BILLIARDS.

Bush Advocate, Volume XXIII, Issue 309, 12 January 1912, Page 5

BILLIARDS.

Press Assii—By telegraph—Copyright LONDON, January 11. Inman's score is now 4001 and Lindrum's 2619. (Received January 12, 1.10 a.m.)

LONDON, January 11. In the billiard match the scores now stand, Gray 14,585, Stevenson 14,570.

LINDRUM'S OPINION.

Recently a representative of Sporting Life invited Mr Fred Lindrum, the Australian player to give his opinion of the chances of Gray and Stevenson in the championship matches which have been arranged.

"I think Gray will win easily," he said.

"But you have beaten Gray, and Stevenson has defeated you, so that the natural deduction is contrary to your view."

"Yes, but you must remember that when I played Stevenson in Australia the conditions of the game limited me in regard to the number of red losing hazard strokes, and in the championship matches with Gray there is no question of limit. That is where Stevenson will be severely handicapped." "Do you intend to use the losing hazard stroke very much in your games?" "The 'tomato,' I call it, No; just here and there for exhibition purposes. But if I meet Gray—every time! It is the only way to beat George. 'He gets rather annoyed when he finds that others can play the same stroke, and the knowledge affects his game. "But I personally enjoy the all-round style, 1 and shall stick to that principally I remember once playing a match in Melbourne, and had I occasion to use the 'tomato' a great deal. Now, as a rule, I do not take much notice of what the crowd say, but on this occasion, right throughout thte break, I could hear but one word distinctly from different parts of the house—'monotonous,' ''monotonous.' "And so it is!. Another tiling! If you dwell too much on that class of shot it completely ruins your game elsewhere. You get so accustomed to it that you lose all sense' of touch and judgment for other strokes.

"Then, again, the popularity of the stroke seems to me. to be doing considerable injury to real billiards in England. It is a good scoring shot, I admit, and very useful if you are playing a match for money, but as affecting general ability on the table, it must prove disastrous. Gray, of course, has specialised in that- shot, and no one—certainly not myself—begrudges him his success." LindiTim does not hesitate to bestow unstinted praise upon John Roberts, Tom Reese, and ,H. W. Stevenson for the' tuition he has received from them on their visits to Australia. "It is games with' such giants that draw out your very best. See that cue? John Roberts gave me that twelve years'ago in Australia! It will become a family heirloom." Lindrum strongly holds the view that participation in other sport is detrimental to skill at billiards, and he himself has no inclination in other directions. He hopes however ,to be able to arrange another game in Liverpool during Grand National week, so that he may witness an event of which he has heard so much. .