SPORT IN BRITAIN

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 4327, 17 August 1937, Page 2

SPORT IN BRITAIN

athletics. While the famous American negro Jesse Owens, by turning professional is making many thousands of pounds, and another, J. Metcalfe, is about to accompany him to Tokio to give exhibitions of sprinting, one is almost sta crered bv the performances of a third, F. Woodruffe. When Woodruffe ran in Berlin and later in London last August he showed that while possessing phenomenal natural ability he had much to learn in the science of middle-distance running. Nevertheless, it was confidently predicted that he would be the first to accomplish the much-talked-of four-minute mile. The giant negro has not reached that goal, but his forn last week-end suggests that soon it may be within his compass lo run a quarter-mile in 47.75 ec, half a mile in Imin 62sec, and a mile in 4mm 7sec within the short space of 24 hours suggests there cannot be a limit to his capacity. , We have hopes of seeing Woodruffe in England next August at the great international meeting that is being arranged by the British Athletic Board. If so, he may cross swords with F. C. Wooderson, who many on this side of the Atlantic still regard as a greater imler than either Lovelock, Cunningham, or the newest star, San Romani. Wooderson has done a certain amount of racing this season, and expresses himself confident of getting back into his very best form. At the moment he is not quite so much in the public eye as A. G. K. Brown The latter unfortunately still suffers from a pulled muscle. His only race for Cambridge University in the annual match with the A.A.A. team, which the latter won by 84 points to 56, was the half-mile. Despite the fact that Brown ran gingerly out of respect for his damaged leg, he covered the distance in Imin 54.75 ec, just 3-10 sec better than T Hampson’s record for the university ground. This was not the only ground record beaten at the meeting, for D. 0. Finlay improved upon Lord Burgley’s figures for the high hurdles, and the three-mile champion (P. D. Ward) achieved the distinction of eclipsing the previous best at two miles. Finlay is really wonderful for the way in which he keeps his form. Twenty-eight years of age and in his ninth year of international racing, there is absolutely no "deterioration in the speed and ease with which he takes the obstacles. He hopes to remain in the top class long enough to be picked for Tokio in 1940 and thus figure in his third Olympiad. BOXING. Fate ordains that some men shall be for ever getting at cross-purposes with the world. Jack Doyle is one of the most popular boxers that ever put on gloves. Yet by some strange perversity things will not run smoothly for him. An unfortunate contretemps a year or two ago took him from the ring to the screen and v stage. Now that he is back in the rope square he loks like incurring the displeasure of the authorities again. Doyle was matched to meet the Finn, Gunnar Baerlund in London, and until a day or two ago everything proceeded smoothly. Suddenly Doyle sprang a mine by announcing that his doctor had told him that he must not fight owing to an injury to his hand, and that he was off to the States to watch the bout for the world’s championship between Braddock and Louis. This naturally displeased the promoters, and there has been talk of compel Doyle to stay in England. Yesterday the matter came before the Boxing Board of Control, which accepted the surgeon’s certificate that the Irishman was suffering from acute synovitis, and would not be able to box for many days. So Doyle has departed for America" after expressing his willingness to meet Baerlund or any other boxer as soon as his hand is right. Len. Harvey had been asked to take Doyle’s place against the Finn, but the financial terms do not suit the ex-cham-pion, and now there is some doubt if Baerlund will be here on June 28. CRICKET. The first six weeks of the season have produced 72 centuries. Every i county, except Somerset, has been responsible for at least one. It is, therefore, a little disturbing that the New Zealanders cannot yet boast of a batsman who has had a three-figure innings. Perhaps it is that the tourists do not play the game with the same grim determination as some of our batsmen. Some day, and we hope it will be soon, several of them will strike their best form together, and English bowlers will suffer accordingly. Meanwhile they are growing accustomed to the various types of bowling they meet in our counties. After their indecisive fixture with Northamptonshire they met the champions at Derby. Unfortunately, the New Zealanders entirely dissipated their chances of success on the first afternoon, when, after getting rid of Derbvshire for 241, nine of their wickets 'fell for 151. The wily slow bowler, Mitchell, can be, and is often, severely trounced by resolute batsmen. On this occasion the tourists seemed unable to make up their minds whether to "o for the bowling or stay at home and wait for a loose ball. Their chances looked hopeless, however, when Derbyshire declared for 327 for seven, and the New Zealanders went on to suffer their third defeat of the tour. There have been many smart batting achievements during the past week, and the most encouraging have been those of some of our younger players. Take Edrich. of Middlesex, for instance. Against Lancashire at Lord’s he gave a wonderful display in scoring 175, which was mainly responsible for the lead of 136 set up by the metropolitan county in the first innings. Then when his county went in to make 174 in the fourth innings, Edrich was the only batsman to play the bowling of Phillipson, who is practically in his first season with Lancashire, with any confidence, carrying his bat for 1 3. Phillipson had six wickets for 63 runs, and was the main factor in Lancashire’s victory by 22 runs. Two players of little reputation previously, Hill and Walker, both hit up centuries in Hamp-1 shire’s total of 490 against Sussex, I who had just previously thrashed Essex, but had to be content with the loser’s r ends of the first innings points against i their neighbours. Though at the mo- ] ment they play second fiddle to York- ( shire, Sussex still have high hopes of i carrying off the championship. .1. j Parks is the first player in the country s to reach 1,000 runs for the season, and i he has excellent backing in his brother ' 1

