OUR ENGLISH SPORTS LETTER

Evening Star, Issue 17329, 17 April 1920, Page 8

OUR ENGLISH SPORTS LETTER

[By Ex-Chaupiok, for Dunedin ‘ Star.'] LONDON, February 18. THE OLYMPIC GAMES. What different nations and associations propose doing to ensure proper representation at tho Olympic Games is very much to tho fore just now. The English Rugby Union have just made an announcement which is a severe blow to sport and one which tho body named have little cause to feel proud over. It is that tho union propose to withdraw their representative from the British Olympic Council because they feel that Rugby is not a game which lends itself to the&syllabus of tho Olympic Games. It is unfortunate that a ruling body thinks lit to do something which wiil lessen the chances of a sport gaining in favor among other nations. Whilst it is true that Rugby is only strongly favored by English-speaking people and Franco at present, its encouragement and promotion at an Olympic festival would naturally lead to development. We have seen how Soccer lias become really international as the result of a bold" policy, and the same thing might be looked' lor in tho Rugby game. Another ek'i of the question is that a Rugby competition at the Games will give the British Empire a. iJig chance of scoring a win. That tho English Union propose to stand down will not necessarily greatly lessen the prospects with New Zealand, South Africa, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland left to uphold tiie prestige. It is pleasing to bo able to record that other bodies are showing a more sporting and patriotic spirit. In many directions there is much activity, so that tho bestmen and women shall be ■ selected and then given every chance to fit themselves :or the task. The generally favored plan seems to be to leave.- each governing body , free to make its own selections and its own pl.-ms for developing and training the chosen individuals and teams. rue Scottish Athletip Association have juf.t expressed themselves jn favor of this arm also made it known that every effort adi bo made to find worthy representatives. In.particular, efforts Will be made to encourage field athletics in Scotland, which is excellent. _ Remembering the fide shot-putters and hammer-throwers from Scotland in the past, tlfere is no reason why others well able to hold their own should ■ not be forthcoming. It is strange ■ that England lags so far behind in this- particular when one recalls the great jumpers and weight-throwers which Ireland has produced. With proper enthusiasm we ought to have 10 times as many as Ireland. the field of selection being so much' greater. RECENT RACING. Club championships are just now claiming the attent ion of cross-country runners I in view of the approach, of district and national championship events. The Highgate- Harriers 10-miie race on Saturday was interesting for the fact that O. Ruf- , fell, the international champion of 1914. , was running. He evidently retains some of his speed, as he won nicely. It now ] remains to see how he and A. H. Nicholls, ‘ the southern champion of 1914, will fare i in competition with the cracks who have ] come to the fore during the war. A personality among’these is J. Hatton, who won the South; of the Thames champion- i ship last Saturday over a course which embraced a portion of the famous Epsom <

