I had booked my passage for self, wife, and youngest daughter per Edinburgh Castle (leaving Southampton on April 15) for my fourth world's tour, when there came the threatened strike action of the Triple Alliance.
My plans had been arranged and, not wanting to be"stuck"in London through a railway strike, I hastily made up my mind to leave by The Walmer Castle on April 8. This I was enabled to do through the courtesy of Messrs. Burroughes & Watts, who released me from the match with Smith in which I was engaged.
Three days out and in warmer climes I was enabled to throw away the Thermogene wool that I was wearing and had worn since the attack of bronchitis that I contracted on the last night of my championship heat with Falkiner.
We had a very pleasant voyage. Joan, our daughter, aged 5½, won the potato race and a 25 yards and 50 yards handicap running race, whilst the saloon passengers showed their faith in me by making me the hon. treasurer of the Sports Fund, for which I collected £78. We arrived at Cape Town early on April 25, and were cordially greeted by Mr. D. Easton, secretary of the Western Province Billiards Control Club, and by Mr. Johnson and Mr.
Weir, two live members of the Club. On May 2 I played Mr. Chorley at Woodstock, and soon fell into the angles of the bonzoline balls, with which I am playing throughout South Africa. My breaks were 138, 99, 97, 96, 91, and 75.
Your readers may also be interested in the following from The Cape Argus of May 4 concerning a relay match that I played at the Cadarga Hotel against three of the local amateurs—Messrs. Solomon, Bain, and Kantorowich:— "Perhaps the best of the many good things he did was when Kantorowich, left with no reasonable chance of scoring, cleverly deliberately 'angled' Stevenson, who was prevented by the jaw of a pocket from directly hitting either of the balls, which had come to rest in the D. The smile that spread over the amateur's face only deepened when Stevenson, turning laughingly towards him, remarked: 'It doesn't matter—I always score when I'm "angled."' Playing off three cushions, he actually did score a cannon, the object white going into the pocket—and to complete the discomfiture of his opponent (who seemed to enjoy the joke as well as the rest of the crowded 'house'), he promptly left him a double baulk—which Kantorowich, too, was within an ace of scoring from.
But there was another incident, that Stevenson did not figure in, which created such a roar of laughter as is seldom heard in a billiard saloon. By a rather wonderful coincidence, the winner of the cue offered for the nearest forecast of the biggest break actually succeeded in nominating the exact number—152—but two gentlemen of the same name were in the hall, and the presentation of the cue, accompanied by some complimentary remarks from the hon. secretary of the W.P., Control Club, had been completed when it was found that the prize had been handed to the wrong gentleman, who promptly handed it back.
On Sunday night, May 8, we leave for Johannesburg, 1,000 miles' run, arriving there on Tuesday morning, and I commence a match of 16,000 up against Ferraro, conceding him 2,000. It is interesting to state that Ferraro only lost by 24 in a game of 16,000 up against Harverson for the South African Championship. This may be regarded as a clever achievement, considering that Ferraro had dropped out of billiards for several years. I am even"told"that next time Harverson may lose, so well does Ferraro play.
On May 5 I played Mr. Johnson at the Naval Base, Simons Town, and had a very pleasant evening, meeting some whom I had met before, when I visited the Grand Fleet during the war.
I now bid my friends in England adieu, and my next letter will be sent on June 1st from Johannesburg.
Writing to "South Africa" in reference to some comments in that journal, Stevenson says:— "I am only forty-six years of age, and do not think of giving up billiards at home, as I think I can still hold my own with all-round players. This trip, fixed up some time ago, embraces India after South Africa, Far East, Australia, and New Zealand, thus making my fourth round-the-world trip. I made this trip twice whilst champion, so there is nothing new about it. This is my ninth visit to South Africa, 30 years ago being my first."