Some Reminiscences of Old-Time Players
It was some time before Joseph Bennett made any further attempt to regain the championship, for in 1872 Cook was at his very best, and carrying all before him. In an exhibition game in the November of that year Bennett had to occupy his seat whilst the champion made a great break of 936, in which 262 consecutive spot strokes were included.
For the next few years battles for the championship were entirely confined to Cook and Roberts, the former having all the better of it until May, 1875, when Roberts finally asserted his supremacy, and may be said never to have looked back after that date. However, in 1880 Bennett challenged either Roberts or Cook for the championship, and, the former waiving his claim, the brothers-in-law met for the second time. The match, which was played at St. James's Hall on November 8, was a very remarkable one. At the interval, Bennett, who certainly had enjoyed more than his fair share of luck, held a lead of 122 points, and this was a very big one on a three-inch pocket table.
A grand break of 107 took Cook to the front again, and the lead changed hands several times. Cook, however, had a substantial lead in the ninth hundred, and as much as 3 to 1 was freely offered against Bennett. Having had many proofs that the latter never knew when he was beaten, and fancying that Cook was showing signs of the severity of the struggle, I advised Mr. William Waddell, the Hon. Secretary of the London Athletic Club, who happened to be sitting next to me, to take these odds, and he accepted £30 to £10, and had the satisfaction of seeing Bennett win a great game by 51 points.
Two days after this match Roberts and Cook sailed for India, which the former, at any rate, had always found to be a veritable "Tom Tiddler's ground." In January, 1881, Tom Taylor had a shot at the champion ship, but though he made a really good show, as he always did against Bennett, the latter put together a break of 125, which was the highest on record in a championship match, and won comfortably by 90 points.
In the early summer of that year Bennett was thrown out of a gig, and sustained such severe injuries that he was compelled to resign the championship, and never regained anything like his best form. One of his peculiarities was that, when in training for a championship or any other important match, he would never play with anyone, but invariably shut himself up in a room alone, and played one ball against the other, or simply practised one or two special strokes by the hour together. I more than once offered to assist him by spotting the red, and taking the balls out of the pockets, but he would never accept my assistance, nor allow me to be present when he was practising. His contention was that a man required all his nervous energy for the match itself, and ought not to waste any of it in practice. There may have been something in his theory, for no man has ever shown to more advantage "in the pit." Great player as he was, he gained an even higher reputation as a teacher of the game, in fact he has only had one rival in that capacity. It is hardly necessary to say that I refer to Professor J. P. Mannock. The methods of the two were entirely different.
Of course, as regards playing ability, there was no comparison between the pair, but, in knowledge of the game, Bennett possessed no advantage over the younger man. Having had a course of lessons from both, I can state from personal experience that, whilst the champion believed in the fortiter in re method of teaching, Mannock has always relied upon the suaviter in modo. I am bound to say that the latter is far the more pleasant for the pupil.