THE above handicap was brought to a conclusion on Saturday afternoon, by Kilkenny, of Halifax, winning two out of the three games which he had to play with Hunt, who, having had the fortune to draw odd man, was his opponent in the final heats. The first game was remarkable for its great length and "extraordinary conclusion. The play during the early part of the game was slow and tedious, neither player scoring 50 during the whole match. Hunt, who started at 220, Kilkenny receiving 170, maintained his lead till quite the close of the game, reaching 497 to Kilkenny's 442.
The red ball was close to the top cushion, about a foot and a half from the corner pocket; Kilkenny's ball was at the baulk end of the table; no score was left; accordingly Hunt with good judgment ran a coup. Kilkenny then played a fine stroke, the beauty of it consisting in its wonderful strength. Kilkenny gave a miss, hitting the side cushion and leaving his ball close under the top cushion, about a foot and a half from the other top corner pocket. Hunt was consequently obliged to play at the balls although he had nothing to play for except an exceedingly difficult cannon, as had he given a miss Kilkenny had a fairly easy winning hazard left off the red into the top pocket, which very probably would have left him the spot stroke. Hunt accordingly, playing from the baulk, struck out for the cannon off the white ball, hitting his own ball high up in order to make it if possible take one of those peculiar curves which often occur when a ball is played on close to the cushion. The curve came off amidst a burst of applause but not exactly in the right direction, as his ball went within an inch or two of the red but did not hit it; whereupon Kilkenny made a break of 34, bringing up his score to 479 to Hunt's 498. Hunt failed again to score, when Kilkenny ran up to 493 to Hunt's 498. The red ball was close over the bottom pocket. Kilkenny had to play, Hunt's ball being in hand. Kilkenny played to put in the red and to run up the table into position for a losing hazard off the red on the spot, but failing to get this position was obliged to give a miss in baulk for safety, thus bringing up the game—Hunt 499, Kilkenny 496.
Had Kilkenny played for the six shot—i.e., to follow in his own ball after the red into the bottom pocket, which stroke appeared easy—and then given a miss, the game would have been 499 all, and Hunt would have been forced to play at the red. Playing, therefore, as he did, appeared to us to be bad judgement on the part of Kilkenny. Hunt ran another coup, thus making the game 499 all, Kilkenny's ball being in the middle of baulk.
Amidst breathless excitement, Kilkenny having given warning to those seated near the spot, played to knock both his own ball and the red off the table. He succeeded in knocking off the red, but not his own ball, which stopped about halfway between the right hand side pocket and the baulk line, about an inch from the cushion. Hunt then played for and made the cannon off the white amidst tremendous cheering from those who had backed him, it being 3 to 1 against any player making the stroke. Hunt thus won the game by one point. In the next game Hunt, whose best break was 50, reached 457 to Kilkenny's 436, when the latter, who had been playing very well, made the game off the balls with a break of 64. The third and final game was quite a one-sided affair. Kilkenny, in addition to playing well, had good luck, while the balls broke very badly for Hunt. Kilkenny, whose best break was 64, won the game, and with it the handicap, by 153 points. Kilkenny consequently wins the £50; Hunt the second prize, a fitted cue -case, presented by Burroughes and Watts, who supplied the fine table on which the handicap was played. The extra prize, a gold locket, also presented by them for the best general average, the points received by each player to be taken into account, was won by Shorter. It will be seen that he would have won the locket even if the points received by each were not considered. The average of each player is as follows:— Shorter, 11-4; Cook, 10-56*; Stanley, 10-18; Taylor, 9.33; Alfred Bennett, 8.98; Kilkenny, 8.97; Evans, 8.95; Collins, 7.12; Hunt, 6.87; F. Bennett, 5.67; Richards, 4.97; Stammers, 2.40. The game was carefully marked by Oxford Jonathan.