By a Staff Reporter
In an impressive and colourful ceremony at the Great Eastern Hotel on Thursday evening , the Maharajadhiraja of Burdwan , President of the Billiards Association and Control Council of India , declared open the World Amateur Billiards championship of 1958 .
In the first match of the championship India’s Chandra Hirjee defeated Wilfred Axiak of Malta by 2,273 points to 1,339 in four hours . Hirjee was unquestionably the master but was unable to score with customary fluency during the first session . In this phase of the game he played a number of brilliant shots but also missed some easy ones .
Hirjee put more sparkle into his game after the interval and produced a wider range of strokes . But throughout the evening he showed a marked affinity for Postman’s Knock—the pot-red-and-cannon sequence at the top of the table with the white jammed against the top rail . He also played a number of screw hazards with astonishing accuracy .
Although beaten by a superior opponent Axiak showed that he knew every stroke on the table . Combining a delicate touch with accurate stroke play he pegged away gamely and reduced leeway with several useful breaks but his ineptitude for substantial break building told against him . This handicap nevertheless should right itself in time once he gets used to top-table methods .
Hirjee took an early grip on the game with a break of 61 in his second visit a fascinating break of 98 ended with a missed half-ball hazard from baulk after he had played a magnificent cannon off the side rail .
Axiak took a little time to settle down but found his touch in the fifth visit when he made a neat little break of 54 . Then a break of 47 by Hirjee ended in a miscue .
CANNON MISSED
After 35 minutes play and in his 11th visit Hirjee got his first three-figure break , which ended at 131 when an ultimately an “Kiss†at the top of the table robbed him of a certain cannon . The break lasted 5 min 45 sec . Hirjee’s next attempt at a big break was frustrated when he lost the white but a splendid long jenny off the red enabled him to chalk up a half-century break . To this Axiak repfied with 77 which ended with an unsuccessful run-through hazard with the rest .
Hirjee then struck a very dull patch and Axiak , scoring consistency trailed 331 to 551 at the end of the first hour . Hirjee’s next three-figure break did not come till his 32nd visit when he knocked up 108 but he really came into his own at the top of the table in his very next when he compiled a brilliant break of 173 which ended once again on a missed half-ball hazard .
And so at the halfway stage Hirjee led by 1207 points to 600 with five in play . When play resumed he proceed to score more fluently and as a result of a fine break of 205—his best of the night—in his 16th visit ran up a lead of 1680 to 999 at the end of the third hour .
Not to be outdone Axiak had chalked up a splendid break of 136 in his fifth visit . While Hirjee continued to score at great speed Axiak’s pace also increased and with useful breaks he brought the score to 1217-1893 in Hirjee’s favour with half an hour to go . But there was no holding Hirjee who came up with a sparkling break of 176 in the last 15 minutes to score over a very plucky loser .
BREAKS :
Hirjee — (First session) 61 , 98 , 50 , 63 , 131 , 53 , 55 , 73 , 60 , 108 , 173 .
(Second session) 96 , 66 , 52 , 205 , 88 , 95 , 176 .
Axiak — (First session) 54 , 77 , 58 , 55 .
(Second session) 63 , 136 , 86 , 51 , 73 .
Among those present at the opening ceremony were : Mr. Ahmed Ali , Deputy High Commissioner for Pakistan in Calcutta , and Mrs. Ahmed Ali , Rajkumar P. N. Roy Chowdhury of Santosh , Vice-Consul for Spain , Mr. and Mrs. Saul of the U.K. High Commissioner’s Office , Mr. U. Mukherjee , Commissioner of Police . Mr. P. K . Sen , D.I.G. Traffic and Mr. D. S. Master , Chairman of the Reception Committee . Speeches were made by Mr. Pankaj Gupta , Mr. M. M. Begg , Chairman of the B.A. & C.C.I. , Mr. Tom Cleary and Mr. Leslie Dreffield .
