BILLIARDS CHAMPION

New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11583, 28 July 1923, Page 11

BILLIARDS CHAMPION

SHANKS WINS EASILY. WELCOME. WEEK COMPETITION. The final in the amateur billiards championship of Wellington, was played last night at the showroom of Messrs Billiards, Ltd., before a large attendance of spectators. The finalists were Mr A* Freeman, of Wellington Returned Soli diers' Association, and Mr H. Shanks, of the Dominion Club. Shanks made an early start, for he was left an open position at the third hand. He negotiated two beautiful cannons when the balls were all but touching, but at 31 played a white loser too finely. Freeman replied with four and a doublo baulk. A couple of sticks later Shanks fluked a cannon when playing a loser, but at 13 missed a red loser. Freeman replied with 14. When the score was 65—35 in Shanks's favour, the latter made a beautiful long jenny from the white, Freeman having played under the cushion for safety. Witn one or two small additions, Shanks reached 100 when Freeman was 53. Shanks next put on a useful 35, but not pretty, and in the next hand missed a middle pocket loser off the red. Freeman was playing far from well. Shanks passed his second hundred when Freeman was 88. Then Freeman made his first break, one of 27, losing the white alter making a good screw-back loser. Freeman progressed with one or two small hands, and Shanks ran 23 together before just missing contact with a kiss cannon. Next hand Shanks passed the half-way mark, when there wae a brief interval, the scores being—Shanks 250, Freeman 148. On resuming Shanks opened with 26, and then with 29, the score being 310—1C7 in his favour. Freeman improved then with a 35 break, which carried him over the 200 mark. His position play, however, was not as good as it might have been. He reduced the lead to almost 80 when Shanks got in again, making some excellent long losers, in which he was surer than at the middle pocket. The effort ran to 61, when he failed at a screw loser at the middle pocket in preference to playing a cannon, the white being at the top of the table. Freeman did not improve his total, and Shanks, with the aia of a couple of flukes, started on another break which ended at 29, the scores being 421—244. Freeman responded with 12. missing an easv pot red in the middle. With 22 Shanks began to get appreciably near home, and with a further 21 he only required 22 for game, iFrcema4 almost standing still while the final 100 was scored. Shanks ran to his points, the final score being— Shanks 500, Freeman 297. Mr Vosseler said, that Mr Shanks had played better billiards than had been seen in the competition in Wellington for some years* and Freeman, who was making a first appearance, had also given an excellent display. He handed in a cheque to Mr Mitchell for Welcome Week funds. Mr G. Mitchell then presented the trophy and gold medal to the winner, and the set of balls to the loser. He spoke of the object of Wellington Welcome Week, and of the hope to some day obtain such a hall in the city as would serve them for the motor show and such other entertainments as they desired to carry through. A sum of £9OO was spent in advertising Welcome Week, and they had still a balance for future work. He was glad to know that both winner and loser wero "diggers." The prize for the highest break, a cue, was awarded to T. Rait, of the Working Men's Club, who made the highest break apart from the ( finalists. The table provided by Billiards, Ltd., had also given the highest satisfaction. Thanks were accorded to Mr W. Abotome.y for his services as referee and marking, and to Billiards, Ltd., for running the tournament in aid of Welcome Week.