THE WORLD OF SPORT

Manawatu Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 3309, 1 April 1926, Page 5

THE WORLD OF SPORT

Our Own Correspondents) Lost By a Neck. A tragedy has occurred (writes Centaur, our racing expert), in connection with the Grand National, Fly Mask, one of the prominent candidates, falling in a minor race at Haydock Park, and breaking his neck. Fly Mask was again to be the main hope of the noted trainer, Tom Coulthwaite, and he was sanguine that the horse would go one better than he had done in [the previous two years, when he was second and third respectively. Now h e will have to rely on a hunter called Foxfoot, who showed fair stamina ; and jumping ability on several occasions last season, but gave a moderate exhibition the other day, the only (time we have had a glimpse of him this year, it will need all the skill that the “Hednesford Wizard”, as Tom is caned, can command to transform Foxfoot into a, live Grand National proposition.

Throughout the race at , Haydock Fly Mask did not appear to rence with his usual confidence, and' his jockey; Eric Poster, who escaped with a shaking, said that he became unbalanced after going two miles ana never attempted %to rise at the rafcai fence. Fly Mask, a bay gelding by Fly Fisher out, of Bergomask, was was twelve years of age, and, although ranking as a half-bred, came from a line which has produced many notable houses. His first success in England, after being brought from Ireland, .strangely enough, < was achieved at Haydock, where in 1824 his chance was so lijttle considered that he started at 20 to 1 against a field of three. Following this victory he was twice successful ,and it began to dawn upon people that Coutthwaite might, have in him a better candidate for the Grand National of that year than Conjuror 11. Unfortunately. in a few weeks (time, lameness was developed, and, despite tne assiduous attention of his trainer. Fly Mask was unable to compete at Liverpool in 1924. Conjuror II finished third, so it is obvious that a great chance had beenj missed of winning the race with the other horse, wno had been allotted a very light weight. Ply Mask made a good recovery, ana the following season finished second at Aintree (to Master Eobert. Last March he occupied third position to Double Chance and Old Tay Bridge, and, naturally, as a result of those performances, he was mad e considerable use of in “doubles” for the forthcoming Lincoln Handicap and Gfrana National. Now all these “doubleshave been knocked on the head by ’ the fatal accident, and the bookmakers thus start off with a good lead. The prospect of witnessing a Grand National trial under favourable conditions had drawn a large crew'd, including the Prince of Warns to the Ungfleld course on the same afternoon ‘that Ply Mask met his death up North. A Good Finish. , Ruddyglow, who is not in the Na- s tional this year, but is considered tne 1 second best ’chaser in the country, i was carrying top weight ,and he was ' opposed by such Aintree aspirants as : Gerald L., Sprig and Ardeen. We were treated to a pretty contest, in which excellent fencing was the keynote. Ardeen, despite making a mistake at the fence beyond the water, set the pace, which he maintained for rather over two miles, and then resigned jthe lead td Gerald L., who was closely attended by Ruddyglow and Sprig; with ’ the lightly weighted Beggars End > conspicuously in the rear. Between the last two fences it looked any reasonable odds on Ruddyglow winriiiig, but no sooner had ouch a conclusion been reached than Speck—a coming jockey this—broughjt .Beggars End along with an electrifying 'run at the last fence, ana, once over, , sprinted away, to .wm cleverly from the top weight. Gerald L just kept Sprig out of third place. Sprig will be made much fitter, by Grand National day) and he is a horse sure te jump the country and to last out the tiring journey as he did twelve months ago. The outing at I Lingfleld will have benefitted him considerably. Gerald L was ridden : by Mr. Harry Brown, the famous I amajteur, but I doubt whether he will 1 accept the mount at Aintree, for ho 1 told me afterwards he had formed ! the opinion that the horse’s manner i of fencing was not suitable to the 1 (task on hand in the big affair. As i a matter of fact, there is a chance or 1 Mr. Brown being associated with Old i Tal Bridge as Jack Anthony is being 1 linked up with Double Chance. 1 Double Chance, incidentally, was i seen out at Haydock in the race in i which Ply Mask ran, ana Anthony ( wasi his pilot.. Lasjt year’s hero or ! the Blue Riband, although he did not ( win on tills ; occasion, jumped perfect- s ly and showed, no signs after the i race of being troubled by any un- j soundness in , his legs. Archer, his ] trainer, is now confident that he can ; get Jthp horse safely at the post ror ij the Grand National, and, if, as is i likely, Anthony gives up his last < year’s mount on Old Tay Bridge to : rid e Double Chance, this time, the I pointer would be very significant. ■ Anthony, of course, as the winner or < (three Grand Nationals, has almost l unlimited choice of mounts, and his final decision is most imortant. As I write there is every prospect oP his being up on Double Chance this year. 1 No horse has ever won the National 1 two years in succession, but the pros- 1 peeft of the record being broken is Quite a bright one. ' Hurroo Bhoyst [ Speedy, clever, and forceful, and j with typical abandon, the Irisn t Rugby team gain.ed a notable victory 1 over England in .Dublin by a margin 1 of thre 6 points—eighteen to fifteen, t It- was thejr first success over Eng- c land for fifteen years ,and never ce- t for® had they scored so many points. £ The match' provided abundant proof t that there has been a real revival in t Irish football, and sentiment, at any c rate, compels the hope thatt they will t win the championship. This has not t been held by the bhoys in Emerald 1; ,Green, since 1899 but now they ap-r

