SPORT IN BRITAIN

Evening Star, Issue 18808, 5 December 1924, Page 5

SPORT IN BRITAIN

[Frok Otjr English Correspondent.] LONDON, October 22, THE ALL BLACKS. The New Zealand footballers are somethin" of a puzzle to many folks. Thoir display against the Southwestern Counties in tho opening matches of the tour led many people to think the combination was by no means so strong as the side the late Dave Gallaher led from triumph to triumph. Then the Now Zealanders have given what may be termed just ordinary displays against moderate teams, only to confound tho critics by piling up a big score when next meeting a far more imposing fifteen. , . It certainly looks as though the visitors are far stronger than their opening matches would suggest. These, by the way, were played on rain-sodden turf, conditions which must have been strange to the tourists. That factor must be considered. Again, it-may bo that the Now Zealanders are content to win, and not always to run up a big score. It seems likely that wo shall not learn how good they are until they enter on the international fixtures. Personally, the writer thinks the visitors will be unbeaten unless England brings about their downfall and this match will be the big thing of the to What the English selectors have to discover is who to play in place of buddington and Robson, two front-rank forwards of last season’s championship s'd o . Ine latter underwent the- operation of trepanning during the war, and a motor cycling accident some months ago has complicated matters, so that he has probably finished with Rugby. Luddington injured his knee so badly some time sinco that he is also a very unlikely starter. .The loss of two such kev plavers is a serious one, and & lot will depend on their successors. In their latest display the New Zealanders simply made rings round Yorkshire. After this remarkable exhibition it is evident that the team must be put down as very strong indeed, and on what certain critics base their jnrlpmont regarding the likely defeat of New Zealand is puzzling. , .. Whilst writing about the New landers, mention'may he made of the disappointment in Scottish circles tdiat nc match has been arranged against Tt is entirely the fault of the Scottish Union, due to the gentlemen concerned not seeing eve to eve with those who arranged the tour. The Enelish Rugby Union was responsible, and offered Scotland two fix tm-ps, which were declined. The Scottish authorities think such tours should be under the management, of the International Board and not arranged by one of the home unions, as in this case. SOCCER. The Huddersfield team retains an unbeaten record in League fray, the Yorkshire club standing alone in this respect among First Division teams. The leaders were confronted with a severe task on Saturday, when a visit to the Manchester City team was the fixture. - Many lo'ks thought -this might prove too severe an ordeal, and the success of the home side was widely expected. Huddersfield proved equal to the occasion, however, and in a great game just held their own, each scorin" a goal. Notts County and West Bromwich Albion were able to draw level with Huddersfield so far as points are concerned (15), but as the result of eleven matches against ten by the leaders. Sunderland claim 14 points for ten engagements, and this team looks like making a great fight for the leadership. The outstanding win on Saturday was that of Liverpool when at home to Sheffield United, the latter going under by 4 goals to 1. It was a smart performance on the part of Notts County to score tho only goal of tho match When visiting Preston North End. Arsenal had to rest satisfied with a draw when receiving Aston Villa, each scoring a goal. Another London team in Tottenham was not so fortunate when tackling Leeds City, the latter, at home, scoring the only goal of the match. Nor was West Ham any more successful at Nottingham, where the Foresters scored the odd goal in three. The South African Association team now in England -has convincingly shown how the game lias progressed in South Africa since Wreford Brown led a Corinthian team during the tour of 1903. Speed, staying power, and _ a thorough knowledge of the game as it should be played mark the visitors. They are a very attractive side to watch, tho short passing game, as so favored by the best Corinthian teams, being a marked feature. Against a Palatine League team, at Spennymoor, Durham, on Saturday, the South Africans gave a finished display, and the visitors won by 8 goals to 1. A notable win in the Scottish League on Saturday was that of the Airdrieonia-ns when visiting Greenock Morton, the latter being beaten by 1 goal to 0. Meanwhile Celtic could only draw, no score, when visiting St. Johnstone, with the result that Airdrie assumed the leadership with 19 points for eleven games, one more point than Celtic. BILLIARDS. Smith has again beaten Newman (the champion) in a level billiard match. This was of 8,000 up under novel conditions, as when playing from the D it was necessary to place tho ball on one of the three spots, and not anywhere within the D, as usual. Another regulation was that not more than six ball-to-ball cannons should be allowed, and these strange conditions made big breaks more difficult. Thus 413 by Smith was tho best break of tho match, which tho latter won by 8,000 to 7,104. The innovations are Newman’s idea, but it seems unlikely that they will find general favor. This week Smith is again meeting Davies, play being two hours at each session. The winner will be he who scores most points at the full period, Davies receiving a useful start. The conditions will probably lead to fast scaring, and it will bo interesting to see if Smith can beat a record by John Roberts, who once scored a break of 519 in, twenty-seven minutes. GOLF. What a wonder J. H. Taylor Js on the o-olf course! This is a remark often heard of late, and rightly so, the veteran having played as well as when at the height of his fame. At Coombo Wood on Saturday, the veteran Devonshire player set up a now course record of 66—truly remarkable form. Ho beat Alec Herd, another veteran, and two other notable players. Much interest centred in the first match played by Rex Hartley, a young Chislehurst golfer, on proceeding to Cambridge University. He represented the Secretary’s side against the Captain s side, and was given top place, J. R. Mason being his rival. Hartley showed fine form, and won by 4 and 2, which suggests that he is likely to do big things at Cambridge, and eventually play a big part in amateur golf. THE TURF.

