THE BILLIARD TABLE

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16815, 18 August 1922, Page 2

THE BILLIARD TABLE

Note* and Comments by “ Cue.”

At the close of the seventh round of the league competition the various teams were placed as follows :

The Pioneer and the Tramways have not yet played their match in the seventh round. The Police Club defaulted to the R.S.A. “ A ” team in the seventh round of the league competition. The W.M.C. heat the P. and T. by three games to two. The following are the scores, members of the winning team being mentioned first : AY. Kett 193 v. AY. Behrens *2OO. C. Hawker 200 v. li. Shaw 199. AY. AYeir 178 v. E. Gough 200. P. Pearson 200 v. C. Newton 143. G. Kett 200 v. IT. Musgrave 147. * The best breaks were :—Hawker, 33. 2 3 ; AVeir, 29, 25; Shaw, 34, 25: Behrens, 31; Pearson, 36, 22; Gough. 23, 22, 20- AV. Kett, 21; Musgrave, 20. Tlie best game in the match, Y.M.O.A. v. Gloucester Club, played last week, was that between R. Duthie (Y.M.C-A-) and G. Howison (Gloucester). The former reached his points first when his opponent’s score stood at 194In the. eighth round of the competition the R.S.A. ‘ A ” team had an easy victory over the Sydenham Library, winning all five games. Detailed scores are as follows : H. McLean 200 v. L. Kent 62. R. C. Butters 200 v. F. Hales 94. McKav 200 v. I>. Sylvester 172. H. Ritchie 200 v. H. Hales 117. J. islmund 200 v. H. Sylvester 113.

Breaks:—Mcl/eau, 37; Ritchie, 33, 27. 23, 20; Sheard, 37, 21; H. Hales, The draw for the ninth round, which commences on Monday, is as follows, the games being played on the tables of the last mentioned club:— R.S.A. “A” v. Pioneer. R.S.A. “ B ” v. Gloucester. P. and T. v. Svdenham AY.M.C. v. Police. Tramways v. AT. M C A. The handicap snooker tournament at the R.S.A. is progressing very slowly. Additional results are :—Fourth round —‘Hannah (15 on) beat Sullivan (15 on), 81-31 ; E. White (30 on) beat Fletcher (25 on). 49-9; M. Turnbull (10 on) beat AY. Todd (35 on), 87-53: Hardie (10 on) beat L. AYilson (10 on), 69-51. A meeting of the executive of the Billiard League will be held on Tuesday evening at 7 p.m., at the Gloucester Club. It is essential that each club in the league competition should be represented, ns matters in connection with the Canterbury amateur championship will he discussed. Tho second round of tlie league competition will also he drawn up. The game of 4500 up between 11. AY. Stevenson, the ex-world’s champion, and A\ r . Abotomey, the New South AYales professional, opened at- the Royal Billiard Saloon, Willis Street. Wellington, on Monday afternoon. In the afternoon Stevenson secured his sessional points of 750 in twenty-six visits to the table, averaging 28.88, his best breaks being 189, 56. 88, 61 and 191 Abotomey’s average worked out to 12 1. and Ins best break was 161. There was a good crowd present, at the evening session, and a brilliant display by Stevenson was witnessed. Tlie cx-rbampion monopolised the play, and Abotomey paid very few visit* to tlie table. The event of the evening was a break of 350 by Stevenson, mostly off beautiful top <jl' the table play, it wa.> a master-

ful exhibition of the art. Tlie position play was a revelation. In his next strike Stevenson ran up 189, and in his next made 94 unfinished. His brilliant play was frequently applauded, and all hands voted it a remarkable exhibition. At the conclusion of the. day’s play the scores were : —Abotomey (receiving 1500), 1956; Stevenson, 1501. Play was resumed on Tuesday afternoon. Stevenson only went to the table

eleven times, and secured an average of 76.1 S ner visit. At the commencement of play Stevenson ran up his un finished break of 94 to 117. Subsequently his best breaks were 161. 68, 69, 123. 156, and 75. Stevenson was at the table when sessional points were leached, and commenced the evening game with four .to go and excellent position for continuation. Abotomey was undoubtedly nervous, and was not able to demonstrate his ability. Tn addition, his luck was of the very worst, and the balls behaved very badly for him. In the evening matters were not nearly so bright as they had been, both men playing a great deal for safety. Stevenson played many brilliant individual shots, hut appeared to be just a trifle out of touch, which in his 6tvlo of play brings difficulties. Over and over again he brought the halls together into almost ideal position, hut the tl almost” meant a difficult shot and loss of control.

