be at once affected. To effect entire obliteration of the stains it might be advisable to consult the makers of the table, who might, in turn, send the cloths to the cleaning department at the cloth mill.