The Amateur Championship

SUMMARY OF THE PLAY

Usually the first round of the Amateur Championship is regarded in the light of a "slaughter of the innocents," and whilst this rough-and-ready, if rather uncomplimentary description may be true of the competition under notice, nevertheless the play at the old Burroughes Hall in Soho Square has had many interesting points.

Mr. Hooper's Good Play

Needless to say all eyes were focussed on the first heat in which the Australian champion— Mr. J. R. Hooper—made his first public appearance here. His private trials seemed to indicate him as a certain winner at the expense of Mr. S. S. Christey, the Hornsey Town Councillor and popular old-time champion, but few, one imagines, were prepared for the really high-class play that he exhibited. It was not so much the emphatic character of his victory —his winning margin was 1,006—that impressed the large and critical attendance, as his finished and masterly play. Here was an amateur whose acquaintance with ivory balls had extended over less than two weeks, handling these elusive media as if he had known them all his life. His opening scoring hands bordered on the sensational as he twice got into the seventies, and although failing to quite reach the coveted hundred in this round, the honour is merely, one may predict, delayed.

An Eighteen Average

His play has the professional touch to a degree rarely met with in an amateur, and there is certainly no one in the English amateur ranks with a better all-round knowledge of the game or possessing a greater repertoire of strokes. It was altogether a most successful debut—his average of just under 18 per innings for the 2,000 points is the best to date— and as he may reasonably be expected to do even better with the further practice that he has had, it will be gathered that the title is in some danger of going overseas for the first time.

Mr. Fry's Easy Task

Like Mr. Hooper, Mr. Sidney Fry had an easy task in the second heat, his young and less experienced opponent from Fulham—Mr. J. Fraser Farrar—-being defeated by 1,179.

Although recording the first century of the competition—101—the holder, after averaging 20 at his first instalment, was rather disappointing. Our champion, however, needs strong opposition to bring out what is in him, and quite early it was seen that his young opponent was unable to make a game of it, though one knows Mr. Farrar to be a much better player than was reflected here. With the experience gained he will do much better another time. The winner's average of a trifle over 15 was quite good, though one is afraid it will need to be improved upon to beat Mr. Hooper in the semi-final later on.

Less Advanced Play

The third, fourth, and fifth heats may be touched upon lightly. Mr. A. E. Graham (of Ilford) proved the best of this half-dozen. He defeated Mr. Page by 631, and just managed to return a double figure average. Mr.

Michaelson, who, one regrets, seems to resent reasonable criticism, beat Mr. Wilkins by 219 in a poor and featureless game, the winner averaging just over 5, whilst Mr. Percy Wood, the Stock Exchange representative, defeated Mr. Hatch, the Cambridge University winner, by 207 in a capitally-contested game, although both played below the form one knows them to be capable of.

Mr. Graham Symes's Three Successive Hundreds

The sixth heat introduced us to Mr. J. Graham Symes, the champion of 1917 and 1918, who in defeating Mr. Dixon by 1,258 quite realized expectations. The ex-champion seems to be in good form just now, for in this heat he claimed breaks of 126, 114, and 102, and averaged just under 17 for the 2,000 points, which ranks next to the figures returned by Mr. Hooper.

Two old and keen championship rivals met in the seventh heat, when Mr. G. A. Heginbottom (Stalybridge) defeated Mr. J. G. Taylor (Walsall) by the wide margin of 1,078 points.

Last year when they met but three points separated the winner's (Taylor) from the loser's total. Mr. Heginbottom seems to wear well with a best break of 100 and an average of 15 to encourage him on his way into the next round. Mr. Taylor made one fine break of 118, but otherwise played much less strongly. A Lancashire Entrant With a Good Record.

Much interest was evinced in the eighth heat in which the highly-praised Lancashire entrant, Mr. T. Truffas, opposed Mr. Earle of Bournemouth, who is, like Mr. Graham, of Ilford, a left-hander. Opinions are a little divided on the merits of Mr. Truffas after seeing him at Soho Square, but personally I think he is a very capable cueist, of whom more will be heard in this event. He is delightful to watch but a trifle erratic, which may, of course, have been due to anxiety to make good in this his first appearance in London. He made one break of 90 odd, and another in the eighties, and won by the substantial margin of 802. I think he will improve next time on his average of 12.

Where Carefulness Meets Brilliance

One of the finest amateur exponents of the game in the country, Mr. W. B. Marshall, who gave Mr. Fry such a fine game in last year's final, is, unfortunately, somewhat susceptible to "nerves."So one was not altogether surprised to learn that the capable and brilliant Wood Green amateur had fallen at the first hurdle to that wily and seasoned campaigner, Major H. L. Fleming, the champion of 1909.

Extremely slow in his movements the Major is a great tactician on the billiard table and usually finds a ready victim amongst opposition that is the least bit highly strung. One regrets the early departure of Mr. Marshall, but the Major played fine billiards, as breaks of 162 and 124 testify. Mr. Marshall had one very pretty break of 131, but that did not save him from defeat by 484 points.

Appended are the averages of the players and a record of the principal breaks. The best averages, thus far, as those of Mr. Hooper and Mr. Symes.

HUNDRED BREAKS

Results of the First Round

J.R. HOOPER, Australian Amateur Billiard Champion.	2,000		S. S. CHRISTEY, Thrice Champion: 1892, 1901, 1903.	994
S. H. FRY, Amateur Champion British Billiards.	2,000		J. R. F. Farrar Putney, S.W.	821
A. E. GRAHAM, Amateur Champion of Essex.	2,000		H. W. PAGE, Dulverton, Somerset.	1,369
R. MlCHAELSON, Regent Street, W.	2,000		G. W. S. WILLINS, Member of Council.	1,781
P. WOOD, Well-known Stock Exchange Player.	2,000		S. C. L. HATCH Mem. of Coun. Cambridge Challenge Cue, 1913, 1914.	1793
J. GRAHAM SYMES, Twice Champion, 19 17, 1918.	2,000		H. A. DIXON, Piccadilly, W.	742
G. A. HEGINBOTTOM Four Times Runner up: 1905, 1908, 1915 1916.	2,000		J. G. TAYLOR, Made 210 break in 1913 Championship.	922
T. TRUFFAS, Winner Manchester Charity Handicap.	2,000		E. EARLE, Bournemouth	1,198
Maj. H. L. FLEMING Champion 1909 Runner-up 1911-12.	2,000		W. B. MARSHALL, Runner-up 1920	1,516
H. W. BOND, Bayswater, W.	2,000		A. STEDMAN, Tulse Hill, S.W.	1,370

Second Round

The second round of the Amateur Championship at Soho Square commenced on January 10. he round is as follows:—

January 10-11.—R. Layfield v. J. Seaman.
January 12-13.—C. E. E. Riley v. J. R. Hooper.
January 14-15.—S. H. Fry v. A. E. Graham.
January 17-18.—R. Michaelson v. R. Wood.
January 19-20.—J. Graham Symes v. G. A. Heginbottom.
January 21-22.—T. Truffas v. H. L. Fleming.
January 24-25.—H. Bond v. L. Stroud.
January 26-27.—R. H. New v. A. W. T. Good.