SPORT IN BRITAIN

Evening Star, Issue 18532, 15 January 1924, Page 7

SPORT IN BRITAIN

From Our English Correspondent.] LONtDQN, November 27. THE TURF. If (the average follower of racing wore asked to name the most interesting event off tiho racing, the choice would bo llho match between Zov and Papyrus in New York. Whilst some authorities decry' such events, claiming that the visiting animal Js too much handicapped by change of "conditions, others believe that such veav - tares are worth while. At any rate there os serious thought of faying to organise a three-cornered race among representatives of France, America, and ,England during the summer of 1924. It was unfortunate that a heavy fog prevented racing at Manchester on Saturday, with the consequence that the popular November handicap had to bo abandoned. Steve Donoghue and E. 0. Elliott have been having a great struggle to determine which should ndo the greatest number of winners during the season, and as their total was all square on Friday all depended on the final day. When Donoghue realised that racing would bo impossible at Manchester, ho tried to arrange to fly to Lingfield, where Elliott was riding. The Weather was too bod, however, so he had to leave his rival a 'dear field. With “five mounts Elliolt had a big dm nee of topping the list, hut he failed to ride a single winner, so the two rivals finished level, with eighty-nine wins each. Elliott has slightly 'the best percentage, 14.98 to 13.46 by Donoghue; but both ore well down tho list compared with some of the other jockeys. Carslake, an Australian, is really the champion of the season, as _he rode fiftythree winners out of 242 mounts, as against 662 and 694 mounts by Donoghue and Elliott respectively. Y. Smythe also well beat Elliott and Donoghue on percentage of wins to mounts, ho having seventy-eight victories out of 409 mounts.

The percentage of winners to mounts is the true test, and it is entirely wrong to call the jockey with the greatest number of wins tho champion, unless his percentage is also best. As well suggest a rifle sliot who makes 47 points in ten shorts a better marksman than another who scores 35 points in seven shots.

Lord Derby is a, popular owner, and it is well for the turf that such a good sportsman heads the list. His horses have won twenty-nine races, worth £40,388, H. H. Aga Khan coming next wfth £32,799 .to his credit. At one period it looked as though R- _ C.. Dawson would too /the winning trainers’ li-st; ■ butt Alec Baylor oumo to the front towards the end, and once again the Manton wizard takes .pride of pOiaoe. Animals trained by him Lave won fortyfive races to the value of £49,190, Dawson’s figures being thirty-six wins to the worth of £48,238. &wynford is the leading sire, his family having won thirty races worth £37,897, Tracey, wiilh thirty-six wins to the value of £51,098, being next. The classio races provided some reverses of form, with Tranquil perhaps ■ entitled to moat respect bv virtue of success in the One Thousand Guineas and the St. Leger. Papyrus won the Derby, Elian gown the Two Thousand Guineas, and Browniylda the Oaks. Tranquil secured Ithe greatest total in stakes during the season, which was the mainstay in Lord Derby heading the list of winning owners. RUGBY. The victory of Somerset over Devon In the county championship series on Saturday is a step nearer the honors now held by Somerset. The game was played at Bristol, but, though on their own county soil, the Glostershiro players were po match for the Cider county, the visitors prevailing hy 9 points to 3. v Durham proved enccessM over Lancashire in a keen match, the home men winning by 17! points to 9. The great atitraetaom among du!b matches was the Blaokheath and Harlequin fixture on the former’s ground at the Rectory Reid. The match showed the value of speed when allied to skill. The men, wearing the Harlequin colors, were yards faster than the “Heathens,” and this was the keynote of their victory by 22 points to 3. A. L. Grade and J. C. Gibbs wore prominent among the winning team’s threequarters, whilst J. R. B. Wbrton distinguished himself at hall-hack. The brilliant Oxford University team goes from victory to victory, and, providing the players avoid accident, they should prevail against their Light Blue rivals in the intervarsity match. Saturday's fixture was against Dublin University, hut the Irishmen were well beaten by 22 points to 0, in spite of Lawton, of Australia, Oxford’s star player, being away. ■ Cambridge were not so convincing against a strong United Service team at Portsmouth. Towards the end the Cantabs appeared to tire, an,d this just enabled the Service men to win by 18 points to 13. SOCCER. Once again the racoTor leadership of the first division has grown very close. Cardiff City were expected to take both points when at home to Manchester City on Saturday, but the visitors put up an excellent game and managed to draw, each scoring a goal. Huddersfield bad a harder task, being at homo to Bolton, and it was a capital performance to beat the F.A. Cup holders, if only by a goal to nil. Aston Villa accomplished one of the best wins of the day in beating Liverpool on the letter's ground, though here, again, the margin was only a goal to nil. It fell to West Bromwich Albion to gain tho biggest win of the day, the Throstles beating their Everton . visitors by 5 goals to 0. London teams showed a bit bettor form, Chelsea gaining the first win since September at the expense of their Middlesbrough visitors, who were defeated by 2 goals to 0. West Ham made a draw of it, no score, when at home to Burnley, and Tottenham beat Arsenal, 3 goals to 0. Notts County have fallen back in the race, though the team managed to draw> a goal each, when receiving Birmingham. The results left Cardiff City on top, with 23 points for 16 matches, Huddersfield being a point behind. Aston Villa also claims 22 points, but have played two more matches. ATHLETICS. Now that the American authorities have announced their willingness to pit a team of athletes against the pick of the British Empire in a series of relay races next July, every sportsman can look forward to a great athletic treat. All cannot hope to attend the Olympic Games at Paris, so that the festival at Stamford Bridge will offer a groat chance. Judging by the groat success of the hurriedly arranged corresponding fixture in August of 1920, the affair on July 19, of 1924, is likely to be a remarkable sporting event. Features of cross-country running Inst Saturday were excellent runs by two Oxford cracks. It appears that N. A. MTnnes, the intervarsity champion, has recovered from the injury to his foot, which has forced him to be a looker-on for some weeks. At any rate he scored a very fine win for the Dark Blues against the Orion Harriers, of London, in a match at Oxford on Saturday.

