332 SPORTING STORIES 



was 1 6 to 24 up, the man who could make seven con- 

 secutive spot-strokes was a dangerous antagonist. Imagine, 

 then, the general astonishment when Kentfield made 57 

 such strokes in succession. 



From 1824 to 1845 Jonathan Kentfield was as far ahead 

 of his contemporaries as any billiard player has ever been. 

 It was in 1825 that Pea-Green Hayne made his foolish 

 match between Kentfield and a clever adventurer named 

 Carney or Kearney. The Pea-Green Squire, with his 

 satellites — the fighting men, Tom Cannon and White-headed 

 Bob — had come down to Brighton ; and one morning when 

 Mr Hayne was breakfasting at Niven's, after a long night 

 of cards and liquor, this plausible Irish adventurer entrapped 

 the verdant Squire into making two absurd matches. The 

 first was that Mr Hayne would not find a player who could 

 give Mr Carney 70 points out of 100 at billiards. The 

 second was that he could not find a man who would beat 

 Mr C. at fair " collar and elbow wrestling." In each case 

 the stakes were to be ;^ioo, with a bet of 100 guineas, play 

 or pay. The Squire chose Kentfield to represent him in 

 the billiard match, and Tom Cannon in the wrestling. 

 Jonathan chose his own table, and did his level best ; but 

 it was a forlorn hope, for every one but the Pea-Green 

 victim knew that Carney was the best amateur billiard 

 player in the three kingdoms. Jonathan crept up to 6^, 

 but his opponent won by 33 points in 18 minutes. And 

 Squire Hayne lost the other match ; for Cannon, power- 

 ful as he was, could not compete with Mr Carney at 

 the very peculiar mode of wrestling which the latter 

 had artfully selected. So the Pea-Green one had to part 

 with ;^400. 



Up to 1846 Jonathan Kentfield reigned supreme without 

 a rival. Then faint rumours arose of a young phenomenon 

 in the North, John Roberts by name. Billiard players told 

 how the new wonder had scored 208 at a single break ! 

 How, when playing against a well-known performer, the 

 latter, being 96 to love, ran a coup, Roberts being in hand, 

 and the red spotted. How this marvellous youth screwed 

 into the top corner pocket, made 102 off the red, and won 

 the game. For a time these wondrous tales did not shake 



