The use of Rubber in Cushions
To prevent damage to the balls as a result of striking the rim of the table, the rim was upholstered with layers of felt. This then formed the earliest form of 'cushion'. This resulted in an inconsistent bounce due to different materials used, and John Thurston (Our founder) introduced the first rubber cushions to the world in 1835.
Being of natural rubber, the cushions would have different effects on the bounce of the ball depending on the temperature in the room. The rubber became very hard in cold weather and had to be heated using pans filled with hot water. These pans were shaped to fit as closely as possible to the shape of the cushion being heated. As a permanent solution, vulcanised rubber was used in cushions from 1845.
The Slate Bed Table
John Thurston was also responsible for the introduction of the slate bed to the Billiard Table (in 1826). The aim, once again, was to ensure consistency throughout the table, as flat wooden beds would also be affected by the temperature and other climatic conditions. Indeed, John Thurston is considered to be the 'Father' of the modern billiard table. In 1851, a Thurston table won the highest award in the Great Exhibition, and in 1892 the Thurston design was accepted as the standard table by the Billiards Association and has been specified in the rules ever since. During the 19th and 20th Centuries, Thurston have been the proud holders of five Royal Warrants.
The Cue
When the ball was positioned very close to the cushion, the players found it impossible to play the shot using the normal rounded (butt) end of the mace, and would use the pointed end. A book of rules dated 1779 states that the players had to chose which instrument they would use in the game, In 1866 Captain Crawley published a book which gives advice about cue selection "The Butt must be well flattened on one side so that could be used to strike with when necessary". However, when the Billiards Association was formed in 1885 the rules stipulated that the ball must be struck with the tip of the cue.
The Cue Tip
The introduction of the leather cue tip is credited to Captain Mingaud, a retired French infantry officer, who in 1807 punched out small leather discs from an old horse harness and attached them to the cue, making possible the application of "Side", "Top", or "Bottom" of the ball in an attempt to affect the route taken by the cue ball.
Chalk
Around 1825, John Carr, a billiard room keeper, would show the patrons a shot by placing the red ball on the centre spot and play the white ball from the baulk and would then "Screw" the ball into one of the middle pockets. He challenged his patrons to perform the same shot, but they would miscue, so he would sell them the special "Twisting Chalk" required to prevent miscueing at the extortionate rate (in 1825) of 2s 6d (12.5 pence)
Billiard Balls
Billiard balls were originally made of wood. We cannot state when ivory balls were introduced but they were a great improvement, albeit requiring constant attention to make sure they remained spherical and restaining to maintain the required colour. Sadly, the best ivory for billiard balls came from the small tusks of the female elephant, and, at the beginning of the 20th Century, some 12,000 elephants had to be slaughtered to supply just the British game ! Fortunately, composition balls became more prevalent in the late 1920's as evidenced by their use in the amateur Billiard championships in 1926 and the Professional championships in 1929, although they had been originally developed at the end of the 1870's
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The development of the various forms and families of billiards owes much to changes and improvements to the equipment used. This applies to the balls, the maces or cues, the surface of the table and the side cushions in particular. Without radical improvements to all pieces of equipment used in the game, none of the modern variations of Billiards could exist.
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1. Leave the stick in your 150 degree car trunk, and all the glue joints fall apart and the inlays pop out.
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