SPORT IN BRITAIN

Evening Star, Issue 22891, 24 February 1938, Page 3

SPORT IN BRITAIN

(From Our Correspondent.) LONDON, December 30. ATHLETICS. Once more the cry for “ broken time” is heard in the land. Perhaps, however, it is an exaggerated thing to say cry, for at the moment it has gone no further than a mild suggestion from one of the youngest and most active of our athletic clubs that the question shall be considered. The club has been moved to make the suggestion by the circumstance that in one or two cases the invitation to visit Australia for the Empire Games had to be refused because the girl or youth invited could not make the financial sacrifice involved. It is quite half a century since the broken time agitation began, when followers of Rugby football pleaded that since in the great majority of cases certain players had to forgo their wages when travelling with their team they should receive a monetary compensation. Old timers remember the intense struggle that went on within the ranks of the Rugby Union. At times it seemed as if the broken timers must get their way ; but those who wanted Rugby to remain an amateur sport stood their ground. They were in the majority and ultimately the advocates of broken time, who were entirely confined to the counties 'north of the Trent, seceded and the Northern Union, pledged to pay their players for time lost from work, came into being. The experiment did not last long. They found it almost unworkable and took the plunge into honest professionalism. One uses the word honest advisedly, for no amount of reasoning will convince one that an athlete who receives payment for demonstrating his skill can be an amateur. To introduce broken time into athletics would split the Amateur Athletic Association from top to bottom. There is no middle course. The young runner or jumper must either compete only when his means allow him ip do so, or go right over to professionalism. Some day, perhaps, we shall have neither amateur nor professional, but just plain sportsmen. Until that day comes the line of demarcation between the paid and the unpaid cannot be too clearly laid down and upheld. BOXING. Everybody is not too well pleased with the work of the British Boxing Board of Control. Occasionally the professional boxer jibs; sometimes the promoters aver that the 8.8.8. C. takes too much upon itself and is over anxious to curb the enthusiasm _ of those who have put much money into the sport. On the whole, however, people who have no axe to grind are satisfied with what the board is doing. It. certainly is trying to see that a boxer who has a real cbance_ of working his way up to a championship is given his opportunity, while it is not out to give free advertisement to the man who wants to get into the ring (or keep out of it) merely for the money he can pick up. The board does not move without its reasons, and it was doubtless fully satisfied that Frank Hough, the Battersea boxer, had not fulfilled the conditions laid down before he could qualify as a contender for • the Southern Area championship. It was, nevertheless, read a little curiously that Hough notwithstanding the board’s ruling, is anxious to be a contender, for Jock M'Avoy’s light-heavy-weight championship. There is, too, every possibility of the fight coming off if the 8.8.8. C. gives its consent. When M'Avoy visited America a yeai or two back he made a great impression over there, so much so, in fact, that, although the Rochdale man has done little fighting since his return, a ranking list recently issued in the States places him third amongst the middle-weights of the world and fourth amongst the light-heavies. Farr, by the way, is considered to be third to Joe Louis and Max Schmeling in the heavy division. CRICKET. Don Bradman’s great score for South Australia against Queensland at the beginning of the week has whetted our appetite to see the world’s greatest batsman in action again. What has pleased English followers of cricket on Don’s two previous visits to this country has been the manner in which he has so obviously enjoyed his game. Anybody entering the ground at the start of Bradman’s innings might have thought from his free and light-hearted style that he was beginning his third instead of his first century. The Australian side due here in April is going to be tremendously popular. Already almost the whole of the reserved accommodation for the fifth and final test match at the Oval in August has been booked, and it will assuredly be a case of house full whether the destination of the ashes depends upon the result or not, SOCCER. When a referee is guilty of a mistake, or what the onlookers regard as a mistake, he can be sure of the fullest publicity. Newspaper writers love to bring such incidents to the light of day, and they certainly provide a little relief to the ordinary routine of the game. Every referee makes mistakes, but having made them it is just as well to be firm on the point. That the referee for the Christmas Day match at Bolton between the Wanderers and Derby County cannot have been, if the published accounts of the game are true. Like so many other matches that day the match started in fog. After it had been in progress less than 40 minutes and the Wanderers were 2 goals to the good the referee made up his mind that the mist was too dense for play to continue, although visibility was then better than it was at the kick-off. The players left the field, bub on a Bolton official consulting with the referee in the centre of the ground the presiding official rushed to the dressing room to call the. men out again. He found the visiting players were already in the hath and so had to abide by his earlier decision. As may be supposed, the crowd, whose favourites were well in the running for the League leadership, did not take kindly to the referee, although fortunately they had the sense to stop at booing and jeering. Fog played pranks at other grounds. At Stamford Bridge Charlton’s goalkeeper stayed between the posts for some minutes after the remaining 21 players had gone off. That was not surprising for the crowd behind the goal had seen nothing of the play for some time and had amused themselves by singing popular songs and chorus.

