The Sun.
London, England, 1866-03-12 00:00:00

BILLIARDS.

MESSRS. DUFTON AND HITCUIN, FOR £5OO.
On Friday evening, in the presence of at least
a couple of hundred gentlemen well known in con-
nection with turf pursuits, the match between our
metropolitan celebrities, Messrs. W. Dufton and
W. C. Hitchin, was played at the Philharmonic
Rooms, Islington. The interest attaching to a game
between these men would at any time be consider-
able, but the fact that in February last Dufton beat
Hitchin by just 15 points out of 1,000, led to not
only a good deal of excitement, but unusual specu-
lation iu billiard circles on the result. Such a ter-
mination as that just alluded to caused dissatisfac-
tion to Hitchin and his supporters, and Dufton's
challenge to play, and back himself at £6OO to £4OO,
or £3OO to £2OO, was pretty quickly accepted on
condition that a Burroughes and Watt's table, and
2-16th balls be used, but Dufton was to be allowed
to name balls of such a weight as he chose two days
before the day of playing. In order the better to
accommodate a large company, Mr. Edgar Davis,
who had taken the room for last evening, caused
rows of extremely comfortable reserved seats to be
placed around, whilst the floor was covered with
matting, and altogether a snug appearance pervaded
the place.

At 5 minutes past seven Dufton entered, and his
coming was the signal of a hearty hand's clapping,
Hitchin's appearance shortly after being greeted in
a like fashion. The balls to be played with were an
unusually heavy set, Dufton -having named 13oz.
kdwt. troy, and after the process of testing had been
gone through, the game commenced at 18 minutes
after seven precisely. Offers of £l5O to £lOO, or
£3OO to £lOO met with no takers, thongh £2OO to
£lOO would have been accepted. Dufton won the
string with the plain ball, and the game was opened
with the usual miss in baulk. Hitchin was the first
to score, a cushion cannon commencing his opening
break of 8. £3O to £2O offered and taken twice
over. Hitchin, his opponent not scoring, ran up to
16 and then to 22, Dufton still continuing at 2, hav-
ing had another miss given. A little skilful menage,
however, altered the state of affairs, for Dufton
getting hold of the balls, walked away by a succes-
sion of easy strokes to 30. The first fluke, a " loser,"
then counted to Hitchin, but he failed to score after
it, and alternate misses were given and strokes played
till Hitchin " felt his way" towards the end of the
first hundred by a sweetly-played 41, which included
a lot of very neatly made cannons. A miss by Duf-
ton presently made the scores-Hitchin 80, Dufton
33, and the former again bowled merrily along till a
cheer announced that he had reached 102. Even
money offered, but when Dufton held the cue £lO
to £9 on him was not accepted, and at Ilitchin 120,
Dufton 44, offers of £lO even the latter went beg-
ging, so great a favourite was he. From 158 Hit-
chin cleared at a break to 180, Dufton being 58 only,
and still only even money was talked of. Hitchin
had had so far both luck and breaks, and when he
reached 203 his party offered £25 to £2O on his
chance, a bet being presently booked at £ll to £B.
Five minutes showed another 28 break to the ac-
count of the " old-'un," and Dufton got no further
than 64, till a couple of cannons and a six stroke
made his figures-75. At eight minutes past eight
Hitchin, who had been playing remarkably fast and
as well as quickly, reached his third hundred, amidst
immense cheering, Dufton 79 ; £l4 to £8 on the
former, whose cannons were the theme of general
admiration, offered. At 80, against Hitchin's 326,
Dufton got hold of the balls, and, after asking the
odds against his " catching, passing, and winning,"
he scored on to 93, where failing make a cannon his
opponent also made half a score. Offers to take
£l5 to £5 about the game, which was presently
called at Hitchin 341, Dufton 100. The former
could not do wrong, the balls going in just like
" shelling peas," and he put on score after score
until the marking board stood, Hitchin 381, Dufton
127. Here the " long 'un," as one of his partisans
expresses it, took a turn, and a 27 resulted, though
his numbers looked hardlymore respectable by so
small an addition ; another 15 to Hitchin and a 17
to Dufton, in which were five spot strokes, and the
fourth century was gained by the foremost man,
who was being applauded at every other stroke, so
splendidly, not to say fortunately, did he play. At
