Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-02-21
National Amateur Bil

u,HERE is only one question re'e.
....,,no in the halls where the
ps psIa .mateur billiard championship
3o,lJ, 3ns,n, nIayed. 1t concerns the play
= me two foreigners.
,s.w come, they all ask, that the
s. Mow sre not higher up In the stand. . |.
vintv How IA Il, with their brand OF
!nE! they aren't out there In front
sor the title? - -
have settled these queries IN my
..r mind by thoughts ! pu1 ,ntG =
oo..v,ous article. / sincerely peiieve ina! nI
~ Ros. champion OF Europe, anu
e. HHIsrsrd Roudil. champion OF france.
-. .t not out there In front because "
MS.t ~ might be called stage fr'snt. 4
y rct strange that they are 10 anec.eI.
r,.srins championship billiard ma.sn a.c
-. reaction on a mans nervous eye
nn nss That it's difficult for even the victim
b explain.
Hard to Say 1t ,,.,,,,. .,
In this case they are as unable 70
.,niain their predicament US you u"u -
ssaTsr.rptbing sasu n is perfect. The tempcra.
40. ,s inst right for me, the tapie IL
Wuarudsrful. uud the balls arc. true, the peo,
vo". W ..s magnificent with applause ana
pc p'snn.tbv. nb / feel like playing billiards
.,J vet I can't come to what IL cai'ed
nv natural stride.'
oMI'b b.ve nlayed good billiards In one
...nh md moor billiards In the next. l
s.uo ut tonnd no trouble in practice to do
"rsn "u hetter than I expected to 90 over
>h.,s.' The conditions could not DC pet.
~. Vet I am not consistent. 10 NOT
III III within so per cent Of my best game
~, Hver when seem to be going all right. V
Lot Poundage,
8, there you are. Bos would not say
a himself, but can say 1t for him,
tSat The climate here has not agreed
s;th % him any too well. He has lost
trelve hounds over here in very snort
lime. and l think this has considerable
N do with his status.
,Put in nv own mind ! am satisfied
that Il all goes back to the psychology
~ the setting-thousands Of miles from
Lome. before strangers, in playing
room strange to them and under the
strain Of making a showing in n great
There is no amateur capable of play
,,,'up to his greatest form In tourna :
.snt such as this. They are just not
hardened to it as are the professionals.
NOT immune to all the conditions that
arise, Not q man of them enters that
brass.railed space without a quiver
syident in the shirt sleeves and change
Of color at the table:
They are telling what so o-and.so does
every morning In practice rounds, or
what he once did Mt home or In lesser
tournament. But that doesn't mean
ANYTHING. It's what he does right in Il
particular match of this particular
tournament that will count.
Best Billiards
And now we come to n peculiar angle
N the foreigners. Not all will agree
With me. but personally / think the
pair of them have displayed the best
Billiard flashes Of all the entries in this
tournament.
II appears that either OF them cai'
NAV a better game of billiards than any
Of the Americans in the tussle. II they
had the American competitive spirit II
peems TO me they would be on the top.
Or II they were able to settle down to
perfect concentration. The trouble II
half the time in the applause.
Naturally, the gallery is going t.
applaud the difficult shot. Sometimes
Il doesn't recognize the difficult shot
but one it never fails to applaud is the
nlasse.
Now this is bound to affect the player
who has not his whole mind on the
game. He begins to play to the gal
lery a trihe. He begins to pick tht
tough ones.
He plays a massc shot. sure ap'