Billiard & The Dhaka Nawab Family By Anas Khwaja

Billiard and the Dhaka Nawab Family:

Edited By Anas Khwaja

Billiard in Old Dhaka Armenians introduced the sport of Billiard in Dhaka during the 18th century. They started a club in the old part of the town where they played billiard and other games. Due to the similarity of the cue ball to the eggs, the native named the premise 'Anta Gharer Maidan' or “Field of the Egg House”. Picture:Bahadur Shah park

Inspired by the Billiard club for Armenians located on the Antaghar Moidan (presently Bahadur Shah Park) in Dhaka, the European civil servants established the Dhaka Club in 1851. It is to be mentioned here that the land of Dhaka Club was leased out from the Dhaka Nawab Family. Billiard and the Dhaka Nawab Family Both Nawab Khwaja Abdul Ghani and Nawab Ashanullah were great patrons for sports and billiard was no exception. They made sure that Ahsan Manzil palace- the residence and the official court of the Dhaka Nawab family had a dedicated room for playing billiard. The Billiard Room was on the north western side of the ground floor, adjacent to Darbar Hall. The billiard room was a source of entertainment for the distinguished visitors, local civil servants as well as the family members.

Picture:Billiard Room Ahsan Manzil

At the invitation of Nawab Ahsanullah, professional level billiard players such as Charley Hughs and fellow contemporary Joseph Bennet played in the Ahsan Manzil. Professional British billiard champion John Roberts Jr. was also invited to partake in these games at the royal palace. John Roberts Junior discussed these visits to Ahsan Manzil and his acquaintance with the Dhaka Nawab’s in his memoir “Modern Billiards” (1910 Edition).

Picture: Nawab Khwaja Ahsanullah

Modern Billiards (1910 Edition) by John Roberts Junior. JOHN ROBERTS THE YOUNGER: A SKETCH. 1st Tour: April 6 1876 - April 7 1877 John Roberts Junior left England for Australia on April 6th1876. As part of his tour he had reached Bombay on the morning of the 24th January 1877, in the Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer Assam. He stayed in India for three weeks before reaching England on April 7 1877. Nawab Ahsanullah must have watched him play and met him sometime in January 24 to 1877 February 15 1877.

"Another incident of the tour was my taking an order from the Nawab of Dacca to fit him up two tables and supply all appurtenances. This order came about in rather a curious way.

The Nawab on one occasion having expressed surprise that I played so well, I told him that I could play much better if I had a good table to play on- in fact, with a good table and appurtenances I could easily make breaks of 500. I am pretty sure that the Nawab did not believe me, but he gave me the order above mentioned with a view of testing my assertions when I next came out. The tables were duly fitted up, and I believe are still there." (1) 2nd Tour: September 1878- October 1879 Nawab Ahsanullah invited John Robert Junior to visit Ahsan Manzil while he was playing against Frenchman M. Eugene Courjon between January 4th and January 5th 1879 in Chandernagore Calcutta. John Robert Junior accepted the invitation and came to Dhaka with his wife and tour agent Mr. Breslauer. Nawab must have covered his remuneration which was on average 450 rupees for one-day matches in those days.(1) At the end of the trip among other gifts he received from the Nawab of Dacca was an elephant of silver filigree work. (2) "At this time I received an invitation from the Nawab of Dacca to his private mansion. An amateur player of fairish ability was pitted against me there on January 14th (1879). We played two games of 500 points up. I conceded 300 start, and was beaten by 266 points the first time, but won the second by 47. The Nawab was a great admirer of the all-round game, and so I confined my attention almost solely to that, making but slight effort to play the 'spot' stroke. I may mention that the name of my opponent at Dacca was Vahid, but the gentleman of the same name who has competed in amateur championships in this country bears no relationship to him. I must place it on record that both the Nawab Abdul Ghoni and his son the Nawab Ahsunollah treated me with the greatest kindness. The younger, especially, I found to be a capital fellow, and a good all-round sportsman to boot. I have not mentioned previously that Mrs. Roberts accompanied me on this tour. At Dacca I received many presents from Nawab Abdul Ghoni, who also gave Mrs. Roberts a very valuable cashmere shawl. During the same month I visited Bengal. On the 23rd I played some games with amateurs. One man I gave 200 points in 300 up, and won by 9, after which I played a couple of men at the same time, allowing them half-way start in a game of 300 up. I did not catch them until their score was 290 but I then ran out. Up to this time I had only been beaten twice during the tour, but at the same time was not showing my best form. Some of the newspapers noticed the fact, and commented upon it. There was a simple and an obvious reason for the fact, however. My want of form was due partly to the fact that I was playing on all sorts of tables, some of them very bad, and partly to the constant traveling”….