TODAY’S MATCH
Wilson Jones ( India ) v Maung Hman ( Burma ) – 5-30 p.m. and 8 p.m.
In the first match of the championship India’s Chandra Hirjee defeated Wilfred Axiak of Malta by 2,273 points to 1,339 in four hours . Hirjee was unquestionably the master but was unable to score with customary fluency during the first session . In this phase of the game he played a number of brilliant shots but also missed some easy ones .
Hirjee put more sparkle into his game after the interval and produced a wider range of strokes . But throughout the evening he showed a marked affinity for Postman’s Knock—the pot-red-and-cannon sequence at the top of the table with the white jammed against the top rail . He also played a number of screw hazards with astonishing accuracy .
Although beaten by a superior opponent Axiak showed that he knew every stroke on the table . Combining a delicate touch with accurate stroke play he pegged away gamely and reduced leeway with several useful breaks but his ineptitude for substantial break building told against him . This handicap nevertheless should right itself in time once he gets used to top-table methods .
Hirjee took an early grip on the game with a break of 61 in his second visit a fascinating break of 98 ended with a missed half-ball hazard from baulk after he had played a magnificent cannon off the side rail .
Axiak took a little time to settle down but found his touch in the fifth visit when he made a neat little break of 54 . Then a break of 47 by Hirjee ended in a miscue .
CANNON MISSED
After 35 minutes play and in his 11th visit Hirjee got his first three-figure break , which ended at 131 when an ultimately an “Kiss†at the top of the table robbed him of a certain cannon . The break lasted 5 min 45 sec . Hirjee’s next attempt at a big break was frustrated when he lost the white but a splendid long jenny off the red enabled him to chalk up a half-century break . To this Axiak repfied with 77 which ended with an unsuccessful run-through hazard with the rest .
Hirjee then struck a very dull patch and Axiak , scoring consistency trailed 331 to 551 at the end of the first hour . Hirjee’s next three-figure break did not come till his 32nd visit when he knocked up 108 but he really came into his own at the top of the table in his very next when he compiled a brilliant break of 173 which ended once again on a missed half-ball hazard .
And so at the halfway stage Hirjee led by 1207 points to 600 with five in play . When play resumed he proceed to score more fluently and as a result of a fine break of 205—his best of the night—in his 16th visit ran up a lead of 1680 to 999 at the end of the third hour .
Not to be outdone Axiak had chalked up a splendid break of 136 in his fifth visit . While Hirjee continued to score at great speed Axiak’s pace also increased and with useful breaks he brought the score to 1217-1893 in Hirjee’s favour with half an hour to go . But there was no holding Hirjee who came up with a sparkling break of 176 in the last 15 minutes to score over a very plucky loser .
BREAKS :
Hirjee — (First session) 61 , 98 , 50 , 63 , 131 , 53 , 55 , 73 , 60 , 108 , 173 .
(Second session) 96 , 66 , 52 , 205 , 88 , 95 , 176 .
Axiak — (First session) 54 , 77 , 58 , 55 .
(Second session) 63 , 136 , 86 , 51 , 73 .
Among those present at the opening ceremony were : Mr. Ahmed Ali , Deputy High Commissioner for Pakistan in Calcutta , and Mrs. Ahmed Ali , Rajkumar P. N. Roy Chowdhury of Santosh , Vice-Consul for Spain , Mr. and Mrs. Saul of the U.K. High Commissioner’s Office , Mr. U. Mukherjee , Commissioner of Police . Mr. P. K . Sen , D.I.G. Traffic and Mr. D. S. Master , Chairman of the Reception Committee . Speeches were made by Mr. Pankaj Gupta , Mr. M. M. Begg , Chairman of the B.A. & C.C.I. , Mr. Tom Cleary and Mr. Leslie Dreffield .
TODAY’S MATCH
Wilson Jones ( India ) v Maung Hman ( Burma ) – 5-30 p.m. and 8 p.m.