Willie Smith Threatens to Quit Billiards

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 968, 10 May 1930, Page 12

Willie Smith Threatens to Quit Billiards

Sick and Tired of Underwork, he says - WANTS TO HAVE a SAY Willie Smith, most famous of English billiards professional*™*"** burdened his soul at the close of remarkable match with the Austria?* wizard Walter Lindum— a match? which Smith was defeated by points. -I am so sick and tired of una«. work.” he said, •’that 1 have deciflM to retire.” “Some people who have heart of this do not take me seri ou ,|J but I was never more serious my life. “Ever since 1 won the championship of 1920, and ever I made it clear about that time that 1 would not play in small halls. I hav* been a butt. Surely I have a rift| to have a say in my bread and Boxers do it, and why shouldn't !?•• * Smith then warmly criticised th* action of the Billiards Association Control Council making the champion, ship arrangements before Lindrum *r.<i McConachy arrived here and not con. suiting them. “Even although I am a butt," *l*4 Smith, "*I contend that it is not ftjy to the working man to have a minlmva admission charge of os 9d, and th« is what rutb by playing in a sir >3 hall. “.Next season Lindrum will be la aa international tournament with Dav.s, Newman and McConachy. Perhagi Tnterational Farce’ might be a better term for tho competition. It is in. deed a farce if the men play level, for no one lias a chance against Walter Lindrum. lie has made double fht number of thousands that all the Eng. lisli players who have ever lived have scored.” LINDUM DENIES “RUBBING IT IN* Lindrum, in an interview, denied tb»: the heavy defeat he has administered to Smith was more or less out of a spirit of revenge for the margin by which tho latter beat Lindrum'* brother, Fred, last season. Speaking of the tournament arranged for next season. Lindrum said them will bo a system of points for breaks. “For instance.” he said, “I will be allowed three points for each 500 break I make, and the other three players will each receive five points for ever? 500 break. Points allowances will be continued in that relationship. “By that means we will do away w ith a man resting when he has mads a big break. Xkere will be eveiy incentive for the individual to go oa trying to give of his very best.** A CRITIC’S VIEWS Commenting on Smith’s remarks, Hazard writes in “Sporting Life."— Whatever else. Smith is sincere 1* what he says. lie must have credit for that. But the time he chose to say all these things was not a judicioui one, and. human nature being what tt is. left people wondering whether hh criticisms were not coloured by bis big defeat. We will presume that the result d the last match had nothing at all to do* with his remarks, and that he had previously made up his mind to retire from match play—so far as his employees would allow him to. His reason for doing so was what he calls the “underwork ” “Underwork” is rather an obscure word; but I imagine that most peopL will take it to mean that there few been something going on behind the scenes that Smith does not like. Wi“ men like Lindrum, McConachy, Davis, and Newman concerned that is ver} difficult to believe. Smith’s attitude toward the size cthe halls is well known. He likee big—wide, open spaces, you know, ot financial grounds he says it would copay him to play in a small halL J* the same breath almost he tells *>- world that It is not fair to the worting man to have to pay a big pn°jj *-* his 6eat in these same small halls. If Smith had the choice of playing - a small hall that it was known woui be full every session, or in a large nowhere the attendance —for lowprices—was problematical, which wouhe take?