| VOL. I. No. 6] | OCTOBER, 1875 | [Price TWOPENCE |
OUR PORTRAITS
WE must honestly confess that a very ridiculous mistake occurred in the early number of our last issue. The portrait of L. Kilkenny, the champion of Yorkshire, was, by some extraordinary coincidence, affixed to the papers instead of that of S. W. Stanley—a short account of whose life we published.
While regretting, however, that such a mistake should have occurred, we are glad of the opportunity it gives us of stating that the order in which we publish Our portraits is quite irrespective of any supposed order of merit, and we mention this fact as we fear that a somewhat false impression has got abroad that we intend giving the portraits of the best players first.
Now any attempt to place the leading professional players in an exact order of merit would, we consider, be as presumptuous on our part as it would be impossible. The order, therefore, in which these portraits will in future appear, we wish it to be distinctly understood will depend upon circumstances quite distinct from what many have erroneously supposed.
Nor do we undertake to confine our portraits necessarily to those of billiard players only, though, of course, they will have the preference. We should naturally pick one who enjoyed for the time the greatest notoriety, and S. W. Stanley himself was chosen for our last issue, not on account of his play, good as it is, but because there seemed every probability of his being a principal in a lawsuit in reference to his late match with F. Bennett. We, however, congratulate him in having kept clear of those learned gentlemen. Ha and Bennett would have probably had a shell each, but who would have had the oyster?
LOUIS KILKENNY
WE are not personally acquainted with the town of Ardwick, near Manchester, nor do we know if its air is particularly bracing; it can, however, boast of being the birthplace of two of the finest and at the same time best-nerved billiard-players the world has ever witnessed.
It was at Ardwick, as we before mentioned, that in August, 1847, John Roberts, the present champion, was born, and eight years previous to that date—viz., on September 3rd, 1839—Louis Kilkenny in the same place first saw the light of day.
Under these circumstances we cannot altogether regret our mistake of last month. Louis Kilkenny must have received his likeness on his birthday, and had we but have known it at the time we would have wished him a hearty "Many happy returns of the day;" wishes, we are sure, in which every billiard-player in the country would have joined, the more heartily since it is well known that his whole professional career has been, like Caesar's wife—above suspicion.
Louis Kilkenny commenced to play billiards at the early age of fourteen at Howarth's Billiard Booms, Market-street, Manchester. This was, of course, more than twenty years ago, when those rooms were frequented by such players as Tabley; Smith, of Liverpool; and Tom. Morris and Sam Bunting, of Man Chester; and probably Kilkenny, in his early days, is indebted to each of these players for many a lesson.
Kilkenny, on leaving these rooms, went to assist Bowles, who at that time had just succeeded Roberts, sen., at the Union Club, Mosley-street, Manchester, and here again he had the advantage of a good model placed constantly before him.
It is, we think, always interesting to trace the early life of great players, as it will almost invariably be found that they have had the advantages of seeing good play. The moral that may be deduced from this is, amateurs should as much as possible avail themselves of the increasing facilities for improving themselves that now abound in the shape of exhibition and other matches. As we have often had occasion to remark before, to watch two first-class players is far more improving than playing with an equal.
Louis Kilkenny, in his very first match for money, gave promise of what his future career was likely to be. During a visit of Roberts, sen., and W. Dufton to Huddersfield, a match was arranged between Kilkenny, when still a mere youth, and Dufton, the latter conceding 100 points in 1,000. The match was for £2-3 a-side, and so confident were the veteran players that they laid 2 to 1 on Dufton.
The result, however, proved the truth of the old saying, that there are as good fish in the sea as ever came out of it. Kilkenny, to the intense delight of his backers, won the game by no less than 397, and in addition had the honour—of which at his age he was naturally proud—of scoring the largest break in the game, viz., one of 85.
Kilkenny's next match was to many a still greater surprise, as he had to encounter the then renowned Johnny Hirst, who gave him 250 in 1,000, for a stake of £50. Kilkenny, however, was again victorious, and won by 19 points more than he received. This match took place at the Queen's Hotel, Southport, during the Waterloo Cup meeting week.
After a match in which Kilkenny, with a start of 250 in 1,000, was successful against Joseph Bennett, he for the first time met Roberts, jun., the present champion. The meeting took place at the George Hotel, Huddersfield, and created great excitement, Roberts, sen., and Dufton travelling from London, and W. Moss, "W. Green, and J. Bowles from Manchester, to witness it. This match was for £50, and though odds of 2 to 1 were laid on Roberts, Kilkenny won the game, each player making a break of 77.
In the return match, however, with Roberts, that took place shortly afterwards at the Exchange Hotel, Newcastle-on-Tyne, for a like amount, Kilkenny met with his first check, as Roberts gave him 200 points in 1,000, and won the game by over 200.
The matches of Kilkenny are, of course, too numerous to relate in detail. He won a £50 handicap at the Post Office Hotel, Manchester, and also took second prize in the first great handicap played at the Guildhall Tavern two years back, which handicap, it will be remembered, was won by W. Cook.
Kilkenny is a careful, cautious player, with an excellent temper, and displays a thorough knowledge of the game, and in addition to these qualities he possesses the invaluable one of never knowing when he is beaten.
The forthcoming winter will probably be prolific of handicaps; we trust that before long we can welcome the Yorkshire champion to London, and players may rest assured that there are few men whom they will less regret backing than Louis Kilkenny.