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Show Released by Western Newspaper Union. A LTHOUGH Erwin Rudolph won his first pocket billiards championship cham-pionship in 1911, the genial cue shark is more active today than he was as a mere stripling of 30 or 35. On Labor day of 1942, Rudolph started an exhibition tour which has taken him to army camps in all parts of the United States. His first i stop was at Fort Ontario in Oswego, N. Y. From there he went to Key West, Fla., finally winding up deep in the heart of Texas the following June. So far he has visited at least 200 camps, played in 800 exhibitions and demonstrated his uncanny abil- itv thrmtcrh the. pn.nnra tinn nf Brunswick - Balke, the company which underwrites his army camp tour. Rudolph, who will be 50 in December, started playing billiards back in 1909, when he was 15. Just a year and a half later he won the Ohio State pocket billiards championship. cham-pionship. In 1927 he annexed his first world's championship by defeating de-feating Ralph Greenleaf 450 to 386. Rudolph's Record After taking the title from Green-leaf Green-leaf in 1927, Rudolph went on to win it again in 1930, 1933 and 1941. His I last victory was at the expense of Willie Mosconi and Irving Crane, both of whom he defeated in the playoffs. In talking to Rudolph, one gets the firm impression that he is much happier demonstrating his wares be- ! - 3 ' --..Ai l. -:-niiHTirfi t rirfliiiTi rTrttr Ar .airfoaa ERWIN RUDOLPH fore the boys in army camps than he was and is in championship competition. And it isn't a question of nerves. He just likes to entertain enter-tain the bys- , , "It would be impossible to find a more interested and appreciative audience than the boys in the army camps," he declares. "Most of them understand the fundamentals of the game and are with the player all the time. It's worth traveling any distance dis-tance just to perform for the boys." The game of billiards is definitely on the rebound, according to Rudolph. Ru-dolph. He feels and with justification justifica-tion that it will come back strong after the war. Thousands of service serv-ice men who never played before are taking an interest in the game. As many as 200 billiard tables are found in some of the camps, and as manyas 2,500 men have witnessed some of his exhibitions. That this builds interest in the game is proved by the following excerpt from one of the many letters Rudolph's employers em-ployers have received from commanding com-manding officers of army camps where he has appeared: ". . . As you can well Imagine, since Mr. Rudolph's appearance, the interest in pocket billiards has taken on new life and we truly are developing devel-oping some great players." Repeat Performances The letters Rudolph receives speak volumes. They tell of the tremendous tremen-dous amount of camp interest and are almost unanimous in requesting a repeat performance. The former champion entertains with exhibitions of both pocket billiards bil-liards and trick shots. Many of the latter shots were first used by Rudolph Ru-dolph and now are a standard fixture fix-ture in other players' routines. In talking to beginners, Rudolph emphasizes three fundamental rules. The first of these the forming of a firm "bridge" with the left hnd he terms one of the most important factors in the game. He also cautions cau-tions that the cue must be held very loosely at the balance, with the shooting arm relaxed, and finally that, when stroking the ball, the head should be kept absolutely still, as in golf. In addition, he warns beginners to refrain from using "english" the controlled spin imparted to the cua ball when it is stroked. "English will come naturally as you learn the game," he says. "It cannot be Uught successfully." Unlike many of the topnotch bfi-liard bfi-liard players, Rudolph has refused to branch out into balkline or three-cushion three-cushion billiards. He concentrates. i on pocket billiards, and that concen- : tration has brought him a just re- j ward. Always sure of himself bu' far from cocky he is known as a fast player. He plays as rapidly ir ! tournament competition as he does during exhibitions. i Added to his other qualifications is modesty. Asked to name hii-choice hii-choice for today's greatest pockci billiards player, he replied: '"Willie j Mosconi." j |