BILLIARDS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLII, Issue 8, 24 February 1909, Page 43

BILLIARDS.

By AN EXPERT.

0/ T~ WRITER in the London ‘’Daily J I Telegraph” has unearthed an W | interesting old code of billiard X rules which date back to the

eighteenth century. There is no doubting their authenticity, as the copy 1 have under iny eyes as I write is ■headed with the Royal arms, with G.R., standing for Georgius Rex, but which of the four Georgius’ is not set forth. The rules are termed ‘‘Orders to be observed at Billiards.” Then follows the statement: “Whereas there is an Act of Parliament prohibiting any journeyman, labourer, apprentices, or servants from playing or gaming at billiards, in any public house, under a penalty of forty shillings on the occupier of the said house, and twenty shillings on the person so playing or gaming; this is therefore to desire that every person who comes here will give a proper account of himself to the owner of this table, and also to caution all those who are disqualified tby the aforesaid Act, that they do not game or play at billiards in this house, us proper care must be taken to prevent it.” Here is abundant proof that billiard playing in those bygone days was the cult of the classes. A century of ■time has brought with it enlightenment and a wiser toleration of the humble toiler. For to-day it is among the masses that billiards has its strongest hold. The orders read curiously, many unfamiliar terms being used. It is made clear that the mace-head, which was laid Hat upon the table to push the player's ball instead of the clear, incisive stroke that a. later invention, the leather cuetip, induced, was in use. Yet for all its comparative primitive state there was a very definite understanding as to the proper conduct of the play, as may be gleaned from the exact ’ copy of" the “Orders” herewith: I. For the lead, put the ball at one end, and play to be nearest the cushion next to you. 11. The nearest to the cushion shall lead, and chuse the ball, if h*e pleases. HI. The leader t<s place his ball at the ■nail, and not- to pass the middle pocket; and if he holes himself he loses the game?. 1\ . He that follows the leader must stand within the corner of the table, and not place his ball beyond the nail. A. He . that plays upon the running bail loses one. VI. He that touches the ball twice, and moves it. loses one. VII. He. that does not hit his adversary's ball loses one. VIIF. He that touches both balls, it is deemed a foul stroke, and if he puts in his adversary’s ball, he is to have nothing for it; but if he puts in his own he Joses two. IX. He that holes both balls loses two. X. He that strikes upon his adversary s ball and holes himself loses two. XL He that plays against the ball, not striking it, but holes himself, loses three. XH. He that strikes both balls over the table loses two. XIII. He that strikes his ball over

One ball played at the line will knock One away from the other end; two balls L will knock two away, and so on.

the table, and does not hit his adversary’s ball, loses three. XIV. He that retains the end of his adversary’s stick when playing, or endeavours to baulk his stroke, loses one. XV. He that plays another’s ball without leave loses one. XVI. He that takes up his ball, or his adversary’s, without permission, loses one. XVII. He that stops either ball, when running, loses one; and being near the hole, loses two. XVIII. He that blows upon the ball, when running, loses one; if near the hole loses two. XIX. He that shakes the table when ■the ball is running, loses one. XX. He that strikes the table with his stick, or plays before his turn, loses one. XXI. He that .throws the stick upon the table, and hits the ball, loses one. XXII. If the ball stands upon the edge of the hole, and after being challenged it falls in, it is nothing, but must be put where it was before. xxrn. If any person, not being one of the players, stops a ball, the ball must stand in the place when it was stopped. XXIV. He that plays without a foot upon the ground, loses one. XXV He that leaves the game before it is ended loses it. XXVI. Any person may change his stick in play. XXVII. If any person breaks the stick or the m-ace, he must pay sixpence for the stick, and two shillings for the mace. XXVIIf. If any difference arises about false play, the master of the house, or he that marks the game, shall decide it. XXIX. Those that do not play must stand from the table, and give place to the players. XXX. If any person lays any wager, ■and does not play, he shall not give advice to the players upon the game. There is a final clause to the effect that “All persons who smoke or quarrel at billiards, or endeavour to disturb the players, are liable to bo expelled the room by the majority of the companythen preseiji. “Those who swear or curse shall “Forfeit sixpence to the poor." I take "the nail” to be a spot now included in the D, or baulk semi-circle. According to old books upon the game the usual number of points played was only from seven to twenty-one points up, so that the summary treatment of a player holing his ball, as defined by Rule 111., was not so drastic as it would at first sight appear to be. The most curious points, however, are to be noticed in Rules XVIII. and XIX.: “lie that blows upon the ball,” and “He that sh'ake.s the Table” are specially commendable. In the two accompanying diagrams I show some billiard movements, or action of the balls governed by the law of dynamics. A resilient, clastic .'substance, such as an ivory or composition billiard ball, transmits the exact weight applied to it to any object it may be touching. It is done spontaneously on a cushion, which conceals the effect somewhat, or on a ball, the latter example being much more clearly defined and .exemplary of the process. Providing the balls are of equal weight the transmission of power 'may be shown to a very nice point indeed. About the most attractive experiment I have made in this way was with a set of pyramid balls. Place the fifteen reds, or a dozen of them, as I have indicated upon the diagram.?, side by side, and touching one another-—they must touch or the thing is impossible—and ■touching the cushion. Be careful that the balls do touch, as if they are in the least degree apart or away from the cushion the effect will he spoiled. Then ■take one ball some six inches away from the others, still keeping it along the cushion, and set it full against the nearest ball on the line of reds. If the balls are of equal weight, as they should be, you will see the further ball of the line, and no other ball, leave the pack and go into the further corner pocket, then take two balls, say the white and a red, as I illustrate in the second stroke of this kind, keep them touching one another and the cushion, then play them simultaneously at the line of reds. As these two balls strike against the nearest red ball, two balls from the further end of the line are sent into the jaws of the

adjacent corner pocket. Play three balls •in the .same way. and. just as surely, three reds will quit the line at the other end. With a greater number of Ira Ils, say four, five, and six. the feat of making a .similar number, in each instance, leave the other end of the row of reds is not so certain of accomplishment. It is not an easy matter now to get the collective weight of the attacking balls on to the pack, and, therefore, the agitation cord working through the line of reds is short of tone strength. Still, there is an attractiveness, and even a touch of mystery to some, in the one, two, and three ball communications. Ami the speed at which the balls are played from the cue will be translated to and shown in the movements of the ball or balls moved away from the further end of the line, fast, slow, or medium as these may be. You will see this form of transmitted energy occasionally serviceable in billiards proper when the object-iwills lie touching. The inexperienced player will find the problem of the angle of rebound from the object-ball played upon more uncertain than he had imagined. The cue-ball meets the resistance of the united weight of the two object balls which lie together. The consequence is the throw-off is much wider, in a billiard sense, than had the ball struck had no

supporting sphere. These and similar positions of the object-balls provide what is known as the ‘‘croquet” stroke in billiards. 1 once saw in a professional game a live shot bred by the objectballs touching. A representation of this compound shot is shown in one of the diagrams herewith. The cue-ball makes a losing hazard into the right top pocket, and the second object, that which was lying behind and against the first, is “planted” into the left top pocket. The resistance of the two balls' weight is so pronounced that the cue-ball has to be placed at a much wider angle than with the ordinary play on one ball for the long losing hazard. It is the same with all these “croquet” strokes, and a good idea of the screw like throw-off imparted to the cue-ball is given by the middle-pocket looinz hazard shown upon the same diagram.