Feats of Billiard Players.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXI, Issue 8959, 7 December 1905, Page 1 (Supplement)

Feats of Billiard Players.

, Thews h»wt> been days in the- past when " itraif' feats on the billiard table have cteat!wl ju>i much sensuition throughout the land a» any happening in tl» wurlil of sport. Tlie- tirst sensation of the series' was, tb.it made- nearly 100 yean jiust at thetim« when btlluiT(i» were Srst otoubs inas. ui popular pastime. and! the maker o£ it was .facie Oat, wh» is generally acknowledged to fwv« bise-a tilt' Itert billiard champion. Cairr waa a trucker at the* public billiard rooms ufc Eiath. which were much, j frequented by social personages of tfw> day ! who visited tlw place. Thews wetk> no | faacv shots in biUiuxtl® ivt that time. and i L'arr. an id«u which he had eb- : taiivd from, uis employer. Mr BUtley, in•M'nti'il tin- fa-st, which w,is the .vie str By its means IW- aMnagmt to tl<» shots on. the table which Etrw had t:v--r dreamed w«te possible, ami nobody (Meept ; those wiio saw him play wouhl be[>-v: that lie could d»» them. 6Lr.tliii6i.i-sr* eame down from, t»ndon in the twch» by liun- : dreds to see t'arr make the balls perform their wonderful evolutions. But though iie made the shot.*, ho declined to tell any bmly how he did them, and they couhl not, discover it from his quick method of | play. Ac last. ennceivia; that tire ft- wj« no money in his secret... Fv jravw it out that his strokes were entirely due to the use of a particular "twistimx chatk" 41s lie called it, ot' hie own invention, with which lie chalkpit the end of his cue. EEi* story was jjtrßerally believe,l, a.nd hp was to put. hi» "twisting chalk" on the- market, which !>• iliil. Ife spent all h;s U:isuTts time in his private- coom eattins ag* and putting into fancy pill boxes the ordinary chalk which he obtained front Mr Elitley. unit which was supplied to the customers, in the rmmt in the ordinary course, and these "pill boxes of twiste<E t-fialk" hj- s«>[t£ in hirndreib, aa taet a» hi- troufd roAe them up. Carr, having tint all his mitry by heiivy sjsvmblinjr.' went on a, tour fhrotijjh Spain.. wh«W much interest was. then taken in billiard*. Ke found it. very wmur.erativc.. f«:t tost his rarrinif* in Itftmbtmst. and arrived at- I'oct.smouth in ra.sjs and tatters and without a p«-nr.y in his pocket. Ete walked stwisrlit to the public billiard rooms there, whert- a sentleman who did not know him. asked him to play, with the result that several snmes were played for ir.cwasinx stakes ami Ctrr won Dtl). When hj- left thp roorr* ht> went a. tailt>r's :i-nd bought a hlne coat, yellow waistcoat, drab brw«he» and top- bwit*. and in this smart attir»- he n-pairi-d t<» tli* v rooms aca,in to the following' nisfht ajid won another £-70 from. tfi«" iimiP gentleman, who did not ri-m--ni«-e in him hj:» opponent of thv previous eveninx. and complained "8 hw bad tr.c\ in encowntetinit two such opponents or, mic - cessivo cigiltß. Then CitfT pcwlvlimed bis> identity. Edwin Kfnttield. of Brishton. was the, next, champion .and held the title* wit-hont diopttte untit .folin Bi>b«rts. jurt-. father of the- grettt player o£ today, oa th» scene. ESoberts waa tli»" of th« H'nion Club- rooms rta Jtatichester. and buinif ambitious to encounter Kenttield, oi.klc «. journey_ to Etrisht«n eep.-t:ially for the parpost". Ken T-he id wa» not to run any riyle ct losini; hra title". an« thus, it. happened that, on*f~ vl the? ovost epwrlv making' matuhes of billiafdct vvae pi,vyed in a room witb the door ftictcpd and n**C a single spectator save tfw players themsblvks. tt was Kentfeld who teoie i>>b.-rt» into the room antl fooked the* They aitreed to play without any stakes at tint, and Rot*«t» ait once weat so much so that at last Ive pnrtested.. "This. Mr Ksnttielil. cannot be you-r same. If ymt play ian this manner C can irtve y«'t 'HJ in 100: Et y«it are withl.or.ti.ft.c ywr p-iwers for the purpose of obtaining a b*>t. i am willinif to recommence the same »R<t tw play you for £5." The st-ory goes th.vt. Kent-tiuld susjacstect they should play f*>r £IOOO, but eve-ntiuilly ten iimes tor £lO euclv wen* atrret'd upon. Kentdeld won two out of three- and then, tteclarinir that lib had established his claim to the- elianv pionship. the terminated. One of tlu-> greatest watches in billiard history was that tm which several years later dcfelted this same- Evobcrt.'* tor the The match, wlucb wii.» the taik of Knilan.i. to«.>k place at tha St. James" ELiil 'to IS7O. and it was indicative of i.t» intersot and importance that Eidward. then l"ruictf ot Wales, was a spectator tlu'tMtirhout. .Xolin Roberts, senior, luvt nuirvellous strength of the* arms and wrists, awt could performi a tea.t which n«l>xiy h«ld been, able to do »*n<-e. With his haiut lie could knock two balls otf a- bi.'lunt table an»£ make them reoc.v t.lio e.ud ot a lodiS biiiiaft hall without, touchinix the tioor. On une Bttasiwo ho established th»r record. A irt:,iUmf of- athletic build and etwus eoosti t-ution clwllenaed him to play until «k or the other should be ob hied' to give- up physical es,li>+usCioti. If lie conditions. wh,ic hi Roberts accepted, were- that 10 should! i-oacedc h-'i» opponent 60 points in every tOO. and that he- (EScberts). be-sidi-s pUyinif his own tfimiu. ? wir , it for botll of them, spot the balls, hamt the rests, around. an<t gtfCsftiJiy uo the iluties i>£ a mairlwr. thus oddini aittteiroi-uy • tlie physical U,s upon tanxwlf. riv»*y were to play a« many hundreds as possible for ten shilli«is a hundred, and tue tian who tint rav» i« we>tld fwtVit - players stuck to their task tnarvelloosly. an.t it was Dot until tl»y b<id been puvinu for 43' •uw*s»w» hoo», ditrias wlueh w-rimli 12& wei* ttet the amateur foil! (town by the suteof the table in a <Jr*uf faint thxoitirb cxiwastwo. Taaa Etoberts won. Towakls tho en*! of last yww an emiuM.o*:# match w-.is pEaytiil at a welWcnewtt btlltairii hn»ll ta Vi? of Locmtoo. b«tWß«a ilr O. W • luywvrj ami Mr F Boofwr. w!io to p'ay mu -h, other for twarty-tair «»*"• lionrs.. tE«-«w» who srtwd meat pe«it» ta bhuib'Cim* to b« ilr Hitytcu-a I wort, with) a scof* of SG4o tt> n» oppo n«nt* 50®l. T» giw iwwwlf f«y ««»• fort onw of thp players «pp«NMwi g » &f----net sEitrt iwwi 1* pir «i t v » r 7. fcettti3 - th»y p£ay«<i all tta«sb tbc mtf&t intfjy,. one toward uwwßfflg- that , b,"eti h»n<S» aaii ciws becatw? .fespe-rau-ly | heavy.