The present generation has perhaps never witnessed a four-handed game between leading billiard players, nor is the four-handed game nearly so popular as it used to be even in ordinary billiard circles. At one time four-handed games played in public were somewhat frequent, and in 1875 a famous match of this kind for £200 a side took place between Roberts and Cook and Taylor and Stanley. This game was 1,500 up, and created so much interest that a packed audience paid a sovereign a head for admission. An exceedingly close and interesting struggle was witnessed, and when the scores were 1,333—1,303 in favour of Taylor and Stanley, and the latter was left with the balls well placed for the spot it seemed as if the match was as good as over. But Stanley missed his first hazard, thus letting in Cook, and the father of the present nursery cannon champion promptly ran out with a break of 197.