TOPICAL TATTLE

Evening Star, Issue 21662, 6 March 1934, Page 4

TOPICAL TATTLE

Officials of the Opunakc Racing Club received a surprise when the nominations for the recent annual meeting were announced. For one event, the St. Patrick’s Handicap (open), of £9O, six furlongs, there was only one nomination. The committee decided to delete the race from the programme. The meeting, therefore, consisted of seven races. The cancelling of a race for this reason is believed to be without precedent. The other races at the meeting attracted satisfactory nominations.

A New Orleans (U.S.A.) promoter is staging all-negro boxing bouts at low prices, and is happy with a 10 per cent, profit. Such is the state of the sport in the U.S.A.

Cyclists lost a good friend by the untimely death of King Albert of Belgium (says the Sydney ‘ Referim 1 1. When the world’s championships were conducted in Brussels in 1930 the late King lent his patronage and presented jerseys to the winners, Lucicht Midland and Louis Gorardin. Having witnessed the actual racing, be became an enthusiast, and when in 1932 Joseph Scherens won world’s honours at Rome, King Albert presented him with a -gold cigarette case with initials set in diamonds, and when the same rider again won the coveted prise the following year the king again granted an audience, and at the same conferred upon the rider the Order of Leopold IT., which carries with it a pension for life. .*♦ * * An English football referee recently set a new fashion. A spectator who had been voluble in his protests and advice was approached by the referee, who said to him: “Please keep your advice to yourself. 1 do not want it.” * • * » An experience that is probably unique in big game fishing in New Zealand was enjoyed by two Auckland sportsmen. Fishing near the Bay of Islands from a launch they struck swordfish simultaneously. Tn the halfhour that followed they had to exorcise all their skill to land the two fish successfully. By keeping a steady pressure on the fish uo trouble was caused by fouling the lines. This was all the more remarkable as the _ two fish broached a number of times. The smaller fish, which weighed 2181 b, took about twenty-five minutes to bring alongside the launch. Before being finally secured it made a rush to the bottom and smashed its sword in so doing. 'The larger fish took ton more minutes to land, and weighed 2881 b. Altogether the party had a most successful fishing trip. During seventeen days a total of twenty-one make and swordfish were taken.

Waterford, who may return to the Irish Free State League next season, have three brothers named Hale—Tom, John, and Alfred—as their half-back line, and three brothers named Walshe —Michael, John, and Willie—their inside forwards. How is this for beipg unique?

A feature of the first match of the Akaroa Rifle Club was the . number of 43 cards returned. In the A section, of the seven marksmen competing five knocked up 43 each. A. H. Dixoti taking the trophy with U total score of 92, a good crack under the conditions.

According to a French paper the Bugatti motor firm spent 336,000 francs in racing in 1922 and 1,446,000 francs in 1932.

Claimed to be the oldest rowing club in Auckland and the second oldest in the dominion, the North Shore Club lias had an illustrious career. It is intended to hold a reunion of old members on March 10 in the form of an afternoon’s water pageant, with a dance in the evening. An effort to hold a veterans’ nights contest will also be made. A record of the club’s activities in earlier days is being compiled. A former secretary of the club, Mr T. Sullivan, is now a coach at the famous Berliner Ruder Club iu Germany. The present chib captain is P. J. Norris, \vho is a keen clubman and has been a member of the club for some years. He was stroke of last year's junior cretv.

Jock M'Avoy, current British middleweight champion, is scheduled to fight Vince Dundee. American middle-weight champion, in a bout advertised as for the world's championship in New York during April. The bout has the seal of the powerful New York Athletic Commission set upon it. At the moment Marcel Thil. of France, and “ Gorilla ” Jones, of America, claim the title.

Christchurch anglers say they are satisfied that the quinnai salmon run is beginning. The toll of salmon taken in the Waimakariri is steadily mounting—fishermen have been active at the river lately, and a sample of their catches was a sizeable quinnat in excellent condition.- Several anglers are working the upper reaches of the Rakaia now. Conditions generally favour fishermen. The rivers are not carrying too ■much water, and the water is clear enough for the spoons to* be seen at a considerable depth. «♦♦ * , The Light Car Club of Australia has announced that its centenary light car race Will be held at Phillip Island on the afternoon of October 25. which is Melbourne Royal Show Day. Two young Auckland women, whose only previous experience of “ deep-sea ” fishing had been the dragging about a paddock of an obliging male cousin on the end of a rod, met with great success on their first real venture. The “ swordfish ” on the end of the girls’ lines in the home paddock was an experienced deep-sea fisherman, and imparted his knowledge to the two young women while being attached to the end of a line. The three motored through to Whangaroa for a clay’s fishing, and tlie two young women each landed a swordfish " One fish, which weighed 2561 b, took two hours to secure, and fought very gamely ; and the other, of 2871 b, cave a very fair three-quarter of an hour's exhibition. Mr T. Crew, the Leicester referee, officiated in the World’s Soccer Cup tie between Belgium and the Free State at Dalymount Park, Dublin, on February 25. ♦'* ♦ • Jack Dempsey is arranging a big outdoor heavy-weight, fight in New York this coining (American) summer. Ho expects to match two of the best heavyweights in (he world, Max Baer and King l/€vinsky. • * * #

Only Germans are allowed to drive the new racing Mercedes ear.

