SPORT IN BRITAIN

Dunstan Times, 30 July 1934, Page 6

SPORT IN BRITAIN

LONDON, May 31. ATHLETICS. There are no more enthusiastic athletes than our long distance walkers. Generally they practise their art on the broad highway, but now and again some enterprising club promotes a record breaking attempt on the path. Such was the case at the White City last Saturday, when as a preliminary to the Civil Service sports, a meeting which has been carried on without a break, save for the years of the war, since 1864, a three hours’ walk was organised. There were few absentees amongst notable walkers, but amongst them was T. W. Green, one of the heroes of the last Olympic Gaines, who has gone into retirement. During the morning three world’s records were beaten. F. J. Redman covered ten miles in Hi 14min 30 3-ssec, S. T. Gal loway lowered the twenty miles figures by nearly three minutes, and when the three hours finished stood credited with 21 miles 868 yds 2ft—a great walking this. The Amateur Athletic Association has been accused of taking teams far too strong to Oxford .and Cambridge for its annual matches with the universities. Certainly the victory over Oxford last week by 82 points to 26 savoured of “ breaking a butterfly on a wheel ”; but it must not be forgotten that J. E. Lovelock, C. N. Stanwood, and G. F. Pilbrow, mighty men of valour, could not run for the Dark Blues. Moreover, as the A.A.A. Selection Committee point out choosing a moderate team would be no compliment to their opponents, would cheapen the A.A. A. colours, and would give no satisfaction to a man in the front rank who coveted that honour but had to give way to an inferior athlete. CRICKET. Batsmen have enjoyed themselves during the driest May for thirty-eight years. Already there is a lengthy list of century-makers, and the number of county championship fixtures which cannot be finished in the three days allotted to each of them grows apace. Those of the Australians who have visited England on previous tours must have been agreeably surprised at the number of wickets akin to their own on which they have played this spring Indeed one imagines W. M. Woodfull must be regretting that his men have not had an opportunity for practice on the “ sticky dog ” that is inseparable from our pitches at some time or other during the season. Our visitors have still to be in peril of defeat. They began indifferently against Hants, for, after Mead (139) and W. G. Lowndes (140) had helped, to swell the county’s total to 420. Don Bradman was caught in the slips without scoring, and two other wickets fell cheaply. Timely ser vice by L. S. Darling (96) and A. G Chipperfield (116 not out) eventually enabled Australia to lead by 13 runs. Hants had in their turn a bad patch, and if it had not been for a plucky 109 not out by the football international. Arnold, they would certainly have failed to make a draw of it. Two days sufficed for the tourists to polish off' Middlesex. Here again the Lord’s men began well enough, but after Hendren had hit up 115 and R. W. W. Robins 65, the tail wagged very feebly, and the innings closed for 258. Everything else in the Australians’ “ knock ” was overshadowed by the glorious display of Don Bradman, who can never have batted better. His 160 runs were actually scored in 115 minutes, and was carried through to a crescendo of applause from the crowd. As the visitors’ lead was only 87 runs, one anticipated that Middlesex would make something like an even fight oi it. The Australian bowlers, chief among them being C. V. Grinunett, who captured five wickets, for 27, had other views, and succeeded to such an extent that when they had finished their work of destruction only 29 runs stood between them and a ten-wickets victory. Two excellent teams have been chosen for the England v. The Rest trial match at Lord’s. Either might win, and one does not envy the selectors the picking of the eleven to met the Australians in the first test match at Trent Bridge. Larwood was one of the first choices for the England side, but has asked to be dropped on fhe ground of injuries, and it is almost certain lie will not be able to take the field in the opening test. A detailed account of the county championship games of the week would be almost o-tirely a narrative of a struggle to finish in three days. One notable exception is Sussex, which has been credited with two victories, each by an innings, and now stands at the head of the counties’ table with five wins in seven matches. Their latest victims have been L "cester and Northants. Except for a wonderful 232 not out by John Langriclge the success of Sussex was due to general all-round excellence rather than to special efforts by one or two of the team. When Derbyshire dismissed Yorkshire for 99 runs they looked to be in danger of defeat, but the champions rose to the occasion, and ultimately won by 102. Most of the counties seem to lack a match-winning bowler, and Kent especially needs a “ speed merchant.” Far too much is thrown on Freeman and his oily slows. Against Hampshire lie bowled fifty-five overs in taking half the wickets for 131 runs. Nothing seems to daunt the veteran. Hobbs went to Old Tratford for Duckworth’s benefit match, and delighted everybody with innings of 116 and 5x not out. ROWING. Foreigners must speak of the “ mad English ” in sport as iu other things. Followers of university rowing might find it difficult to ex lain to, say. a Frenchman why W. Haig-Thomas, a famous old Cambridge oarsman, who has don much in coaching to assist later Light Blue crews to victory, should now have ag I to go over to the “ enemy ” and coach Oxford. Such, however, is the fact, and, although the result of such a gesture may not bear fruit next spring, Oxford enthusiasts may cheerfully hope to see the long string of Cambridge successes over the Putney-to-Mortlake course broken before long. GOLF. There surely can never have been a more thrilling and sensational amateur golf championship than that which concluded at Prestwick last Saturday Right up to the final round upsets and surprises were seen. One fancied candidate after another went down, until on the last day there went out to do battle for the title Lawson Little, of

U.S.A., and James Wallace, of Troon, one a University student from California, the other an out-of-work sawmill employee. The hearts of the big and sometimes too eager crowd which followed the players round were naturally with the Scot, and the least the enthusiasts expected' was a narrow victory for Little. As it turned out, the crowd, if thoroughly disappointed in the overwhelming defeat of Wallace, will be able to look back on having witnessed the finest exhibition of golf ever given. It was not that the Scot played really poorly—he did the morning round in 80—but Little was simply irresistible, beating the record for the course by three strokes and reducing it to 6G. * Only twenty-three holes were played—the American won by the record margin of 14 and 13 —and he was actually for those twenty-three under 4’s, in spite of the fact that he had not a solitary- 2. It was wonderful golf, and the likeable youngster had made himself so popular with all and sundry that he was enthusiastically mobbed. RACING. Before this time next week we shall know if Colombo is the real smasher he is claimed to be or if the wiseacres who have been looking everywhere for something to beat the favourite will be able to say “I told you so.” Money talks, and at the moment nothing disturbs the position of Lord Glancly’s colt in the betting market. The fact that the champion jockey, Gordon Richards, is to have the mount of Easton is bound to bring fresh support for Lord Woolavington’s French-bred colt, while the stories of Umidwar having had to be eased in his work are taken by some as evidence that the Aga Khan’s representative is bound to be there or thereabouts on the great day at Epsom. LAWN TENNIS. The high hopes with which the English team entered on the French lawn tennis championships have failed to fructify. By the end of the fourth round of the pien’s singles every one of our Davis Cup players—H. W. Austin, G. P. Hughes, and F. J. Perry—had been eliminated. Not altogether unexpectedly Austin was outed by C Boussus and Hughes by J. H. Crawford. The real tragedy was the overthrow of Perry by G. do Stefani. of Italy. The latter has always been something of a bete noir to Perry, who can only claim one victory over the Italian. In losing by 3 sets to 1, Perry injured a ligament near the ankle, and suffered such pain that he fainted on the court. Happily there are reasons for believing that our chief hope for Wimbledon will have recovered in tune to take part in the AH England tournament. The enforced rest may do him good. On the other hand, he may have to go into the court at Wimbledon short of practice.