BILLIARDS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 19, 22 January 1916, Page 16

BILLIARDS.

Comparing Stevenson and Inman, an English writer says:— Stevenson makes billiards look like just about the most easy kind of game of skill that was ever invented. He goes to the table at a time when he might have one oi the most difficnlt of shots to negotiate. Then you see him tighten his lips, look at the striking ball, then along the cue to the object ball, but, great as might be the tension of the mind as the result of a knowledge of the importance of the shot, he will take his cue hack and deliver it with the grace and exactitude of a Sarasate per.suading music out of a violin with a bow. That is Stevenson's way. To him, ■billiards seems to be just about the most easy game to play. He makes you wonder if he will ever break down—then he does, because he has attempted to do something superlative In the way of making a shot and also ensuring position. A shot that you, or any ordinary sort of amateur, would regard a≤ calling for much force of stroke is accom-l plished oy Stevenson with a touch of; wondrous delicacy upon the striking! ball, whkh returns from the first object to the second with an accuracy that is weird and suggestive of the occult arts. It is possible that Stevenson can bring a striking ball further back while mov-i ing the object ball'a smaller distance; than would be possible to any other man in billiards at the present time. It is in that wonderful delicacy of touch that Stevenson excels. It is his remarkable accuracy of cue delivery, which enables him to make billiard balls do all kind of curious things that would •hardly tie expected of inanimate objects. When he is about to make a ' shot, his stance and poise at the table are adjusted as carefully as if lie wore 1 going to walk across the Thames on a, slack wire. That exactitude enables] him to be the player he is. His losing ■ hazards arc things of beauty, the hall nearly always going straight to the pockets, and seldom requiring the aid of the corners and "side" to carry it, after a hesitatory wobble, into the net. Stevenson makes billiards look like the game it is—a" truly scientific one, in which that which you do is reflected in the movements of the balls, providing ' that they and the table are true. His billiards are as near to the immaculate i as the billiards of any man since the best days of John Roberts. He is a direct contrast to his opponent of the present time, for Inman! j makes a physical task of billiards. The latter settles down to his strokes as it he were about to engage in some tost of ■ muscle power. He "helps" the ball into ' pockets by a twisting of his body, and i by a kicking of the leg; but what a point-getter! Inman succeeds because ! of his astounding pertinacity. I Yet the young Australian, George ! Grey, is the master of this wonderful . pair of English players. I' At a recent meeting of the English Billiard Association a letter was read ' from Mr. J. Jeremiah, of .the Sonth * Wales Billiards and Recreation Co., Merthyr Tydvil, giving particulars of a] {remarkable .performance at"" snooker's) pool, achieved by Mr. G. Harges£ of i Blackwdod. * The • third 'jnaa, "tp play '< having a sca , £teretf r thoi*a!ls; fir. Hargesfi potted every ball, his total break being i 112. It was unanimously decided that i the silver medal of the Association bell to Mr. Hargest in recognition i of his unique achievement. INMAN V. GBAT. [ For the second time inside a month 1 Melbourne Inman has had his colours c lowered by George Gray (cays an Engl f lish writer). When the "Australian, * thanks to a thousand compilation, "put l it across" the champion at Sheffield, the ? cognoscenti smiled in a superior sort of i way and said: "Yes, that was an exhibi-1 tion affair only. Wait until Inman plays '; Gray for money." Inman has played Gray ! for money since then, and at Thureton's 1

Grand Hall, Leicester Sq., the Englishman sustained defeat by 190 points, the winner thereby capturing the stakes of £200 winch depended upon the result, a cheque for that amount Ibeing handed over to Gray by the representative of "Tie Sporteman" directly the final shot was completed. In many respects the match proved quite a remarkable one to watch, although it cannot fairly be said that either man ever approached his really top form. Just recently certain writers upon the gxme have thought fit to question the bona-fides of these money matches. The proofs of the pudding are in the eating. Four sessions from the start Imnan possessed a. lead of 1580 points; he had been beaten in his two previous matches on level terms, first by Stevenson and then by Gray. In order to prevent the hat trick the champion had to go out for all he "was worth for prestige's sake, leaving out all financial considerations. But Inman could not stall off his persistent young opponent from down -under. Slowly bnfe eurely Gray reduced his arrears, and at one period he looked like dkiling home an easy conqueror. Then it was that the I champion, with his back to the was iseen at his very best. Indeed, Inman, j with just over 400 to go, actually took !a lead of one point; the balls never forgave an unfortunate blander. Taken generally the match was one of the most interesting ever played in the metropolis, j not only from the closeness of the scorI ing but also from the different styles employed by the rivals. The house was packed on Saturday afternoon, many intending spectators having to be turned away, while at night the only vacant seats were among the higher priced ones. Resuming from 482 unfinished, Gray had a perfect position for losing hazard purposes. The junior professional went on striking 60 perfectly that visions of another record break appeared on the horizon. Suddenly at 514, as a matter of fact, or 462 off the red, Graj got too thin jon a long loser, and his ball, striking the 'angle of the pocket, hugged the ' top cushion closely enough to get a cannon, an outrageous fluke. The Australian never was travelling smoothly Afterwards, and when the'full break amounted to oflO he failed at one of those-most difficult of shots, a three-quarter runthrough into a centre pocket A fejw hands later Inman responded ito the time of a perfect 304, during which the champion appeared to wonderful advantage'at the head of the board until donijt the outcome of a drop cannon from the "D" th(lt he would have laid long odds on himself getting. The champion now had drawn to within 80 of his man, bnt Gray realised the gravity of his position, and in practically successive innings tacked on compilations of 270 and 257, the red ball playing the major part in both runs. Inman kept on pegging away, but ihe could not prevent his rival, even in three hoars, reaching his points leading by 208. Gray averaged 39 for an aggregate of 950, while Inman's figures worked but at 36 and 877 respectively. Chief breaks.—Gray: 560 (full), 270, 257, 34,, 53, 94, 63. Inman: 57, 48, 304, 93, 41, 87. At the interval scores were: Gray {in play), 17,252; Inman, 17,044. -Puring the earlier stages of the evening session the exchanges proved quite ordinary, neither man doing anything in the'ehape of big breaks. Inman, however, was the more consistent, and following a neat "72 the' champion actually took a lead of qw point""The Englishman then missed quite an ordinary drop cannon from hand, and'this unfortunate blunder cost bum the match. Truly enough, Inman subsequently (strung together a brilliant -161, but' this was" not sufficient to counter a 308 try' Gray, all but tie first five of these 'being on tie red. Inman had chances' of winning the match even after this,' but the strain proved top great, the more especially as, when wanting one for game, Gray ran a coup. Chief breaks.—-Gray , 97, 84, 35, 61, 308, 71. Inman: 74, 49, 73, 109, 47, 72, 161. The final scores vera: Gray, 15,000; Inman, 17,810.