Burwat Champion cue

The Burwat Champion Cue

Alex Higgins helped to make the Burwat Champion one of their most famous cues when he made a national appeal for a replacement after breaking his own.

The Burwat Champion was the result of experimentation by the cue makers during the 1890s and the design was first registered in 1895/6. It proved to be one of the most popular cues that Burroughes & Watts ever sold and it was produced in three distinct editions.

The first edition has an Indian rosewood butt with a satin wood inlay and a rosewood front splice. It had a large oblong badge with a square back, which was cut into the butt and the overall shape was that of a billiard cue. The shaft was ash or maple, and we have heard of, but never seen, a pear shaft. The first edition is the most difficult to find, and made more valuable on account of the Indian rosewood butt.

We have seen another version of the first edition cue where a very light rosewood butt has been substituted; otherwise all the original details are the same. This replacement wood may have been a manufacturing transition between the first and second editions.

The rosewood was completely replaced in the second edition, which had an ebony butt, satin wood inlay and tulip front splice.

The interim and second editions are relatively common from a collector’s point of view, but they are quite good playing cues, and worth buying for this purpose.

The woods for the butt and inlay of the third edition were the same as the second, the difference coming in the front splice which was Cocabola wood. The badge was also slightly different; being more rounded at the back. These would have ash or maple or possibly pear shafts.

David Smith
Cues n Views