Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-03-14
BILLIARDS.
CHALLENGE
 FOR FIR. CURE
Foss the Amateur Who Sail- ed for Europe Carried a Challenge From Slosson .-FOSS a Conner.


 son F. Foss sails for Europe on Tuesday on the Kaiser Wilhelm II, to meet M. Rerolle in a match in Paris for the 1S-inch amateur balk line championship of the world, he will carry proposition from George Slos- son to M. Cure to come to America for a match with the Student Slosson will give $500 to the French expert to come over, will bet $1,OOO OH the side and will allow the net receipts to go to the winner. Later in the day Maurice Daly added to these induce ments by announcing that he would pay Cure $250 to play in his academy in practice games preliminary to the match.
 Tt may seem to some that 1t IS too late in the season for Cure to come to America, but such is not the case" said Slosson. "April and May are both good months and even June IS not out of question. 1t was in June that Maurice Daly and I, several years ago, played match 1n lrVlng hall. and we did big business. My proposition is made to Cure, of all the French players, because I think ne IS the most likely to come.'
 BiIliardists were busy in all the clubs and roooms yesterday talking or the coming match between Wilson F. Foss and NJ. Rerolle in Paris. That this will be the most brilliant amateur match of the season was the unanl- mons verdict. Great credit was given Toss for suggesting the contest ana for his willingness to pay his own e&- penses. There is prospect that the contest may lead to an annual tourna- .ment in which Americas and Eu- rone's best experts. may compete. Al least Toss, while in Paris, will try to induce three or four Of the leauins amateurs there to come here next Will ter to meet a similar number or Amer jeans in a tournament ill Madlson Square concert hall. ,,,
 AS to whether Foss or Rerolle will win in their coming match is a ( fs- lion that billiardists yesterday found if hard to decide. All they know or Rerolle is that he is the champion or Europe and that his best single aver age in the tournament in which he re- cently won the title was a trlf1e more than 33. This average, however, was made against one of the poorer play ers. when he met the stronger ones his average fell. Against Rasquinet who finished second. and has since turned professional, Rerolle averaged about 12.
 On the other hand, billiard men who have watched Toss say that he. has improved in his play, and that never has he done so well, even in practice, as he is doing now. George Siosson, against whom Foss has practiced, thinks that the amateur has improved nearly 100 per cent.
 ''No one knows any more than do about Foss's work" said Sfosson yes terday. ''He has been playing 1S-fnch balk line, two shots in. all winter. and at the very start he finds himself ham, dicapped at least 25 per cent over the 14-inch style. You see, as the ball has to travel eight inches farther back and forth from the rail. the stroke is much more difficult. Why. at 14-lnci balk line, I used to think nothing of making runs of 400 or 500, but at 1S- inch I rarely go beyond 200 or 250.
 ssIt may seem startling when I say that I consider Foss the next best player in the world to Vignaux, Cure. Fournier. Schaefer. Sutton and myself What other player, except the six have named. could. in from 5000 to 10000 points. in practice at 1S-inch balk line. two shots i'll. make mean average of IS? This feat is exactly what Foss has accomplished recently against me- He is in splendid cond1- ton. has never played faster, and I think he will defeat Rerolle"
 Tn case Foss does win, he will do- nate his share of the net receipts to some American charitable institution