BILLIARD NOTES.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 25, 3 September 1920, Page 5

BILLIARD NOTES.

A DIFFICULT I^-OFF. An example of an In-off that is often on, and wThile strokes of this nature are always difiicult owing to the great judgment required as to where the cushion must be hit (a very slight error will cause the stroke to f all), they are not quite so difficult as they no doubt appear to the majority of players. The white ball over a top pocket, and it is intended to be in such a position that, whilst a ball held in one's finger could be passed into the pocket, touching the end of the table, without disturbing tha other ball, tliere is barely 1-16 of an inch to spare — tliis is, about 1-32 on each side as the ball is passed through. In playing an in-off with the white ball so located, especially when striking from a position a considerable distance away from the pocket, the safest way of getting the stroke is to aim straight at the pocket, as though playing to give a three miss. The reason for this is that from a distanec it would be very difficult indeed to give a three miss even if facing the pocket, as the ball would have to go into the pocket, just missirg both the side cushion and the object-ball by 1-32 of an inch. If it traveL led only a shade to one side of this threemiss path, it would either graze the side cushion and then graze the hall, or else finely touch the ball in the first instance, in efther case finding the pocket. If any player doubt this, let him try this stroke a dozen times, playing from a distance, and see how often he can give a threa miss, and he will be surprised at the result. If, on the other hand, a player t/ried to play such a stroke by first striking the cushion, there would always be a pro-

bability of the in-off being missed owing to the object-ball being struck too full. When the stroke is played from the D, no part of which is facing the opening of the pocket, the space between the objectball • and the opposite cushion may be slightly increased without much fear of a three miss being given. Especially will this be the case when playing from the end of the D on the same side of the table as the pocket played for. The white ball over the top pocket — in one case on the upper angle, and in the other on the lower angle — and i,t is intended in each case to be in such a position that a ball held in one's fingers could not be passed between the object ball and the opposite cushion, the span between the ball and the cushion being from l-32nd to l-16th of an inch less than the diameter of the ball. In positions like this the in-off can be made by the poorest of players. All that is necessary is to play with a fair amount of strengih straight at the pocket, just as though trying to give a three miss, and if good aim be taken, the in-off cannot very well be missed. What happens is this : the cue-ball, colliding strongly with the object-ball presses the latter into the yielding cushion, and so literally squeezes its way past the object-ball into the pocket, just as though a ball were taken in one's hand and forced by pressure in between the object-ball and the cushion. The limitation of the space through which it is possible to squeeze a ball when playing this stroke varies slightly on different tables, depending to some extent -upon the cut of the pockets, and also on the resiliency of the cushions; but the stroke is on to a greater or less degree on any table, and, moreover, when on, ia never difficult. iX-