EMPIRE SPORTS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 198, 21 August 1911, Page 7

EMPIRE SPORTS.

A REAL- AUSTRALIAN CHAMPION. (From Onr Special Correspondent) LONDON, July 14. The final section of the Inter-Empire Championship at the Crystal Palace resulted in hollow victories for the Motherland and Australasia in middleweight wrestling and heavyweight boxing respectively—the only events to be decided. In the boxing there was "only one in it," namely Harold Hardwiek, of Sydney, who In five minutes of actual boxing disposed of the representatives of England and Canada. The first to take the floor with the Sydney-side Saxon was W. Hasell, England's heavyweight amateur champion, who is in everyday life a city policeman. Hardwick made short work of the man of law and order. lie set about Hazell the moment they faced, floored him several times, and, using the • right with great effect, had the policeman done to n turn at the end of 2} minutes. Then Hardwiek tackled Julius Thompson, who had sparred a light bye, and treated him to much the same sauce as he had ladled out to Hazell. If anything, however, it was a trifle more highly flavoured ■with punishment Very early Hardwiek shook Thompson badly with a damaging right and left, apd, following up the Canadian, drove a stinging left into his face. Thompson possessed a poor defence, and a few seconds later a hard right hand cross sent the Canadian reeling to the ropes, where he received some severe punishment ere the referee, seeing Thompson was boplesely beaten, called a halt lust 2min. 35sec. after the men had left their corners. There is no doubt that Hardwiek is very "hot stuff" for an amateur. The wrestling was not quite so one-sided. It was of the catch-as-catch cau variety, Australia being represented by \V. Smythe. Canada by (J. Walker, and the Motherland by S. V. Bacon, acknowledged to be one of the finest middleweight amateurs England has ever produced. The first pair to meet were Smythe and Walker. They had a tou;:h tussle for 1.1 ■ minute?;, at the end of which Walker was j awarded the fall on points. In the second bout the Canadian was the aggressor, and, after doing most of the work, secured a clear fall in lOmin. lOsec. The next bout 'Was between Bacon and Smythe. The latter was none too fresh after his hard work with Walker, nntl Bftcon pinned him down in 2min. Smythe then retired from the event. leaving Bacon and Walk'-r to fijrht to the honours. The started in good stvle. and looked lik% r'vinir P..ieon a pood deal of I trouble, bur the Englishman s<m.u asserted his Kuperiorlty, and, with n bar and outside ; lock, rained the fall in 4min SRso". j In the second bout Racou took tilings as ea.Mly. but finally brought matters to nn ! end with" a wrist hold and press down in ! lust over i mins. [ And so came to an end "Emnlre Snorts." j They have heen a grievous disappointment. ■ '"fl have entirely failed to attract a fair ! =hare of public attention. WTjpre the fault | 'ay it i« not for me to Bay, but it seems | t'Vr.ibiy clear that there lias Von mnddlinq somewhere. An inter -Fmnire spnrtins affair in which onlv th» Motherland fanaila. and Australasia tike part, and which """'«. a conple of <r™- ! mTnincr races, heavyweight boxing and middleweis-l l ' wr»sH!'<e. is «ure|v nnt worthy of the title of "ilmpire Sports." ANOTHER ANTIPODEAN VICTORY. Australasia's flag was to the .'ore at the Deckenham Sports iast Saturday, wh-n a team of Antlpodeans, consisting of C A. Wheatley Victoria), J. G. Skr-et (New Zealand*. W. A. Stewart (Tasmania) and W A. Woodtrer (New Zealaudi defeated the elect of the Riackheath Harriers, the Heme Hill Harriers and the Brighton and County Harriers In a mile relay race.

For the Antiportenns Wheatly opened the ball, rut Kilns half n mile auninst the P.la'kheath representative .7. T. !- : ..\;:ter (?cotti-h Half Mile Chairpinni, Henly of (he Brighton Harriers, and Woodman of Tlt-rne lilil. Bonner made play at a rare pace, with Wheatley In pursuit and Henley close tip. The Si-ot passed th" quarter-mile mark ."."si two yards ahead of the Victorian, and. gradually drawing awav. compassed the half mile In Iniin. r.Tse.-. five ranis ahead of Wheatley. with Henley L'.l yards away, third. I.Lndsav. for Rlarkhea'th. ran the quarter in .11 .".Is. bca-tc.- --keel by s yards. This lead Stewart, running in tine style, nearly wiped out in the next furious. and. with l.ancefieid fumbling the flag, Woodger started the final '-'2 >yds on even terms with the Blackheathen. whom he beat in the run home by 4vds. The full time of the Australasian team for the mile was 3nrin. 34 2-Vec. niackheoth finishing l.n Stain. :t."se<\ and FTlghton and County in Smin. 40 4-r>sec. Heme Hill lest the flag at three-quarters of a mile, and retired. This was Woodger's first race in this country, he having been in hospital, and nil-able to run in the Australasian team. He had not put a shoe on until Saturday, and ran in the rough, but he Is clearly a flyer of the first water, and. as he will be hj re all the season, we should see some irreat performances from the New Zee lander.