"THE SIMPLICITY OF BILLIARDS."

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10135, 13 January 1911, Page 6

"THE SIMPLICITY OF BILLIARDS."

Under the heading "The Simplicity of Billiards," Horace Hutchinson, the well-known sporting authority, writes of Gray in the Westminster Gazette. Roberts, he says, used to despise the loser in the middle pocket. When he had the white object ball anywhere up at the spot end of the table and the red in position for a loser into a middle pocket, he would generally neglect this opportunity altogether, and play a direct cannon in such a way as to bring the red up, off one of the side cushions, near the white. Then he would begin his nursery cannons. The novelty of Gray's game consists in its being the very converse of all this. He is working all ~e time for that loser into the micutle pocket which is rightly credited with being the standby of the simple-minded amateur. In the great break against Lovejoy of 1143 he only called in the assistance of the white ball to aid him in making ten points of that total number. Certainly, while he was piling up the major part of it that ball was lying very invitingly for. a loser into the left-hand top pocket, but ho took no notice of it. He went on in that fashion of very extraordinary accuracy, holding himself off the red into the middle pocket, and when be did not bring the red quite far enough down, going in off it into left or right top pocket with a very perfect strength to bring it back again into place for the more simple stroke in. to the middle. Gray is astoundmgly; deadly at this stroke, one at which- the professional frequently breaks down to the surprise of the amateur.