Hitchin 427, and when he was still in " full cry,"
Dufton, whose figures were only 173, offered to
" take four ponies to one yet," a facetious gentle-
man asking, as though in doubt, " How much, Wil-
liam ?" Still the little man pursued his course, and
a 33 " all told " rewarded his endeavours, proving
that not only was he " all there," but nzultum in
parvo was the phrase applicable in his case. " Oh !
my," exclaimed one of his enthusiastic admirers ;
" that was a thick 'un," cried another-a cannon
round the cushions, and apparently next to an im-
possibility, having just " come off." The applause on
Dufton's side, when a superb " jenny" brought the
balls into play, was hardly leis, but the white presently
ran in, and at Ilitchin 479, Dufton 224, the full
game was recorded, though Hitchin completed his
first 500 at three minutes to nine o'clock, £3O to £lO
being offered on him. The break, however, did not
stop there, and he went on scoring till a 43, in
which came a " lucky white," made him 540, Duf-
ton 237, offers of " four ponies to one" on Hitchin
passing untaken. A couple of strokes in a' break
when Dufton was nearly 300 are worthy of notice.
Both were twist shots, the one played hard from
baulk, and the other a really splendid " wriggler,"
which made its way into the bottom pocket from an
extremely difficult angle. The hands of the lookers
on went to work with a will at each shot, and the
non-favourite must have no little felt rewarded ; he
looked as though he did, at all events. Ilitchin
followed with another tidy 24 break, and continued
to " pave his way" with great determination, a 30,
in which were four spot hazards and several red
losers, quickly being put to his account. At Hit-
chin 689, Dufton 339, the latter again had a short
revival, and his numbers rattled merrily along till
35 had been added, when he broke down at a rather
difficult cannon, but again got to work after his
opponent's stroke, and was presently 22 more to the
good. At Hitchin 696, Dufton 400, the timekeeper
pointed 9.40 and Dufton was going on with another
" little lot"-as the auctioneers say-which made
his game 434, the break having yielded a 38. The
scores were called, Hitchin 706, Dufton 434, and
here, at fourteen minutes to ten, an interval oc-
curred, the players re-commencing business at seven
minutes after ten, Dufton the striker, and the balls
in a bad position. He scored, however, and after
offering to take £6O to £lO, he made a number of
sweet shots till 36 were added, and the game pro-
gressed till he shortly offered during the break to
take £2O to £5. When Ilitchin was 734, Dufton
487, a bet of £lOO to £l5 was booked,
Dufton standing halves with the taker.
"Hitchin 757, Dufton 568," was called at 25 minutes
past ten, and when the latter reached 525 offers to
take £5 to £1 were numerous. Hitchin, at 781,
made half a dozen " spots," then broke down, Duf-
ton, ivho had meanwhile scored a 27, being called
at 567. A 23 and a splendid losing hazard break
of 33, made Dufton's score look all the better. In
the midst of the "losers" he had a difficult long
jenny to play, but he nevertheless offered to " take
two ponies he went off it and won the game." The
bet was not accepted, but the score was made, and
general " Bravo, Bill!" resounded through the
room. Again Hitchin progressed, and again his
adversary made " strong running," five spot hazards
being included hi the next brea.k of 18 he made.
Then Hitchin 857, Dufton 650, and general ap-
plause. From 665 to 687 Dufton again went at a
" run," and passed into the seventh hundred at 10
minutes past eleven. Ilitchin about this point did
not score a break worthy of mention, and Dufton
crept up to 753, whilst his opponent got to 900, a

double baulk of Dufton's about this time gaining
great applause. In Hitchin's last hundred the
break of the evening, a piece of splendid nursing,
was made, the striker beginning at 902 and not con-
cluding till the marking board indicated his score
as 979—a 77 well played. The remaining few were
soon got, and at 24 minutes to twelve, Dufton
being 777, Hitchen was proclaimed the winner at
1,001.

From the first Hitchin was lucky and his play
good. Dufton had no breaks in the early part of
the game, but his hand went down as steadily in
the seventh hundred as though he was having
the
best of it.

A beautiful table of Spanish mahogany,
Burroughes and Watts, of London, was used for
the match, and John Glenister marked carefully
throughout. made by