The Middle Park Plate is an event which always attracts much interest, as it often throws light on the possibilities for the classic races of the following'year. There was a time when the winner nearly always became the winter favorite for the Derby, but in recent years the Middle Park victor has seldom scored. We have to go back to Lemberg’s win in 1910 for an example, ignoring Cragnour, which finished first in the Derby of 1913, only to be disqualified. This year’s Middle Park Plate showed is two smart youngsters in Picaroon and Solaria The former won in a stylish manner, but many anticipate that the second will do very big things next season. Picaroon is bred to stay, and some day may bo a Gold Cup candidate. Solario got away badly, and was last for a time. At the end he was running on, and punters might do worse than make a small •nvestment on this colt for the Derby of ;325. He is owned by Sir John Rntherord, well known to South African sportsmen, who paid 3,500 gs for the son of Gainsborough—Sun Worship when a yearling. Touching on racing matters, the jockeys in England will soon bo reinforced by the arrival of a noted • horseman in Dempsey, of Australia. As he has headed the win-

ning jockeys’ list for five years in that country he will naturally be expected to do well here. He follows some notable fellow-countrymen, of whom Frank Wootton stands high. ATHLETICS. The Oxford winter athletic season opened on Monday, when tho first instalment of the senior sports claimed attention. Excellent form was shown by F. A. C. Gibson, of Winchester and New College, who has evidently made improvement since last season. His speed in the 100yds and -440yds suggests that he will be decidedly useful to the Dark Blues. He was not extended in the longer race, which he won comfortably in 51 l-sseo. ■ln considering the value of times at Oxford and Cambridge, it is always necessary ‘to remember that the athletic season is during a period of the year when fast running is made more difficult by the wintry conditions. Another good win was that of V. E. Morgan in the mile. ’Die old Charterhouse boy outclassed his rivals, and he ought to well beat all his past efforts during the season. A feature of tho sports was the number of overseas athletes who competed. C. B. Wright, from Southern California, easily won the pole vault at 10ft Tin, and he is credited with a much bettor record in his own country. Another American in R. L, Hyatt, from Harvard, won the long jump, with the useful effort of 20ft llin. REMARKABLE CYCLING. Two exceptional cycle records were created during the week-end. J. Brunier, of France, improved on the one-hour record with motor-pacing, and covered the remarkable distance of 69m 1.526yds in the sixty minutes. Brunier is likely to still further improve on the figures, as in a previous trial he went even faster for three-quarters of an hour, when a mishap to his pacer compelled a stoppage. Nearer home, J. W. Rossiter, of the Century Road Club, well beat tho 100miles u'npaced figures on the road. In the King’s Lvnn district- he rode the century in 4h 33min 38sec—nearly a minute bettor than L. Meredith, the veteran, accomplished a few weeks ago.