BILLIARDS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 833, 29 November 1929, Page 12

BILLIARDS

LIGHT AND HEAVY CUES By RISO LEVI Author of ** Billiards: 1 lie Strokes of .he Game” and 'Milliards For The Million • Copyright I I am often asked this <|uestion What is the best weight for a rue? This is a matter of taste, but (luring the last few years the tendency ha* undoubtedly been for heavier rues than formerly. In the days when Stevenson was at his best 15 ounces was considered an ideal weight for a cue, and this was the weight of the then champion's. Whether Stevenson still plays with the same cue I do net know, but as a good player seldom cares to put aside the cue with which he has played for many years, it is quite likely that the Yorksliireman still clings to the one with which he made his thousand break—in 1912and many others bordering on four figures. In the old days many players used very light cues. Love joy won the amateur championship with a 12oz. cue, and if I mistake not Claude Fal kiner with one of the same weight. Xor is this the lightest weight cue which has come under my notice, for. many years ago, a friend of mme used to play with an lloz. cue—a blacklead I used to call it —and made many a century break writh it. Today most professionals play with much heavier cues than were used 1" or 15 years ago. For example, Newman’s cue; weighs 17 ounces, and Smith’s IS. I can remember quite well when the Darlington player came on the scene with this ISoz. cue of his. Many of his brother professionals rediculed it, just as they ridiculed its brass ferrule. Today all professionals and most good amateurs use ferruled cues, and very many of these cues are as heavy as Smith’s. WHEN JOHN ROBERTS CHANGED HIS CUE A heavy cue is undoubtedly more suitable for big forcing shots, and all kinds of high-pace strokes than a light cue. For one thing, the extra ounces enable one to put more power into the stroke. John Roberts occasionally used to put down the cue he was using and pick up a heavier one when he had to play some big forcin: | stroke. Most of the spectators though that he made the change in order to ! save the tip of his regular cue, but the real reason for using another cue for the stroke was that he might be able to put more power into it. The chief advantage, however, of the heavier cue is its extra stiffness Many players profess to like a whipPT cue. If, however, you ask them vb? they” like this kind of cue they cannot tell you. All that they esn say is that they like it. It is, hot ever, not too much to say that a very whippy cue is an abomination, arc only a very ordinary' player wou-c think of selecting such an instrument The really' good player wants his cue to be as stiff as possible, and vrbes purchasing one selects the stiffest ucan find- And naturally the heavier the cue the more likely is it to stiff. One, however, someti® e ‘ comes across a cue which, though nj extremely heavy is remarkably stilt Jce Davis is the fortunate of a cue which reaches the linbjstiffness. I have never handled finer piece of ash. If you were t offer him £2O or £3O for it no would result. Business might sibly be effected at, say. £SO or . but I am quite certain that 1 Chesterfield player would be a s man after the transaction w-as r ° pleted. Next Article: i ‘ THE ONE GREAT THING 0* 1 BILLIARDS.”