BOTH ABILITY AND DEDICATION NEEDED

Press, 22 April 1977, Page 9

BOTH ABILITY AND DEDICATION NEEDED

What makes a good snooker player? Can a good billiards player turn his talent to snooker—and visa and versa? Which of the two branches of the sport requires the greater skill? These are questions which can be debated endlessly, but in spite of the fact that each game makes different demands the same fundamentals apply. To reach the top in either a player must have a natural skill for reading angles and a precise judgment of weight. Dedication is then what counts. However, whereas there are a variety of scoring shots in billiards it is the superior potter who wins at snooker. Many young

players start with snooker, because it is the game that is learnt easier and possibly because it provides more excitement, and move on to billiards later when their skills increase. Yet, by the same token, Joe Davis was the world professional billiards champion before he went on to become the greatest snooker player the world has known. The importance of a good, steady cueing action is possibly more important in snooker. With the margin of error in going for a comer pocket so slight a keen eye has to be augmented by precision cueing if the shot is to succeed.

In one respect, however, the two sports are coming together. The ability to build big breaks at the top of the table is vital nowadays to any cueist hoping for fame in billiards. And this is very much like holding position around the spotted black in snooker. The secret to success .\j both billiards and snooker is control of the cue ball and it is here that the difference can be found between the good player and the great one.