BILLIARDS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIX, Issue 1083, 8 December 1910, Page 11

BILLIARDS.

If Gray continues on his big breaks he will have more 1000 breaks to his credit this season than all the other players combined have in 500 runs. Already he has topped the 1000 three times with 1143, 1140, and 1052.

In answer to Stevenson’s statement, where it was suggested to him that Gray would possibly be a competitor in tbe B.C.C. championship, that the lad would want half the game, to have a chance with ivory balls, “Snooker,” in the “Referee,” says:— “Now, how does Stevenson know that? Has he ever seen Gray play with the egg-shaped material? If he had, his bombastic assertion about giving half the game might have been withheld. I certainly have not seen Gray using ivory, nor did I hear, until last week in Melbourne, that the boy was almost as good with the untrue ivory as he is with the more correct crystalate ball. My informant was the ex-champion, Charles Memmott, who spoke highly of Gray’s skill with ivory. ‘As sure as I am alive,’ said Memmott, ‘that boy. will spring a surprise on some of those who are maligning his skill, owing to the breaks being made with Crystalate. He is just as good with ivory, and if his friends snap up a good bet at some of the starts that are being offered there will be someone very sorry when the game is over, and that someone won’t be one of the Gray party.’ ”

That versatle writer, “Ivory,” thus describes George Gray on the occasion of his reception at the Billiards Control Club, London:—“When George Gray stood up to return thanks to the company for their toast of ‘Good Health and Success,’ his tone was modest. Still, he spoke like one who knew what he wanted to say and how to say it, with that faintly distinguishable ‘note’ which those who mix at all with Australians well know. He told why he had come here, and drew the sympathies of his hearers at once with the remark that whatever might happen to him in his games with the English professionals, he hoped to retain their friendship. There was nothing boastful in his reference to performances which did more than everything else to cause his name to ring through the billiard world, namely, his joint record of 836 (the biggest break on record) and the 813 of the red ball to date which formed the integral part of it. He sat down to a round of handclapping and exclamations around the room, such as, ‘A nice, sensible little speech!’ ‘lf he can play as well as he can speak, he must be pretty good!’ ‘What confidence for a lad of eighteen!’ Next we have a few words from the champion, H. W. Stevenson, and Melbourne Inman, who echoed the champion’s words, and he made a few well punctuated remarks upon his own account. The ‘Terrier’ made his record ‘break’ in the way of speech-making (so his brother professionals said).

“After the luncheon we were privileged to see what most of us had hoped and waited for, a sight of young Gray at the billiard table. He gave us just a few samples of his execution, and some of his favorite red losing hazards out of the D. I saw him play perhaps a dozen shots, but they were enough for me to be able to inform my readers that George Gray is a first-class billiard player. He strikes a ball as well as anyone I have ever seen, and he finishes his stroke out like a workman, letting the cue run on to the full length of the swing. He is distinctly good. With his chin as nearly as possible touching his cue, his bridge arm stuck out rigidly straight, and the cue kept nicely in play in the address

to the ball, he shapes like a young champion he doubtless is. Very long in the leg (doubtless he has grown a good deal since I saw the pictures of him, which presented his stance a la Stevenson and Dawson, with a stiff back leg and a loosely-set forward one), he bends both knees. There is a suspicion of a wobble at the knees on delivering the ball, but he keeps the cue arm steady and in position by the rock-like pose of the bridge arm and hand.”