The visiting champion played some screw shots, masse, and top-side shot 9 off the cushions, which were totally foreign to the local players and a revelation to those who were seeing a master cueist for the first time. Safety tactics were cleverly executed by both players, and when scoring was unusually difficult or impossible the striker never failed to secure douhle-baulk or to leave the position almost impossible. Stevenson had the bad run that pomes to every great player once in a while, and was not able to make any big breaks. His chief efforts were 51, 29, 34. 55. 23. 28. 26. and a 50 unfinished. Abotomev’s best efforts were 25, 33, 46, 43. 53. 37, 43, 53. 65. The final sessional scores were:— Abotomey , * 2713 Stevenson . • ® 2661 During the second afternoon's session Stevenson found himself faced with a poser. Abotomev’s hall was about 6ix inches from the top right corner pocket. an inch off the cushion, and Stevenson’s ball was three or four inches off the cushion, while the red lay below the middle, just right for the loser

from hand. Tho run through the white was not on, as tho white was not likely to clear itself on the bump of tho pocket, and Stevenson would not play tho drop shot. He prepared for his stroke, and the spectators wondered what he was going to do. A sharp, but not hard stroke followed. Ho had played a daring long screw-back right along the cushion to tlie other corner pocket and one could almost see eyes sticking out like those of a crayfish, as tlm striker's ball, hugging the cusihion. crept back and curled into the pocket with the spin imparted by the roaster player. Tlie feat evoked verv hearty applause, hut the countenances of the onlookers changed to dismay as Stevenson missel the easy red loser which he had left for himself. NUR SERY CANNONS. The final game, of the boys' billiard championship of England was played at Borroughes’ Hall in St James Street It was a thrilling ocasion. hut reminiscent of Herbert Spencer’s remark about misspent youth.” AVhot- the old gentleman with the long white beard and the faint suggestion of the late Air Samuel Smith thought about such juvenile precocity could be faintly imagined from his melancholy frown. Master AY. Donaldson, the email, exquisitely self-possessed Scottish bov who won the silver cup by beating Afaster H. Renault, of London, by over 300 points in 1000 up. could probablv have given any elderly person present, with one exception. 50 behind in 100 and disgraced him. The exception was Air Inman, looking rather like an Eastern Buddha at a ping-pong tournament. He followed the middle-aged deportment of tlie boy players and their perfect manipulation of impossible shots which seemed almost as “ professional ” as their billiard etiquette like a connoisseur with a grievance. There wa/> something unchancy about the two boys not yet sixteen in short knickers and bare knees behaving like a couple of John Robertses. Breaks of just under 50 were common. One boy—the loser —made nearly 40 off the red after losing the white. A competitor who wax knocked out earlier scored 250 in forty-three minutes. The spectators included manv proud but mystified mammas, several small tots of girls who wriggled in ecstasy when someone made a miraculous ! fluke, end besides the elderly disciple lof Herbert Spencer, a number of thoroughly die grunt led middle-aged gentlemen with blue chalk tn their waistcoat pockets.

P. W. L. Pta E.S. A. “ A ” . 7 7 0 7 Pioneer ... 6 6 0 6 W.M.C- ... 7 5 2 5 Police S • " 4 3 4 K.S.A. '• B'* . *7 3 4 3 Sydenha.m . . 7 3 4 3 Gloucester . . 7 3 4 3 P. and T. . . - 7 *2 3 2 Tramways . . 6 1 5 1 Y.M.C.A. ... 7 0 7 0