Editorial
Definitions
Page 4 of this issue carries billiards news of some importance. Readers might find the following definitions useful:-
- B&SCC
- Billiards and Snooker Control Council - was the governing body of the game until a couple of years ago when it went bankrupt. The assets of the B&SCC, championship cups, copyright of the rules, etc, were bought by the WPBSA.
- WPBSA
- World Professional Billiard and Snooker Players Association. The governing body of the professional game. Has a separate billiards committee responsible to the main board.
- EABA
- English Amateur Billiards Association. An organisation set up by a group of enthusiasts originally to ensure continuity of the championships, and to oversee the amateur game at national level. Secretary. Mr Albert Hanson 4.Lansbury Close. South Bank. Cleveland.
- EASB
- English Association for Snooker and Billiards An organisation set up by the WPBSA to organise and oversee amateur snooker and billiards at national and local level. Secretary/Coordinator Ms Freya Broad. C/o WPBSA. 27 Oakfield Rd. Clifton. Bristol.
- BQR
- Billiards Quarterly Review. In order to retain editorial independence, the BQR has no official position with any of the above organisations.
Murt O'Donoghue
BQR has received a letter from Mrs Grace O'Donoghue in which she says how much Murt enjoys the magazine as it is his only means of keeping in touch with the game on this side of the world. He has friends in Australia who keep him up to date with the game, "own under. "he writes that for the first time for many years Murt was unable to attend the New Zealand championships as his age is catching up on him. Well, he is 93.All readers will wish Murt a peaceful 1994. Thank you Mrs O'Donoghue.
George Gray
The inaugural George Gray Memorial Trophy for the Victoria U/21 championship was held recently and is reported on P20. BQR received a letter from Mr Graeme Walters of Victoria, Australia, which contained a piece written by Mr Eric Gray, George's son. Mr Walters reported that the piece on George Gray in the October BQR had been very timely and had given impetus to this new competition. Mr Gray's piece about his father is on P16.
Peter Gilchrist
From two of the old masters to one of the modern ones. In the recently held Darley Dale invitation, Gilchrist made the fastest century I have ever seen in a lifetime's interest in the game. The break was not timed exactly but it is known that there were eight minutes left for play when he went to the table, and the timekeeper reckoned that the effort cannot have taken more than a few seconds over four minutes. It was, of course, made at the spot end, two pots to the cannon. Peter was knocking the red down at breathtaking pace, his bridge hand hardly on the table before he had made the stroke. And all players know that so many of the pots in a top-of-the-table break are far from being as easy as a good player makes them seem. There are not too many billiard players that I would travel very far to watch - but Peter Gilchrist is without doubt one of them.
Back to Basics!
BQR has received several letters from readers who claim to be poor players and suggest that we should include more pieces dealing with the basics of the game. I will see what can be done. Ex amateur champion Martin Goodwill is thinking of producing a series of newsletters dealing with various aspects of the game - including basics - and which could be distributed with the BQR. In the meantime -get the Karnehm tape!
As regards people who claim to be, "poor players," I have played quite a lot of them in my time and have often enough lost. Ross Porter has a theory that no-one is quite as good as they think they are, Maybe so, but there are also those who are not quite as bad as they think they are.
The Strachan UK. The British Open. Grand Slam
The UK, The Open, and an outstanding Grand Slam, are all scheduled for the Radion Plaza, Sheffield, (but may be elsewhere) commencing February 15th. This information is correct at the time of going to press. However, enthusiasts please note; The British Open is not yet absolutely certain to take place; The final of the UK (and possibly Open) will most likely be played later and televised (Sky) in conjunction with snooker tournaments to be held in Bournemouth and Plymouth. How much play there will be depends on how many players enter. Do not travel without checking.
Golf
There are a fair number of billiard players who are also keen golfers. I would be prepared to organise a day's golf at some convenient venue if there were enough of us to make it worth while and to keep it at a reasonable cost. If anyone out there is interested then please let me know. We might be able to start a billiard players golfing society with a couple of meetings a year.
Photographs
The Boots Chemist in Eastwood, Notts, was burgled just after Christmas. Amongst the things stolen were a batch of photographs including some belonging to the BQR. Apologies for having to re-use some old pictures.
