BILLIARDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15175, 14 December 1912, Page 10

BILLIARDS.

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Another movement js afoot in England to alter the method of scoring (says the Sydney Morning Herald) and alio the method of calculation now in vogue. It is asked Why should a red hazard count threo and a win to hazard only two points? It is claimed that both hazards should have the same value. Another query is: Why should the rod bo re-spotted after being holed, while tho white goes off tho table? Reformers ask that both balls be trated alike, .and put on tho billiard oentrc-spots respectively.. The colour of the three balls also comes in for criticism. _ If the spot-white were replaced by a soft-yellow there would bo little chance of _ the wrong ball being played with by a striker after a double-strength mix-up shot. By the present method of calculation one player might make 10 red hazards, five white hazards, and five cannons in 50 up, and his opponent might make tho same number of hazards off the white, score the tame number of cannons, and secure five red hazards, yet • his total would be only 45. Each player would have made the same number of hazards and cannons, yet because in the latter case the majority were white hazards the striker' would be penalised five points. - Another contention is that; misses should not be added to opponent's total. Instead, thev miqht bo deducted from tho striker's score. By this method tho opponent would not receive -points that ho had no hand in the making. Tho idea of substituting a light yellow for the spot-white ball is a good one but the re-spotting of tho white ball when holed might tend to make break-making too easy, arid lead to mammoth runs, which would lose value when compared with bre.ik* made under tho present code. . An average of 40 is registered its being a fino one for even tho best player nowaday* in. important long-game matches, the usual average - being between that figure and SO The latter was John Roberts's average f»>r » •whole season when ho was at the' zenith ol form about 12 years ago, just after - the abolition of the ''push" stroke. So it will be noted that Stephenson's late average i* truly great, and emphasises the benefit, from a health standpoint, which ho received from his late South African tour with George Gray. ' , , Mr. J. C. Parke, who was mainly responsible for the defeat of Australasia in the Davis cup lawn tennis contosfc, is almost as clever with the billiard cue as with .the. racket. For several yearn * -he has been j classed amongst the best billiard players in Ireland, and on one occasion was -Only narrowlv defeated by Mr. J. Nugent, the Irish amateur champion. . .Billiards and football have been factors in Mr. Parke's nerve and. speed for the other ball same' m which he has so greatly distinguished himself recently. 1 . 11. W. Stevenson reproduced m his second jram'o the excellent form with which _he opened the English billiard season. After defeating Oook bv the aid of his thrco great 'breaks of over 500, 700. and 1000, the exchampion conceded Falkiner, a promising voung player, 2250 in 6000. Even with that generous start, Falkiner had no- chance, for Stevenson, who played delightful billiards, ran out a winner by 2104 points. I'or the whole gamo the winner had the marvellous averager of 75~figurcs that have only been exceeded twice in modern billiards, _ anil m each instance by the chnmmon , •misrlf. George Gray, of course, has had better averages for a long gamo, hut for ounces of comparison it Is now usual to exclude the Australian's figures, ai» he is in a class by j himself. .. j