Arizona republican., 1917-03-27
ST. LOUIS YEARNS
 FOR 4 REAL CHAMP

Charlie McCourt's close call at Cleve- i land recently when the worlds three cushion champion succeeded in retain ing the coveted Brunswick emblem by
 only four points, 130 to 146, In his match with Horace B. (Jess) Lean. ] has given hope anew to the followers i of Robert l.. Cannefax of St. Louis, McCourt's next opponent for the title l The St. Louis fans have yearned for a
 champion ever since their favorite son, i Banker" John Horgan held the Jor- l dan Lambert trophy years ago, and 1 there is no denying now that they 1 have fair chance for the realization 1 of their dreams
 They figure that if Lean can hold 1 McCourt to Q four point victory, Can nefaX, admittedly a stronger player l than Jess, ought to beat the champion 1 The logic of their argument is obvious,
 but the Mound City enthusiasts must not forget that the hardest game in the world to dope is three-cushion bil liards and that it's very uncertainty is l what makes it such a popular game. McCourt might come back and play ] better against the more open game of Cannefax than he did against the tight,
 strategic style of Lean and. on the i other hand he might not. Charlie will find the challenger his. equal both in
 shot making and in having a practical ! knowledge of angle billiards, though the St. Louis expert is ten years the
 champions junior Bob, however, has
 me weakness which may help McCourt
 Like Pierre Maupome and Augie
 Kieckhefer, two acknowledged stars of
 the profession, he is harder nut to
 crack at home than abroad and as the
 match with McCourt will be played in yl-.
 advantage The official dates for the
 event have not been set, but according
 to the rules governing championship matches it will be played forty days after the close of the McCourt- Lean
 contest which will bring the date to
 May l, or whereabouts.
 Akron Draws Big Match
 Akron, Ohio, the successful bidder for the next match for the world s
 pocket championship between Frank
 Taberski of Schenectady, N. Y, hold CT of the emblem, and Benny Allen, of Kansas City, former champion, has i surely drawn a plum. Interest has , been lacking in some of Taberski , titular matches, as the champions su- periority stood out oyer his opponents,
 but not so in Aliens case. Until his slump at Chicago a year ago Benny l | claimed him. one of the best players that ever hit q ball, and it is said
 that improved health and hard work
 las brought him back to his best form He will be primed for the match of his life when he faces Taberski in the en- , terprising Ohio city at the opening or their three-night match on April II,
 and if he is not returned the winner, the Raw fans will be greatly disap- } pointed, as they are already talking Of enga ging a band for Aliens reception home. , Tabers<i will not have to be advised
 as to Aliens prowess or warned of the
 impending danger Give the Silent [ Pole" credit for having an abundance . of gray matter beneath those raven locks The champion never undertakes an opponent and practiced as hard ana earnestly for Louis Kreuter as he did for Jack Layton and Emmett Blanken-
 ship. He will be on edge for Allen, and as if to prove he is not afraid of
 Allen chose neutral ground for the battle. when he might have waived a slight monetary sacrifice and played Tn his own back yard in Schenectady 1 Were Frank lacking in confidence he
 wouId have taken full advantage of
 the rule which permits the champion
 to nlav at home. but evidently he be- lieves he can beat Allen either at home or away Catch Benny and his ad- visers, P'op" Allen and Johnny King,
 taking Allen away from Kansas Clty
 to defend his emblem when he was
 champion.
 League Race is Corker
 What wonderful race is that of the Interstate Three Cushion League! In the vernacular of the turf. blanket
 would cover Kieckhe-er, of Rockford, Maupaume of Cleveland. Reiselt Of
 Pittsburg and Ellis of Milwaukee, as
 they sweep down the stretch, each of
 the quartet appearing to have an even
 chance for victory. The competition, which has been keener this year than ever before, will end on April 2S. but
 who is destined to wear the champion s
 crown which last year adorned the
 head of Charlie McCourt is a problem
 hard to solve Here again is where luck in angle billiards is likely to play
 ar irrnorta1t part.
 Welker Cochran, Chicagos youthful
 balk-liner who twice recently defeated the veteran, George Sutton, even up in i
 Tdobo'c noint ootters in the conference