“ Smoke concerts ” are generally regarded as exclusivley male entertainments. and it is unusual to find ladies present at such gatherings. However, at the smoke concert held in conjunction with the Auckland anniversary regatta prize night there was an exception to the general rule. The chairman said that as an innovation be had asked the wife of Surgeon-commander J. W. Tighe, of H.M.S. Diomede, to give an item. The “ innovation ” was so much appreciated that only after singing six songs and leading the assembled yachtsmen in a rousing chorus was she allowed to depart to an accompaniment of cheers.

Frayed tempers on the part of players a lid intolerance and active hostility on the part of spectators combined to produce ugly scenes at several English Soccer games just after the New Year. After Waring, the England international centre forward, had been sent off the field in one match a section of the spectators took part in a demonstration against the referee, and several missiles, including oranges, other fruit, and'bottles, were thrown on the Reid. It became necessary for police to be called to patrol the touchline for the remainder of the match. At the end of another game a number of spectators rushed on to the playing pitch. The referee was escorted to the dressing room by the police, and several of the players had great difficulty in making a way through the crowd. Fifteen players of both sides were jostling and threatening each other in yet another game, and the x-eferee called them to the centre of the field and warned all the players with the exception of the goalkeepers. At Newcastle there were scenes, in the course of which missiles were alleged to have been thrown at Ijcecls defenders, police being called to parade that part of the ground where the untoward incidents took place.

The news that Mr Stan. Youdale has agreed to manage the Australian Davis Cup team has been received with enthusiastic approval throughout Australia, and will be hailbd With delight by the players. Together with J. Crawford and D. Turnbull, he will act on the Selection Committee, so that Australia will have the same team and the same selectors as those of last year.

Len Harvey, heavy-weight champion of Great Britain, was to appear in ‘ On With the Show ’ at the Princes Theatre, London, in January. For playing in'a ten-minute sketch he was to receive £7OO a week—the highest salary being paid to-day to any British actor on the London stage. * ♦ i » Promoters of North Sydney Stadium (New South Wales) and Parramatta Cinema (New South Wales) are importing Filipinos for their arenas. W. T. Tilden has a tennis coaching job which brings him in £2O an hour. Hitherto he has steadfastly refused to give instructions on a financial basis, but a wealthy business man lias “ called bis bluff.’’ This is how it happened. When he was asked to set a price to his services, Tilden said he would charge a thousand dollars (£2OO at par) for ten lessons. He thought that would discourage the questioner. But to his surprise the business man agreed without hesitation. He is said to have paid Tilden £2OO for ton hours’ advice, because he believes that Tilden is the only man who can teach him. at the age of 42, to play a game that he will not be ashamed of when his friends visit him at his country estate.

George Daly, an eigbtcen-ycar-old office boy employed by an English boxing promoter, brought off a surprise at the Ring, London, when, over twelve rounds, he drew with George Odweil, a contender for the light-weight championship. Young Daly had been given a week’s holiday in order to prepare for this contest. He lacked strength in his punches, hut ho gave a great display of clever boxing which enabled him to get a share of the honours.

On sixteen square foet of tablecloth a Tynemouth man, Mr K. feel by Davidson, has acquired 300 signatures of the world’s sporting celebrities. The task has taken thirty-five years. The cloth has not been sent through the post. Celebrities have been “ caught ” whenever opportunity offered.

Would a boxer stand a chance in the ring with a wrestler? It is said that “ Strangler ” Ed Lewis lost nil his boxing ambitions after Jack Dempsey had smacked him once or twice in a gymnasium spar; and recently, at Dayton (Ohio, U.S.A.), John Kilonis, who pantomimed ns a wrestler in Australia a few years ago, tried to even up Lewis’s failure by taking on a cruiser-weight boxer, long past his best. Kilonis won a fall in the first minute; but immediately after the bout restarted. the boxer hit him high on the head with a right-hand punch and knocked him out ol the ring. I hey pushed Kilonis back in the ring again, but to no avail—he didn’t regain his senses until forty minutes later.

Jack (Kid) Berg, of England, the gnashing young Hebrew; who climbed from an ordinary fighter in London to world’s “ junior welter-weight ” champion in America, and later to be the first man to outpoint Kid Chocolate and then stay fifteen rounds twice with Tony Cnnzoneri in matches for the world’s light-weight title, is still campaigning m American rings. He has plenty of money, is long past his best, but lie can’t give up the love of his life —boxing. Thus states the Sydney ‘ Referee.’ Yet an English sporting journal, of January, says; Jack (Kid) Berg, who has done much to put British boxing back in its former high esteem, is finished with the ring. After hours of arguing, following his recent sound thrashing at the hands of Cleto

Locatelli, of Italy, in New York, he r<j luctautly realised that discretion wdi the better part of valour and. bowed to the reasoning of his wife and Joe Jacobs, his American manager. No single boxer has done more for British boxing prestige in the United States, His non-stop fighting, which proved too much for so many -of his opponents, won a warm place for him in the hearts of millions of Americans, New Yorkers in particular, and his passing will be much regretted. .

The next outboard championship of Australia will be decided at Brisbane in .May. Four States—New’ South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, and Victoria—will be represented. ' '