BIG BILLIARDS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 27, 15 January 1912, Page 6

BIG BILLIARDS.

LINDRUM’S PLAY

Writing on November 27th from Liverpool, a correspondent of the London “Times” said;—Many of those who went to the Stadium in Liverpool this afternoon to see Lindrum, the Australian billiard champion, open his English tour imagined the newcomer would rely principally on rod-ball, play. In Australia he -has made a number of four-figure breaks com posed almost entirely of losing hazards, the highest being 3239, and it is generally admitted that he is the only possible rival of George Gray in that monotonous method of avoiding the vicissitudes of the all-round game. In point of fact the Lindrum red-ball break is a very different affair from that which is the speciality of the younger Australian, who is presently to moot Stevenson. Gray confines his red losing hazards as far as possible to the middle pocket, seldom or never using the top ones, unless the object ball has drifted out of the midway circle and it is necessary to regain position. But Lindrum builds up his largo breaks principally by means of the long losing hazard into the top pockets. He loses no time in transferring his operations from the middle to the top of the table, and incidentally leaving the opponent’s white ball half way up as a resource in case of emergencies instead of disposing of it altogether after the manner of Gray. It is probable that Lindrum’s method would fit in better with the English all-round style which is based essentially on the use of ivory balls. But for. the fact that composition balls take a wider angjo than ivories oven when the latter mre in a complaisant mood, Gray could not make his long runs of red losing hazards into the middle pockets. With ivory balls he would often have to go for difficult screw shots, which, if successful, would sometimes leave him in a perilous position for the next stroke. On the other hand, Lindrum, working out his rod breaks with lessor angles,

m the average would not be so much landicapped by the change from comoosition to ivory halls. From this it ‘ollows that Lindrum’s speciality will mlirectly help him more than Gray’s .0 graft his personal characteristics md predilections on the English game vhich'is the most varied and fascinating of all. Landrum lias no intention of utilising vis rod ball breaks during bis English tour unless he should moot Gray, vhom ho could only beat, if at all, iy meeting him with his own tactics. :le thinks that the public have had mough of such sleep-provoking eomnlations, and there is little doubt as o the correctness of this opinion. Nevertheless, one would be interest'd in a match between the two young Australian masters at their own game, vhich is that of such amateurs as .Major Fleming translated ihto the region of the abnormal. Once, at feast, the' public would pay to seo the red rivalry of these super-amateurs; t would not jio easy to name the winler. Gra'y’s red ball breaks have. ioen larger and more numerous than indrnm’s, lint the., former improved nite 50 per cent.- as a result of pracice on the perfect English tables, and similar improvement may lie exacted in the case of the latter.