New-York tribune., 1912-04-07
Will Meet DemareSt for 1872
Championship on Thursday.
INTEREST KEEN IN MATCH
Both Players Show Good Form
in Practice and Hoppe Is
the Favorite.

Willie Hoppe, the champion at 1872 balk-
| line billiards, will defend his title against
| Calvin Demarest a former champion. on
Tuesday at the Hotel Astor. Demarest
won the 1872 championship in tournament
| held In Madison Square Garden in Decem-
ber 1902 He lost It TO Harry Cline, from
whom IT was taken on May 26, 1910, by
Hoppe. The latter has since retained It.
Should Hoppe defeat Demarest the cham
pionship emblem may become the personal
property Of the present holder without fur
ther contest. He is required to hold IL
for two years in order TO acquire owner
ship.
Unless George Sutton. encouraged by his
recent success in defeating Hoppe for the
| 1s.l championship. should before May 8
issue a challenge to the winner Of Thurs
days match, no other player is likely to
do so. In the event that the champion
ship terminates by limitation, the Bruins
wick Bake Collender Company will offer
another trophy and arrange tournament,
| open to the professionals Of the world.
| to establish a new championship. Such
tournament. however. cannot be promoted
before next fall or winter.
Thursdays match will be contested by
| two young men, each OF whom is in his
twenty-sixth year, Demarest being the
elder. Each is skillful and wields cue
attractively. Hopes style is more careful
and his stroke the more measured. Dema-
rest is the more rapid and more likely 10
affect spectacular displays Lacking the
steadiness of Hoppe he often develops sem
sational runs. II he plays WELL even
though he does not win. he will make the
game enjoyable. His defeat Of George
Sutton in the deciding game Of the Madi-
son Square Garden tournament on Decem-
Der 8. 1902 was a memorable performance.
! With no higher run than III. he averaged
| 35 10-1i and scored 500 while his opponent
was gathering IS. 1t was a dashing dis
play that elected repeated outbursts of
appreciation. Before coming to New York
| 10 prepare for the coming match, his prac-
tice play in Chicago was the best he had
ever done. Here he has not done so well.
For two weeks he has been playing 400
| points nightly at George +. Slosson's. In
that time his best average has been 81.
Nevertheless, he expresses confidence that
he will perform we'll on Thursday.
That Hoppe is not invincible was demon
stratcd by his defeat by Sutton for the
ls1 championship. That fact encourages
friends of Demarest And strange as 1t
may appear, there are friends and admir-
ers OF Hoppe who express the wish that
he may be beaten. AS billiard enthusiasts
described by Maurice DAILY as billiard
bugs" they maintain that a victory by
A.
however, is practising strongly and inspir-
ing his supporters with unbounded conf
dence. Twice during the last week he
made an average OF 81 II In a 400-point
game. while on Friday he averaged 1873 l-3
a remarkable performance. Personally
with his usual modesty he simply says he
hopes to play well on Thursday. odds Of
TO on hischances have been offered and
accepted. That the game will be witnessed
10y large gathering is indicated by the ad-
vance sales OF seats and boxes
Mons Mortier. who won first honors in
the amateur tournament concluded in
Paris last week. is a gentleman of wealth
and leisure, about fifty years of age. For
many years he has been conspicuous in
sl6 at 1s2 His success was predicted by
Willie Hoppe. In the tournament he made
a grand average of 1873 This did not equal
the grand average OF 90 made by Demarest
In the International amateur tournament.
at the Liederkranz. in April and May 1908.
But Mortier played nine games OF 400
points while Demarest figured in only four
OF like length. The most peculiar part Of
the record of the recenN tournament in
Paris is that the American representative,
J. Ferdinand Poggenburg. made the second
highest grand average and finished eighth.
Maurice Daily attributed Poggenburg's
poor standing to his weakness at cushion
caroms and says: "Pogenburg is strictly
a ball to ball player. He draws and
nurses we'll and at masse playing has few
equals among the amateurs, but every
time he is obliged to have recourse to a
a