Jottings of the Month

AMATEUR

• The B.A. Amateur, Stock Exchange, and Press Handicaps are
  in progress; the two former at Messrs. Orme & Sons, and the
  latter at the Palmerston Restaurant. The Navy and Army Billiards
  Championship, promoted by Messrs. Thurston, is also in
  progress, and the London Charity Tournament is proceeding in
  its various sections.
• In the Billiard Association Amateur Handicap (500 up) the
  winners of heats have been, in order of date:—L. Oxford, Col. S.
  E. Atkinson, J. S. Stafford (2), H. Norris, H. Bessemer Wright,
  G. J. Calder (2), “Clarkson” (2), E. Eumorfopoulos, E. H.
  S. Berridge (2), A. C. Edwards (2), S. S. Fewings L. B. Withers
  (2), J. Kingsley T. A. Edge, C. H. Barber, and H. Gresham.
• Amongst the winners of heats in the second round of the Stock
  Exchange Handicap have been:—P. Wood, C. T. Golding, P.
  Harwitz, W. Fielding, H. C. Alderton, L. Heimerdinger, R. E.
  Rutter, D. Ingram, N. Millem, R. G. Candy, W. S. Townshend,
  C. Camroux, C. Coverton, C. Glassborow, S. H. Kittoe, E. Henderson,
  P. L. Shubrook, A. Humfrey, R. Saunders, S. Burn,
  C. E. Warre, G. Baker, H. P. Smith, E. A. Simpson, R. Regensburg,
  A. L. Hubbuck, C. Robeson, and R. J. Bullett. The
  flying handicap was won by W. Lewis (rec. 30).
• The New Year Handicap of the Globe Club was brought to a
  conclusion on January 22. The heats were 200 up, and 64 players
  competed for four valuable prizes. Final scores were:—Mr. J.
  Hare (rec. 68), 200; Mr. F. Eason (rec. 30), 164. The Committee
  Cup Competition, open to 128 players at one guinea each, starts
  on February 5.
• The most prominent absentees from the Amateur Championship
  this year are:—Mr. G. Heginbottom, Mr. H. G. Nutt, and Mr.
  E. H. Hinds.
• In connection with the installation of a new Burroughes &
  Watts table in the Central Hotel, Edinburgh, two exhibition
  matches of 800 points up were played between Tom Aiken and
  Major Fleming (rec. 300). Aiken won both games, in the afternoon
  by 800 to 771, and in the evening by 800 to 745.
• The entry list for the Amateur Championship of Scotland is
  a record one of 16, and includes Mr. Forrest, of Kilmarnock, Mr.
  R. Blair, Mr. Croneen, and Mr. Malcolm Smith. The event will
  be decided in Glasgow for the first time. The holder, Major
  H. L. Fleming, will not play through the competition, but holds
  to his right to meet the winner of the final. The first heats will
  commence on Monday, February 5.
• Mr. J. Bailey, Penzance, the holder, and Mr. Robt. Thomas,
  Penzance, met at Penzance on January 12 in the final of 1,000 up
  of the amateur championship of Cornwall, which Bailey won with
  1,000 to 994.
• Mr. Alfred Jordan, who has just returned from a draught
  playing tour round the world, and recently won the Scottish
  championship, beating all comers, played a game of billiards at
  the Histon Institute on January 18 on a table with standard
  pockets and made a break of 160.
• Amateur cueists will claim attention in the Liverpool district
  for the next six weeks. The campaign has been opened with the
  Liverpool and District Amateur Championship. There are 16
  entrants, and the majority are well-known personalities in the
  local billiard world. Indeed no fewer than five of the competitors
  played in the first amateur championship decided in
  Liverpool in the year 1892.

PROFESSIONAL

• The third of the series of matches between Stevenson and Gray
  commences at Caxton Hall on February 5, and is rendered more
  interesting from the fact that Stevenson wagers £100 to £150
  on the result, which has been accepted on behalf of Gray.
• Messrs. Burroughes & Watts furthermore promise £200 to the
  winner of this third match. The first of the three contests yielded
  to Stevenson 17,364 and 17,229 points respectively, against Gray’s
  18,009 on each occasion. Consequently the £1,000 stake money
  was handed over to Gray, who also took 60 per cent. of the gate
  receipts.
• On February 12 an interesting match with novel conditions
  commences at Leicester Square, between Diggle and Inman. The
  stakes are £50 on each side, with an additional £25 on the number
  of 300 breaks and also on the aggregate points scored by breaks
  of 100 upwards, The game is to be 16,000 level. Playing at
  Leicester Square at the beginning of the month, Diggle averaged
  222 in the Wednesday afternoon session against Elphick’s total
  of 15 points.
• Gray has been playing more strongly against Diggle and
  Tothill than he did against Stevenson, and has made several big
  breaks during the month. In practice he is said to have passed
  the 1,000.
• Playing against Inman at Leicester Square, Stevenson made
  three breaks of over 100 in succession on January 26, and on
  January 27 made over 1,000 at each of the two sessions. Notwithstanding
  this, he finished the week 2,307 behind schedule
  in a game of 18,000 in which he was conceding 2,000. Amongst
  Inman’s good play was a sequence of 46 close cannons, which is
  something apart from his usual methods. At the evening session
  on January 25, Inman averaged 120.
• W. Smith, jun., of Darlington, is prepared to play any of the
  following for £50 or £100 aside, 8,000 or 16,000 points up on
  level terms with 2 1/16 in. bonzoline balls:—Mack, Harris, Elphick,
  Pindar, Raynor, Rimmer, Pearson, or Collens.
• T. Newman, playing at Glasgow against Duncan on January
  2, made his record break of 403 under standard conditions, ivory
  balls being also used. Newman is engaged to John Roberts for
  three years from January 29, and hopes at the end of his engagement
  to play for the championship.
• There is to be a return match of 8,000 up for £50 aside at
  Darlington between E. C. Breed, Derby, and W. Smith, Darlington.
  In the previous match, which ended on January 6,
  Smith won by 8,000 to 6,149.
• Lindrum has made a great show in two matches against Reece
  (who nevertheless played brilliantly in the London encounter), but
  failed unaccountably against Inman. These marked differences
  of form by the same player on different occasions are amongst
  the most peculiar phases of billiard playing.
• As Stevenson is not defending the championship title this year
  on the score of health, Inman and Reece will contest the honour
  in a match of 18,000 up at the Holborn Hall, commencing March
  18.
• In a recent match for £25 aside, T. Tothill, we are informed,
  scored 347, 286, and 205 in succession on a standard table.
• W. H. Sparrow and H. Holliwell will commence a week’s
  money match at Messrs. Burroughes & Watts’s, Soho Square, on
  March 18.