THE first billiard match ever played at the Alexandra Palace took place on Monday, the 12th ult., the day of the Licensed Victuallers' Fete, and we trust that this first match may be followed by a series, which may be as successful as the admirable management shown in every department of the Alexandra Palace warrants us to expect. Cook and Stanley were the two representatives chosen, but the latter, owing probably to his constant practice on the championship table, in anticipation of his late match with F. Bennett, was by no means in form for the spot.
The great feature of the game, however, was the wonderfully brilliant cannon play of W. Cook. Cook during the past week had been repeatedly playing the cannon game with the Dion brothers; the effect, however, of playing with the large balls and heavy cue seemed to have no deleterious effect on his game, but, on the contrary, the balls ran together as if by magic.
Cook made no less than 28 consecutive cannons. During the break he had once or twice to send one of the balls round the table, but it invariably returned to within an inch of the other, calling forth roars, not only of applause, but laughter.
Cook made one good break of 89 early in the~game, and another of 166, in which the 56 by cannons occurred, to finish with, beating Stanley, whose best break was only 50, by 242 points.
ON Tuesday evening, July 6th, the above players contested a 1,000 game, at the Waggon and Horses Hotel, Southgate, Bridge-street, Manchester, for a purse of £5, 'given by the proprietor, Mr. G. A. Gillett, Cavanagh receiving 250 points start.
Owing to the commencement of the play being delayed considerably past the time appointed, it was necessary to adjourn its completion until the following evening the score then being—Roberts, 890; Cavanagh, 886; Roberts holding the cue.
On resuming hostilities, both players showed very good form, the veteran ultimately securing the laurels by 35 points. The principal breaks were as follows: — Roberts, 59, 51, 45, and 43; Cavanagh, 53, 51, 47, and
43. The all-round play of Cavanagh was much admired, but owing to Roberts's proficiency at the spot, he undoubtedly had a very great advantage over his opponent.
The game was marked by "W. Harrison, the superintendent of the room.
THE match for £100 a-side, between Isaac Barrow and Charles Franks, both billiard-markers at Barrow hotels, which has excited great interest in Barrow-in-Furness, came off on Thursday and Friday evenings at the Junction Inn. The game was 1,000 up, Barrow conceding 300 points. Up to eleven o'clock on Thursday night Franks scored 892, and Barrow 852.
On Friday, when play was resumed, Barrow made a few good breaks, and won the match easily, reaching 1,000 points when his opponent had scored 955. Franks has again challenged Barr ow, and another match with similar conditions may be expected.
THE first encounter in London between the two giants that has occurred since the last great match for the championship took place on Thursday evening, July 15th, at the Crystal Palace, when, as usual, the night being a firework night, the rain poured steadily, and the attendance in the reserved seats was somewhat poor.
Cook led at starting, and reached 106 to Roberts's 29, when the latter made a fine break of 95. On Cook soon after reaching 108 to Roberts's 140, Cook played a fine break of 151—the greater part of which consisted of spot-hazards. Here Cook had it all his own way for some time, the balls running very safe for Roberts, and ultimately Cook reached 463 to Roberts's 320. Roberts, however, made a splendid cannon to start with, and, by means of 48 spot-hazards, made the game off the balls with a break of 180, thus winning by 37 points, the game being 500 up.
THESE players met on Tuesday, July 27, at the Wood Green Club, Wood Green, to contest a match 500 up (Jonathan receiving 200 start). Strange to say, Taylor could not manipulate the spot at all, and Jonathan looked as if he would win by his points until the game was called—Jonathan 423, Taylor 220, when the latter began to wake up, and by some splendid all-round play added 150 to his score, while his opponent only placed five on. After this the game was very close; Taylor reaching 484 to 482, when he broke down, Jonathan going out and winning by 16 points. The largest breaks Were—Taylor, 60 (all round); Jonathan, 60 (14 spots).
They then played the best of five games at pyramids (Jonathan receiving two balls), when Taylor revenged his defeat by winning three games in succession: the first by 8 to 2, the second by 8 to 6, and the third by 8 to 7.
The games, which were played on a table by Webb, were well marked by Mr. C. Parsons.
BY far the most important match which has taken place during the past month is that between S. W. Stanley and F. Bennett for £100 a side, the match being played on an ordinary championship table.
It was originally agreed that the game should be played on the 28th ult., but owing to the date clashing with the Goodwood meeting it was mutually agreed between the two players that they should play on Monday, the 26th, at Smith's billiard rooms, No. 303, Strand, a new championship table being provided for the occasion by Messrs. Burroughes and Watts.
It will be remembered that some time back F. Bennett issued a challenge to play any one on a championship table bar Roberts, jnr, Cook, and his elder brother, Joseph Bennett. This challenge was first accepted by L. Kilkenny, the well-known champion player of Yorkshire, but a later acceptance of the challenge by S. W.
Stanley for some reason or other was preferred, and consequently the sum of £100 was staked by each man in the hands of the Sportsman, and a referee was mutually agreed upon by each player on the evening of the contest.
We would here remark, by the way, that as a rule we think players would do well always to appoint the stakeholder to be referee as well. Though the players were extremely happy in their choice of referee on this occasion in getting the services of a gentleman thoroughly conversant with the game, nevertheless it is just possible that occasions may arise in which the stakeholder might consider it his duty not to be bound absolutely by every decision of the referee, it being an open question, perhaps, as to what points a referee is legally capable of deciding.
It is at once evident that in all sporting matters the possibility of a difference of opinion between the referee and stakeholder should be carefully guarded against.
