Canterbury cueists ready for big assignments

Press, 19 November 1977, Page 12

Canterbury cueists ready for big assignments

By

KEVIN McMENAMIN

If recent feats prove a reliable guide then New Zealand could be strongly represented at the forthcoming world open billiards championship in Christchurch and the international snooker tournament which will be played in conjunction with it.

Earlier this week, Brian Kirkness, the host country’s sole representative in the championship, made his highest ever match play billiards break — 427. His previous best, scored three years ago at Blenheim, was 415. Kirkness made the 427 on the table that will be used for the championship. It has been installed in his Worcester Street saloon to “break it in” before the world event begins at. Ham on December 1. At the time Kirkness was engaged in a friendly game. The table has what are generally known as “sympathetic” pockets. These are the type used in TV programmes such as “Pot Black” and do make for higher scoring than in the older-type standard pockets. The difference is in the undercut to the pocket, a ball travelling at pace will drop in a “sympathetic” pocket, whereas it will very likely jaw on a standard pocket. The larger cut has come into fashion in recent years to facilitate top-of-the-table billiards play and it is also welcomed by snooker exponents, who

play in fear of the object ball jawing and staying out. While it might upset old-timers who made their names on the tighter pockets, the bigger drop does make both billiards and snooker more attractive to watch. Dave Meredith, like Kirkness a Christchurch resident, is having such a remarkable year that it would come as no great surprise if he should fin-

ish in a place in the snooker tournament, in which he is the only New Zealander competing. Last week, Meredith became only the second New Zealander to make a century snooker break — in recent times anyway — in top competition. He scored 100 exactly in a section round of a $2OOO tournament in Henderson, a tournament Meredith went on to win. His opponent in the final, John Mutch, of South Auckland, has a higher return — a 112

made earlier this year. The break record for the New Zealand championship is 85 and is shared bv Bill Harcourt (Wellington) and Meredith. Meredith had one red left on the table, and a possible total of 135. when his 100 break ended. The last red was very awkwardly placed against a cushion and Meredith, on 93, made sure of his 100 by dribbling the black in and not trying too hard for position of the remaining red. He then tried to double it off the cushion and only just failed to make the shot which if successful would have given him every chance of clearing the colours. This was Meredith’s third century break, the two earlier ones being in friendly matches. At Henderson. Meredith beat Kirkness, 4-2, in the quarter-finals and he whitewashed an in-form Selwyn Rota (Wellington), 4-0, in the semi-finals. In the best of nineframes final, he led Mutch 4-0 when an adjournment was taken. Meredith was fouled when he failed to nominate on an early snooker in the fifth frame and Mutch, who at the adjournment had considered his cause hopeless — he smash - broke when starting the fifth frame — made the most of his good fortune to win three frames before Meredith narrowly took the eighth.

Meredith will be playing under one big disadvantage at Ham. Without exception, his opponents will have had 90 minutes of billiards on the match table immediately before they play him at snooker. The games may be different, but Meredith will be “cold” so far as the feel of the table is concerned. However, the 29-year-old Meredith has made such giant strides this year, including victories in both the Canterbury and New Zealand snooker championships, that he could well be ready to shine in even more exalted company, A century snooker break is solid talk in any language.