BILLIARDS.

NZ Truth, Issue 352, 23 March 1912, Page 3

BILLIARDS.

(By "Jigger.");

The" nest Australasian amateur championship will be played m Melbourne from August 13 to 26 'next. What's wrong with New Zealand having a chip m this time? There are several amateurs m this shaky group who are quite good enough to hold their end up m that event. - W. J. Peall, the famous spot stroke player and record "spot" break holder (3304 at Westminster aquarium), is quite keen after a game (all m) with George Gra3 T . A match of that sort would be interesting just to show the difference between the two champions of the red ball using it m quite different ways. But it's more than likely that Peall couldn't "com f back" now, m which case it is best left alone. y. Diggle and Inman had arranged a match just before the last mail left that will cause much interest to billiardists. The idea is to prove the break-making ' abilities \pf the two cracks. The match will be 16,000 up for £50, an additional side wager of £25 going to the player wno makes the 'larger number of points from' breads over 300. Also another £25. to : the man who scores the most points by, three-figured breaks. Entries for the English amateur ; championship this year totalled 32. Mr j'Virr, the present champion, does not compete again, and the popular^pick is A. W. T. Good to be top dog. 1 Good has been a regular competitor, m this event for the last 15 years, and seeing that one or two 7 of last' year's tbpnotchers are absent this time, it ought io be easy. Melbourne got excited m print the other day about the, opening"; of the largest billiard hall in>the^t6wn; ; , And thej r all made a fuss 7, about a? room with 11 tables. We can go- as big as that m little Wellington, while Sydney can go to 25 and 40 at a time. But Sydney plays a bit more billiards than Melbourne, and a lump more than Wellington, so we'll wait and grow m the game. Diggle, who is on the point of coming to Australia to pick liposome of the good things lying about, is 49 years of age, and probably the most interesting personality m English billiards at present. At the age of 28* he met and defeated Dawson for ithe Lancashire and Yorkshire Cup, 3000 up,by 560, and four years later compiled a wonderful break ol 985 on a stanr dard table, spot barred, . playing [ against John Roberts at Argyll Hall. It was a magnificent exhibition of- bil- : ■Hards without a solitary fluke -in its make up, and ranks neVt to Roberta* 1392 as the record for open billiards.