BILLIARDS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 897, 14 February 1930, Page 7

BILLIARDS

A DROP CANNON OFF THE RED

By

RISO LEVI

l Copyright i In my last article I discussed a com-monly-occurring drop-cannon position —from the white on to the red on the spot—and stated that the essential things in the stroke were to cause the cue ball to reach the red without much pace and to take it on the inside. Another commonly-occurring position is illustrated on Diagram 33.

DIAGRAM 33. A cannon from the red on to the white, doubling the red across the table to the vicinity of the corner pocket. Here the cannon is from the red on to the white, and the chief thing in this stroke is to cause the red to travel across the table to the vicinity ; of the corner pocket, as indicated by the intersected line, in order that position may be set up for a pet or an in-off. There is a good deal of latitude as to how the: red may travel in order to come to rest not far from the pocket, for after rebounding from the side cushion it may travel almost in a direct line to the pocket, or it may take the top cushion, or the opposite side cushion some little distance from the pocket, and still come to rest well situated for the next stroke. Even if the cannon is always played as a half-ball stroke, the red will not always be given the same line of travel across the table. In half-ball cannons the stroke will be made no matter whether the object ball is taken exactly half-ball or a shade fuller or thinner than half-ball, but in the stroke under consideration each different contact with the red materially affects its line of travel across the table. Naturally, the higher up or lower down the table the red is situated the different will be its line of rebound. Also, the altered spotting of the cue ball in the D —dependent on the situa- | tion of the second object ball—likewise affects the red ball’s line of rebound from the cushion, but, speaking generally, unless this ball is fairly high up the table it can always be made to travel to the vicinity of the corner pocket. Vt’nen this is easily possible, the great thing in the stroke is something like correct strength. If insufficient pace is used, the red will not travel far enough across the table to leave either a pot or an in-off for the next stroke, ami if too much pace is used even though the red rebounds from the side cushion with good direction it will travel away from the vicinity of the corner pocket after striking the opposite side cushion or the top cushion. This cannon to leave the red well placed for the next stroke is well within the compass of the very ordinary player. Even if you have never made more than a 30 break, play this stroke in the manner described the next time the position occurs in the course of a game. Quite possibly, by reason of your using too little or too much pace, you will fall to set up good position for the next stroke, bur. at any rate you will have played the cannon with some object in view, and if you always try to visualise what your next stroke is going to be when you are playing some more or less simple shot, your game is bound to improve. Improvement may no-t be rapid, because billiards is a difficult game, but even it it is slow it will, given regular play, become noticeable, and the more you improve the greater will be your de ; light in the game. The men whe never improve ate the players whe play nearly every stroke in an aim less sort of way. and trust to some thing nice turning up for the next.