SPORT IN BRITAIN

Evening Star, Issue 21099, 11 May 1932, Page 8

SPORT IN BRITAIN

£Feom Ode English Correspondent.] LONDON, March 30. THE TURF, Although the flat racing season has only just opened many followers or “The Sport of Kings” are thinking about the Derby anl wondering if this famous classic will result in a smpiiso equal to the win of Forbra m the Grand National. On the two-year-old form the Manton stable will provide the first favourite for the race, but it seems that Beckhampton, the great rival stable only six miles away, will have a worthy candidate. lOurmg the Easter meetings it became public knowledge that there is solid money for Violator, trained by Fred. Darling at this famous establishment. The son ot Hurry On and Love In laleness only ran once last season, and failed to ge a place, yet ho has been well backed at 25 to 1 for the Derby. . Naturally, the average punter likes to put his* money on a colt which has proved his ability in a race or two, but there'are examples of a horse winning a classic event on making a first bid. A clever trainer has ways and means of testing the ability of Ins charges m trials and also getting them accustomed to people and noise, such as experienced on the Epsom Downs. The use of the watch in England is not so general in the training of racehorses as in the United States, Australia, and South Africa, but some trainers believe in the time test. Courses in England are so varied, and this somewhat tells against trials with the watch. All the same, when a trainer times a horse over a home gallop ho knows by experience what this represents on other well-known courses. • ' , If Fred. Darling, for example, had a candidate for the Derby which showed 2min 35sec for one mile four furlongs on the Beckhampton gallop he would know he had a likely winner, even allowing for the greater superiority, ot the turf on the Wiltshire Downs to the going at Epsom. Violator has not been backed without cause, and anyone who fancies “ taking a long shot. might do so in this case, for, all being well, the colt will surely shorten m price before long. SOCCER. Just when the most critical time of the season has arrived for Arsenal, Aleo James, perhaps the keystone iu the team, has met with a mishap. When playing; in the match against West Ham last Saturday the famous inside left was accidentally kicked behind the knee. So severe was the pain that James fainted, and he is out ot action for some time. This mishap happened when the match was only two minutes old, and Arsenal had to confront their rivals with a man short. Thus it was a big performance to share the points, Lambert’s goal making the score all square. It really is a parody on sportsmanship and fair play when the rules permit such a thing. It would be so easy to introduce the true spirit of “ a fair field anti may the best team win.” All that is necessary is for the player in the corresponding position of the opposing team to also leave the field, so making the number of players equal. But for the accident to Janies, Ar--senal might have beaten West Ham and also won the match against Derby County (on the latter’s ground) on Bank Holiday, instead of drawing. Ihe extra two points would have virtually put the present champions m a better position than Everton. As it was, both teams gained the same numhei ot points (4) in their three Easter engagements. The Arsenal players are still in the running, however, though three points “ down,” owing to the tact that Everton has played an extra.match. The Army Cup has again gone to the Sherwood Foresters, their victory over the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment at Aldershot on Easter Monday haying been secured by 3 goals to 1. Ims is the third successive win for Nottinghamshire llegiment, the success being largely due to the same players being available each year. Another important final was for the Middlesex Cup, in which Park Royal defeated Barnet by two goals to nil. ATHLETICS. The cabled news that Eastman, the big Stanford University athlete, lias run 440yds in 46 2-ssec has given British followers of track athletics thing to ponder over. Even allowing a full second for the more favourable conditions in California to the best in England, the time is wonderful. Eastman was rated as a 47 2-ssec man on last season’s running, hut that did not stop gpod judges in England thinking Lieutenant G. R. Rampling good enough to win at Los Angeles next August. Eastman’s latest effort is altogether another proposition, however, and it is clear that Rampling will indeed meet a rival worthy of his speed and pluck. Every good American sportsman will hope that Rampling, who is still in hospital,' will soon bo fit and well and that be will too the mark against his great rival in the best possible condition. That being so, the 400 metres race at the next Olympic Games is going to be something to enthnso over. : With two sprinters who have shown 9Jseo for 100yds, a 46 2-Dscc quarter man, a 4min lOsee milcr, a high jumper capable of clearing Oft Bm, a shot putter good for 52ft, pole vaultcrs equal to 14ft, and a hurdler with a record of 14 l-ssec (to say nothing of several other record-breakers), it is quite clear that the United States will have a wonderful team for the games. It is interesting and instructive, to bear that the South African athletic authorities intend to follow the wise plan of sending only proved athletes to Los Angeles. !\ B. Hart must stand an excellent chance in the all-round events and also in the shot putt. D, .1. Joubert for the sprints and H. Q. Davis for the high hurdles are also of the highest class. W, J. Walters has also proved his ability at middle distances, and all‘will bo very useful for the British Empire and United States match. It is. to bo hoped efforts will be made to send Miss Marjory Clark to the games, as she would stand a chance in the women’s events. There has been a decided improvement in tbo standard of England's young athletes in recent years. This was further shown by the victory of the Royal Military College (Sandhurst) wlxtn meeting the Metropolitan Police team in a series of track events at Cainberley on Monday, the margin being 34i points to 251. The form shown was creditable, particularly as the conditions were difficult. Equally satislactory was the form shown by several of the young athletes who took part in the Harrow v. Charterhouse meeting, which the former won by five events to three. F. H. Malpress, of Alloy's School, also appears to be well above the average. He put up new school records when winning the 100yds, 440yds, and 120yds hurdles, and also gained a further success in the long jump. The one “ fly in the ointment ” about young athletes in England is that they are frequently encouraged to

