The New York herald., 1922-12-02
GREENLEAF REFUSES
FORFEIT OF CHURCH
Pocket Billiard Champion Re
turns $3.50 Posted for De-
faulted Title Match.
ny THOMAS J. GALLAGHER.


The pocket billiard championship has
lapsed and there Is now no champion OF
the pocket game. E. Ralph Greenleaf
has been awarded permanent possession
Of the championship trophy. The chal-
lenge match between Greenleaf and
Arthur Church Of Yonkers. scheduled to
have begun Thursday night at the Strand
Academy, resulted In forfeiture on the
part of Church, who was adjudged to
have lost his stake of $3.50. Greenleaf.
however, displaying rare sportsmanship
and generosity permitted Church to
withdraw his money. The Incidents
which led to this extraordinary outcome
were:
Through clerical error new set OF
sixteen balls,-fifteen counting balls and
cue ball-provided for the occasion
were not delivered at the Strand Acad7
emy Thursday night. The academy was
packed to the limit. and when it was dis
covered that the expected balls had not
arrived and the game did not begin
promptly spectators began clamoring for
a start To meet the situation Greenleaf
rendered his private set OF regulation
match size and as true as ivory balls
could be turned Church objected. After
in Brooklyn a set with which Church
had played and which was practically
new was obtained Church declined to
play with them.
Then It was reported that II ordered
to play, Church would object to James
Mature as referee. Greenleaf and
Charles Klein, proprietor of the Strand,
assert that Church had told them Ma
turo would be acceptable. The crowd
al g.. ,,i
then demanded play or a return of ad-
mission money.
Games Postponed, Money Returned
Inasmuch as Mature had not been
confirmed as referee and consequently
could not enforce any ruling he might
make and there was no one present who
had authority to control the situation
Klein ordered that the game be post
poned and admission money refunded.
Yesterday afternoon the Brunswick
Balke- Collender Company, promoters of
the championship and donorC OF the titu-
lar emblem, took cognizance of the post
ponement. After Greenleaf. Church and
Klein had defined their part in the re-
grettable affair Charles y. Miller. Vice
president of the company, ruled. that
Church had forfeited. Explaining, he
said: SThere was no reason why
Church should not have played with
either OF the sets offered They were
perfectly good sets and he knew they
were. For some Interior motive he was
obstructive. In my opinion, if the new
set designed for the match had been on
the table he would have refused to agree
upon a referee. He was unwilling to
have the games proceed, and resorted
to unsportsmanllke and reprehensible
conduct. In future all tournaments in
which this company Is interested will
be managed along the lines that gov
erned the. last ~ event. We will ap-
point officials and eliminate obstructive
tactics or delays that are avoidable."
GreenIeaf to Tour Country.
Greenleaf said "I am glad the cham
pionship is over. in three years ] have
In tournaments and matches defended
It twenty-seven or twenty-eight times.
and what's more, IN three years I have
not lost q tournament game or block in
a match. There may be a tournament
10 institute another championship. but I
don't believe one will be held this winter.
! hope there will not. for ! want To be
free to make tour of the country"
AIRY Bos. the spectacular amateur
billiard expert of Amsterdam. Holland,
who In 1921 held the amateur champion
ship of Europe at is 2 ball<line, arrived
in New York yesterday. He embarked
at Rotterdam on the steamship Rotter-
dam. Last winter he participated in the
international amateur tournament held
al the Manufacturers Club. Philadelphia,
won by Edgar T. Appleby OF this city.
Physically fe appears to be greatly Inn
proved on what he was a year ago. Be
fore he returned home last spring he
impressed metropolitan billiard enthusi-
asts that he was the speediest and most
entertaining exponent of the game In
the world Charley Blgelow said OF him
"As a billiardist he is a champion
sprinter and q champion massc artist.
lie goes to-day TO Philadelphia, where
he will lie the guest Of Joseph Mayer.