Billiards and Earl Haig's Fund

Clubs' Tournament Realizes £1,000.—Eccentric Club wins 300-Guineas Table

S.H. Fry

The happily-conceived tournament, open to the whole of the registered clubs and institutes in the country, in aid of the Officers' Association, of which Earl Haig is the active head, was brought to a conclusion, after a week's run, at the New Burroughes Hall, Piccadilly, on Saturday, March 12. The scheme, it may be recalled, was suggested by Messrs.

Burroughes & Watts, who added a generous offer of prizes of the value of over £500, including a 300-guineas standard table. The suggestion was cordially taken up by Capt.

C.W. Martin

E. E. Attenborough, secretary of The Sportsman's appeal issued by Earl Haig, who undertook the organization of the event.

The tournament was decided in preliminary heats of 1,000 up and a final of 2,000 up, and the following were the players: — A.

Paton (156 - 108), Swansea Salisbury Conservative Club; S. H. Fry (178-156), Eccentric Club, St. James's, S.W.; C. W.

Martin (102-42), Marlborough Mission Men's Club, Tottenham; A. Roome (179-62), Grimsby and County Club; W. P. McLeod (41179), Middlesbrough Conservative Club; S. Parr (175-74), Abertillery Liberal and Labour Club, Mon. The figures in parentheses are the previous qualifying breaks compared with the highest qualifying breaks of the same players.

S. Parr

To some, the play as a whole may have seemed disappointing in view of the breaks that had earned the six players their places in the concluding stages. But one has to remember that the qualifying breaks were made on ordinary club tables, and in some instances with composition balls. Probably all the competitors, with the exception of Mr. Fry, were unaccustomed to the playing conditions always to be found at the Burroughes Hall—where the "fast" cloth and "fast" cushions call for the acme of perfection in billiard playing. Some of them were further handicapped by the change over from composition to ivory balls, particularly Mr. McLeod, who made his qualifying break of 411 with the composition playing medium. His losing and winning hazard striking was as good as anything that has been seen in the amateur ranks for a long time past. He is also a brilliant individual stroke player, more especially in those long cushion cannons that demand fine judgment of "angles" and accuracy of cue delivery and ball contact.

A. Paton

Of the others, Mr. Paton (who made a break of 108 against Mr. Fry) appeared to be the best, but all gave the impression of playing under conditions that were foreign to their usual game.

Below we give the result of the week's play, with averages and breaks of 50 and over:—

The prizes were presented by Mr. W. J. Gask (whose recent election to the Billiards Association and Control Council has given so much satisfaction in billiards circles). Mr. Gask paid an eloquent tribute to the good work that had been done by billiards on behalf of charity.