pear to have a fine chance of gaining the honours of the season. The hero of (the match against England was G. Y. .Stephenson, one of the centre three-quarters. With a glorious kick from a penalty, ho landed a goar from close to tho half way line, ne converted a try with another supero kick from near the touch line, and he repeated the feat later from (the same spot. It was a great afternoon’s work, and, in addition, Stephenson ny his fine straight running and sure handling contributed in other valuable ways to the success of the team, an old Haileybury boy, Stephenson did not get into the school team until his last year .and he was (then so frail that- it did not appear as though there was a place for him in firstclass Rugby. On returning to Dunlin ho played in the (third University side, but ho was quickly promoted, and, before the year was out ,he had placed against France.

That was in 1920, and Ills match against England last week was his tcwnjty-fourth international. England scored first, and led by two goals to a try and a penalty at tho interval. Then in the second half came two (tries for Ireland which, as stated, Stephenson converted. England rallied, and put on another try, which became a goal. There was now only a single point between the teams, and England; fought desperately to save the match. Over Keenness, however, spoilt several promising efforts. Then, with a minute to go, a shrewd cross-kick enabled Ireland to score again, and so to make ceijtain of victory. 1 ’lt was a great performance, and the result correctly represented the; merits of the sides. The Irish forwards played their part splendidly. They scrummaged harder than their rivals, 'they heeled quicker, and th e only way in which they did not more than hold their own was in assisting their backs In open advance. The English team was disappointing, bu]t it would be ungracious to Ireland to suggest tnat they played poorly. There was, nowever, a lack of brilliance behind the scrummage. Francis was a complete success, but he was the only member of the back division to show those flashes of originality and daring tnat win matches. The wing men were weak. Hamilton-Wickes appears to have lost his dash, and Sir T, G. Devitt was wanting in resource as well as in defence. H. C. Catheside, the converted wing three-quarter of two years ago, was not satisfactory as a fullback. For the next maten, which is against France, both Catcneside and Hamilton-Wickes nave been dropped, and two new men have been included in the pack. The mu back is to be T. E. Holliday, an oicl international, and J. C. Gibbs, tne Harlequin sprinter, will take tne place °f Hamilton-Wickes. In the pack the changes are C. K. J. Faithful and R. Webb for W. E. Tucxor and E. Stnabury. Suzanne Lenglen Still Champion.

Mile. Lenglen is still 1 supreme on lawn tennis courts. Under conditions which have disturbed a player with a much more stable temperament tnan she possesses, she resisted the challenge of the young American champion, Mias Helen Wills, in a maten,• which, from every point of view was the most remarkable that has ever been played. The French girl won in straight sets, taking the first as 6-3 and the second at S-6. When Helen Wills went to the South or France to take part in th e Winter tournaments, she had no hope ‘or meeting her rival, Suzanne having told her that she did not intend to take part in a single, against her until the championship at Wimblecon. Bui circumstances were too strong for the champion. The American and French press began (to write U P the match, as though it were bound to take place, and Suzanen 6 had to break her resolve. America’s representative was, of course, always ready to play, and it was the public’s knowledge, of this fact that made It so difficult for her rival to stand our or the tournaments. No lawn tennis match has' ever been so tremendously ■ boosted to fire th e imagination of the public, both in Europe and America. Film stars could not have been given greater notoriety. Every day, ror a fortnight before the game there was a new stunt worthy of a big fight promoter. Interviews real and imaginary, filled columns of the press, there was haggling over the picture, rights, as though these were more important than the play, and a threat by Miss Wills to wi(tlidraw from tne match, owing to a fear that her amateur status might be endangered by money-making schemes which were to be exploited. Indeed, before sne went intofche court she asked for, and received the permission of th 0 American L.' T. A. So came! the grea* day—with Mile. Lenglen ill at ease. Sh 6 confessed that she had not naa a wink of, sleep. Only about 2,500 spectators could be accommodated, and, fully (ten thousand sought admission. Indeed, there were more people outside than inside the ground and every elevajted position which gave a view of the court was claimed. Seats could not be bought for £6O each. It will be realised that the match was played in an atmosphere totally foreign to tho game. So great was the noise from . the people outside that both girls during the piay protested. Hot and. Bothered. Miss Wills, however, appeared as though she was not possessed of nerves, and it was Suzanne who suffered most. Afterwards, when sne had won, she said that she had played "most awfully”. It- was an ungracious remark, but is is true that sh e bas ofiten played better. But the American girl, who is the hardest hitter in woman’s lavm tennis, contributed to her errors. Suzanne, in the first place, was mad e to run about, j thc court as no other opponent had' compelled her to do before, ana throughout! she played on tho defensive, her plan being to win through her rival’s mistakes. Even when she was 5-2 down in th c second set, she did not change her tactics. This was a critical situation but the French girl faced it heroically, and made a gallant recovery. She received a fright, however, ana her

