ENGLISH SPORTING NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 12626, 4 October 1905, Page 3

ENGLISH SPORTING NOTES.

[From Ouu Special Co&RKSi'ONDEN-r.] LONDON, August 25. A TOUGH WRESTLE. Georges Hackenscfunidt was hard put to it at the Liverpool Hippodrome on August 19 to gain a verdict when pitted in the catch-as-catch-can style against the Copenhagen crack, John Pederson, who was sufficiently well thought of by his friends to find backing for £75 for a single-fall bout with "the Russian Lion." The Dane, who is some three inches taller tlian Hackensehmidt, but scales under 14st, proved a particularly tough proposition—clever and very quick, and only not strong enough to drive home tlie advantages he several times gained over Hackenschmidt. For a quarter of an hour, however, he proved a rare handful for even the nrighty-musded Russian, but the aggressive tactics and elephant strength of Georges then began to rapidly weaken bis antagonist, who, however, did not finally succumb till nineteen minutes had elapsed. A GREAT WALK. Records are, of course, made to be broken, but there are some performances in the Amateur Athletic Association's book of records which appear to represent finality in athletic prowess. One b W. George's famous mile run in 4min 12Jsec, done at Lillie Bridge nearly twenty years ago —in August, 1886, to be precise. Another was Raby's professional walking record of four miles in 27min 38sec, done also at Lillie Bridge in 1883. George's record still stands, but Rabv's performaneo has gone by the board, for "on August 19, at Preston Park, near Brighton, our amateur champion, G. Larner, carried off the Pour Miles Walking Handicap from scratch iu the marvellous time of Z7min lfleec, thus beating the existing iimateur record of 28min 24|96c, by Sturgess, by over 70sec, and knocking 24sec off Raby's "figures. Larner had to contend with a bothering cross wind, which makes his achievement all the more remarkable. He covered his first mile in 6min 39|sei5 — only lOsec outside Creamer's New Zealand record—two miles in 13min 31|sec, and the third in 20min 25|sec, so he did 6min 48ssec for the last mile. . CRICKET. —Maclaren on Cotter.—

Maciaren's opinion of Cotter's bowling mav interest your readers. The Lancastrian is of opinion that the Australian's fast ball is quite as fast as anything that Jones sent down, and that Cotter s faster than any of our English bowlers, there being, in bis view, no comparison between Brearky and Cotter for pace when each sends hw fastest down, although the former will keep up his pace far longer than the Australian. Cotter's bad-length fast ball is, he says, so fast that he has not yet seen any batsman quick enough to score off it, whereas a batsman has time to take advantage of anything short-pitched from our own bowlers. In conversation at the Oval with one of our visitors, Maclaren was told that no one had yet been able to hook Cotter, although several had attempted the shot. This he can easily understand, for even ftanjitsinhji told him in Australia that ho was obliged to give up his flick to leg owing to the ball coming too fast for him out there. " I should like," Maclaren concludes, " to see Ranjitsinhji against Cotter at his fastest, with a new ball bouncing. He certainly would be quicker than any of us, but I am positive he would not attempt the hook, or what is rather to him the glide, off his rising body balL One of the team which went in 1903 to Australia is of opinion that Cotter bowLs fairter now than was the case when he came out two yeare back, and there is no doubt that with more experience lie will do greater things with the ball than he has done so far, for a bowler who can swerve the ball to the extent he does ' must meet with success, when one takes into consideration his great pace, which he varies considerably." If the fifth Test Match did nothing else in the interests of cricket, it furnbhed an incident which has been talked about and written about ever since. I, of course, refer to the precedent which was put in force of a substitute keeping wickets. No written law of cricket was infringed thereby, but the practice in question was quite contrarv to established custom. A great statesman once said "We are here to make precedents," and, provided that the precedent is a good one, the sooner it occurs the better. But was this a good one? In the first place, the " twelfth man " seems to be acquiring a kind of position which the laws of the game do not sanction. He really ceases to exist from the moment the eleven selected take the field. Mr Jones is not a regular wicketkeepcr, but he is perhaps the best field in the flips in England, and a wicketkeeper becomes more or less a very fine first slip, and in that position Joneswell, you couldn't better him if you had all England and Australia to chose from. If the practice of carrying about a handy man with an eleven, to be ready for emergencies, is persisted in, it will be wen always to chose a wicketkeeper. A substitute may not bowl or bat, and no fieldsman is «o likely to be knocked up by an accident as "the man behind the stick?." The loss of its regular wickctkeeper is about the worst loss that can befall a side; but il the precedent established at the Oval is to bo allowed to stand there will be a big inducement for less competent and plucky keepers than Liltey to take advantage of tho situation. A CHANNEL SWIM. —Miss Kellennan's Plucky Attempt.— The English Channel'is no respecter of persona or sex, and cares nothing lor man s precedents or traditions. August 17 was the anniversary of Captain Webb's famous swim from Dover to Calais—the commencement of it. at any rite—and the occasion was honored by attempts to emulate bjs achievement bv no less than four swimmers to wit, Miss Annette Kelterman (the much-boomed "Australian MermaidD, the brawny Yorkshireman Burgess, a newcomer in the person of Horace Mew (captain of the Shanklin Swimming Club), and last, but certainly not least, that indomitable athlete " Monty" Holbein. None of the four did more than justifies a passing reference to their failure, but Miss Kellerman's swim must, I suppose, be ..treated, more liberally in the matter of space, as she is the first genuine Australian to make the attempt. Burgess-swam a little over ftrfr*, hooESi nn d tfafln... that he luul

