![]() On February 19, 1931, Lindrum gave a billiards exhibition for the King and other members of the Royal Family at Buckingham Palace. Lindrum and his main rivals, McConachy, Smith, Joe Davis and Tom Newman, were considered ‘the big five’. Often he would start by conceding up to 7000 points to his opponents. Between 19 Lindrum dominated the English billiards scene. Smith, McConachy and Lindrum departed Australia in September 1929 for a tour of England. While technically the match was a forfeit, Smith refused to accept the trophy and insisted it be awarded to Lindrum. At one game all, Lindrum was forced to abandon the third game midway through, upon the imminent death of his girlfriend. It was not untill 1929 that Willie Smith, considered by many to be one of the best English billiards players of the time, visited Australia and played three fairly even matches against Lindrum. As a result, exhibition matches were organised, often with New Zealand champion Clark McConachy. By 1921 he was defeating his older brother but always refused to play him for the title of champion of Australia.ĭuring the mid 1920s Lindrum’s standard of play was without competition in Australia, with many players refusing to compete against him. His first professional game was played at the age of 13.īy the age of 16, Lindrum was regularly making breaks of over 1000 during practice at the London Tavern, Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, where his father was running three billiard tables. ![]() Much of his childhood was spent practising for up to 12 hours a day, under his father’s tutelage. Lindrum lost the top of his index finger on his right hand in an accident in 1901, so his father taught him to play billiards left-handed. Frederick, Walter, and Walter’s nephew Horace Lindrum were closely tutored by Fredrick (II). Lindrum’s grandfather, Friedrich Wilhelm Von Lindrum, was Australia’s first professional billiards champion having defeated the English master, John Roberts Snr., in 1869. Walter’s older brother, Frederick Lindrum III, became the professional champion of Australia in 1909. At his death in 1960 newspapers called him the ‘Bradman of Billiards’.īorn in Kalgoorlie, his father, Frederick Lindrum II, was an Australian billiards champion at the age of 20. Lindrum is also often referred to as one of the Australian all-time great sporting heroes along with Sir Donald Bradman and Sir Hubert Opperman. Lindrum is often considered to be the greatest player ever seen in the sport of billiards, with some 57 world records to his credit, many still standing. ![]() Walter Lindrum was Inducted into The Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985 as an Athlete Member for his contribution to the sport of billiards and was Elevated to “Legend of Australian Sport” in 1998. Scholarship & Mentoring Program Committee. ![]()
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