The match on Monday last most unfortunately commenced three-quarters of an hour late, with what untoward result remains to be seen.
F. Bennett commenced with the usual miss; Stanley, however, was the first to score, making a break of 15.
The first break of any importance was when Stanley had reached 82 to Bennett's 94; the former scored 59 off the balls, thus bringing his score up to 141, after which the game progressed somewhat slowly till. Stanley reached 218 to Bennett's 126. At this point Stanley took up his cue no less than eight times running without scoring, except from four judicious misses given for safety by his opponent, who in the meantime reached 178, at which point a well-played break of 51 by Bennett brought the two players close together, and soon after that accurate scorer, young Jonathan, called the game 250 all.
From this point the players kept very level, Bennett reaching 382 to Stanley's 380, when the latter began to play more carefully, and by small breaks succeeded in reaching 455 to Bennett's 397; whereupon, after failing to score three times in succession, Stanley made the break of the evening, viz., 62 off the balls, no bad performance for one only 20 years of.age, on a championship table, and with £100 at stake. This break, included four spot hazards, and several times during the game Stanley gave evidence that"the spot"is not quite so impossible with the small pockets as some persons imagine.
Stanley now had reached 517 to Bennett's 397, or 120 ahead, and without any break worthy of record being made by either player. At three minutes past eleven an interval took place, which, considering that the first part of the game had occupied two hours forty-eight minutes had better have been dispensed with. The score stood at this point: Stanley, 636; Bennett, 507.
On resuming play at 11.26 Bennett began gradually to overtake his opponent. And most certainly during a long period we have never seen the balls run so unkindly for a player. At the same time, it is but justice to Bennett to state that he played very well, and with considerable caution, and that much of the seeming bad luck of Stanley was due to the play of his adversary.
Stanley failed to score absolutely eleven times in succession, save by the safety misses of his adversary—viz., 8 in all. The result of all this being— Bennett reached 654 to Stanley's 700.
Bennett, who at this period of the game played very well, gradually gained on his opponent, and soon after what may be called careful sparring, in which each player gave eight misses for safety, succeeded in reaching 743 to Stanley's 757.
Here, however, Stanley settled down to his work, and playing, as he invariably does, better at the finish, reached 832 to Bennett's 763, and followed on with >a splendid break of.5.7, thus getting again more, than 100 ahead.
Time had meanwhile progressed, and the proprietor of the room called attention to the fact that it was nearly one o'clock—the game being Stanley 907, Bennett 782.
The referee, after some little discussion, ordered the game to be continued:'the next-day, or rather the same day, it being past twelve o'clock, at two o'clock in the afternoon, either man failing to appear by three o'clock to be declared the loser.
At two o'clock on Tuesday Bennett appeared, and quietly handed in the following protest:— "To Mr.—, Referee.
I hereby protest against your decision in directing that the billiard match commenced yesterday between myself and S. W. Stanley, be continued this day, you having no power so to do." F. BENNETT.
"Dated this 27th day of July, 1875."
The representative of the Sportsman, upon the referee declaring that Stanley was the winner and entitled to the stakes, requested both players to attend at the office of the Sportsman by twelve o'clock on the following Friday.
"We have received the following letter from S. W. Stanley:- To the Editor of the Billiard News
SIR, The enclosed is a copy of a letter I have addressed to the Editor of the Sportsman, and which I Should feel obliged if you would insert in your paper.— I am, Sir, yours, &etc., S. W. STANLEY.
To the Editor of the Sportsman
SIR,— I beg to inform you that in accordance with the request of your representative, I will call at your office on Friday next to receive the stakes to which the referee in the late billiard match between F. Bennett and myself says I am entitled. I will also beg to call your attention to the fact that it has been the custom from time immemorial to continue a match at billiards on the following day when there has not been sufficient time to finish it on the first day. In the case when W. Cook played the Moss Brothers for a stake of £200 the game was concluded on the second day. Even during the past month two cases -have occurred in which matches have been concluded the second day. The one occurred on the 6th inst. at Manchester, in a match between Roberts, sen., and W. Cavanagh, and the second at Barrow-in-Furness in match between two local players.
Were such custom not universal and compulsory, it would be in the power of any player in a match for money, by simply delaying sufficiently long over his strokes to keep the game unfinished by the legal closing hours, and then refuse to play again and thereby save his stake. My opponent might, in fact, with equal justice have declined to continue playing after twelve o'clock on the ground that it was Tuesday, and that we had agreed to play on Monday. Without expressing any opinion on Bennett's conduct, which is, I believe, unprecedented in the annals of sport, I beg to state that having taken counsel's opinion on the whole case, and having been informed that there is no doubt whatever but that I am legally entitled to the stakes, I think it best to inform you at once that I claim them.
I beg, however, to express my regret that I should in any way be the cause of your being so troubled, feeling strongly that the result of the match cannot do otherwise than bring disgrace upon a profession to which I belong, and the honour of which it will be my utmost endeavour constantly to maintain.—I am, Sir, yours, &c., S. W. STANLEY.
We are informed that the proprietors of the Sportsman intend paying the money into the Lord Mayor's Court, and we therefore forbear from making any comments whatever on a case that will have to be settled in a court, of law. The present position, however, of the Sportsman somewhat resembles that of Mr. Pickwick between the two rival "Eatonswill" editors.
The following is Rule 4 in the Championship Rules:—
"The game shall be judged in favour of whoever first scores the number of points agreed upon, when the marker shall call "game;" or it shall be given against whoever, after having once commenced, shall neglect or refuse to continue when called upon by his opponent to play."