BILLIARDS.

NZ Truth, Issue 507, 6 March 1915, Page 10

BILLIARDS.

. _» ' (By "Fluko.") The sweltering mUggy weather we have been having of late has had an ill effeot on' /billiard room receipts everywhere, more especially •at night when gas or electric light add to the heat. However, this month will see It out, and during next month we hope to see the billiard machinery m full swing. Billiard room proprietors should wake up now and get 'their eyes to business, see that their tables aiy ln perfect order and promote room tournaments and championships. Thus they would havo an opportunity of keeping their room associates together and proflt considerably thereby, even though so many of our gallant lads aro away fighting Kaiser Bill. * * « i Walter Osborne, with a start of 800 m 1500 up, gave George Grey a decisive whipping m the Leicester Square Hall recently, when he won by 729 points. Both played well and put up .some fine breaks. * . * • Billiards m good old England Is as dead, almost as Julius Caesar, and while other sports, both . indoor and outdoor, are m full swing, the knights of the cve — that is, the professional class — aro not raising a sou m gate money. The abandonment of this season's • professional championship has been a severe blow to the leading cueists, and has caused considerable annoyance to those players. Tom Recce did not want to lose any shekels, and Immediately after the notification of the Billiards "Control Club was made he Issued a challenge to anyone m the world to play him for £100 or £200 j a side. The ,only proviso inserted m ] the challenge by the close-cannon champion was that ivory spheres woro to be used. This not meeting' with any response Recce notified that ho was perfectly willing to make one of a sweepstakes, each player to put ln £100. Darlington Smith was perfectly willing to make one of the mob, but Tommy Newman considered that the amount asked to be planked down was a bit over tho od<Ve, but said, "If Reeeo is willing to make the amount £25 a side, I will make one; but tho contury bars me out." Tommy Newman, as all followers of billiards know, has for some timo beon under tho watchful eye of the great John Roberts, but as his agreement finishes this month this phenomenal youthful bllliardlst will soon be freo to tako on any player. Newman is a great player, and, judging by tho form ho has shown this season, which has been his best, ho would be a worthy opponent for tho best players m the world. He has compiled several flno breaks, tho best of which were and 515; besides these ho showed consistent form in* Burroughs and Watts s s tourney, and had the honor of securing second place. * # • Tha next Australasian championship will bo played ln Melbourne. Tho Billiard Association have provided a splendid programme for its members, as the game for the State championship usually runs over a week, tho metropolitan championship a couple of weeks, and tho snooker championship a week or moro. All Association members by their subscriptions havo freo entry to all matches or championships controlled by tho Association. This certainly does show how alive they aro In Australia In first forming' so solid an Association, and so well catering for its members. Why not try and stimulate tho same backbone here? There Is ample material to work on and with a little careful study between tables manufacturers and room proprietors something of this naturo could bo attained hero with equally successful results. m * • For years past billiards m this Dominion havo been as dead as a pieco of pig iron. No ono directly interested

Tn this game of skill seems to haya sufficient energy m him to get to work and form an association or submit a scheme likely to be conducive to good results for every ono concerned. To i my mind, billiard room proprietory ; seem quite content to cut into each ! other as much as possible, instead of fraternising together for their mutual benefit. By pulling together they surely oan see that, given the proper encouragement, players must increase,; whioh means increased business. Au association formed, means that cham-.' plonshlp meetings would follow, an«_f after that the probability of inter-Stata? championships. Make this year tha. year for exploiting this Idea, and seal what can be done.