Henry, the two Langridges, Cook, and Cox. Hammond was not far behind Parks in growing into four figures. Against Leicester he credited himself with 217, the highest individual score of the season. He did not finish on the winning 1 side. C. S. Dempster, the famous New > Zealander, did even better, and played 3 a great part in staving off defeat with 1 a century in each innings, 133 and 154 - not out. At the end of the week he - headed the batting averages, having ■ scored 556 for eight completed inj nings. Yorkshire have won their last 1 four county matches, their latest vicb tiros being Worcester and Kent. Hut- - ton and Leyland were both century- } makers against the former. In the sec--3 ond match, after the men from the hop • county had made a gallant start against 3 the Tykes, the latter took the game in f hand and won handsomely. Kent’s J J second innings was little short of sen--1 sational. For, on a wicket on which no b { fewer than 10 6’s were hit, they col--1 1 lapsed so badly that they were all out 1 for 84. Smailes took five wickets for 3 16. He has already scored his first ' century for his county, and thus early 5 in his career has established himself in » the long list of great all-rounders as- “ sociated with the game in Yorkshire. j FOOTBALL. s We are not halfway through the close i season, yet the vast army of Soccer , football enthusiasts are eagerly looking i forward to the first kick of the new i season. In the meantime, legislators - and administrators have alike been ; busy considering new proposals for the 3 conduct of the game. Despite the 3 strong support for the idea from cer--3 tain league clubs, the Football Associai tion will have nothing to do with the - two referees suggestion. It is claimed, i probably quite correctly, that if one • can only maintain the proper standard ; of efficiency amongst referees, one per i game is sufficient, although it must • be conceded that with all the will and 1 all the skill in the world no referee 1 can be expected to give a proper dc- ' cision when a long kick has suddenly • changed the scene of play, and the ■ “ presiding genius ” has been left many ■ yards down the field. Certain news--1 papers regard the two referees proposal as dead for ever. Let them not be too ! sure. A crop of disputed goals in vital ! matches will most surely lead to a re--1 vival of the corpse. Derby County’s ! hardy annual before the league, the proposition four teams shall be rele--1 gated and four promoted in each divi- ? sion instead of. the present two in each ; case, met with its usual fate, the ver- ■ diet being more pronounced than it was a year ago. Englishmen ever were conservative in disliking changes, and this sentiment comes out nowhere more strongly than it does in this sport. GOLF. Every game has its surprises, and not the least the royal and ancient game of golf. Rarely, however, can there have been such a holocaust among the giants of the links as was seen at the big professional tournament. In the very first round no fewer than four Ryder Cup men—Alfred Padgham, Percy Alliss, W- J. Cox, and E. Jarman—went out with others almost equally distinguished like David Rees and Patrick Mahon. Thirty-two players were left in after this debacle, and only two of them, A. J. Lacey and J. J. Busson, could claim a national reputation These two met in the third round and Lacey won. This left his path to the final clear of his greatest obstacle. In the decider Lacey’s opponent was John Fallon, the 24-year-old assistant at Fishy, Huddersfield. A strong wind may have affected the play, but there were many erratic shots before the older man won by 2 and 1. The side chosen by the Selection Committee of the Professional Golfers’ Association has given general satisfaction. The whole of the 10 players come from England and Wales, though some people are disappointed that Scotland’s leading golfer, Janjes Adams, has net found favour with the selectors. There are only two men without previous Ryder Cup experience in the team They are S- L. King and I). Rees, Neither is likely to let the side down. Charles Whitcombe is a popular choice as playing captain. He will lead a team whose average works out at 33. LAWN TENNIS. Nothing has yet happened to show us who will be Great Britain’s second singles player in the Davis Cup. Hitherto opinion has pointed to the lefthander, C. E. Hare, as the most likely choice. Now we may find ourselves relying on a young player who has so far scarcely been mentioned as a possible selection. This is E. J. Filby. Last Friday he beat a player of such established reputation as C. R. D. Tuckey, and the next afternoon went on to defeat Charles Harris, of Florida, America’s number eight, with the loss of only six games. Filby has never touched form like this previously, bu+ there was no mistaking the vim and skill with which he set about conquering men of far higher standing. Filby is only 20 years of age, so that if his chance does not come this year it seems certain to do so before many seasons have passed. The number of those accepted for the Wimbledon tournament is published. There are 118 men and 86 women We are wondering whether we shall win either of the singles. Donald Budge and Baron von Gramm present a, pretty stiff problem to H. W. Austin and company, in the men’s event, and we may find the former just that bit superior to our number one that Perry always was. Helen Jacobs hopes to defend her title to the women’s place, though the great American is suffering from a recurrence of back trouble, and will not, it is said, appear in any tournament before Wimbledon. Even if Miss Jacobs cannot again carry off the championship it is still likely to go abroad through Frau Sperling or Signorita Lizana. Miss Dorothy Round does, however, rise occasionally to great heights in her lawn tennis, and if she does happen to be in one of her devastating moods nobody will prevent her i from recovering the title. ' RACING. j If report be true this will be Stevo Donoghue’s last season in the saddle. The popular jockey is credited with the intention of setting up as a trainer. Donoghue, who is 52 years of age, is certainly the most popular jockey of this century. He has ridden 14 winners of “ classic ” races, although, strangely enough, he had never been up on a winner of the Oaks until last Friday, when the victory of Sir Victor

Sassoon’s Exhibitionist gave him his first success in the ladies’ race. Donoghue lias ridden the Derby winner on six occasions. It is worthy of mention that Exhibitionist is a daughter of Solario, who was also the sire of the Derby winner, Midday Sun.