WORLD'S CHAMPION BILLIARDIST

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 83, 28 September 1911, Page 2

WORLD'S CHAMPION BILLIARDIST

■INTERVIEWED AT AUCKLAND. ! Auckland, September 2.5. i The world's champion billiard player, * Mr. H. W. Stevenson, who has just >u-1 rived in Auckland, gave an interesting' interview to a reporter. He said that his present tour was in the nature of a holiday, and he was leaving -for Vancouver by the steamer Zealandia on Friday, and' hoped to play matches in the principal towns of Canada. When questioned regarding the game in the various countries which he had visited, lie said that he had noticed that billiards was becoming increasingly popular in Australia and New Zealand. In tho large cities of the Commonwealth and the Dominion there were now billiard rooms which contained ■twenty tables. A few years ago a room with four or five tables- was consmered a large one. In his opinion the average player in Australia was better than the average player in England. This was probably because the Australians, not having the same number of counter attractions, play much more. The game was, however, largely played in England, there being rooms in the cities which contained 40 tafbles. Mr. Stevenson, when asked regarding the visit-of George Gray to England, was diffident about expressing an opinion. Ho stated that the leading professional billiard players rarely commented on , each other's play; they left that to the i public. He, however, remarked that Gray had been well repaid for the assiduous practice which he had put in, particularly on one stroke. His prolific scoring was due to the fact that he played with one class of ball, on one make of table. There would come a time when Gray would have to play with ivory balls, and he would lind a great difference when the change from one ball to another came. Mr. Stevenson stated that he might possibly play Gray when he got back to England. The match would not be for tho championship, for composition balls would be used.