S nerves were near to breaking point, 0 as was soon when, after a secona • s match in the afternoon, she fainted c on the court. The result musjt have K been pleasing to Helen Wills, and at ir the same time it probably shook tne e confidence of Suzanne. Still the latD ter has not only yet to be beaften, nut ll an opponent has still even to win a e set against her. y The Cup Competition, e The Football Association Cup com- .- petition has been reduced to sixteen i. clubs, and the eight ties in th nrtn n round! are to be decided this week u end. As is usual, Aston Villa, who ii hoxa the record number of six wins, li | are well to the fore ,and, mainly nc- - caus e (they have such a remarkable - knack of playing about twenty-nve y pec cent better in knockout game I, than in an. ordinary League game, d they are the favourites. Drawn ac home, they would under normal con--1 ditions have been severolyl tested by s th c Arsenal, but the latter have ro - take the field without either of tneir a winf forwards and their centre half 0 all of whom are injured. It is,hoped f that Dr. Paterson, the old Glasgow s Ranger's forward, who is in practice - in London, and who formerly assisted the Arsenal, will in the circumstances s be pressed into service, but still jtne 8 club will be considerably below - strength, and are likely to be beaten. - But if Aston Villa are favourijtes, tne - cleverest and most effective team up 8 pear to be Sunderland. They are ut - home to Manchester United, who re--3 semblc the Barnsley of pre-war time tin their speed and strong open J mcjthods. Including the Arsena> • London and the South Fulham win cbe defeated by Notts County, and - Crystal Palace lose to, Manchester 1 City. Both Milwall and Clapton i Orient are at homo. This advantage, f however, may nc(t suffice to enable 1 them to) win against Swansea and i Newcastle United respectively. The • Southern side who hav e the best t prospects are Southend, who meet • Nottingham Forest. Another winner > should be Bolton Wanderers against ( South Shields. Cricket for Schoolboys. ; 1 Though the elementary schoolboys ! are splendidly catered for a(t football, i nothing is don e for them at crlcKtyc. , A hundred thousand more have tneir i leagues and cup competitions and international matches during the Win- : ter, but , if they want (to play cricket ■ they have to pitch their stumps on a bit of waste ground, or even maze use of a street lamp-post. There is i lijttle chance for them to develop ! under these conditions. The M. C. C. foster cricket at the big Public schools, but they have never given a thought to tho elementary schoolboys, and, as attempts to persuacte them to change their policy have failed, the clubs are now trying to give the help which it is strongly felt should come from the governing authority. AJjter tho War a scheme was introduced at Oxford, unaer which the schools were allowed to play cricket at Oxford ,and the enterprise has been a marked success, it is this scheme which is now to bo be pu(t in force generally. The private clubs have been asked to a:uw the use of their grounds, say, from five to seven in the evening, for practice, and also to permit one game a week to be played in mid-week. The response has been most encouraging, and it is hoped in this way (to create facilities for the boys to play wnerC hitherto none has existed. An undertaking has been given that a master will always be in charge when the • boys ajttend the ground, and that there will be no interference with the play of the members of the club. A scheme has long been in operation in golf on on thes e lines. Clubs allow caddies, and others living in the vicinity of the course, who cannot afford to pay club dues, to play at certain times of the day without charge. 5 All over the country artisan duos 1 have been formed under these con- £ ditions, and there is now an artisans - J championship .. The first of these 3 clubs were organised at Westward 1 Ho about forty years ago, and J. H. * Taylor is one of several notable piay- 1 ers it has given to the game. Or an 1 thc prizes he has won, none gives c Taylor greater pleasure than a gold ' medal, which he gained as a youtn at Westward Ho’. £ The Boat Race. c Though the University boat race is 1 not to take place for five weeks, tne t crews have now gone into strict c training and thc make-up of tne t Cambridge boat has been definitely t decided. The only old Blues are c W. F. Smith, No 2, G. H. Ambler, No £ 3, and S. K. Tubbs, all of whom are f old Shrewsbury boys, bu(c, though the t work has still, many rough cages, 1 most promising form has been shown, o Owing to the improvement which has a been brought about in the Cam. by r dredging, the crow hav e not been to f lily this year. They are, however, to pay their usuai visit to Henley at the end of the week, where they wm be instructed by Mr. Dudley Ward. c When the Oxford boat was nrst c launched, ttho men did not impress, 1' but they have made astonishing im- b provement, and they may yet con- a found their critics. Thc experiment - f of placing the' President, C. E. Pit- e man, at . stroke has been most sue- b cessful. He was a complete stranger e to the position until this term, ex- n cept for pair-oar rowing. H e has £ length and rhythm, and he has t brought the boat • along in great 11 style. The Oxford eight are one of the heavieyt who have represented 11 the University, the average wclgnt i: being 12st 71bs, so that they win I probably require mor e time than £ their rivals do settle down. Tnoy £ have been given an exceptional num- c ber of long rows, and it is bellevea £> that they will arrive at Putney for P thc final stages of the practice on tne T tideway as a powerful crew, possess- d ing pace, if not as taking a style ns b their rivals. Both boats arc due ro sl arrive in London in thc second week of March ,and the rao c will be rowea t 1 on March 27th. 1 Boxing and Boxers. ?

