FOUR HANDED BILLIARD MATCH FOR £400.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume III, Issue 281, 16 June 1875, Page 2

FOUR HANDED BILLIARD MATCH FOR £400.

All ordinary billiard-players know how difficult it is to play up to their mark in a four-handed match. Not the least interesting feature in the great match that took place last evening at the Guildhall Tavern between probably the four best players in the Kingdom was, how far would first-class professional players prove themselves superior to the weakness that affects ordinary mortals ? Cook and Roberts, the two “ veteran” players of the day, if we may be pardoned for applying the term to two men neither of whom has reached the age of thirty, conceded 300 points in a game of 1500 up to Taylor and Stanley, whose joint ages amount but to forty-two. Popular sympathy was on the whole in favour of the younger players, or, as they were generally called, “ the boys.” Unfortunately, up to the close of the match many of the spectators were unable to deterniine which of the two was Stanley

and which Taylor, the wonderful natural resemblance between the two being heightened by the fact that they were dressed exactly alike, reminding one irresistibly of the 'Corsican Brothers. During the early part of the game it seemed as if the spell that too often seems to influence fourhanded matches would have its influence over the present one. Cook and Roberts gradually gained on their opponents, and reached 238 to 406. At this point, however, the spell was broken by the youngest of the players. S. W. Stanley, after a few well-played strokes, gained his favourite position, viz., the spot, and liiade a break of 210, bringing up his score to 616. Soon after this, however, Cook replied with a break of 185, which’ he followed up in his next innings with another of 151. The younger players failed to score any break particularly worthy of notice until after the necessary interval that took place. Before the interval, Roberts, however, by means of a good break of 84, succeeded in bringing up the score to Cook and Roberts 781, Stanley and Taylor 666, the older 'players having thus overtaken and passed their opponents by over 100 points. During the interval odds of 5 to 1 were laid on Cook and Roberts. Taylor commenced from the position in which the balls had remained, or rather from which they had been taken up, the places being marked. Taylor scored 83, the break consisting principally of spot hazards, after which, (and a small break from Cook) Stanley scored another break of 52, bringing up their score to 801, to Cook and Roberts’s 806. Here, however, Roberts got in, and began a marvellous break, one particularly good stroke in the middle, calling forth an exclamation from some one evidently interested “ the other way.” The break was one of 280, and brought Roberts and Cook’s score to 1086 to 801. Taylor, however, proved himself more than equal to the occasion ; gaining the spot, he scored no less than 345 off the balls. Unfortunately, a dispute occurred in the middle of the break. Taylor, in drawing back his cue while taking aim, touched his ball with the wood part of his cue. One of the opponents claimed a “ foul.” There was no referee, and after some discussion the point was left to the decision of the room. The room decided by an enormous majority that the stroke was not foul, and there is tip doubt that the decision was right. The rules at present in force state, “ If, while drawing the cue backwards and forwards, &c., and priorto a stroke, the player should touch and move his ball, the ball must be replaced to the satisfaction of his adversary, otherwise it is a foul stroke.” Fortunately the rules, some of which are obscure, though this one is very clear, are now being revised. Roberts followed soon after with a break of 126, bringing the score to 1212 to 1150, when Taylor made another break of 71. The finish was most exciting; a break from Cook of 87 brought him to 1372 to his opponents’ 1236. Soon after, however, Cook and Roberts reached 1378 to Stanley and Taylor’s 1310, when Cook got the spot and made the game off the balls, Cook and Roberts thus winning by 190 points. There can be no doubt that this game is the finest exhibition of play that has ever yet been witnessed. When all deserve praise it would be invidious to select. The table was by Messrs Burroughes and AVatts, and was the same as the pyramid championship was played on the day previous. The game was called without a mistake by Young Jonathan.— Standard, March 10th.