An Interview with a Billiards Champion.
- Thread starter Snapshot9
- Start date
S-man,
Thanks for the link. I had never heard of the guy; but liked what he had to say. Of course they kept showing him with the 3 billiard balls on a snooker table....what's up with that?
Thanks for the link. I had never heard of the guy; but liked what he had to say. Of course they kept showing him with the 3 billiard balls on a snooker table....what's up with that?
DaveK said:And in one picture he looked to be shooting a rail nurse. I didn't think straight rail or balkline billiards was still played competitively
Dave
Dave,
Straight rail IS still played competitively; but only with 3 pool balls, on a pool table in Betmore's Basement (it is one of Mark Wilson's training drills). We also play "kick caroms" on a semi-regular basis (must kick off a rail, then hit both of the object balls); which also requires a lot of the straight rail nursing techniques.
Unfortunately the players I compete with are vastly superior to me; so I seldom win....but it is fun, and I suppose must be helpful in developing 9-ball kicking skills (though I hardly ever play 9-ball, so what would I know).
Link is in Singapore
English Billiards
English Billiards
Peter Gilchrist is a former multiple world champion of English Billiards, one of a long line of billiards champions produced by the Teesside Boys Billiards League. It is a wonderful game to play, but tedious for the uninitiated to watch, who have no appreciation of the skill and deft touch necessary to play the game fluently. It will never have any television appeal.Scaramouche said:
Snooker tables are actually billiards tables, but as nobody plays billiards anymore the name has changed. All the the markings and spots were defined for billiards, long before snooker was invented. For obvious reasons tables are set up with lightning fast cloth and cushions for snooker, which are anathema for billiards. Even the incredible Walter Lindrum travelled with his own set of cushions, to be fitted to the tables he played on.
Boro Nut
Williebetmore said:
I hear ya Willie.
On this rather unusual topic, many moons ago there was a neat little pool hall here, the Corner Pocket in Sutherland, and he had 8 snooker tables. The 2 in the back were in a private room, the 6 in the front in 2 rows of 3. Al the owner would only let the better players on the very front tables, which were in the best condition (next to the private ones). Anyway, my buddy and I went there for about a year and were only allowed to play on the middle tables. One day we asked Al if he had a set of billiards balls, 'cause we'd like to learn the game. Well, from that day on we were ushered to the best front table every time we walked in ... apparently Al liked billiards players (learners?).
Dave, can score one rail nurse in a row
DaveK said:I hear ya Willie.
On this rather unusual topic, many moons ago there was a neat little pool hall here, the Corner Pocket in Sutherland, and he had 8 snooker tables. The 2 in the back were in a private room, the 6 in the front in 2 rows of 3. Al the owner would only let the better players on the very front tables, which were in the best condition (next to the private ones). Anyway, my buddy and I went there for about a year and were only allowed to play on the middle tables. One day we asked Al if he had a set of billiards balls, 'cause we'd like to learn the game. Well, from that day on we were ushered to the best front table every time we walked in ... apparently Al liked billiards players (learners?).
Dave, can score one rail nurse in a row
DK,
Well, I guess there are billiards snobs in Canada as well as here in the states. Its as if by playing billiards you have joined a secret society (personally I prefer to shoot stuff into pockets).
Your one rail nurse in a row is not likely to stand up during a heated billiards session in Betmore's Basement; you may need a bit of help. Maurice Daly's book has excellent sections on rail nurses; and the techniques used to recover your position as you go (he has some elegant 3 and 4 step procedures to get back in line if you find yourself "inside" or "outside" of ideal position - there was a lot of thought put into that book). The rail nurse, anchor nurse, rub nurse, and chuck nurse are essential to avoid ridicule. The "driving" and "gathering" techniques in the book are really helpful in developing safety skills for all games.
Williebetmore said:
I've read Daly, and learned a few things from it for sure, but it gets pretty darned dry at the end with all those diagrams. I rather enjoy wilder games, where hail-Mary shots are appreciated and encouraged. And there are lots of nurses I'd like to know, but the ones you listed are not among them ... you may have seen one or two in your professional career though
The interview was still interesting though, thanks snapper.
Dave