Jottings of the Month

Amateur

• The Leicestershire Amateur Championship final heat was
  reached on April 12 between T. P. Harrison (holder) and
  W. Coupe, Final scores:—Harrison, 1,000; Coupe, 981.
• A North-East Lancashire Billiard Control Association was
  formed on April 14, with Mr. E. J. Riley as president. Mr.
  H. Blackburn, of Blackburn, retains the title of champion
  of North-East Lancashire. The first amateur championship
  medal of Accrington has been won by Mr. W. H. Clegg.
• An exhibition game of 600 up was played on April 25 at
  the club connected with the Paris Church at St. Anne’s,
  on-Sea between Mr. H. A. O. Lonsdale and Mr. John
  Crowther. Mr. Lonsdale conceded 125 points start, and after
  a close game was defeated by 72 points. The game was
  played for the benefit of the fund in aid of the Church Lads’
  Brigade, and the amount of tickets sold realized £9 15s.
• The R.G.A. have now won the United Service Inter-Mess
  Billiard League cup at Plymouth twice, and if they secure
  it again next year it will become their property. Cues and
  cases have been presented to the members of the winning
  team:—R.S.M. M. Troughton, R.Q.M.S. J. Morsley,
  C.S.M. C. Acht, C.S.M. E. Wilson, Sergt. F. Roe, and
  Sergt. Willson. A cue and case were also presented by
  Mr. S. Heywood to C.Y.S. Brooks, of the Royal Naval
  Barracks, for the highest break.
• An important addition has been made to the home of the
  Leicester Borough Police Recreation Society by the equipment
  of a billiard room, which was formally declared open
  on April 24 by the Mayor (Alderman W. W. Vincent).
  After the premises had been declared open, Walter Osborne
  (the ex-Midland Counties’ champion) and Mr. T. P.
  Harrison (amateur champion of Leicestershire) gave an
  exhibition game.
• W. Cavanagh’s benefit was concluded at Messrs. Orme
  and Sons’ rooms, Manchester, on April 29. Mr. H. C.
  Virr, in 1,200 up against the Cheshire amateur champion,
  Mr. E. H. Morley (300), won by 129. Mr. G. A. Heginbottom
  beat R. Clarke (Reddish) by 600 to 462. Mr. H. A.
• O. Lonsdale played Greenberg, a skilful local amateur,
  winning one game and Greenberg the other. Remaining
  matches: Jas. Harris (scr.) 600, J. Oldfield (rec. 200), 401;
  Heyworth 500, Midley 380; T. H. Lord 600, V. Bagnall 532.
• Messrs. A. Reid (Queen’s Park) and F. J. Harman (St.
  Bartholomew’s) opposed each other in the final for the
  Brighton Billiard League Cup on April 19. The game was
  300 up, and Reid secured the cup by 33 points. A break of
  34 by Reid was the highest of the match. The St. Martin’s
  Billiard Club won the challenge shield. Their record was:
  Played 24 matches, won 109 games, lost 35; while the
  runners-up were St. Bartholomew’s, whose record was:
  Played 24, won 96, lost 48. St. Alban’s were winners of the
  second division cup. Their record was: Played 18 matches,
  won 69 games, lost 39; and they were closely followed by St.
  Nicholas’ with 67 wins. Mr. Price, of St. Martin’s, secured
  a prize for the finest break of the season—65 in a game of
  100 up; and Mr. Mercer was presented with a box of cigars
  for the largest number of games won in the first half.

Professional

• The arrangements for the championship match won by
  Stevenson on April 29 after a strenuous contest with Inman,
  were in the hands of Mr. J. P. Mannock, as had been
  those of the preliminary heat at the B.C.C. Club, and the
  only regret is that his admirable set-out of the spacious
  Caxton Hall was not utilized until the second week by more
  crowded gatherings. Leading members of the B.C.C. successively,
  and always efficiently, discharged the duties pertaining
  to the refereeship.
• The month has been full of further challenging absurdities,
  such as Stevenson’s “offer” to concede Roberts 10,000
  in 30,000, and Inman’s, “seeing that Diggle accepts 2,000
  in 18,000 from Roberts” to concede Roberts the same number.
  The delightful logic here is: “Because Diggle is better
  than myself, and Roberts may be better than Diggle, I
  am better than Roberts.”
• George Gray should have played a game of 18,000 up at
  Messrs. Thurston’s, Leicester Square, with E. Diggle,
  receiving 6,000, under the management of John Roberts,
  but no match took place. The game was advertised to be
  played with bonzoline balls, instead of crystalate, and Mr.
  Gray, senr., in an interview, said:—”I have repeatedly told
  Mr. Roberts that George would not play with bonzoline
  balls. I finally wrote Mr. Roberts that my son would not
  appear against Diggle under the advertised conditions.”
• It seems that the Roberts-Gray agreement has now been
  cancelled. A letter from Gray appears on another page.
• Results for the month have included Stevenson 7,606 v.
  Harverson (rec. 2,000) 7,601 at Dublin (the match being
  left drawn); Pindar 6,000 v. Rimmar 4,543, at Manchester;
  A. F. Peall (rec. 500) 3,500 v. W. Cook 2,663, at Leicester
  Square.
• Whilst Stevenson, Inman, and Reece are abroad, Harverson
  will be “treading his native veldt” in South Africa,
  where he won the all-in S.A. championship in 1893 and the
  spot-barred in 1895 and 1896. He arrives at Capetown by
  the “Tongariro” on June 3rd.
• The West End Club Markers’ Handicap was won at the
  Soho Square Salon by F. Cox (Wellington) and the West
  End Markers’ Handicap at Leicester Square by George
  Clarke (Junior Carlton).
• What promised to be an interesting match for the Liverpool
  professional championship between J. W. Collens and
  J. Pearson, has had to be postponed. Collens has been
  disabled for some weeks owing to an injured leg.
• O. T. Owen, who is managing the Antigallican billiard
  saloon at Woolwich, was playing the other night another
  man 100 up, owing 120. Starting off with a 38 break on
  his second visit Owen ran to game with 196. He lost the
  white ball when he had only made 10, the remaining 186
  being got with the red ball.
• In the professional tournament at the Globe Hotel, Cardiff,
  on April 11, A. E. Hamman (Royal Hotel) defeated
  J. Hillard (Avondale Hotel) easily.