Downs, liaticn won many Army tacts durihK the war, and ca his reflect form will trouble Eaffcll end Nicholls of the old bngade, and also Montagna, of Owa. • bridge, Teller, of Cambridge, and other*. Blewett. another ex-Army man, and the ■.present 10-mile flat champion, will have 'to be reckoned with, as also will Q. Clark i ot the Herne Hill Harriers and the Hane- ■ .S* 1 Harriers. He wort the club cham- ; pionslup of the Eanelagh, on Saturday i beating a good field, so that he da evidently in form. GOLF. Abo Mitchell is certainly the man of t-is moment in the professional-golf world. Everyone hopes that he will retain bin good form should he carry out his intension of visiting the United Statee during tne late summer and autumn. Playing at Broadstairs at tho week-end, he returned scores of 71 and 72 for two rounds, whicn is a big advance on the course record of 76 by ilr J. G. Parsons. Schell .. Ul soon be taldng up his new duties on •i'* rth r % ore | an - d eoupe. and ho can afford to feel pleased with his porfonniiiice on first playing there. Golf is a curious game, and form is , . en ll P set , v;he n important matches ate 6ame > writer predicts that the Oxford men will pretail when the intervarsity match comes along for decision. The Dark Blues tSTiT 3 T3ctor i’ cwr Walton il-ath on Saturday, the scores belno- fire matches to four in their favor. A feature I w® lon S driving of C. J. H. lolly of Oxford, who won hia match against E. hi. Layton. The fir»t hole measures 268 yds, and the Oxford man drove the green narrowly missing a two. -Mention may also bo made of a 6-io re corery which Bernard Darwin' made against, I. S. Thomas, of Oxford. He was ? f own 7 .to play, but doing the ia*t seven holes in 23, managed to finish i up. One can admiro such fine performances as it is no easy task to be called on to win after being three down with only seven to play, FOOTFALL. The foolish remarks of Major B. C. Hartley, of tho Rugby Selection Oommit-t-ee, recently have been ably answered by m n Hl .'r he «- It Will be recalled that Hartley said that to train and coach puiyers was contrary to the spirit of amateurism. Hushes points out that if this be so, taen the action of polo players in going to endless trouble to fit themselves or no tas.c of meeting the American team m an international contest is all wrong. Few will declare that there is anything the matter with our nolo players or the Oxford and Cambridge oarsmen, who tram so seriously for tho boat race, it a man he selected for an international it is his obvious duty to fit himself for the tasa Equally so is it the duty of the authorities responsible to arraimo matches and provide coaching, so that the best result* may be attained. Mater Harkeys words and ideas will find few supporters, but they show how very neit is that new blood and more enterprising methods bo introduced to the Dug by Union. ■ Quite the , feature ’of Saturday’s big soccer games was the number of reverses to prominent teams. West Bromwich failed when visiting Sheffield on Wednesday, though it was only by a single goal that the Yorkshire team defeated the League leaders. Chelsea got an unpleasant shock when at home to Bolton, the visitors _ prevailing by the odd goal in five. Having beaten Bolton on their own ground twice this season, the Chelsea players were confident of taking the points when they were at home. As Arsenal went down (3-0) at Oldham, the two London teams had a sorry day. Apart from League football, the interj national match between Ireland and Wales at Belfast, drew a record gate, 50,000 spectators being present. A wonderful individual effort by Davies, in which he went half the length of the field, enabled V\ aies to score a second goal, and share the honors. : BOXESG. Thero is more talk about past boxing stats trying the “come back”, stunt. Jack Johnson and Tommy Burns are the latest to suggest tlmt they can still hold their own, the former having expressed a I wish to meet Dempsey, the man who beat Willard, who previously wrested the title' from Johnson. _ From what the writer knows of American opinion, there is little chance of any_ promoter falling over himself in the desire to sign up Johnson for a match. As to Bums, he looked inclined to run to flesh when he was in England prior to going to Sydney, where Johnson beat him, so that one hardly fancies he will ever again be fit to meet such a crack as Carpentier. Kid Lewis is being boomed as a likelv English-born boxer to tackle Carpentier. He is a welter-weight now, and it would bo necessary for him to defeat middleweights before the public would show much interest between him and the French crack. Another pointy is whether it is a policy to match a man who did not serve in the fighting forces during the war. Jhe opposition against Dempsey in America on this ground is growing, the Yew Jersey authorities haying decided to bar him from matches in that State. The writer wishes our own authorities took like action and refuse to give those who evaded their duty a chance to box. VARIA. Another noted' sportsman in Dr W, Y. Evans has just died at the age of 53. Although a native of Melbourne, his lawn tennis was mainly associated with England, though he just failed to win the championship. Further afield he was more ■successful, the American (1879) Scottish, Welsh, and Irish honors falling to his skill. It was feared that some hitch had occurred in regar.d to Sir T. Lipton’s challenge for tho America Cup, but we now learn that it has been accepted, and that the first rnco will bo decided off Sandy Hook in July. At last Reece has beaten Inman. He was receiving 500 points in 8,000, and after being passed, made an excellent recovery. Inman made a break of 481 at the last session, getting within 60 of his rival, but Reece countered with 413, end finally won by 607 points. Mr R. IT. Wethered, the Oxford ’Varsity captain, gained a notable win when conceding 12 strokes in a match of 36 hok-a against Miss C. Leitch at Huntercombe on Monday, winning on tho lastgreen by one.