THE BILLIARD TABLE

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16839, 15 September 1922, Page 3

THE BILLIARD TABLE

Notes and Comments by

" Cue.”

The positions of the various tear the League competition at the er the eleventh round were as follow;

In the eleventh round of the League competition the Sydenham Library beat the Y.M.C.A. by 4 games to 1. The following are the scores, Sydenham bein sr'mentioned first:— Kent 200 v D. Bono 166. F. Hales 200 v P Bond 137. H. Hales 200 v A. F>. Keys 135. X. Silvester 200 v A. Westropp 120. Small 195 v Charles 200. In the same round the R.S.A. “ B’ team beat, a team from the P. and. T. Club by the odd game in five. Detailed scores, winners being given first: — F. Champness 149, C. Shaw 200. Clark 200 v W. Behrens 175. W. J. Collins 200 v E. Watt 191. H. Prettyjohn 200 v Gough 152. Cl. Bound 163 v Musgrave 200. The best breaks were :—R.S.A.— Clark 24, 23; Collins 23; Prettyjohn 39, 27; Champness 20; P. and T.— Shaw 25, 24; Watt 25; Gough 42. 29, 20 ; Musgrave 20 (thrice). A game which had a considerable bearing on the League competition was played recently when the Working Men’s Club met the Pioneer Club on the former club’s tables. Apart from the R.S.A. 40 A** team the Working Men's Club are recognised as having the only billiard team capable of extending the leaders in the competition. After a very interesting series of games the Pioneer Club won by 3 games to 2. Tho following are the scores, winners being mentioned first: .J. Martin 200 v Kett 156. Page 200 v Weir 99. A. Williamson 190. v Pearson 200. P. Martin (score not given) lost to Hawker 200. Harman 200 ▼ Harbridge 147. The games in the twelfth round are being played very slowly, owing to the fact that the Canterbury amateur championships are at present in progress. It is to be hoped that clubs will not drop the League entirely for the time being, as with seven rounds yet to he played the season will ho extended long enough even if the remaining matches are got off promptly week by week. At a recent meeting of the League committee it was suggested that the four leading teams in the league competition should play a knock-out contest to decide the winner. The suggestion : was not. favourably received, as all the j clubs whether at the top or bottom of : the table are equally keen on these ' inter-club games and it would be a great pity if the competition were , closed down. i'he draw for the thirteenth round of the League is as follows, games being played on the tables of the last-men-tioned club;— R.S.A. “ A ” v P. and T. W.M.C. v R.S.A. “ B.” Y.M.C.A. v Pioneer. Police v Sydenham. Tramways v Gloucester. The R.S.A. Club will play a team ' from the Commercial Travellers’ Club to-night for the Hart Cup. This cup is for billiards and the R.S.A. Club are the holders of it and also of the Wauchop Cup for snooker. The game for this latter trophy also against the Commercial Travellers, will probably be played next week. The R.S.A. team lor to-night’s game is as follows:—H. IM Lean, R. M’Kay, H. Ritchie. J. Sheard, F. Champness and H. Knight. Thor© i« a possibility of W. (‘■‘Pod”) Smith being included in tho team if lie can get leave from the Sanatorium. An exhibition game of 750 up was played last Friday evening between W. Abotoraey, professional champion of New South Wales, and W. Smith, tho Canterbury amateur champion. The latter was in receipt of 250 and he was beaten by lo points. Smith played very scratchily until he got his 105 break. He improved after that, but was not in bis real form. Even his three-figure break was marred by a fluke ” at 62. In fact, Smith had walked away from the table and no one was more surprised than he that his break was still on.” Abotomey, on the other hand, although never brilliant, gave spectators the idea that he could have played a lot better than he did. He had several opportunities to play safety on Smith, but sportingly chose to change the position of the bails, and running the risk of letting Smith in for a big break. The local man is capable of much better billiards than what he showed last week, and it is to be hoped that if ho meets Abotenaey again (and there is a chance that he will) ho be at the top of his form. If such is the case Smith should not need 250 points to enable him to reach game first. On Tuesday evening at the Amyes Billiard Saloon Papanui, W. Abotomey played H. M’Lean. of tho R.S.A. Club. The former conceded M’Lean 300 in 700 and beat him by 63. The game was played on a very fast table, with bonzolino balls and was a fino exhibition. v played much better than in

his game against Smith, and M’Lean too. was in fine form. The best breaks were: Abotomey 86. 81, 79. 66, 65, 59. 55 53, and 86 unfinished; M’Lean 79, 56. 55, 46, and a number over twenty. Big breaks were the order of the evening and those present thoroughly appreciated the exhibition. Abotomey will play games in Temuka. | Timaru and Dunedin before returning to J Christchurch. ft is hoped to arrange , another game with Smith and also with M'Lean at the R.S.A. rooms. The Canterbury amateur championships commenced on Monday, but so far nothing sensational has happened. Sixteen entered for the championship, and to date three of these have defaulted. W. Heap, of the Gloucester Club, was drawn to play F. Sheahan. of the Tramways Club, on Monday evening. The latter could not play at the last moment, and the game went to Heap. On top of that -came F. Simons’s default to H. Ritchie on the Tuesday evening, and then last night R. C. Butters had to default to J*. Clark. Butters is at present in the North Island. It is a pity that such an important event has started so disappointingly. Clubs should make certain before entering a player that he has a reasonable chance oLbeing able to play. odG—L uydMfi Dyflcftr (hlrnd-a L:rn The only game played in the Canterbury Amateur Championships is that between A. Williamson ("Pioneer Olub) and E- Monk (Kaiapoi) which was decided on Wednesday evening. The former won an uninteresting game by 97 points, the final score being:—Williamson 350. Monk 253. Bonzoline balls and a standard table probably accounted for the poor display. The question arises if the championship committee were wise in stipulating that the championship should he played on standard tables. Only two clubs in Christchurch, a a far as 1 know, possess them. the R.S.A. and the Tramways, consequently members of other clubs find it hard to obtain sufficient practice to meet the conditions. It is true that both these dubs invited any entrant for the championship to go along and practice on their table, but. it is not always convenient to do so. If the championship had been played on an ordinary full-sized table, facilities for practice would have been much greaterThe following are next week's games in the Canterbury ehampionshin :—W. Kett (W.M.C.) v. J. Martin (Pioneer) Monday evening at the R.S.A. ; W. Kami Liana (Kaiapoi) v. H. M’Lean (R.S.A.) at the Tramways on Tuesday evening: A. O. L. Brown (Tramways) v. P. G Martin (Pioneer) at the R.SA. on Wednesday evening: W. Smith (R.S.A.) v. M’Kay (R.S.A.) at the Tramway? on Thursday evening.

p. W. L. Pts. Pioneer . .11 11 — 11 R.8.A. " A " . 11 10 1 10 W.M.C, . . n 8 3 8 Police . 11 0 5 '• Gloucester .11 5 o 5 P. a nd T. . . 11 4 7 4 % R.S.A. B** .11 4 7 4 Sydenham . . It 4 7 1 Tramways . 11 3 8 3 Y.M.C.A. . 11 1 10 1