Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Billiard & The Dhaka Nawab Family by Anas Khwaja
Billiard & The Dhaka Nawab Family by Anas Khwaja
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.
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.
"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)
"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)