“In recording games against amateurs it is desirable to make it quite clear that in India the standard of amateur play is much higher than is the case in this country. Not that we don't possess as good an amateur player; that is not my meaning. I simply wish to convey that amateurs as a body attain greater proficiency than is the case in England.”.. “Altogether my second visit to India proved very enjoyable. It was also highly remunerative, and was one that I shall always recollect with pleasurable feelings." (1).

Amatuer Vahid (Wahed!) beat the world billiard champion by 266 points in the first game? Who was he? This will remain a mystery like many unanswered question in history.

Biography: John Roberts, Jr. (1847 –1919) was a dominant

professional player of English billiards. He was the world professional billiard champion in the following years-1870, 1871, 1875-77 and in 1885. He was also a notable manufacturer of billiards cues and tables, and promoter of the sport. In 1880, he left for Calcutta, where he set up a billiard table factory. In 1885, Roberts sat at the meeting that formed the Billiards Association, and helped to code a new set of rules for the game of English billiards. Roberts set his highest ever break in an exhibition at the Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly. His 867 included many nursery cannons. His stature within the game would never be repeated. Biography: Charley Hughes was a fine exponent of billiards, and at that time a great rival to Joseph Bennett (British Champion 1870, 1880-81). J. Bennett, in the early part of his career, may thank the C. Hughes for much of his undoubtedly pretty style of play. When Hughes left England, early in the year in 1869, on a series of voyages, the billiard world suffered a great loss. He was at that period rapidly improving; in one of the last matches he played with Roberts, senior, he concluded the game with a magnificent break of 269 off the balls—a performance in those days of no light character. Hughes died in India about 1873, on his way to Calcutta after visiting the Nawab of Dacca. Hughes had made many friends, but his promising career was cut off, and, like many others, he may be said to have been killed with kindness. (3) Year Date Winner Loser Points won by Time 1870Feb 11 W. Cook J. Roberts sen. 117 5h 0m " Apr 14 J. Roberts jnr W. Cook 478 3h 4m " May 30 J. Roberts jnr A. Bowles 246 4h 10m " Nov 28 Jos. Bennett J. Roberts jnr 95 4h 45m 1871Jan 30 J. Roberts Jnr Jos. Bennett 363 3h 23m " May 25 W. Cook J. Roberts jnr 15 3h 50m " Nov 21 W. Cook Jos. Bennett 58 4h 23m 1872Mar 4 W. Cook J. Roberts jnr 201 3h 27m 1874Feb 24 W. Cook J. Roberts jnr 216 3h 10m 1875May 24 J. Roberts jnr W. Cook 163 3h 42m " Dec 20 J. Roberts jnr W. Cook 135 3h 35m 1876 April 06-April 06 1877 1st of 11 visits to India 1877May 28 J. Roberts jnr W. Cook 223 3h 18m 1878September 2nd visit to India 1880Nov 8 Jos. Bennett W. Cook 51 4h 8m 1881Jan 12-13 Jos. Bennett T. Taylor 90 4h 52m 1881Apr 13 Jos. Bennett F. Shorter (forfeited) 1884Dec J. Roberts jnr W. Cook (forfeited) 1885Mar 30,31 Apr 1 J. Roberts jnr W Cook. 92 11h 23m. 1885June 1-4 J. Roberts jnr Jos Bennett 1640 6h 10m.

Source: 1) Modern Billiards (1910 Edition) by John Roberts Jnr. 2) The Billiard Player : April 15th, 1921 3) Billiards by William Cook

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