The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-02-04
CUE TITLE STILL Is
IN HOPES GRASP
Champion Defeats George SUIT
ton 800 TO 226 In 1882
Billiard Match.
BIG Run BY THE LOSER
Rein" the Only Time He shows
CarromS Of Quality-Be-
hind All the Way.

Tile 1872 balk line billiard championship |
s,iu remains secure in the visclike clutch
NJ william Hoppe. His time hunored an |
,sronist. George Sutton, not discouraged |
by many defeats, tried once more to take |
the championship away from Hoppe last |
night They played in the ballroom of
the Hotel Astor, and. AS usual. Hoppe
Won The score was 500 To 226. sutton |
was outpiayed by "a good deal and, except
while compiling Il run of 1873, did no play
ig of championship quality. As for
Hoppe. he was Hoppe.
sutton came into the hall armed with
his own private supply of drinking water,
which he carefully stored away within
easy reach. AS 1t turned out, the water
cure didn't work. Hoppe wandered in un-
noticed few minutes later Then they
went 10 their corners. The bout began
httecn minutes later. and the room was
entirely filled. sutton won the bank,
twiddled the balls and selected the spot
He counted, then missed. Hoppe opened
with three cushion shot, backed 1t up
with masse and followed with four
Troublesome shots around the table but
with no luck whatever In so catching the
second ball as TO get position. The balls
distributed themselves so scatteringly that
neither man could make "A fast start
Hoppe In the third inning wrought
change IN the mood of the balls. He
coax,d them to close quarters and soon
had them bunding obediently on long
rail- and adjacent balk line The cham
pIcn's stroke was no time at all accom-
rodatug itself to the more delicate re-
quremcnts, and the run was engineered
with easy grace and an air of mastery
such as this young master never before
exceiled. He clipped the balls with light.
tire hrnneSs, was conspicuously accurate
on long table drives. What with his
spendi control of all three balls, snappy
masses and variety. taking in IA little
talk line nursing. the tenure of the table
represented the fulness of billiard rich
less. There was a bad miss of the eighty
seventh shot. n drive. but Hoppe counted
with bank, playing off a frozen ball. He
made too short IA drive on his ninety;nnth
carom. spread the balls and missed the
hundredth, three cushion carrom
The score was 100 IL against sutton,
but he retalated with spirit. lie worked
hard for twenty-seven billiards, counting
slowly and finding each shot problem
because position wouldn't come. There
was some spectacular angle and rail work.
but no control or facie continuity. He
was playing as II II We're a struggle for
every billiard. When Hoppe caressed IL
the IVORY seemed much more plastic. As
matter of fact in the first dozen innings
each player used oil. and IL was a Job to
launcn a run, Sutton distinguished HIM
self on the twelfth shot Of the seventh
inning. lie negotiated a lineup with a
hard swinging pull to the side rail. getting
The proper angle and at the same time
driving the first ball clear around TO per-
feet position. But he couldn't retain the
balls AZ all for close work His stroke
was uneven and hacked freedom.
While Hoppe was faitering sutton cut
down the lead somewhat until Hoppe gal
lOped away with Duuntifui sequence in
f,at1.
the billiard sheaves a. great rate, tm-
he.lshinS a crop of 90 with some Of the
most finely spun of ball 10 ball traverslng,
E!gh: on the heels Of this rally came
oJHvocation OF So by the same player
more light gliding across the faces Of the
OBJECT balls while conducting them
through the soft meshes of sossamer
nursing.
The score at the completion OF the tenth
inning was 256 to Ga in Hopes favor.
After his consecutive runs II 60 and 80
came one of 10. 1873 points In three sue
c-ssVe innings. For the accumulation OF
the 20 group he opened out. jabbed the
balls bit and did his cueing az a bit
wider range, Whether playing close or
wide he progressed steadily and briskly
and Was equally at home at either system.
Then Willie became careless--unusual for
fiD--and abruptly shortened an inning by
blowing Il draw off the rail. But he
I'D, $50 to Sc. he didn't worry.
sutton took a recess and came back to
The ball feeling better. judging from biz
brace in his playing. He warmed up
quickly. showed some OF his old time skill
at Judging short distances by dropping 10
the second ball just right for the next
shot, He played fast for the first time of
Inc evening and his cue lost It's deafness
Of earlier innings.
Without any actual close nursing. and
With frequent use OF the rails and with
tI. lah 4 a
sutton went blithely ahead at the foot
II the table until the count reached 100.
AT that stage great applause. Passing
INTO the second hundred Sutton did nurse
Tor spell. driving neatly TO the side
rail-. A miss Of a cross table bank ended
The plucky display, which was 1913 long,
WITH all that sutton was ll9 points be-
hind He was swinging along nicely in
has next inning until the cue ball froze
10 the red on the rail, leaving nothing
except 10 spot the balls which brought a
m.ss--rotten luck for Sutton. From an
almost freeze Hoppe. In his next inning.
sent the cue ball on beautiful two
cushion detour TO the far end rail, avoided
The peril OF a kiss coming back, and
counted.
As an antidote for Sutton's run OF 1873
Hoppe employed the fifteenth and six
tenth innings for a total OF l0a and had
80 m all when sutton had ga. The
seventeenth inning was another prosper
Gus ono for Hoppe. He went out with n
run VI s. precise, rapid artistic billiards
Sa'tous uprising OF l2s had merely
spur Hoppe on to speeder playing and
tor The second time he had made 'hree
eo,Nl'.ut runs in succession. The score
b. innings.
Hurr.-f o. % . a.. T. o. l, co. SO, 20
o. o. ~. 30 81 Total. 500. Average
q D. High runs, %, 90, 60 -
l.3 49, Total, 2eG Average
Ia, H.gn runs 1873, ~. H.
't '.-~,. \ q, cutler.