The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-08-09
vIGSAUx. BEAU. GIpF

NtMANhAs biatNs ktA'tfttt+E@
That the three great opponents Of
billiards from the United States will
oreditably uphold the national honor will
not be- doubted for an instant by any one
familiar with the records Of the Yankee
billiard kings.
Parisians are great lovers Of billiards.
Nearly every one plays well, and even
those who DO not are very good Judges Of
the game. Very naturally all the experts
I'm France 90 TO Paris, and at present a
formidable array Of famous players, among
them Vignaux, GARNER, Plat, Gibelin,
Gohart, Beau, Page, Rudolphe, Cure and
Fournn, are IA the French metropolis to
meet The Americans.
These experts play constantly, owing to
the great popularity Of the game, and are
consequently always in the best of train
ina. The foremost billiard player in
France IS Maurice Vignaux, who IS fifty
years of age, and the hero Of many re
markable game on the green table. lie Is
equally strong at balk line or cushion car
oms, and Vignaux's academy, which is
run in his name, but is not bis property Is
probably the most popular resort for bill
liardists IN France The FoHes Bergeres,
however, has doomed up of late as for
midable rival, owing 10 the presence OF
Worlds Champion Ives, who is under con-
tract TO play there exclusively.
Vignaux is probably better known to
Americans than any other French player
for the reason that he has visited the
United States on two occasions. Next TO
Vignaux comes Albert GARNER, who is
said to rival Jacob Schaefer in long runs
and in graceful manipulation Of the cue.
GARNER has a strong rival for second
place in the French billiard world in the
person of Lucien Plat, the wonderful left
handed expert who plays with much de-
Liberation, care and cleverness.
Another truly great player is Castor
Gibelin, who is particularly effective in
the balk line game, and may prove no
mean opponent for either Ives, Schaefer or
Sloss0n i'm the proposed tournament az the
Folies Bergeres theater. lie ranks with
GARNER and Plat.
l.. Goffart, the Belgian player, and
Eugene Beau and NJ. Page, the two
cushion carom experts, are all very tai
ented men, but are no match for NignauX,
GARNER and Plat Gofart, who is witty
and talks nonsense as he plays, is very
popular with the Parisians.
In addition TO Ives, Schaefer and Slos-
son, America has another representative
at the French capital in the person Of
Eugene Carter, who has been in Paris 4
year or more, and whose good work with
the cue has made him well known and de-
seryedly popular among the Frenchmen.
His forte is the three cushion carom
game, and none Of the French experts are
able TO defeat him in this style of play
Carter is also "a wonder in the single cush-
ion carOm game, and during his stay in
Paris he has more than held his own with
the French experts.
The superiority Of VignauX over the best
players in France Is shown by the fact that
be always comedies ffJY points in 200
point balk line game 10 GARNER and Plat.
Tho American experts are playing almost
nightly in Paris now, and large crowds
watch them ut the tables In a recent
match Ives gave Fournil eighty points in a
800 point balk line game and defeated him
with ease, winning over 1000 francs IL
another 200 point game Ives conceded
eighty points TO Cure and was defeated.
Ex-World's Champion Schaefer has al
ready worsted GARNER in a cushion game,
but when they met In a balk line contest
the Frenehman, who was conceded 80 out
of eco points, easily turned the tables.
Plat has also defeated the famous Wizard,
who has not been playing In very good
form since his recent memorable defeat by
Ives in the game that gave the young
Napoleon the worlds championship. In
another game against Plat, however,
Schaefer displayed great form. He made
a run of 210, the highest ever made in
Paris, it is said, and not only the defeated
Plat, but every other Frenchmen present
was astounded at the Americans skill
Recent advices from Paris indicate that
the expected match for worlds honors be-
tween Ives and Schaefer may not take
place in France, for the reason that the
champion and the ex-champion seem to be
hopelessly az odds over the choice of
battle ground. Ives declares that his con-