SPORT IN BRITAIN

Evening Star, Issue 22085, 19 July 1935, Page 4

SPORT IN BRITAIN

[By Oub English Correspondent.] LONDON, May 30 ATHLETICS. J. E. Lovelock must have felt quite satisfied with his last trial spin before sailing yesterday for the States. Running in a mile level race at the White City he went right away in the second half-mile to win by 60yds in 4min 13 4-ssec. A rough wind was blowing, and competent judges were agreed that Lovelock’s performance was equal to 4min lOsec on a good day. It is obvious that whoever beats the New Zealander at Princeton in a fortnight’s time will have to accomplish something exceptional. [Lovelock won.] There were other good performances at »the White City, where tho “ Kinnand ” Cup was competed for by our leading clubs. The hurdles champion, Pilot-officer D. D. Finlay, somewhat easily beat the Dark Blue, A. G. Pilbrow, and another R.A.F. officer got the better of the Oxford president, K. S. Duncan, in the sprint. Duncan, however, just managed to carry off the long jump. Unhappily, our long jumpers are poor, and cannot possibly have any chance of making a show in the Olympic Games, if, indeed, any of them are sent to compete therein. The British Olympic Association will shortly issue an appeal for funds. Unless the response is much more gratifying than- it was for the 1932 Games it is certain that British representation at Berlin will be severely restricted, p,nd no man sent who does not possess a chance of figuring in the leading six in his particular event. BOXING. On Monday last there were two interesting bouts between lighter-weight boxers. One was the contest at Manchester between the local holder of the British bantam-weight championship, Johnnie King, and Len Hampston. It is 20 years since a Yorkshireman held this title, and Hampston’s admirers felt very confident of his ability to regain it for the county of broad acres. The challenger failed, but King had to be •at his very best to win, and the margin of points at the finish must have been very small. _ Hampston’s strong suit was his terrific punches, and ft was tbe holder’s smartness in dodging most of these that turned the scale in his favour. . Dave Crowley and Ben Caplan met for the Southern Area feather-weight championship. Caplan’s boxing was marked by sterling defence, clever footwork, and a wonderful straight left, Crowley’s by confidence and aggression, Crowley held the initiative almost throughout. His opponent’s cleverness probably justified the referee ip, declaring the result a draw.

CRICKET. The South Africans continue to as* sert their superiority over our county sides. . During the past week they have beaten Hampshire and Middlesex. The former, it is true, have started the season indifferently and have yet to win a game in the championship. ' The match at Southampton served to bring: out the all-round batting strength of our visitors. After a moderate score for eight wickets (though Nourse made 75 and Viljoen 66) there came a fine stand between two bowlers, E. L. Dalton and R. J. Crisp, and the total ultimately reached 304, and as Hants’ reply stopped short at 197 the South Africans went in again with a useful lead. An attempt on the last morning to get runs quickly resulted in the tourists being dismissed for 248. This was good enough to give them victory by 110. Middlesex were a different proposition altogether. Winning the toss, R. W. V. Robins, the county skipper, had the _ pluck to put the Africans in first. Since they were all out for 202 his policy was justified, perhaps. But 202 was 10 more than Middlesex could put together, Langton’s bowling, six wickets for 63, proving far too good for most of them. South Africa found almost as much difficulty in playing the fast bowler Smith and the Rugby international, Owen Smith, in their second innings, and left Middlesex only 173 to get to win. That was 22 too many, though there were many thrills before the finish. Langton, with five wickets for 59, was again the chief agent of destruction. _ .... There is a direct conflict of opinion as to whether the new Ibw rule has come to stay. It_ has certainly had the effect of reducing big scores, and the M.C.C. are said to be pleased with the fact that so many games are being finished in two days. ■ But the treasurers of our county clubs can hardly be expected to share the pleasure. Take Essex for example. For years and years they have been struggling against financial disaster. Last season they left the ground at Leyton, where they had been domiciled for over 60 years, and played their fixtures at half a dozen different centres. The financial result did not prove embarrassingly successful. This season they have started poorly, having lost all four matches played, and both their home games at Brentwood have finished on the second afternoon. Sussex beat them by 64 runs and Derbyshire (who at the moment stand firmly at the head of the table) by 4 wickets. Not one of the Essex bowlers has found his form, with the exception of Eastman, who, despite the fact that he is approaching the veteran stage, is howling remarkably well. • Lancashire are not showing the consistency one expects of the champion county. They beat Gloucester readily enough by eight wickets, some very fine bowling by Booth, who had eleven wickets for 161, being the chief factor in Lancashire’s success. Now the champions have been beaten by Leicester. There was some excuse that Tyldesley and Duckworth were injured, but nothing can minimise the results of Geary’s bowling skill. In the two innings he took ten wickets for 87. Yorkshire, on the other hand, are going very strongly. Following a victory by an innings and 59 runs over Oxford University they had a somewhat similar triumph over Sussex, though the seasiders were much handicapped by injuries. Rain robbed Kent of victory in the match against Warwick, and the former now stand third in the • county championship table to Derbyshire and Middlesex. GOLF. It was only* after a most desperate fight that the great American, Lawson Little, succeeded in retaining the British open amateur championship. Without in any way disparaging the skill of the champion one might almost say that the honours in the final went to his opponent, Dr Tweddell. The winner of the 1928 championship had not been strongly fancied for the title at St. Innes. In the semi-final he beat T. A. Torrance, while Lawson Little ousted his fellow American, R. Sweeney, jnn., now' of Princes. Most people fancied Little to win the England v. America final. The early holes only served to confirm their impression. Outdriven and outputted the doctor was driven behind. He was three down at the fourth, but he re-

