Cue Masters

In pocket billiards (vulgarly called "pool"), pale, dark-haired Ralph Greenleaf ranks about tops, has been champion most of the time for 15 years. Last week in Philadelphia Billiardist Greenleaf and lantern-jawed Billiardist Irving Crane each had eight victories and three defeats after a three weeks' tournament among twelve top-ranking players. In the eleventh inning of the playoff, Crane, having scratched five times, found himself with a total of minus one to Greenleaf's 49. Then Billiardist Greenleaf strode to the table and started sinking balls so fast that one had scarcely thudded into a pocket before another followed it. Blandly running 76, Billiardist Greenleaf packed up his cues, moved off with the match, $1,500, and his 16th world championship.

P: Holder of the 18.1 balk line* championship almost continuously since 1906 has been stumpy, grey-haired Willie Hoppe. Last week in a curtained enclosure in Manhattan's noisy Capitol Bowling and Billiard Academy, Champion Hoppe defended his title against the challenge of Jake Schaefer, sharp-nosed champion at 18.2 balk line.* For their 3,000-point match. Champion Schaefer unfortunately turned up tremendously off form. On the third day, Champion Hoppe clicked off a run of 169, two nights later two runs of 85 and 94. The best Champion Schaefer could run was 137. Champion Hoppe retained his championship, 3,000 to 2,567, despite a last day rally in which Champion Schaefer returned to brilliant form.

Champion Hoppe's facility with a cue is the sign of a youth spent in such diligent attention to billiards that he amazed experts before he was out of knickerbockers. He has held every title in billiards, although now he holds only the 18.1 balk line and the cushion carom. A quiet, smiling little man, he enjoys telling of the time at the turn of the century when Mark Twain watched him play a great billiardist named Sutton. Except for one inning in which he could not score, young Billiardist Hoppe sat tranquilly aside watching Sutton run out the block. As Sutton clicked off the final point, Mark Twain solemnly stepped over and shook young Hoppe by the hand. "I want to congratulate you, William," said he, ''on your remarkable tenure of that chair in the corner."

*In 18.1 balk line, a player is allowed one shot to nudge the object ball out of anchor, eight cushion rectangles chalked off on the table, or out of balk, the centre rectangle. In 18.2, two consecutive shots are allowed.

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