There is little doubt that the fair sex are yielding increasing homage to the board of green cloth. The number of ladies taking lessons from recognised teachers has increased considerably of late, and there is every indication that we are on the eve of something distinctly approaching a boom in billiards for ladies.
This is all for the best in the best of possible billiard worlds, as the game is one of the few pastimes which enters into the home life of the nation, and there is no reason why ladies should not become quite adept at it.
Exactly how good the best of our lady players really are will soon be made manifest as Miss Ruby Roberts, a niece of Charles Memmott, the Australian champion, will play a series of exhibition games against Madame Strebor at Thurstons Grand Hall, Leicester Square. The prowess of Madame Strebor is already familiar to the British public, but Miss Ruby Roberts is quite an unknown quantity. We may say at once that the young lady from Australia, who is a protege of John Roberts, although no relation in spite of the same name, is a really capable exponent of billiards, and has exceeded the century on several occasions during private practice.
Miss Collins., who has charge of the Billiard room at the Lyceum Club, and gives lessons to members of that Club, is another feminine player of considerable ability, and we understand that she will appear in public in due course. If this proves to be correct we ought to see some good billiards among the ladies, and it is to be hoped the fair sex will patronise the venture. Nothing tends to improve one's billiards more than watching, a really good player at the table, and the ladies who attend the matches at Thurstons are sure to notice many points they can adopt into their own game with advantage.
Among recent converts to the charm of the cue we note with pleasure the name of Miss Isabel Jay, who has had a table fixed up, is taking lessons, and is reported to be making excellent progress with the game. During a recent interview, she said: "I shall soon be clever enough to challenge George Gray. I play left-handed, and that would perhaps bother him a bit." To which we reply, in a like spirit of banter, that the young Australian, when he is compiling his mammoth breaks, simply has no use for an opponent, left-handed or otherwise. He keeps on scoring while the other man has a free seat in the best part of the hall.