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ROBERTA

IFFICULT strokes at billiards

may be divided roughly into

two separate and distinct cate-

gories, comprising respectively

strokes which are difficult

owing to the incidence of the

fortunes of the game, and " set " strokes of

the trick variety, which are made difficult on

purpose to display the prowess of the cue-

man to advantage. It is not my intention

to deal with trick strokes in the present

article, but rather to elucidate for the reader

some awkward billiard problems which crop

up in actual play, and often prove a stumbling-

block to the average performer.

Our first diagram illustrates a position of

this kind. The red is on the billiard spot,

the object-white is on the brink

of the centre of the right middle

pocket, with the cue-ball lying

directly behind, as shown in the

diagram. Apparently there is

nothing better on than a four

stroke followed by a miss in

baulk, and if a man was a long

way ahead of his opponent and

only wanted a few points for game

this would be me correct policy

to adopt But if the game was

in a normal state, when no reason-

able opportunity of making a

break should be allowed to |«ss,

then the player should aim care

fully at that portion of the jaw

Vol. xxxix.—3O.

of the right middle pocket which can be

hit by just missing the object-ball. Put on

plenty of left side and strike the cue-ball

fairly low, and a losing hazard off the white

can be made by any player up to twenty-

break form. Hut the cue-ball must be struck

clean and true, not " poked at" in a style

which slurs cue delivery and spoils many

a stroke which the over-anxious amateur

imagines he is taking extra pains with. But

be very careful just to miss the white by the

narrowest possible margin, as the least graze

is absolutely fatal. A fair amount of pace

may be used ; it is quite easy to spoil the

stroke by attempting to play it too slowly ;

and, provided my directions are carried out,

it will be found that the object-ball will

travel in the direction indicated

by the dotted line in the diagram

and a good game will be left.

The second diagram presents

a grouping of the balls which is

often the result of bad losing

hazard play, and is better known

than liked by many players.

Nearly tight against the side

cushion, equi-distant between the

middle pocket and the baulk-

line, the red lies in what may

be termed a "billiard Gibraltar,"

so far as tackling it with the

idea of scoring a hazard is con-

cerned. The object-white is 2in.

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THE STRAND MAGAZINE.

loin, from the baulk cushion, the cue-

ball is in hand. Of course, a cannon is

the obvious stroke to play, but there is

nothing easy about it, and even a first-class

exponent might be forgiven for failing to do

more than go very near' indeed

to success when faced by this

leave. By far the best manner

in which to attack this unfavour-

able position is by placing the

cue-ball on the right-hand spot of

the " D," and play for an all-

round cannon off four cushions

on to the red ball. Plenty of

pace is required ; give the cue

a fine, free swing, and let drive

with almost the last ounce of

power you can put into the

stroke. Hit the red fine, but

not too fine, on the right side,

and impart a fair amount of top

and much right side to the cue-

ball. Then the cue-ball will speed

round the table like a ray of

light, taking the course shown by the con-

tinuous line in the diagram, and the player

will have the satisfaction of scoring a really

difficult stroke. I'layed to perfection this

cannon leaves the balls well, as the red is

•'doubled" back across the table approxi-

mately in the direction shown by the dotted

line, and the balls are " gathered" nicely

together in quite a useful position for a

break. Of course, an element of chance

is inseparable from a stroke of this type even

when it is attempted by the best

exponents, especially so far as the

after position is concerned. But

this is the salt of the game; it

is the one thing which prevents

billiards from becoming as exact

and dull as the ticking of a clock.

Quite another type of difficult

stroke is presented by our third

problem. Here we are con-

fronted by a stroke which demands

considerable cue-power to mani-

pulate successfully, and it is one

which the average amateur must

usually be content to score with

certainty when it is his "day

out," and he is in the happy

mood when he feels that to him

all things in billiards are possible

for the time being. But the stroke is so

obviously the game, and so remunerative

when exploited at all well, that the average

performer really ought to add it to the

collection of strokes he has more than

SECOND .STROKE.

HURL) STKOKK.

a nodding acquaintance with. It will be

seen that the white is on the billiard spot,

the red just clear of the baulk-line and

almost touching the left side cushion; the

cue-ball is on the left-hand spot of the " D.''

A losing hazard off the red ball

into the left baulk pocket is the

SOME DIFHCL'LT BILLIARD STROKES.

