BILLIARDS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIV, Issue 849, 14 June 1906, Page 11

BILLIARDS.

[The writer of this column will be glad to answer any Questions on the game.]

The amateur championship of New South Wales is being fought out in Sydney this week between J. B. Belfield, W. Squires, and H. Rumball, whb meet each other. The winner is to play Mai Spencer, the holder of the title, on Friday, in a game of 1500 up.

Tournaments are in full swing in all the local sporting clubs, and some very keen games have been played. In the Old Country the billiard season has now closed.

It was recently cabled that John Roberts had played the last match of his career, and that he defeated Diggle by 606, the .latter receiving 2500 in 18,000. Also that during the final session the veteran made a break of 425. Thus a truly great man in his profession (says a writer in the “ Sydney Mail”) has retired from that profession. John Roberts was the king of billiards; his entry to the hall and his bow to the public, his approach to the table, and the excellence of style, execution, and command were majesty itself. I have seen Dawson, Stevenson, and the leading Australian billiard players, and I must admit that the palm as a public entertainer of the green cloth should be awarded to John Roberts. He never seemed to be taking notice of anything while his opponent was in possession of the table, yet he missed nothing. It took a little to attract his attention; a white hat under a chair would draw his eye from the game, just as I have known the winding of a watch to pull up a public speaker, a word or a movement put a golfer off his game, or a man standing behind the bowler’s arm catch the batsman’s eye. When a man is so wound up in that which is for the moment commanding the whole of his thoughts, it is not surprising that what appears to be to the spectator a matter of small consequence may have a big effect upon the result to the man who for the moment is the observed of all observers. Players the world over will regret that John Roberts has thought fit to bring his professional career to a close. It is not as though he had lost his marvellous touch, judgment, and knowledge; on the contrary, his play at the present moment is but little inferior to what it was when he was in the heyday of his career. It was only last year that he made a break of 821, which would have been a record had the table undergone the usual examination, and been certified as standard, in accordance with the requirements of the Billiard Association. Then he played a capital game with Stevenson. He gave a start of 2000 in 18,000, and though beaten, it was by less points than he conceded. The inference is that had he been playing a level game he would have won, but the veteran has so much pride about him that he declined to meet anyone unless he gave them a start, and he remained true thereto to the end. No present player can say that he played Roberts on even terms. The only man who did beat him for the championship was Joseph Bennett, who was champion in 1880-81.