The first really big fight (writes Eugene Corri) at the National Sporting) Club will bo on. Monday, (22nd Fobruaar.vL .when we are to see

Scotland’s Elky Clark defend the flyweight belt against Kid Socks, o typical Cockney, whose homo in Bethnal Green. There was a time, you will recollect, when this verj much desired match appeared likely to fall through, Clark, for his pan not seeing eye to eye with the N.S.C. in the matter of terms. There was even talk about his returning Jthc Lonsdale trophy. Happily it was comparatively easy to straighten out whatever difficulties there were in the way of staging tne contest at headquarters, and the probability is that we shall see n battle, and one to remind us of the days of Jimmy Wilde. No mor e intriguing contest for the fiy-weignt belt could have been arranged, for it cannot be disputed that Clark and Socks stand out high abov c the iiKio fellows. The nearest approach to them is the remarkably successful Teddy Baldoch, and, as you are no doubt aware, he is to toe the lino against the hard-bitten Soot at tne next Albert Hall show. A groat axfair this should prove to be. A Mixed Pair. But about next Monday, and tne challenge of the champion and His challenger. If you searched high ana low you would not happen upon two boxers so strikingly unlike e ach other as Clark and Socks. They are as different as chalk is from cheese in every particular. Clark is typical of his country—as hard as nails, unemotional, dour to the core. He reminds me very much of Taney Lee m that he is all for punching his way to victory. Mind Clark is something more than a punchfcr. He has abundant cleverness, tar more than you would perhaps think, if you did not apply yourself entirely to a tsudy of ills ways. But it is the kick which he puts into his blows that represent his long suit. He Is, ny comparison with Socks, more of a fighter than a boxer. He loaves prancing around the ring to others. There is no suggestion of the sand dancers in the Scot; no flashiness; little sparkle; and for his size his stamina is wonderful. Whenever I have seen him, the further a contest has gone the better he has been. He is what I mignt, not inaptly, dcscrlb c as a Maratnon boxer. He is at his best over the mill championship distance, and it is his capacity for sticking it, and pulling out a knock-out punch in the las* second of a fight, that will mak e him

favourite next Monday. Socks, as you well know .has already fought Clark over 12 rounaa, and was then the winner. But whilst I would give him every possible credit for that victory, lam sure in my very own mind that had that contest, which was, at tthe Albert Hall, been spread over 20 rounds, Soeks wouia hav c - been beaten. And most sound judges were of my way of thinking. I have not seen Socks in action since he so surprisingly outpointed Clark, but I am assured that he has improved ' most markedly, and the likelihood is that, at weighing in and also at Ithe ringside, there will be a fair amount of money for the London youth. There is no doubt that Socks is an especially clever lad. When he was quite a tiny tot he impressed me profoundly. He has got a fighting face, a fighters’ head, and the fighting mind. He is much.quicker on his fec)t than Clark, and perhaps more engaging to look upon. But there is this that I question, l do not think he can fight with the same vigour as Clark. lam not sure whether he has got [the punch to neat th 0 Scot. If the contest goes the run distance, perhaps' Socks will have made most points, but I (think that Clark will be too strong for him. However, whatever the result, we should sc c a rare contest on Monday.