Readers may recall that in a previous issue of the BQR I described the present-day nursery cannon player as someone who could make a run of nurseries before a match and after a match but not during a match. (There are one or two exceptions.) This comment provoked the following from Geza Gazdag:-
"Your anonymous correspondent's request for an article about the finer points of carom and your own comments on present-day cannon players are somewhat related and a concise response is well-nigh impossible.
The underlying thought behind the request, I suspect, was that since it was possible to transplant the nurseries - an American invention - into our game, the same can be done with all that precedes it (Sic.) As the rather recent dismal performance of the Belgian team and of those who played in the Biathlon - with larger (57mm) balls showed, it is easier said than done. Even the great Raymond Ceulemans could not do it so what can we expect from lesser players?
The nurseries are possible on our tables because at such short distances from the cushion the responses of the object ball to the transmitted side is very similar, although not quite identical, to the response on the Carom table. But pull the position away from the cushion and the original small disparity will increase enormously and if there is some distance between the balls as well, then in attempting to play cannons as on the carom table the player will be in for some surprises. There are six different carom games; The Free (which is nowhere near as free as it might sound;) three Baulk-Line games; the Indirect (cushion cannons;) and the now fashionable Three-Cushions. This means that a certain shot might be excellent in one game but useless in another. The finer points of Carom unlike, say, Top-of-the-Table play, is a vast subject. Consequently, writing about them, let alone mastering them under our playing conditions, is a very tall order. One thing is sure, starting to learn cannons with the Three-cushion or the Indirect is going the wrong way about it. When you have your own table and practice the nurseries long enough you should eventually be able to play them after a fashion. But since you skipped the preliminaries, the approach work, which the Carom players master first, this ability will be of little use to you in a match. I have watched three of these, "before and after," players in action on a number of occasions and I could not detect any difference between their cannon play and those who cannot play nurseries at all. Indeed, I was amazed to see that with nurseries virtually in their grasp they put the red ball over a pocket just like anybody else. It seemed obvious that the balls just happened to run into such a favourable position, I see no other explanation for them ignoring the faster method to a sizeable break.
In the light of all this I would not be in a hurry to put Spoormans and the rest of the canon players into the same category as our nursery players. Equally it would be wrong to compare them with the earlier cannon players i.e. Lindrum and Co. There is simply no basis for comparison. In those far-off days the playing condition for billiards were much better; they played incredibly long matches and had far more opportunities to play the nurseries. What is more they played to rules which made mastery of the cannon far more worth while. If one compares this with the present situation one must conclude that, "forcing," cannon play is suicidal.
You may find this letter a little disappointing. However, when my book is out, I shall be prepared to answer any questions which may arise.
Finally I enclose a shot I played the other day. My opponent thought the leave was pretty safe but at times my carom background helps. The shot is simple; use right side with plenty of top and you've cracked it."
Bob Ledger Writes:-
"As a long established collector of books on the green table games, I was delighted to be involved in a small way with the production of Geza Gazdag's book, "The Accomplished Cueman." In a market flooded with routine books on Snooker, Gazdag's work will appeal to those players seeking a little more substance. It is a book which, though containing numerous excellent illustrations, must be read and studied. It is also the story of one man's life in the game starting with his early war-robbed days in Hungary and culminating in his views on how to revive the fortunes of the great game of billiards. Initially I found Geza's views tough medicine to swallow, but his criticisms form a constructive insight into the games and the conditions under which they are played. It is a thought provoking book and one which will benefit both the novice or the good player seeking to become an, "Accomplished Cueman."