fused to be dismayed, and was no worse off at the eighteenth. The afternoon play proved most dramatic. Tweddell fought with such grit that he squared the match at the - thirty-first, and Little must have .wondered if the prize was to slip from' his grasp after all. The match went right to the last hole, where Tweddell failed with an Bft putt, and so Lawson Little scored his second successive triumph—a feat which had not been performed since Harold Hilton did it 34 years ago. We have had an abundance of surprises in the women’s open golf championship, which started at Newcastle, Co. Down, on Monday. Perhaps the most unexpected result was the overthrow of Miss "Diana. Fishwick _by an 18-year-old Irish girl, Miss C. Tiernan, in the very first round. The titleholder, Mrs Holm, was beaten by another Scotswoman, Miss Park, in the sechnd round. To-day we shall see last year’s runner-up, Miss Pamela Barton, contesting the final with Miss Wanda Morgan. LAWN TENNIS. Mrs Wills Moody has reached England, and has expressed her delight at having the chance of making another appearance at Wimbledon. The famous American, for the sake of match practice, is entering for several minor tournaments, and has stated that, whether she does well or ill in these, she will certainly take the court in the championships, where she is expected to compete in nothing but the singles. [Mrs Moody won the singles.] For an entirely new combination F, J. Perry and C. R. D. Tuckey did extremely well to reach the semi-final of the French championships. It was certainly no disgrace to go down before such experienced doubles players as the Australians, V. B. M'Grath and D. P. Turnbull. The problem of our doubles pair for the Davis Cup remains. • The French championships are moving slowly to a conclusion. _ Miss Starnniers is out of the women’s singles, but Miss Serwen is safely through the third round, F. J. Perry and H. W. Austin have averted disaster in the men s singles, one match in the fourth round of which resulted in a triumph for the famous Czech, R. Menzel, over the equally famous A. K. Quist, of Australia. Last winter Quist beat Menzel in Melbourne at the Centenary celebration. RACING. “ Bobsleigh scratched.” Such was the announcement made soon after midday yesterday. It was the final sentence in the serial story of Lord Derbys colt’s preparation for next Wednesday s Derby For a week and more hopes and fears had alternated. One day Bobsleigh had pulled up lame. The next he appeared .to be moving quite freely The decision made by his noble owner to put the pen through Bobsleigh’s name was as unavoidable as.it was deplored. This scratching has left the betting for the classic race m a state almost assuredly without precedent in the histoVy of the Derby. The three favourites are owned by one man and trained in the same stable ihe Aga Khan seldom bets, and it is doubtful whether he or even the trainer, Prank Butters, knows which of the three, Bahrain, Hoiran, and Theft, is most likely to win. At-the moment the public fancy is for Bahrain, winch will probably start an odds-on favourite, [Bahrain won.]