missed;'&e beat of the flood, gave up. whilst >^^s^^tt^m^^m^- -'J***** 80 made a late start, found the choppy seas on the Tame Shoal, combined with an icecold current he struck there, too much for him,i and gave >up after six and a-half hours or. tiierenbouts, >fter having proved himself by far the fastest swimmer of the quartet. Holbein, who inline evening, also beaten at the Vame'Shoal after seven and a-half hours' immersion-.

'Miss KeUerman started, from the Admiralty pier at.. Dover at half-past six in the morning. ' Her'drees wa«~a light black silk costume, upon which .was superimposed, a heavy coating of lard. Starting with her accustomed 'double overarm stroke, she inside fine progress,: the'eonditibns on the English side of the Channel being nearly all that could be wished. ' As it was deemed advisable to give the fair swimmer as much company in the water as possible, Tom Reece, the billiard player (who has also designs on Channel honors), Wiedman, who failed last year, and a host, of minor aquatic celebrities were on board the accompanying tug ready to take spells in the water with her. Tom Reece, who is a really fine swimmer, was, however, her principal pacemaker, and proved a very excellent spirit reviver as .well, joking on every conceivable subject, and winding up by jocularly proposing marriage to tho lady. For four hours Miss Ke-lerman swam strongly and well, feeding at intervals on an assortment of pre-digested foods, chicken, and grapes. In the next hour she began to flag, and soon showed unmistakeable signs of mal-de-mer. Violent sickness ensued, but she struggled pluckily on, encouraged by Reece and the inspiriting if raucous strains of a huge gramaphone. She kept moving, but was making too much westerly drift to be able to hope to clear the broken water which even in a flat calm is to be found on the western side of the Vara© buoy. Just before the end of the sixth hour, after several violent attacks of vomiting, Miss Kellerman turned to the boat, and said to her father: " Dad, I'm sorry, but I'm so bad. I think I must come out." However, she exercised the ladies' special privilege, and kept on for a little longer. Then the water became so " popply" that she could hardly take a breath without getting some salt water with it. This soon completed her discomfiture, for after another violent fit of sickness she gasped : "I'm so bad; I must come out." And bad she undoubtedly was. so mnch so that Reece immediately dashed up to her

a&luiporteaiier to «» "fcSJWwas Wfc in.getting her aboard the Into-,Jj(unk, and aftertWattentU* ;« a lady.nuise the Australian recovered. She was in the water altogether, five miniates t over, six hours, but after the fourth bonr',there never was. any chance of .1 her getting within. hail of' the French coast, andJaf there was anybody on the tug who had ,any authority over the lady it would hf ve.,been a wise and kindly act if they had insisted on her retiring an hour and a-half before she did. , 1 ■-; TENNIS. ' The' New Zealanders H. A. Tarter and A. it. Wilding were very much to the fore at. .the Ostend tournament in August- The details of the matches played there appearing in our papers—even thoee devoted to tennis—are very meagre, but it is perhaps sufficient for ua to know that Parker won the Ofltend Cup, and in. the Doubles, partnered by B. Murphy, had a great match with Wilding and Transenter, the latter pair succumbing by three sets to one at 5—7, B—6, 6—3, 6—o. Wilding found compensation in the Open Mixed Doubles, which he and Mrs Galloway won rather easily. Tho following week Parker was one of the stars of the Folkestone tournament, and at the time of writing he appears likely to win the Open Cinque Ports Championship, having already got into' the semi-final, and having only one really first-rate player still to meet—viz., W. .V. Eaves. In partnership with X. Casdagli, the New Zealander has entered the third round of the Gentlemen's Doubles, and in the Mixed Doubles he and Miss Ripley have survived thus far. Though beaten by the Manchester player X. Casdagli (the ultimate winner) in the semi-final round of the Duke of Devonshire's Cup for the Open Singles Championship of Derbyshire 'on August 18, the Australian tennis crack A. W. Dnnlop did not come empty away from the Buxton tournament. In conjunction with G. Stanhope ho ran through the Gentlemen's Doubles, and in tho final the Australian and his partner administered a 6—2, fj— 2 beating to Casdagli and Rea. In the Mixed Doubles Dunlop had Miss Thomson to assist him, and the pair co-operated to such good purpose that after winning all tlieir preliminary heats in easy fashion, they won the final from Stanhope and Miss Douglass, the ex-lady champion of England, very comfortably by two sets to love, at 6—3, 6—2.