LINDRUM MAKES WORLD'S RECORD.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18939, 9 December 1929, Page 1

LINDRUM MAKES WORLD'S RECORD.

INMAN DECLARES HIM TO BE BORN GENIUS

(United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) (Received December 9, 10.30 a.m.) LONDON, December 8. Walter Ljndrum has made a world’s record break of 3262 in his time-limit billiards match against Willie Smith the English champion. Lindrum never looked like failing. He beat his own record. He was as cool as a cucumber when he resumed on Saturday afternoon, and the audi ence was insistent in their demand for a speech. Lindrum thanked the Londoners for the wonderful reception they had accorded him, and said that, if he had any regret, it was that he had made the world’s record at the expense of so good a sportsman as Willie Smith. Lindrum broke down at the top of the table as the result of a hair from the brush used for cleaning the table slightly misdirecting a white ball. Curiously, he feh in no way exhausted by the constant strain, but now and again felt it necessary to look toward the gallery for the space of a minute or two as a relief from the concentration, lie said that when at the table for long periods it was a great relief to look at somthing away from- the table, no matter what he looked at. It was even a big relief to chalk his cue “ The fact that Lindrum deprives me of the world’s record in no way worries me,” commented Claude Falkiner. who came specially from his own match to congratulate the champion “ Walter is the world’s greatest, and it is fitting that he should hold the world’s record I predicted 3000 for Lindrum I now predict 5000 Anything is possible with that boy.” Inman, writing in the “Evening Standard,” said: “Had Lindrum entered for the championship, there would have been only one man in the contest T was champion eleven times, and there is nothing to prevent Lindrum being champion twenty* times. No one ever played the nursery cannon in such a clean manner as Lindrum. He steers the balls round the jaws of the pocket in a way that is more than wonder fill. The most extraordinarv thing is that all his shots are his own. He has learned nothing from any bod v which demotes that he is a born genius ” The “Morning Post” says in an editorial that “there is no doubt that Lindrum is the finest billiard player that the world has ever seen. We used to think that Willie Smith was unbeat able, but by comparison with the Australian artist, he is but an imperfect artisan.” - In the final session, Lindrum aggre gated 1291 to 934. A fine break of 893 included runs of 37. 71. and 70 cannons. He also made breaks of 101 124, and 110. Smith took an unfinished break of 335 to 455. after which he made breaks of 168. 122 and 441 The final scores were:— Lindrum 28.003. Smith 21,962.