BILLIARDS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVIII, Issue 1044, 10 March 1910, Page 10

BILLIARDS.

Quite a bombshell was thrown into English billiards the other week by the ingenious Lovejoy adopting a new method. This player, it will be remembered, was the discoverer of the cradle cannon. Lovejoy’s latest is the introduction of “sit down” billiards by means of a stool a little over two feet high and a foot square, on which he seats himself for certain strokes, mainly long and short losers from baulk. Lovejoy claims that more accuracy in this phase of the game can be obtained by “sitting on the stool” method, but so far he has not demonstrated its efficacy by stringing up any “Gray-some” breaks. Harverson was the long ’un’s opponent, and kicked like a mule against the innovation, but as Lovejoy plants both feet in the floor, there is nothing in the rules of billiards to prevent its use. Lovejoy is most serious in the matter, and the result has been that at each session crowds of spectators are present.

Much discussion has taken place over the innovation, and amongst the cricicisms is one from Stevenson, who said he “preferred to see arm-chair methods reserved for less skilful games than billiards,” for which remark he is taken to task by “Cannon,” who says: “Stevenson’s remark would have been happier had it had an intelligible meaning. Followers of the game have to fathom the true inwardness of this obsecure utterance, and to discover what games outside billiards are played in an arm-chair. Courting is not a game, nor is pulling the leg of an ingenuous reporter, even though he is comfortably seated. Stevenson should explain—if he can. Perhaps the greatest of our players does not appreciate the limelight and large type that, since he tried his original experiment, has been showered bn Lovejoy. Perhaps this young man who discovered the anchor cannon is a little too original for Stevenson, who, although he has been in the profession for many years, has yet to invent something. As a matter of fact, this attempt to belittle Lovejoy’s experiment—even though it may succeed —111 becomes he unoriginal Stevenson, who at the best is but a copist, a brilliant one, by the way, of John Roberts. Lovejoy is quite ‘spiky’ on the matter, and has now come out with a challenge to play any man on

a table 3ft lin high. That is a funny challenge, and, unless Diggle steps in, one that is not likely to be answered. There is one way out of the difficulty, which has not, apparently, presented itself to the players. Why not have tables made with a handle, so that they can be raised or lowered to suit the height of any player? It would be quite interesting to see Stevenson turning the handle.”

Lovejoy’s challenge is that he is prepared to meet any player in the world on a 3ft lin table (which is, of course, considerably higher than the 2ft 9%in to 2ft lOin, permitted by the Billiard Association) for any part of £5OO. Lovejoy’s contention is that, owing to his height (over 6ft), he has been handicapped by the size of the tables in regular use, and he thinks he is entitled to have an opportunity of showing that on a table sufficiently high to suit his stature he is equal to any player in the profession.

John Roberts is playing well in India. At Lahore he defeated the local champion rather easily—the use of ivory instead of bonzoline balls handicapping the loser. If John uses ivory during his Australian tour he will have his opponents at a big disadvantage, as the elephant product is now rarely seen in any Australian or New Zealand rooms. Ivory should certainly upset Gray’s game if he attepmts to use it.

Albert Williams, now on his way to Australia, finished his last game in England with a brilliant break of 408. His opponent was New Zealander J. Read, to whom he gave 2000 in 8000 and beat him by 1115. The final scores being, Williams 8000, Read (rec. 2000) 6825. The visitor will be at the top of his form when he reaches Australia fresh from English shores, and should shake up our top-notchers. Williams was second in the averages of English players when the mail left, having a percentage of 75 per cent, of wins in matches played to a finish. Tom Aitken was leading with the possible; after Williams came Reece, Inman, Cook, Lovejoy, Harverson, Stevenson, Diggle and Roberts.