SNOOKER EXPERT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26617, 13 November 1947, Page 10

SNOOKER EXPERT

PRAISE FOR DUNEDIN PLAYERS VISIT OF MR P. MANS Mr Peter Mans, the South African snooker champion and the youngest high-ranking professional in the world to-day, has a high opinion of the standard of play in Dunedin He considers that some of the amateurs in the city, notably A. Rudduck, the Dunedin champion, could go a long way in the game. Just turned S 3, Mi Mans is in Dunedin under contract to Olympia Billiards until February, when he will start on a tour of Australia with Horace Lindrum. He will subsequently take part in the world championships which are to be held in Australia next year. High praise for the general standard of play and the quality of the equipment in use in the Dominion was expressed by Mr Mans in an interview with the Daily Times last night. He said that only lack of competition prevented some New Zealanders from emulating the feats of players such as are seen in Johannesburg, where there are 40 or 50 snooker players capable of making breaks of 90 to 100. Unique Performance The highest break ever made by Mr Mans was 137. This was a unique performance in that it was scored from the break-up and his opponent did not have the opportunity of playing a single shot. “It was a bit hard on him, as he had to pay for the table, smilingly commented the young South African. Since coming to Dunedin Mr Mans has put up the firs, century break ever scored on a matcn table in the city, with a break of 114 on Tuesday. Later the same day. when playing an exhibition game at the Fernhill Club, Mr Mans registered breaks of 81 and 63. Other good breaks since his arrival have been is and 89. The Dunedin public will have an opportunity of seeing tvvo world-class snooker players in action in January, when Horace Lindrum and the brilliant South African will meet in the Town Hall The exhibition matches will be held on three nights. In order to ensure that all spectators will have a good view of the play, only 750 seats—on the stage and in the dress circle will be used. ibis will be the first time that such an exhibition lias been held in the Town Hall and such a procedure has only rarely been attempted in the Dominion before. Mr Mans could really have little excuse for not being a good snooker player, as his father was the nrsi player in the world to clear the whole table in a break, and he has a brother playing as an amateur who has made seven breaks exceeding 100. No Trick Shots Unlike the majority of professional players, who have a repertoire of trick shots, Mr Mans has no time for such frivolities. He contends that they do no good as they are of little practical use. “Trick shots actually do a great deal of harm, because amateurs try to perform these tricks without settling down and learning the fundamentals of the game,’’ he said. Billiards, he says, is an easier game than snooker because there is more opportunity for recovering after a poor shot. In snooker, everything depends on the “ pot ” and there is little chance of remedying an error. “A bad shot in snooker is the finish. You can’t afford to make them,” he said