SPORT IN BRITAIN

Evening Star, Issue 21570, 16 November 1933, Page 15

SPORT IN BRITAIN

[From Oue English Correspondent.] LONDON, October 4. TURF MATTERS. When the King and Queen drove up to the Kenipton Park grand stand last Saturday, the visit came as a surprise to most racegoers. Naturally some of them took as a tip, the Royal colours being carried by Limelight in the Duke of York Handicap, Both the King and Queen saw Limelight win the Newbury Spring Cup, and those in the know must have had big hopes on Saturday, as the horse has made considerable improvement, of late. Limelight, a four year old, was top weight, with 1351 b in the saddle, yet started equal favourite with two other candidates at 4 to 1. Splendidly ridden by" J. Childs, Limelight answered the call stoutly over the last furlong and won by over a length. The distance of li miles was run in 2min 4 2-usec, a very excellent performance, as all with knowledge of the time test will recognise. The King left the grand stand and went down to the enclosure to meet his horse and congratulate the jockey and W. Jarvis, the trainer. Limelight was bred by His Majesty and it is the present intention to retire the animal to the stud at the end of this season. The Kempton Park meeting was also noteworthy for another splendid performance by Colombo. This two-year old colt by' Manna beat a good field for the Imperial Produce Stakes, conceding weight to id! his rivals. The win strengthens the claim of Colombo to be considered the best two-year old of the season. The race was run over six furlongs and the time Imin 12 3-ssec sets up a record for this particular course. It is a good one, when burdened with 1321 b. Kaco followers in the United States and the dominions, where the watch is a guide,'will appreciate these performances. It is worthy of mention, that F. Darling of Beckhampton, has regained top place in the winning; trainers list. This will be a tonic for him and hasten his complete recovery from the injuries received in the air crash following the Doncaster meeting. Gordon Richards lias had a qniel time during the past few days, but may yet set up a new record for the season. It he can score one win for each race day left, he will just about do it. (Richards broke Archer’s record). CRICKET. From what can he heard in inner cricket circles, there appears little doubt that the M.C.C. will see to it that no more bodylinc bowling will be permitted. From the start of the trouble, the big majority of sportsmen felt that bowling towards the batsman, instead of at the wicket, was not what may bo termed fair. When the ground is hard, the bowling fast and the ball pitched short, so making it rise head high, it becomes dangerous. That this thing actually happened during the last tests in Australia was made clear when Woodfull was hit on the head and badly hurt. Australians, any more than Englishmen, arc not prone to shout before they are hurt, and their objection to the bowling tactics was not without cause. It was unfortunate that D. E. Jardino, the English captain,_ did not accept the protests. Standing by bis own team is to be admired, but it is a much more important thing to maintain the best of feeling between two sections of the British Empire. SOCCER. A feature of Association football this season lias been the splendid showing of Ireland, in Martin, the newest find, Ireland has an outstanding player, who is likely' to make history'. For the sake of Irish football, it is to lie hoped ho will not he bought and induced to wear the colours of an English or Scottish league club. Tin’s buying and selling of players loaves a nasty taste in the mouth, even though something can bo said in-favour. This, of course, is the desire of the individual player to take his talent to the best market. _ That is why we find South Africans in the Liverpool side and numerous Scottish and Welsh players wearing the colours of English dubs. It is that they cannot find jobs in their own country. Nevertheless, taken all round, it would be better for the game if clubs relied oh natives of the country concerned. Martin scored two goals in the Irish League v. Scottish League fixture last Saturday and was a big factor in the success of the home side by the odd goal in three. Yes, Martin is a real crack and lie is already spoken of as an Irish Steve Bloomer. Another feature of Saturday’s football was the great win of Arsenal when at home to Middlesborough. Arsenal had Dunn, an Irish international, acquired from Sheffield United, in the team as loader and lie ‘‘nicked’’ into the side splendidly. Although ho did not score himself, it was largely duo to bis clever passing that the Arsenal put on half a dozen goals, whilst keeping their rivals at bay. The big match of the day was the Chelsea v. Tottenham fixture at Stamford Bridge. Nearly 09,000 people were present, and it was unfortunate that a closer struggle was not soon. Early in the play, Barber, a right back, was injured so it was ten Oholsea players against eleven Spurs, As so often pointed out, the rules call for eleven on each side, and that accidents arc permitted to make a handicap of it, is all wrong, and contrary to fair play. It would be so simple to equalise matters when a man is hurt, by the corresponding player on the opposing side leaving the field. Fair play in many sports is more ou apper than in deed, ns witness the stymie in golf. Under the circumstances, it was no wonder that Tottenham beat their London rivals by four goals to nil. . Portsmouth appear a powerful combination and the Hampshire club held on to top place in the table by gaining a fine triumph over their Aston Villa visitors. It was a great struggle, Portsmouth only winning by the odd goal in five. ATHLETICS. It seems that P. Nurmi is, at last, feeling the effects of his years, He could not go the pace in a raco at Helsingfors during the week-end and was beaten by Islo Hollo, who won the English steeplechase championship last July. The race was over a distance of about sixteen English miles, which suggests that the winner is a great stayer. Before the European season cuds J. Ladoumaguc, of Franco, intends to make an attack on the new 1,500 metres record of 3min 49scc, Avhich Beccali of Italy set np in the Italy vEngland match. This is equal to a mile in something like 4min Cscc or 4min 7scc. What a lot of wonderful milcrs the world has at present! Here they are: —Lovelock of New Zealand, 4min 7 G-lOsce; Bontbron of the U.S.A., 4min 8 7-10 soc; Ladoumaguo of Franco, 4min 9 2-10scc; Cunningham of U.S.A., 4min 9 8-10 see; Nurmi of Finland, 4min 10 4-10scc. Beccali does not figure as a mile record holder, though his 1,500 metres

suggests lie is better than die runners named. Moreover, when he bent Lovelock by five yards, in the 1,600 metres race the tune was 3min 4,9 l-sscc, and relatively better than Lovelock’s mile record. The young Italian recently got very near Tom Hampson’s world’s record for 800 metres, and he deserves to bo placed at the top of the list. It would be a splendid idea to organise a .series of mile races next season, holding them in the United States, England, Italy, and Prance. If Lovelock, Beccali, Bontron, Cunningham, and Ladoumaguc took part in a series of four races, one of them might get near 4min, competition being the big factor in record breaking. BOXING. Eddie P.earce, the cruiser-weight champion of South Africa, made a very lavourable impression when meeting Leu Johnson, o Manchester, at the Blaekfriara Ling a few days ago. Pearce proved himself a real fighter and ho will go far. Johnson is a splendid defensive boxer and a most difficult man to pnpt out. Pearce practically succeeded, the referee stoppjng the bout in phe eleventh round, when Johnson was really helpless. The sad fatality to W. L. Stribling greatly shocked tho English boxing world. Tho talented American boxer was a big favourite hero from the moment lie outclassed Phil Scott at Wimbledon. it was his personality which gained him so many English friends and his memory will remain green in the original home of boxing. The English Amateur Boxing Association has decided to promote championships for juniors. ’file contests will he confined to lads between 14 and 17 years of age, tho idea being to “ catch ’em young.” Wo have golf and athletic championships for youths, so why not for boxers? Actually there is less risk for young boxers than lor young athletes, owing to the danger of overtraining in the latter pastime. A black eye, is of no account, but overtaxing a lad’s strength by too much training or running, is another matter.