George Gray possesses a personality which attracts attention. He brings to the billiard table the manners and deportment of a well-bred youngster. He is a good type of the young Australian sportsman, of a race which has given us Frank and Stanley Wootton, and which has shown us that high-class Rugby football flourishes under the Southern Cross. We have touched on his personality before mentioning his billiards, because "manners maketh the man," the public admire modesty and a certain amount of diffidence where real.genius exists; and a youngster of this stamp is not likely to be spoilt by success.
He has taught us nothing that is particularly new in billiards. He has, it is true, shown us that by skill and, no doubt, by great perseverance, it is possible to become so adept at a particular stroke as to beat all records of spot-barred, push-barred, and "anchor"-barred games. J. P. Mannock, one of our best experts, predicted years ago that a real mastery of the red losing hazard would produce wonderful results, and the advent of Gray has brought home the truth of Mannock's words.
So far as we are aware, no suitable name has yet been given to Gray's particular stroke. Let us call it then, for the sake of brevity, the "middle pocket" game; the occasional long losing hazard in to the top pocket being almost a negligible quality from a purely spectacular point of view. This brings us to the question, when the novelty has worn off, will not this style of game be considered as monotonous as the spot stroke became after a time?
Up to the present time we have not seen any remarkable change in the scoring methods of our professional players as a result of Gray's performances. There is perhaps a tendency with several to try the middle pocket losing hazard more frequently than hitherto, and one notes with rather more frequency "all off the red" in the report of a break; but it cannot be said that our players have so far seriously tried to copy Gray.
Several reasons suggest themselves for this apparent want of enterprise. There is first the unfortunate difficulty in regard to the balls. Gray always plays with composition balls and our professionals nearly always play with ivory. When they do play with composition it is for a few weeks only, unless they are playing abroad, consequently, at home, the time is far too short for them to become accustomed to the different weight and angles. If, therefore, one of our professionals plays a match against Gray with composition balls, he is obviously at a great disadvantage. If, again, Gray were to play a match with ivory, it is pretty certain that his breaks would be of much less magnitude. We give no opinion as to what Gray may be capable of if he played with ivory only for several months in succession. No doubt he would do wonderful things, for he is a marvellous player and great in the art of taking pains. But at the same time his big breaks, will probably include a smaller proportion of points made by "middle pocket" play.
It is thought by many that it is far more difficult with ivory to keep the desired position for the middle pocket, than it is with composition balls. This brings us to the second probable reason why the stroke—or rather large sequences of it—has not received the attention it may seem to deserve. The players may ask why should we practise with an implement which for this special purpose may not be the best.
The third, and chief, reason, no doubt, is that the professionals have their contests arranged with each other, and cannot afford to try innovations which would upset their scoring powers for the time being and would put them at ,a disadvantage with their opponent.
We shall not be surprised, however, to see, early next season, that one or two of our prominent players will have made themselves proficient in the middle pocket game. Their opportunity of practising it is, of course, in the off season. But, after all, it is the effect on the amateurs' game that is of importance. The professionals are always prominently before the public, and one is apt to forget that their number is strictly limited, whereas amateurs can be counted by their tens of thousands. We do not say the professionals occupy too much room in the billiard world, because it is from them that hundreds of amateurs who, by attending professional matches, and carefully watching the strokes played, constantly improve their own game.
The influence of Gray's play is, in our opinion, decidedly beneficial to billiards, and will tend to still further improve the average amateur contests.
We suppose the majority of good amateurs have tried and perhaps adopted the top of the table game, many exploit nursery cannons, and no doubt large numbers are now practising the middle pocket game. It cannot fail to add to the interest of the ;game where one man selects one style and one another, that is to say there would be a "middle pocket" player versus a "top of the table" player.
In the case of handicaps and championships this interest will be multiplied, as they will doubtless include players who favour the all round game and others the close game. But, through it all, the influence of Gray's game will make itself felt, and we feel that the profitable red losing hazard will be exploited by amateurs as a body to an increased extent, owing to the wonderful demonstration of its scoring potentialities provided by the young Australian.
The Australian billiard marvel has put up a record which seems destined to stand alone in its supremacy until he himself beats it. A break of 2,196 unfinished is, indeed, a most marvellous performance, and we have to go back to the days of the old spot stroke to find anything like it. Harverson had three consecutive sessions during which he was on the unemployed list, and as at one time he looked like being the first English player to seriously extend the Australian, he must be commiserated with. Now, of course, the question is: What will happen when Gray and Inman meet and play with the same make of composition ball? Will the Terrier worry Gray off his game, or will the youngster swamp the Twickenham man with his mammoth breaks. Time alone can prove, but admirers of the young Australian are not likely to be discouraged by his recent display, and it is evident that Inman will have to do something really wonderful to fare better than the rest of the English professionals who have crossed cues with the young marvel from "down under".