attempt too much. Offerin'* a special prize for the boy scoring the' highest number of points in the school sports is a big mistake, unless some restrictions arc made to limit the athletes to a reasonable number of events. That would also encourage more, as when one athlete overshaws the rest, as is often the case, it discourages many. Six separate winners are' better than one super-athlete gaining six victories. CYCLING. It is quite possible that England has a cyclist in W. Harvell, of the Poole Wheelers, who is good enough to stand a big chance in the road race at the Olympic Games. He took part in a teii minutes’ pursuit race at Herne Hill on Monday, and won easily, covering 4m 595vds in the time. His rivals included F. W. Southall, looked on as the host of England’s road riders, who was defeated by nearly 700yds. Harvcl has feu* chances where ho resides, but ho is certainly right at the top of the class. Another important event was a time trial over 1,000 metres, in which E. AV. Hussey, of the Finsbury AVheclers, came out best with Imin 19 4-ssec. Both Harvell and Hussey are practically newcomers, and their form is decidedly promising. BILLIARDS. Clark M'Cbnachy, of New Zealand, was naturally' disappointed that ho failed to wrest tho professional championship of England from Joe Davis. Following two successive wins over the Chesterfield man, he had every reason to hope for success, but the balls did not run kindly. He stuck to his plan of campaign, which was to exploit the close cannon game. He believed that he had mastered the ability to turn the balls and nurse them between pockets, instead of negotiating the pockets, as is the usual method. He employed this method with great success when twice putting up new records, hut ho was not so successful in the championship match. Possibly 7 the seriousness of tho encounter had something to do with it, and in any case, it is evident that “ the turning movement,” as exploited by M'Conachy, is not so easy as he thought when ho suggested limitations as to the number of closc-cannons should be enforced. The success of Davis by the big margin of 25,161 to 19,259, shows that the standard of play was high, even though four-figure breaks wore not forthcoming in the manner expected. Davis averaged around 150 for each visit to tho table, and he has again proved what a fine match player ho BOXING, Some of the best supporters of boxing in England, including Lord Lonsdale, deplored the matching of Camera and G. Cook, of Australia. In fact, Lord Lonsdale did not attend tho contest, something unusual indeed, as ho is a big supporter of the chief contests. Equal regret is expressed that D. M'Corkindale is to meet tho giant Italian, and it must be confessed that the supporters of the South African are somewhat premature. [Camera knocked out Cook and beat M'Corkindale on points.] It is good policy to select tho right opponent for boxers who are climbing and to risk “ breaking the heart ” of a prominent man is a pity. Still, it must not ho forgotten that boxers like Charley Mitchell and Bob Fitzsimmons, of England, and Tommy Burns, of Canada, took on rivals much bigger than themselves, and did well. Then there is the example, of Jack Dempsey 7 and Jess Willard. Moreover, Camera deserves to reap the benefit of his ability, and to “ put him on tho shelf ” because ho is too formidable would be unfair.

It really 7 does commence to look as though Jack Petersen, of AVales, is tho “ real thing.” He was conceding nearly 281 b in weight to Charley Smith, of Lorfdon, when they met for their contest at Cardiff on Monday, and he is also only nineteen. For several rounds the extra experience of Smith looked likely to bring him victory. From the tenth round, the young Welsh boxer went in to make a'fight of it, and tho tactics paid. A good attack is an excellent defence, and this was again proved, for Petersen had Smith helpless towards the end, and he gained a sensational victory right at the end of the fifteenth round, Smith being knocked out. Petersen is undoubtedly very promising, and properly handled, he will do big things among the light heavyweights.