Walter Lindrum

Narrator: Walter “Wally” Lindrum was thought by many to be the greatest billiards player the world has seen, and he’s often referred to as one of Australia’s all-time great sporting heroes along with Donald Bradman, Dawn Fraser, and a horse named Phar Lap.

Billiards is played on a table approximately two metres by four metres, and requires two cue balls and an object ball, often red. The name of the game is to score either a fixed amount of points or a number of points by striking both the object ball and the opponent’s cue ball in the same shot, potting either the red ball or your opponent’s cue ball, or by cannoning either the cue ball or red ball into the pocket.

So good was Lindrum that in 1933 a rule change brought in to beat him was unsuccessful, as he went on to win the world championship that year.

By the time of his death in 1960 Lindrum had held the world speed record, aggregate points record, highest individual points record, largest winning record, fastest break, and the fastest century, scoring 1011 points in 30 minutes. He had also held the world championship from 1933 till 1951.