The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-08-21
vIGNAUX. BEAU.

billiards from the United States will
creditably uphold the national honor will
not he 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
in France go to Paris, and at present a
formidable array of famous players, among
them NignauX, GARNER, Plat, Gibelin,
Goifart, Beau, Page, Rudolphe, Cure and
Fournil, are in 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
ing. Tho foremost billiard PLAYER in
France is Maurice Vignaux, who is fifty
years of age, and the hero of many a re-
markable game OH the green table. He is
equally strong at balk line or cushion car
oms, and NignauX's academy, which is
run in his name, but is not his property is
probably the most popular resort for bill
liardists in France. The Folies Bergeres
however, has loomed up of late as for
midnble rival, owing to 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 tho
United States Oh two occasions. Next 70
VignauX comes Albert GARNER, who is
said to rival Jacob Schaefer in long runs
and i'll graceful manipulation of the cue.
GARNER has strong rival for second
place in the French billiard world in the
person of Lucen Plat, the wonderful left
handed expert who plays with much de-
liberation, care and cleverncss.
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
Slosson in the proposed tournament Mt the
Folies Bergeres theater He rnnks with
GARNER and Plat.
L. Goirart, the Belgian player, and
Eugene Beau anil NJ. Page, the TWO
cushion carom experts, are all very tai
ented men, but are no match for Vignnux.
GARNER and Plat. Goffart, 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
ut the French capital in the person of
Eugene Carter, who has been in Paris a
year or more, and whose good work with
the cue has made him we'll known and de-
servedly 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 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
he always comedies fifty points in 200
point balk line game to GARNER and Plat.
The American experts are playing almost
nightly in Paris now, and large crowds
watch them at the tables In a recent
match Ives gave Fournil eighty points in a
300 point balk line game and defeated him
with ease, winning over 1000 francs III
another 200 point game Ives conceded
eighty points to Cure and was defeated.
EX-World's Champion Schaefer has al
ready worsted GARNER In Il cushion game,
but when they met in n balk line contest
the Frcnchman, who was conceded so out
of 200 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
run of 2l0, the highest ever made in
Paris, 1t is said, AMI not only the defeated
Plat, but every other Frcnchmcn present
was astoundcd Mt the Americans skill.
Recent advices from Paris Indicate that
the expected match for worlds honors he
tween Ives and Schaefer may not take
place in France, for the reason that the
champion and the cX-champion seem to he
hopelessly Mt odds over the choice of Il
battle ground. Ives declares that his con