THE CHAMPIONSHIP AT BILLIARDS.

Evening Star, Issue 4067, 9 March 1876, Page 3

THE CHAMPIONSHIP AT BILLIARDS.

On December 20, in St. James’s Hall, the tenth contest for the honor of the championship at billiards took place, the combatants being JoHh Roberts; jun., son of the redoubtable Manchester man, and his first and last real conqueror, William Cook. The fine room was very full. Silence was called, the balls were weighed, and the players took their places ready for the contest. After a miss on each side Cook was the first to score, bnt be only got up to 7. Roberts followed with 37, and won his first round of applause. Cook then made another cannon and another miss, and, after 15 by the champion, yet another. Then Roberts reached 60 to 17, and by some delicate play got up to 92, his last break being 32. , Cook now made 22, and, with some beautiful little canons, reached 64. Roberts followed with similar play, and got up to 157 to 64. In two or three breaks—22, 18, and 41—Cook got up to 149 against 159. Very little change took place till Roberts reached 477. From this point Cook so improved his game that, when an interval of thirty minutes was called, he.was 505 and Roberts 478 ; the white ball in baulk and the red over the baulk line, with the champion to play. On the resumption of play Roberts played at the red and missed the cannon, but Cook only scored two. Soon, however, the champion ran ahead, and did not stop till the game was Roberts 534, Cook 507; From this point the latter went on to 539, and a miss was given by both players. Both playing carefully, the game was soon 550 all. From that point Cook ran up to 577, or 27 in front. Roberts then went with a break of 4N up to 599, and Cook followed with 54 and made his game 631. This 54 was, so far, the largest break in the match. Roberts began again, and by. the aid of a lucky red hazard- and a remarkable cannon, which even his friends pronounced a fluke, got again ahead, but not for long, for when next the game was called it was—Cook, 683 ; Roberts, 641. The champion scored 5, and Cook followed with 15 —698 to 646 and soon afterwards with 20, which left his game 718 to 675. Roberts with another break went from 682 to 767, against 718, completely altering the aspect of the match, his last break being no few than 84, the largest yet in the match. A few little breaks on either side, and then the. game was marked 782 to 741. Cook, however, went boldly, yet carefully on, and was unlucky, for he only made 5 when he missed a splendid cannon. Roberts, with a fine forcing stroke, brought the balls into play, and scored 34, which, with other breaks, made his game 877 to 757. Cook was only able to score 25, and then Roberts ran up in several essays to 922 against 796. Cook, however, was not yet beaten, for in his next break he got up to 857 to 957. Cook reached 865, and then Roberta from 969 ran out on a break of 31 and was proclaimed at once the English champion. The game was well marked by Oxford Jonathan, but the room, except on the table, was so badly lighted, or rather not lighted at all, that it was exceedingly difficult to follow the game. .