E. A. Montague was the other Oxford man to distinguish himself. Having gone down from Oxford, he has thrown in his lot with the Thames Hare and Hounds, England’s oldest cross-country club. Starting from scratch in a seven-mile handicap at Wimbledon, he ran through his field to score handsomely. Cambridge University may make a better fight against Oxford in the coming intervarsity race than looked possible a few weeks ago. The Light Blue cracks are improving, ns shown by their excellent win over the South London Harriers at Croydon on Saturday hv 21 points to 34. BOXING. It is just possible that London has a real bantam-weight boxing champion in the person of J. Brown. He outpointed Bugler Lake in a fifteen rounds bout last Monday for the bantam-weight championship, though .there was not much in it. Lake seemed listless and tired, which is

not surprising, seeing that he boxed twenty rounds the previous Monday,' taking on ten different rivals during the triaL That was enough to take the “edge” off any man, and ho and his advisers evidently do not understand tho great necessity of being a bit above one’s self for an important trial. Better undertrained than tho slightest, bit stale, whether for boxing or any other sport. Brown shaped well, and may prove himself a worthy title holder; but Lake was not in the sanio aggressive form as when he beat Ledoux, ox France, a few months ago.

The problem of finding a suitable match for Bloomfield js a puzzle. That ho. is the best British heavy-weight is apparent, notwithstanding his lapse in hitting Goddard before the litter had regained his feet in .the course of their recent boot. Bloomfield would do well to go to America and get attached to tho heivy-weights’ camp. If Dempsey would take him in there might be some real prospects of tho Briton climbing to tho top of the ladder in jt. couple of years. [Bloomfield was outpointed last week by Bums.] BILLIARDS. Tho match between Smith and Newman, which ended in favor of the’ former by 615 points, will long bo remembered for the high class of the play. During the two weeks eleven breaks’ of over 500 were recorded, Newman making one of 919, and Smith one of 860, his personal record. Tho winner had an average of just about 90 to Newman’s_ 87, and. this in a game of 16,000 up. This puts all past play in the shade, and makes tho old champions appear very moderate in com-' parison. Newman was over 1,000 points behind in tho. early stage, and he did well to close the gap. He actually led on the last day; but Smith at once came along with a good break, and finally won as stated. • GOLF. It seems to bo tho general opinion of golfers that another attempt should be made to win the Walker Cup from the American amateurs. Thus it is fairly certain that a British team will crass the Atlantic next summer. How to raise the .money is a problem, and, though the idea does not find favor in some quarters, the logical plan would be to mako a small charge for witnessing tho championships and other big events. Tho Oxford ’Varsity golfers narrowly lost to Royal Wimbledon on Saturday, the latter winning by nine matches to eight. Cambridge did better against West Hill, for, though the latter wero leading at 4 to 2 with seven matches finished, the Cantabs secured the next four, and prevailed by 6 to 4. Major Hazlet played very well against E. F. Story, the Cambridge crack, winning by 3 and 2.