BILLIARDS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVIII, Issue 1047, 31 March 1910, Page 12

BILLIARDS.

CURIOUS MANNERISMS. As a rule a game of a thousand, or, at any rate, a couple of thousand, is sufficient to exhaust most men; but in the days of the elder Roberts it was not considered a very extraordinary performance for players to score 7,000 or 8,000 before laying down their cues. Against Starke, the American champion, fifty-four years ago, Roberts played a match which lasted over ten hours, the room all the while being so crowded that the heat was excessive. Roberts had a curious habit at times of playing while wearing his hat, another of his characteristics being that of turning round and, whilst speaking to someone, playing his stroke without looking at it. To-day in big matches silence amongst the spectators is strictly enforced, but in the days of Roberts, sen., and Cook, both men were often the recipients of such remarks as, “Well played, Roberts!” or “Good shot, Cook!” —“Tit Bits.” “Sudden illness and other causes have been so frequent during the present English billiard season that it recalls a peculiarity of the late Scottish champion, Joe Sala, better known to his friends as the “Battleaxe,” who passed out some nine years back, (says an exchange). Little Joe became so exasperated at the men whom he beat complaining that they had been unwell, that just before the game started Joe made it his practice to query his opponent if he was “well.” If the reply was “yes,” Sala would say that he was glad to hear it, as he would be unable to put his defeat down to that. Sala was distinctly humorous. On one occasion he lost a tournament heat to Dawson, and was so annoyed at his play that he was not seen again the whole day. When asked where he had been, he said: “Aw went round the toon talking to messel.” When Stevenson and Dawson played their big game at the Gaiety, Sala was referee. Dawson, who had been repeatedly complaining that he could not score, so exhausted the little man’s patience that he decided to stop him. Next day, when Dawson started the old whine, Sala, produced “ Charles Roberts on Billiards—a book for novices,” and said: “Here, take this and react it. It might help you.”

For the first time in his career, Inman has given Harverson a start and a beating, the tournament game, in which the vigorous South African is receiving 500 more than the Twickenham man, being won by the latter by 374 points (says “Cannon”). It was always a good game, and it certainly appeared as if Harverson was to re-arrest his old supremacy when on the last day, after at one time being 1,000 behind, he started with a lead of nearly 50 points. He early lost that, however, and although temporarily regaining the leading place, was behind at the interval. The finish at night promised to be a good one until Inman made a big break that took him to within a few of his points. Harverson did not win a heat in the tournament, but his performance has been more creditable than actual results prove. The maximum points that it was possible for him to be credited with amounted to 72,000, and of these he made 69,796. The difference—4,2o4—is made up as follows: Beaten by 128 by Reece, 212 by Stevenson, 374 by Inman, and 3,490 by Diggle. It will be seen that in the first three games the results were particularly close, the aggregate points being 714. This win makes the big London tournament a certainty almost for In-man—-he cannot lose—who has won all his games to date. Stevenson is his only opponent left, and on the latter’s recent form, a s well as being over-handicapped, Inman should walk in. Harverson is now out of the hunt with the “wooden spoon.”