BILLIARDS

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 464, 15 June 1899, Page 5

BILLIARDS

A BILLIARD EXPERT’S REMINISCENCES.

Mr John Roberts, the billiard expert, contributes some interesting reminiscences to the Billiard Review. “ I was born,” he says, “at Ardwick, near Manchester, on August 15, 1847, my father at the time being marker at the Union Club. We removed to Liverpool when I fwas about ten years of age, my father having taken the billiard room at the George Ho'el in that town. As may be supposed I was not backward at taking every opportunity of knocking the balls about, and used to put in all my spare time in my father’s rooms

“Among my father’s customers at the George was Mr James Barber, who at that time was a prominent figure oil the turf. He was an enthusiastic billiard player, but used to gimbe heavily on the games. His most frequent opponent was a Mr Hugh Williams. They usually played games of 50 up, with £lOO or £2ooon the game, and the stakes in ready money were always stuffed into one of the pockets of the table. Mr Williams always conceded Mr Berber a start of 15 with a red haz ird thrown in—that is, instead of the red. ball being p!a -ed on the spot it was put into position for the easy loser. Barber was so enamoured of the game that he could not tear himself away from the table. “ On one occasion Barber had come to Liverpool to see the race for the Liverpool Cup, for which a horse of his had been heavily backed, but he got playing billiards in my father’s roooi, and could not make up his mind to leave, with the result that, though his horse won the Cup, ho did not see the race. Wken playing billiards he would bet with the spectators on almost every stroke, stopping every now and again to say in his broad speech : ‘ Now, then, I think we’ll hev a little settlin’.’ He was a good example ot the men who make and lose fortunes on the turf. Of humble origin, he made a fortune by horse-racing, and though he was up to all tricks of the turf, his

knowledge did not prevent his losing it again, and he eventually, I believe, died in poverty. “ It was while at the Queen’s, by the way, that I first noticed a trick of my father’s, for which he was somewhat noted. At that time there was no penalty for knocking the red ball off the table, and it was a common practice of his, if his opponent’s score stood at 96 or 97, to knock his own ball and the red off the table, and so give himself a chance. The walls of the room were covered with dents at the height of the table where the balls had been driven against them with force, and on one occasion he actually drove, the ball through a window about 6ft from the ground. This was thought to be such an extraordinary feat that the window was not put in for some time afterwards, but was covered by a curtain and shown as a curiosity.”