BILLIARDS

NZ Truth, Issue 771, 14 August 1920, Page 8

BILLIARDS

— ♦ 1 CBy "Spider.") Since tho English professional championship has been decided by the grand j victory of Will Smith over the West of I England champion, Claude Falklner, m their Jinal heat of a few days ago,, many questions are bein& atfked as to who , Smith is and where hei. sprang from. Well, this particular Smith is the same young man who was first to check the onward march of George Gray when tho latter toured England m 1911. Gray had worked himself into very formidable form, and was m great demand everywhere m England, and he made hacks of all and sundry m his grand billiard march until introduced to one Will Smith, then a com- , positor on a newspaper m the town of , Darlington. Gray and Smith played a : match at Coxhoe In November, 1911 - m ■ which Smith had a"teubstantial handicap, ; but as the latter also happened to bo a i red balj artist, it was soon very evident : that young Georgo was well up against i it, so much so indeed that he was eventI ually forced to cat the leek, as Smith won i without drawing his whip, hi:-; best be- : ing a fino run of 372. Since then Smith Jia3 vastly improved, especially m the all-round*' department of tho same. ' A question was recently asked regarding Tommy R«eco's big "cradle cannon" break, and my eye happened to light upon the reply furnished. In order that no doubt shall exist as to the correct details, I give them hereunder: During ! a match between Tommy 'Itcece and W. , Chapman, m the Soho Saloon. Sohoequare. Lropdon, m January, 1907, Recce worked thfr balls into the Jaws of tho top right corner pocket on the evening of June 3, and ho continued In a cannon , break from that date until July C, 1907, i wheri he tired and turned it up. His : break totalled 449,135 unfinished, and comprised a sequence of 249,552 cannons Tho time taken m the making of fnis ; break was 85 hours and 49 minutes. The j Billiards Control Club refused to lssio i a certificate for the break as a record. It was said that during tho greater part of this break there were no persons preBent other than the player and the marker, and that the latter dozed many times with the musical click of the balls and tho quietness and monotony per- ' vading tho hall.