BILLIARDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14174, 24 September 1909, Page 8

BILLIARDS.

GRAY, THE BILLIARDIST.

A BOY'S WONDERFUL FEAT.

A brilliant and fitting conclusion was furnished by Gray to his epoch-mak-ink match with Frederick Linorura at Melbourne (says the Argus). The world's record of 836 in one cue put up by the young Queenslander has marked the game as one to be red-lettered in the history of billiards- On Saturday afternoon the boy master showed that his unexampled losingred hazard performance is not to be regarded as a dizzy height to which he may never rebound. He gave another exhibition of the perfection to which he has brought his wonderful command of the balls that excelled in merit if it just dropped short of the necessary equality of points of his record of 836. Starting with 188 unfinished, and with his opponent's ball pocketed, Gray confidently notched three after three off the red. The 200 was left behind in a minute, and seven or eight minutes later the third century came along. The fourth hundred was hoisted by the same deadly certainty in losing-hazard play in about eight minutes.

Tho boy was playing with such ease and power that it seemed impossible that anything could go wrong with the machine, for the instrument driving the cue appeared to be of iron or steel, and equally nerveless and durable. Nearly all his shots were into the middle pockets. It was only once or twice in a century, certainly not more than twice- on the average, that Gray lost position to the extent that he considered it advisable to pot the red in a middle pocket., and, following on with the white got position by a top-pocket loser, or by the other method of playing the more difficult long loser. In tho middle-pocket losers there seemed not tho slightest chance of the ball, as it, went unerringly along its track to the spot just under the lower jaw, ever getting the smallest trifle fractious, or attempting to vary tho monotony of things by only "knocking at the door." When tho sixth and seventh hundreds had gone by thero was dead silence in the room, as it began to dawn on the watchers that Gray might probably beat his own great record of a few days previcusly. As the boy approached 800 he on one of his rare occasions brought the red ball too close to the left cushion. The course usually pursued was again taken, and Gray potted tho red, making his break 800, and followed on with tho white. It was seen that ho had sent the white about an inch further along the cushion than ho usually does, but his customary success in regaining position was fully expected of him. Tho onlookers hushed their very breaths as he made the stroke. Perhaps the fact that he was on tho heels of his own record made Gray over-careful, but tho machine broke down, and its breaking down gave almost a sense of physical pain. "Ah!" came forth, numerous disappointed ejaculations, and then, as if the greatness of the performance captured them, tho boy was greeted with thunderous applause. He had made 612 off the red, and had only got 13 to go to secure his sessional points. If he had got those 13 he would have completely monopolised the table for the afternoon, and Lindrum would have teen merely a spectator. As it was, Lindrum had to be content with one visit to the table. He strung together 12 in pretty style, and then failed on a cannon. Gray ran to his points with 13 unfinished- His average, if average it can be called, for tho afternoon was 625, or, rather, he got his sessional points with only one failure.

Gray (in play) 15,375 Lindrum 11,312 In the evening Alcock's was crowded. Gray took his unfinished break to 41, and on his ninth essay got another 42- In tho meantime, Lindrum was particularly busy, and kept Hobart Smith going to tho tuno of 46, 44, 44, and 124. On his 12th visit Gray replied with 216, all off' the red. Lindrum's best following contributions were, 82, 39, and 31. The end came when Gray once more secured his position of red ball in play, with opponent's ball pocketed. Ho ran to" his 16,000 points with 223 unfinished. Of these 219 were duo to red hazards. It was not known by everyone in the room that Gray began this concluding break as the result of a foul, unnoticed by the marker or by Gray, but which Lindrum, in the most sportsmanlike fashion, declared against himself. In addressing tho ball Lindrum's cue had just touched and moved the ball the veriest fraction of an inch. It was some time after the winning hit that tho storm of cheering subsided. While tho applause was at its height, Lindrum took tho opportunity to congratulate the younger lad on his victory. Then Mr. H. S. Lawrence, on behalf of both players, thanked tho public for their kindness and appreciation, ? id also referred to the accurate scoring of Hobart Smith. It. was hoped, from the form shown in the match just closed, that one of the hoys would bring tho billiard championship of the world to Australia. (Applause.) Of Gray's. 800 break 771 were off the red. In the evening he made 22 visits to the table for his 625 points, and Lindrum made 21 visits for 561 points. Gray (received 1000) ... 16,000 Lindrum- 11,874