Out of the welter of finished and unfinished matches at Christmastide the first division club that emerged with greatest credit was Brentford. Twice they defeated the champions, Manchester City, and so re-established a lead of three points over all opponents. They are not likely to be dispossessed of then- lead for a long time, if at all. It is difficult to account for the season’s decline of the City. True, one or two of .their key men have been out of the game through injury, hut that has happened to most clubs. The truth is that in these days of extraordinary

equality the loss of *C point or two here and there will make a tremendous difference in a team’s position. The City stand eighteenth, but are only 11 points behind the leaders. Wins of which the club is capable would practically restore the balance. Chelsea are another side who have slipped. At the end of October they were eleventh. During November and December they have only won one game, their defeat by 3 goals to 1 on Boxing Day by Charlton being the reverse suffered by the Stamford Bridge club. At the other end of the table Portsmouth have only to maintain their present form to escape the fate which at one time they seemed certain to meet. Their total of points, 15, is only one worse than that of Liverpool, who continue to do better on their opponents’ ground than they do at home. At long last Coventry City have been deposed from the second division leadership. As a fact, as the result of Aston Villa’s double Christmas win the Midland Club have dropped to third position. They lost, after a rousing game, to Sheffield United at Brammall Lane on Christmas Day (Coventry’s first defeat away from their own enclosure), and the Blades managed to make a draw of it, and so went to tke head of 'affairs. Clubs like (Bradford, Chesterfield, Burnley, and Manchester United have still bright hopes of promotion, hut it looks as if West Ham United’s inability to win matches away from their own enclosure will mean that London will not have a fifth club in the premier division next season. Tottenham Hotspur raised hopes by winning at Bury on Christmas Day, hut Bury turned the tables 48 hours later. RUGBY. This is the time of the year 'above all others when teams are on tour. Wales seems to he the happy hunting ground, and clubs from London and Scotland have had a hearty welcome in the principality. The results are not always in accordance with previous form, hut who cares? It is good that young sportsmen should not always take their game too seriously. On tours like these _ they make friendships which will he, perhaps, a happier memory than the actual matches in which they took part. Beyond all doubt the strongest touring side this Christmas is that of the Barbarians. Against Leicester, for instance, no fewer than 10 of the men who have _ been picked for the international trial on New Year’s Day turned'out. In the matter of scoring they overwhelmed the “ Tigers,” though as a matter of fact Leicester had almost an equal share of the play. There are people who take exception to the Barbarians withdrawing men from club fifteens to make up a side. Why should they? The players themselves look upon it as an honour to bo asked to play the Barbarians, and most certainly the spectators at the various grounds visited are glad to have the opportunity of seeing some of our most famous players of the day, even if their own favourites do get a pretty considerable drubbing. The holiday games cannot be dismissed without a reference to the wonderful form of Wilfrid Wooller for Cardiff against Watsonians. Coming back into the game after a fortnight’s absence he scored every one of Cardiff’s 24 points. He was limping at the finish, and it is to be hoped that his injury will not keep him out of the international with England on January 15. LAWN TENNIS. It is one of the unfortunate outcomes of popular interest in and large attendances at games that the amateur of to-day 'is no longer his own master. He must play according to the expectations of the crowd. At least so Donald Budge has discovered. The champion is only mortal and imbued, perhaps, with the _ spirit of Christmas took an exhibition match with von Cramm more light-heartedly than he should have done, paying the penalty by losing three straight sets. The Californian, could not have dreamed of the storm this would bring about his head. Like the good sportsman he is, Budge promptly promised to make amends for his “ dereliction of duty ” by playing a match with J, H. Crawford. This soothed the troubled breasts, and the equally good sportsmen of Australia showed the appreciation of Budge’s apology by cheering him loyally as he left the court after beating Crawford. It was only a ripple on the waters, but clearly showed that an amateur must play for the crowd, and not to enjoy himself.