when did they start using fast cloths?

[CoachGavin]

Hello.

I know that todays cloths are much quicker than those used years ago. I wondered if anyone knew when they started to trim the cloths to make them finer? I know the standard has improved tremendously but the balls do seem to split easier on the championship tables, making breakbuilding a little easier. Was anything changed to the cloths around the early 90's cos since then the number of centuries seems to have increased dramaticially or is that just due to hendry arriving )

[moondan]

This subject is close to my heart, but to get any information with regards conditions you will meet a conspiracy of silence.
Players who talk about conditions of the table are fined heavily and all commentators are advised not to delve to deep on the subject.
To answer your question, tampering with pockets and the cloth started in the mid eighties and they have progressively shaved the cloth up until the present day.
You are quite right to suggest that the big breaks came with the faster conditions, its a cold hard fact but because poorly handled education of the fans has led to much misunderstanding.
Players of the seventies and eighties have been presented as low class players but that is as far from the truth as it gets, and most fans dont seem to grasp that the cue went through just as straight in those decades as it does today.
Shots that were not possible on those slow cloths are used today and that gives a player easier access to all areas of the table, the balls split at a touch and present many more chances for the player to clear.
The interesting question now is have they gone too far in the mistaken pursuit of making the tables big break friendly because since the nineties they have got even faster and players are struggling for consistancy and we have no outright champion and I think that will continue until a bit more difficulty is returned to the table.
Thin cloths around pockets has made potting more easy with the slide effect you get.