Frank Ferraro continued to draw further away from Cecil Harverson on the resumption of their match at Thurston's. Throughout it was abundantly evident that the Englishman had struck a bad patch of luck for the nonce, and, try he ever so hardly, he could not get out of the rut in the afternoon. These unhappy spells come to all people in sport at some time, professional and amateur alike, and it has been Harverson's turn to be both dead out of form and dead out of luck on two consecutive days in the match. Ferraro seized his opportunities with both hands, and the present state of the scoring-board is the result.
Starting upon his overnight 304 unfinished break, with the balls admirably placed for its continuation, he added a further 42 points before breaking down at a cushion cannon, with its full figure at 346. Harverson did nothing in reply, and a nine to the leader was followed by 47 to Harverson, when a difficult cannon off the top cushion brought him to grief. This Let Ferraro in again to run up no less than 254, gathered rapidly at the top of the table in his usual easy and confident style. Still Harverson could do nothing right, while Ferraro kept adding useful contributions of 63 and 60. Near the close the tourist managed to collect 68 before the South African reached his requisite points for the afternoon, with the scores reading at the interval: — Ferraro (receives 4,000) 14,501; Harverson 10,438.
The scene was indeed changed in the evening. Then, for once, Harverson could do nothing wrong. After Ferraro had increased his small unfinished break of the afternoon to 33, the tourist replied with 32. The South African's next visit was unproductive, and this let Harverson in to score the first of three magnificent breaks during the evening. It was compiled with a confidence in marked contrast to his efforts in the afternoon, and was an education in top-of-the-table methods. Whenever in the slightest difficulty near the spot, a red loser in the top pocket, followed by another at the middle, generally brought him back again to the coveted position for rapid and productive scoring.
It was clear that he was going "all out" in an effort to beat the South African record break of 497 standing to the credit of William Mitchell. Harverson, in his first attempt, did not succeed in bettering the figures put up by Mitchell. His progress came to an end at 426, when he was confronted with an ugly red loser which proved too much for him to surmount. Next came 26 from Ferraro and a six from Harverson, followed by a pretty break of 68 by the local man, in which were included a fine long screw-back cannon and an extremely thin long red loser. Ferraro's failure came by just missing a long follow-through cannon from hand by a mere hairbreadth.
Then Harverson came on the scene again with his second attempt at record. Eut, for the second time, he failed to achieve his purpose, although he again gave his figures a very material lift on the scoring-board. He started with a string of his favourite nursery cannons; then came a spell of rapid scoring around the spot, varied later by all-round play. Just over 200, Harverson lost the red in baulk, but he cleverly retrieved it, and kept using it thereafter to advantage until a difficult cannon brought about his downfall when the break had assumed the very considerable dimensions of 362. Next came two comparatively unproductive innings to both men, and then Harverson was off again for the third time in an attack upon record.
This time (the proverbial third and lucky time) he was successful, and a big gallery fairly rose at him in appreciation on the completion of the feat at the conclusion of his break, which amounted to 499—the new South African record. It was a typical Harverson break, containing many runs of nursery cannons and much good all-round work "in the country," as well as plenty of clever top-of-the-table manipulation. In its compilation was witnessed some of the best billiards which have been seen in what has been a memorable match, with both men in turn on occasion at the very top of their form. Harverson was never in difficulties until he had passed the 400 mark. A grand run-throngh white loser extricated him then from one tight corner. Later, when 480, he was compelled to pot his opponent's ball, with no other possible shot presenting itself. Left with the red ball alone available, Harverson had just succeeded in beating Mitchell's figures of 497 when a wide screw loser at the middle pocket proved his undoing, and he retired the holder of the new figures for South Africa of 499. It was a great performance, in which the real Harverson was seen in action at his best. If Ferraro took all the honours in the afternoon, Harverson came into his own in the evening by scoring 1,357 points to his opponent's 212, with the wonderful average for seven completed innings of 198.