SUPREME IN SPORT

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 181, 26 April 1924, Page 13

SUPREME IN SPORT

OUR BRITISH WOMEN The American ladies’ hockey team, beaten once again recently, has not yet won a match. It is an interesting example of the position of British women in the world, of sport, wines R. O. Reed in the “Daily News.” "While their menfolk in recent years have been relinquishing one by one their long-held championships to other nations, the womenfolk liave notl only retained their own, but have been winning championships of other countries all along the line. AVith the exception of lawn tennis, where the incomparable Suzanne Lenglen is in a class to herself, English women con now claim supremacy over all rivals in practically every other branch of sporting activity. At golf, for instance, besides beating off all attacks from out> •ide on their own open championship, they have won recently the French, Canadian, and .American ladies’ championships. The French ladies’ championship has been a sort of perquisite of ours almost since its inception; and if the journey to the States were only as easy of accomplishment as the crossChannel passage, both the American and Canadian titles would, doubtless, hao been ofteuer in our liands. The explanation is, no doubt, that our womenfolk have to be regarded at th.e present time as just as much the pioneers of sport amongst their own sex in other countries as their menfolk were in other days. And they will continue to enjoy their many successes tmtil, as in the case of the men, the nations that they have taught will gradually attain the Englishwomans standard of efficiency, and.in time, perchance, overtop it. . Hockey is an excellent example of the advance of the younger nations. The game was introduced to American women by Miss Constance Applebee something like 20 years ago, but was only seriously taken up there after the war, a result largelv due to Lady Geddes, wife of our lately retired Ambassador to the States. With a view to popularising the game in America, an English team crossed the Atlantic two years ago, meeting with so little serious opposition that it won all its matches with the consummate ease which is reflected in its record of 269 K °lt S was then that the American Women’s Hockey Association requested that English lady coaches should I be sent them with a view to teaching their women how the modern game should be played. The American style of play had remained unchanged, since th 9 game was introduced—backs crowding the circle, no short passing, and no stick work. Since they have realised that the best mode of defence is attack, that the goalkeeper cannot be expected to see halls when her whole team is in front of her. and have learnt that wrist work, which is Of great importance, is impossible with heavy sticks they have gone ahead. That they have still a lot of leeway t> make up the results of the present tour of the American women s team clearly demonstrates. Thus far they have 'been beaten in ever? match by English, Scotch and Irish sides with an average score of about 7. to 1 against them. But the time is nou unlikely to arrive when they will attain such proficiencv at the game as to be able to beat their mentors.