Jack was playing with Oakes WMC in the Yorkshire Team Knock-Out Billiards Competition, and they have reached the semi final stage to play Thornton Lodge. The tie is a who’s who of Huddersfield billiard players, with Jack, Harold Burkinshaw and Jim Broadhead (half of the Rastrick Con. side) playing for Oakes and Gladney Hoyle, Ronnie Kershaw and Arthur Green playing for Thornton Lodge. Oakes had a lead of 78 after their home leg which was increased to 183 with Jack’s 200 – 95 win over Green. The lead was reduced to 169 when Kershaw beat Harold 200 – 186 meaning that Jim only had to score 32 to win, which he did despite ultimately losing to Hoyle 84 – 200. They now play Yeadon Factory Workers’ Club with Yeadon having home leg advantage first.
The Yeadon team was comprised of the Wharfedale League side who Huddersfield would meet in the Yorkshire Inter-District final, so it promised to be a great final. In the first leg Jim Broadhead won, Harold Burkinshaw lost but Jack, with a break of exactly 100, gave the team a lead of 121 going into the second leg. Jim lost heavily in the first game of the second leg wiping out the Oakes lead but Harold made up for his first leg loss with a good win, leaving Jack needing to score 128 to ensure victory – which he did with ease as Oakes became Yorkshire Team Billiards Knock-Out Champions.
In the Huddersfield Billiards Championship Jack was drawn against Jack Brindley, last years Yorkshire Billiards Champion, but Brindley had to withdraw. This left Jack with a walk-over into the second round where he had a good victory over Marsden Socialist player W. Norcliffe. For the third time this season, Jack would meet Harold Burkinshaw in the semi-final – having already beaten him twice, once in the English Amateur Area final and then in the Yorkshire Billiards semi-final. It was third time lucky for Harold but with the scores 487 – 435 in Jack’s favour it took a 65 unfinished break for him to cross the line and reach the final for the second year in a row.
Jack was doing well in the Halifax Snooker Championship and set out to try to do the same in the Huddersfield Snooker Championship, with a 4-2 frame victory over Jack Firth. Unfortunately his bid ended in the quarter final when the holder, Ken Birks beat him. Jack had won his home leg 2-1 but Birks levelled in his home leg meaning that a seventh frame had to be played which Birks won on the black, so close but yet so far. Birks went on to beat Harold Smith in the final, 3 frames to 2, again winning on the black in the final frame, for his second title in successive years.
T. Drake was Jack’s opponent in the first round of the Halifax Billiards Championship this year. He won the match comfortably (600 – 265) by scores of 300 – 66 at home in the first leg which included a break of 132 and 300 – 199 in the away leg. T. Bottomley was his next opponent in the second round who he beat, though we only have a score from the first leg which he won 300 -216 with breaks of 122 and 60.
Jack’s quarter final opponent was W. Shuttleworth and in the first away leg Jack led 300 – 119 with breaks of 90 and 70. In the second home leg, breaks of 54, 62, 66 and 87 unfinished enabled him to win 300 – 98 for a match score of 600 – 217. Jack then met his Rastrick team mate Jim Broadhead in the semi-final at Elland Liberal Club. Jim, with a break of 70 and other small breaks, led by 109 with the scores 175 – 66, and was playing very smoothly; but Jack fought back to be only 3 behind at the interval, 250 -247. Jim was still leading 314 – 296 but at this stage he seemed to tire and Jack seized the opportunity with a break of 77 to take the lead which he then didn’t relinquish, winning 500 – 361 to reach his second final in two years. Jack was to meet another team mate, Harold Burkinshaw, in the final at King Cross W.M. and I will let you read the reports below rather than rewrite them.
The Halifax Snooker Championship had Rastrick Cons. team mates Jack and Jim Broadhead drawn together in the first round. Jack won this game though we do not have the score, and was drawn to meet S. Gornal who he beat in last years third round. Again, we do not have any scores for either his second round game or the third round game against A. Ellis which were both won by Jack, allowing him to go into the semi-final against W. J. Bolton. After the away leg, Jack was trailing by 1 – 2 frames but in his home leg he outplayed Bolton winning all 3 frames and the match 4-2, to reach the final against J. McManus (Luddenfoot Foot W.M.) At Kings Cross W.M. Jack won the Snooker Championship by beating McManus 3 frames to 1 and, at this point in time, holds both the snooker and billiards trophies. This was because the Snooker Championship final was played in January, well before the Billiards final in April.
Jack Mellor 