Amateur billiard championship of America
History of amateur billiards must of necessity be merely a sketch to bring it within the scope of a few pages of this Souvenir. The writer would therefore first apologize for any omissions or inaccuracies of statement that may be detected by the reader; because much that is given here is purely from personal recollection of facts that cannot now be easily verified.
The first game of billiards that the writer ever played was upon a table six feet wide and twelve feet long, with six pockets, four balls, and a fast cushion. This was the customary outfit up to 1865; although soon after that date the size of the table was reduced to five and onehalf by eleven feet and later to five by ten feet (the size used to-day in matches). The pockets were however retained for some time. Carom tables were introduced later.