The New Season's Prospects
Badly treated as wore Messrs. Burroughes & Watts by players in their last tournament, this always enterprising firm has come forward with a programme for 1921-2 that is calculated to command success as well as to deserve it. Their big tournament has been organized on quite new lines. Hitherto a handicap, the event this season will be a scratch contest, and as the personnel— Newman, Smith, Inman, and Falkiner—constitutes the world's "Big Four" in English billiards, we shall have a competition rivalling in interest the championship itself. It should afford even a greater test of merit, because all players meet each other in turn under what are really championship conditions. The tournament opens on Monday, November 28, and runs until February 18, and with J. P. Mannock engaged to guide its destinies — an excellent appointment this—the New Burroughes Hall, St. James's Street, Piccadilly, should become the frequent rendezvous of thousands of billiard lovers.
Preliminary to the great tournament, we are promised a particularly interesting competition amongst the pick of the junior element. Peall (scratch), Lawrence (rec. 375), Tothill (rec. 375), Carpenter (rec. 500), and Davis (rec. 750) are getting an opportunity that has never before come the way of players of their good class. This second division tournament (heats 3,500 up) will inaugurate the New Burroughes Hall season on Monday, October 3, and will continue until November 5. It has been liberally endowed financially by the promoters, and, relieved of all worry in this respect, the quintette named should be able to produce the best that is in them. The winner, who will probably get further lucrative engagements, is difficult to spot, but the young Derbyshire professional, Davis, will probably be established favourite. The championship and its possibilities may be left over for future discussion, as the event will not commence until Easter Monday, and that is six months ahead.
Meanwhile, the fights of Newman, Smith, Inman, and Falkiner in other games will be of more than usual interest. All of them will be on view at Thurston's during the next five months, and with Clark McConachy, the New.Zealand champion, having a tilt against our best, the sport should be really good at the Leicester Square rendezvous. It is only my opinion, of course, but I imagine that Smith will again dominate the situation. In actual play there is, perhaps, scarcely a pin to choose amongst our "Big Four," but when it comes to match-winning, I think the champion of 1920 will have them all beaten. Inman has been practising hard with a view of regaining the position from which Smith deposed him last January. The old champion is keener than I have seen him for some time, but so long as Smith keeps well, Inman will, I am afraid, be pursuing a will-o-the-wisp.
Newman is likely to do well, and very possibly beat all save Smith in serious contests, whilst Falkiner (who has not quite got over his trip to South Africa) will again, no doubt, give us the most entertaining billiards of the whole lot. If only Falkiner could acquire the temperament of Smith— but there, his admirers and they are very numerous) can only hope that he will give his great talent a real chance.
McConachy will also play a big part in the season, and may easily provide us with a surprise packet.
Yes, I think we shall have a season that will compare favourably with the most interesting seasons of the past.
Certainly this will apply to the Championship when it comes along. Last season it suffered owing to the withdrawal of Smith and Inman in circumstances which excited a good deal of comment and criticism. Something, however, has been learnt from the experiences. The governing council of the game and the leading professionals had a round-table conference during the off season, with the happy result that grievances have been remedied and a great prospect is now opened out.