The Washington herald., 1917-01-15
'GREENLEAF MEETS
| SHERMAN TONIGHT
Youthful Pocket Billiard Star and Vet
eran to Play First Block.
BY LEN" COLLINS.

Tonight. at the Royal Pariors, local
billiard enthusiasts will be introduced to
e. Ralph Greenleaf. the JS-year-old cue
wizard. who will meet Frank Sherman.
ex-world's champion, in the first block
OF three-night 45e-point exhibition
match.
The appearance of pocket and balk-
line billiard stars in the National Capt.
tai. who are packing national regulations
Tor their ability to manipulate the ivory
balls around the green-fringed and COW
cred tables, are so few and far between,
that memory sometimes fails to recollect
| the exact last date when our midst was
honored by the presence of one Of these
celebrities
Heralded and touted to the skies as
the next pocket billiard champion, young
Greenleaf tonight and the following two
nights, will endeavor to demonstrate to
thoseS fortunate enough to secure seats
that the many good things being said
about him by the egg experts of New
York and other cities in which he has
lately displayed his wares, are not ex-
aggerated.
Possessing wonderful judgement in
speed, keen eye, uncanny ability TO
make cut shots that to the average play
er appear impossible and make them
cleanly so that the object ball seldom
touches the jaws of the pocket as il
drops out of sight. not to mention a po-
sition play that can hardly be improved
upon. are only few of the many char
acteristics of his game, that stamp him
as one of the most wonderful and prom
ising performers ever brought to light in
the realm of cue, tip and ball
Greenleafs last match of any import
ance was with Frank Taberski. the pres
ent titleholder, whom he met in New
York last October. These games were
for the Brunswick emblem and champion
ship crown. Although defeated. the bril-
liant youngster must have displayed
enough to warrant the favorable impress
sion he created upon the many experts
who witnessed the match. Subsequently,
he met practically the best OF the aspir-
ants for the title and experienced little,
II any. difficulty in winning from them
all, thereby conclusively proving that his
great play against Taberski was not
flash in the pan
There are many who witnessed the
Taberski-Greenleaf games that unquali-
hedly claim that the youth should have
been returned winner. and that 1t was
only a tendency upon his part to exercise
at times the most gross carelessness.
with a result that some of his misses
were made on shots that the veriest no.
vice would hardly blow. Many believe
that this defeat will tend to make him
more careful in his next challenge match
Jack Keigh. the famous cue dope sling
er. of the Billiard Magazine, puts over the
following respecting the youthful star:
THE fact that he Is tall and lean is an
asset 1t is seldom that he has to use a
bridge. In many respects he reminds
one of Willie Hoppe when Hoppe was a
boy wonder lew years ago. His stroke
is the nearest approach to Hopes stroke
that has been seen. 1t is delicate but
positive. He employs a very long bridge
and were he to shorten this to an appre-
ciable extent and take up balkline bill
lard play the chances are he would soon
become so adept al that style of the
game that he would stand out Just as
prominently as he now does in pocket
billiards."
Sherman. although participating in very
few matches during the past few years
still retains that knowledge of the game
marvellous position play and wonderful
execution, which at one time placed him
at the head of all other pocket billiard
stars. During the last couple of weeks
he has earnestly and conscientiously de-
voted himself to getting his stroke down
to a point where he will be able to make
the youthful aspirant to the worlds
crown, travel at top speed in order TO
win the match.
From this angle it looks very much as
though the games will resolve themselves
into contests where a veteran on one side
will be eXerting all of the generalship
at his command against a youth whose
daring and recklessness. coupled with
more than average ability, prove him a
dangerous opponent
The games are scheduled to start at
O'Clock.