2.55

FOURTH MKOKK.

is ,?6in. from the top

cushion and touching

the right side cushion,

and the object-ball is

2 YI in. from the left

side cushion and 4^2in.

from the top cushion.

The cue-ball is in hand,

and to play this stroke

we will place it on the

right hand spot of the

" I)." Take careful

aim at a spot on the

top cushion a little

wide of the white hall,

and put all the left

" side " on the cue ball

you can call to your assistance.

Then the cue-ball will rebound i

off the top cushion, the strong

side will compel it to hit the

white at the right angle to make

a losing hazard into the left top

pocket, and the object-ball will

come down the table more or

less as shown by the dotted line

in our diagram. This is an

exceedingly difficult stroke to

illustrate pictorially, as the exact

position of the object-ball and

the right spot to hit on the

cushion cannot be shown so

clearly as I should like them to

;ippear on a diagram. But it

I he measurements are followed

out carefully, measuring from the

face of the cushion to the centre of the

hall, and the playing directions given careful

attention, then the stroke can be mastered

with a little practice, and will well repay the

time and study spent on it.

A man could hardly desire to leave the

balls more difficult for his worst enemy than

by leaving them in the position illustrated in

our fifth diagram. It will be seen that all

three balls are dead in line with each other;

the object-white is dead tight against the

left side cushion, the red is a foot from

the side cushion and iSin. from the top

cushion, with the cue ball directly behind

it and loin, from the top cushion. It is

difficult indeed even to play for safety here,

and to essay a scoring stroke successfully

needs undeniable cue - power and a nice

knowledge of the possibilities of the game.

The best stroke to play with the idea of

scoring is a screw losing hazard off the

red ball into the left top pocket, and 1 may

say at once that the stroke is " difficult''

FIFTH STROKK.

indeed. But it can be made by putting

plenty of "screw" on the cue-ball, accom-

panied by as much right side as can be

utilized in combination with the requisite

backward twist. Aim to hit the red so nearly

full that it clears the white ball, as shown very

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THE STRAND MAGAZINE.

rebounds on to the other jaw, and travels

out of baulk up the table towards the

vicinity of the left middle pocket. This

stroke looks more formidable than it really

is, as the screw hazard, played with a good

deal of left side, is not so hard

to achieve as the stroke described

in our last paragraph. And by

aiming at the pocket jaw the

right point to hit on the object

ball is determined automatically,

and the stroke can be made

repeatedly by a fairly good

amateur cueist. Hut the prin-

ciple of the stroke is the thing

to bear in mind, as the great

majority of players never think

for an instant that the jaw of

a pocket can be deliberately em-

ployed to rescue the white from

a bad position. Many variations

of this stroke are to be met with, SKVEXTH STROKK.

and the amateur who desires to

make headway in the higher branches of the

game will profit more than a little if he

studies the different effects to be obtained by

making a ball hit the jaws of a pocket.

A useful knowledge of the angles of the

table is to be gained by a careful study of

the seventh problem. It will be seen that

our red is 2in. from the left side cushion

and about 6in. clear of the baulk-

line. The object-white is away

up the table just below the billiard

spot and quite close to the left

side cushion, about the width of a

ball away from it. The cue-ball

is on the centre spot of the " I),"

and while something desperate in

the way of a direct screw cannon

might be attempted, and even

brought off, by an utterly reckless

player—a sort of billiard anarchist,

in fact—yet it will be found that

the all-round cannon as shown in

the diagram is both easier and

more profitable. A little left side

should be employed, and quite a ' MOUTH STRUKI-..

lot of pace must be given a chance

to show what it can do. Played smartly the

correct angle can be made without putt'ng on

a great deal of side, and the pace will also

obviate the necessity for anything approach-

ing a thick contact between the cue-ball and

the object-red. Aim to hit the red ball in such

a way that it will " double " across the table

well clear of the middle pocket and come

to rest near the second object-ball as shown

in the diagram. And it is as well to strike

the cue-ball slightly above its horizontal

centre to give it plenty of life and help it on

its long journey round the table via thret-

cushions. This is a stroke of the " gathering ''

type ; it brings the balls together when they art-

left widely scattered, and should

be practised assiduously, especi-

ally by those who are prone to

cramp their game by making a