BILLIARDS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVIII, Issue 1045, 17 March 1910, Page 11

BILLIARDS.

The well-known left-handed long jenny champion, Mr. W. Lyons, is at present on a visit to Australia. He arrived there just too late to witness the V.R.C. Autumn meeting.

A good deal of soreness was felt by E. Diggle when the handicappers for the big tournament allotted him no fewer than 4000 start from H. W. Stevenson in 18,000 up. Diggle strenuously objected to such implied inferiority on his part, and specially laid himself out in last week’s heat with Stevensons to prove that he was right. As a matter of fact, he won on Saturday night by practically half the points he had been given—to be exact, he defeated Stevenson by 1993 points. As was mentioned recently, both men made some big breaks during the earlier stages of the game, and these were added to on Friday by Diggle contributing a carefully-played 303 and Stevenson a fine all-round run of 459. —“Referee.”

A recent writer of acknowledged repute, in writing on proper methods of manipulating the cue (says an exchange) is positive that the one great thing in billiards is true cueing, and he is undoubtedly right, for without that consideration no one can ever become a really good player. By true cueing is meant a cue-movement backwards and forwards without the slightest deviation from one imaginary line, no matter how long the movement is maintained. A player first takes his aim at the object ball, then draws his cue away from the ball, advances it to the ball again, and as a rule repeats these movements several times before actually striking the ball—sawing wood it is sometimes called. But unless the cue, as it is drawn away from the ball, travels exactly on a line which is a continuation of the line of aim, and further, unless the cue, as it travels backwards and forwards, moves as though it were sliding to and fro in a tight-fitting groove, true cueing does not take place. It is not too much to 'say that every professional owes the-excellence of his play in a very great measure to this piston-like action of his cue. No doubt this perfection of cue-movement is exceedingly difficult to- attain, but the nearer one approaches to such perfection, the more rapid will be his progress, and to make progress consistent practice is absolutely necessary.

Lovejoy did not “make good” with his “sitting down” billiards. . In fact, he received a most severe dressingdown from Har verson in their game of 8000 up, in which he introduced “the stool.” The ex-amateur’s contention was that to such a tall player as himself the new position would make the playing of losers so easy and sure that large breaks of the Gray order would come from his cue with much frequency. The mountain brought forth a mouse in the shape of 99 off the red as his best run, and, although he received 1250 start, Harverson won by 1567 points in addition. During the game only two breaks over 200 were made. Lovejoy’s best run -was 179.

The initial number of “Billiards Illustrated”—a journal which has taken the place of the defunct “New World of Billiards”—is to hand, and in its general get up is an improvement on its predecessor. In giving reasons for As being, the management says: — “ The feature of the paper will be the added prominence given to all amateur competitions and news of all kinds concerning the performances and personalities of the amateur players. We base our view of what is wanted upon the undeniable fact that it is the amateur, or lover of billiards, whatever degree of skill may be his, who keeps the game going/

In answer to criticsm by Stevenson, the inventor of the “Lovejoy seat” challenged the champion for £lOO aside on a 3ft lin table, 18,000 up, level, and put in £25 to prove his bona tides. Lovejoy thinks that on a table 3ft high Diggle would easily defeat any other player in the world. So it would appear that the time is coming when the championship of billiards will have varying designations, such as the 2ft 9in champion, the 2ft lOin champion, the 3ft, and so on, ad lib. Somewhat on the lines of the American boxing title, where there is a champion for almost each ounce over 7st.—“Referee.”