INMAN’S SERMON.

Taihape Daily Times, 26 August 1919, Page 2

INMAN ’ S SERMON.

:fEXPLAINb' SECRET OF SUCCESS. WOTHER FELLOW ours SYMPATHY ' l i This has been a. very interesting cliumpionship to me: I hove never read ‘ so much about m_vself before. Fleet Street has given me quite a new idea of what I am like, and-I shau keep allithe adjectives and file them away for reference. For all of it I am duly appreciative. The zittitude of the public towards myself has been ’referred to pretty often during the past few weeks: and one of the critics referred to it as “damning with faint praise” (says {the billiards champion )lelb'o'url:e In. irnun, in the ‘l‘Weokly Dispatch”) Well, I am not complaining. If sympatliy witli the other fellow is ex; pressed“ who am I to grumble at? I suppose I shall be accused -of ‘swank’ for saying that. But, after all, there is always a lot of S}loH’fillg for tlle mun who is behind, and’ quite rightly so. » 1 One reason, I am sure, why occasionally my ‘opponents have got warnieri approval of their play than has come‘ my way is .that. billiards has always, been “penny pllain” ratlier tlfian “tuppenny coloured.” I never had any use at all for “pretty” play, and I have invariably based my game on sound utility. ‘ , THE lIWPORTANT ONLOOKER. I Ornamental play, if it is dangerous,‘ does not count in the long run, 211-. though it will always get a cheer from some of the spectators. The very best 3 _vshot's in billizvz-<l.=:—l am not referring ‘to my own p.l.:fi*.', but. to public games g.":neral’ly—«o€~f:'-n go ‘unnoticed, While some dazzling i’-our-—suchion cannon will bring the house down_ Funny, but it is so. I will tell you how I Won and kept! my ehalnpionship——though that. is no great seere't.. I concentrated for years on the plain foundations of billiards, and once I got those right the rest was easy. Tliolosing hazard is the AB c of billiards, and it is the] XY Z as well. All the spectacular b 'llian<:e in the world will not avail‘

'~-:=::h if t‘.e basis of your game is unsouncl; it will certsiinly not Win championships. , I am not sdrry it is all over, for these big afi’a.irs mean strain,’ pafticu- ‘ lal'ly' fowarcls the finish. The physical l l strain of playingbilliia.rd's is often not T.‘(‘ElliS(‘,d by the public, but you take _ it from me that one has to be on ‘fhe ?I'azor-edge of fitness all -the time you are playing with yléui‘ Title at stake.‘ It is :1 strain on hand, eye, and b1‘31“,l and. perli=a.ps, too, on the “heai-K V 5 —~meaning by that" pluck and stamina.‘ and the ability to_ “run on undcrll the Whip.” I