Le MeschaceÌbeÌ. [volume] ([Lucy] La.) 1853-1942, 1878-07-20

"srOt.trOke" familiar TO all bill.
ard.players, hut which, for the
benefit Of beginners. may he DIES.
cribcd as q series Of consecutive
rptl winning haza r,ls into the two
top corner pockets. the red being
If course spotted after each stro.
Ike. Roberts tells MS he learnt
the spot hazard from IN amateur
in the Union Club Mt Manchester.
Mainly by means Of his prOficien.
cy ut that stroke Roberts held the
championship for years, and it
was for long thOnght that No
plxyer wOnld arise to beat Him.
while his highest "brsok' Tor cont.
nnOns acore), 348 of the balls,
which included 1O4 SPOT hazards.
remained for some years the larg.
eat ever made. II was not nntil
after Roberts had been champion
for eighteen years that any one
was hold enough to challenge him
to an even game, and just pre-.
viOns to that challenge q very en-.
Iious reform in billiards had been
made, il. indeed, the change de-
served that name. While Rob
erts was the only man who could
10 the s,Ot.troke d merreilie, there
was nothing said against it, bnt
the moment younger players came
to the front, and the spot trOke
was a conspcuons feature in all
great matches, there was n cry
against il. aud the so-called
championship tables" were made
with smaller pockets, 40 cOntrived
that any larger number Of spots
could not be accomplished. Moth.
ing more absnr.l was ever done.
just as reasonably might the two
universities, or Et0n and Harrow.
pay with narrower bats or some
modification Of the wickets when
they come together for their ann.
,u,l contests at L0rl's. Never.
tbeleas, q man was fOnnl bold
enough tO challenge Roberts, and
on the 11th Of February, 1870,
William Cook, jr.. then a very
young man, beat the veteran on
one ofthe new tables, in = match
Of ! 200 M, by III points. Since
that time there have been twelve
matches for the championship,
and CWk. Rolert, jr., and Bennett
have each at times held the trO.
nhy. Yowng Roberts il atpresent
the champion, bmt Cook may win
the next time, and the two players
may bA said to divide the cham.
pionship honors between them.
aud I've looked npon m the two
best in the kingdom.
Turning to the photography of
billiards We find u nnmher Of
lDooks protesting to terch the
game, and more or less success,
fully enabling the tyrO 10 equip
himself with q certain amOnnt Of
knowledge independent If that
gained upon the table. No one,
however, can learn billiards from,
a book a treatise on the game,
no matter how exhaustive or
practical, can only l,e regarded as
m adjunct to practice upon the
table. the latter being Of para.
mount importance. More may bs
learned in half an hour from q
competent marker or professional
than from days Of study and much
il also to te acquired from watch.
ing good play. A
A word must Ike said in -comclu.
sion Of the had reputation attach
ing to billiards owing to the
amount of swindling which goes
on at the game. And it IL curious
that In the earliest notices Ofit We
find this stigma attaching n Il. IN
a hook Published in 1901, by
"Amateur," giving instruction IN
the game, We read Of q Mr. An
drews, who was a great adept in
those days, but who played with
what in eupbsinistically called
'Natent 6nesse," which We presn
me means that this devotee Of the
game was blackleg. In q WORK
upon "CurIing," published early
in the century, an enthuaiasti.
ScOtchmam gosS out Of fhis way q
snecr at billiards, and declares
that ':jealousy, snimosity snd
chicanery" are the ''presidiug &c
mir Of the l.illiari.room. Mr.
i White Ii his book also talks a
the "predat0ry designs Of shar,,
era" Seymour's "Co,npleat Ga
lnester' gives an account OF I
shameless l,iece Of raag~lity at bin
iards in 1850; while auuther boOl
pubsjssed in the beginning of tl.,
cemtury has some elaborate stOrie,