Flashes From Fields of Sport Abroad

Manawatu Times, Volume 59, Issue 222, 22 September 1934, Page 12

Flashes From Fields of Sport Abroad

Consistency Of Woodfull. Australia’s cricket captain, W. IVx. Woodfull, has been remarkably consistent in his batting in first class matches in three tours of England. In 1920 he scored 1672 runs in 29 completed innings in first-class games in England, at an average of 57.05; in 1930 he made 1434 runs in 25 completed innings, at an average of 57.36; and this year he has scored 1268 runs in 24 innings ol the tour, at an average of 52.83. So in the first-class matches of the three tours he had made 4374 runs, in 24 completed innings, at an average of 56.07. * * * Bad Management. v

Dilatory management of the British Empire Games earned adverse comment from English newspapers. It is remarked by one of the principal newspatters that the Games opened with pomp and ceremony, music and colour and cheering, and then proceeded to dwindle into something rather longwinded and dreary and second-rate. The usual charges for admission at important athletic meetings in London had been approximately doubled for this occasion, and the stands at the White City Stadium were less than half Jull. To' make things worse, the 25.000 people who were present were made peevish at the start by an excess of oratory in the opening ceremony, and afterwards they were constantly and justifiably irritated by false starts, the dawdling of competitors, and long delays between events. The ceremonial started at 3 p.m.. the first event at 4 o’clock, “and,’’ says one commentator, “we finally escaped at 7 p.m., bored and dispirited." * * *

The Victorian Cricket Association lost £3578 on its working last season, turning a credit balance into an overdraft of°£ 1803. However, it will be well in credit again for the new season, as its share of the profit from the Australian team’s tour of England will be over £4OOO. In any case, the association is a wealthy body, with ample reserves. Among its assets is a building worth about £40,000.

Not The Real Champion. A cablegram from New York, published a few days ago. stated that Teddy Yarosz, of Monaca, Pennsylvania, had beaten Vince Dundee, of Newark, New Jersey, for the world’s middleweight boxing championship. However. Dundee was not the real champion of the world in this division. Marcel Thil, of France, still holds the world’s championship, and the leading American boxing periodicals credit the Frenchman with the championship. Dundee was recognised by the New York Boxing Commission as the champion, but in the western parts of the United States neither Thil nor Dundee was regarded officially as the champion. “It seems,” remarks the latest issue of “The Ring,” the foremost American boxing journal, “that there are middleweight champions in every part of the universe, yet the one and only individual entitled to that honour is Marcel Thil, rightfully the world’s champion.” *:• * * McCabe In England.

S. J. McCabe, now 24 years old, has had 61 completed innings in first-class cricket in two tours of England. His aggregate for the two tours is 3090 runs, end his average 50.65 an innings. In the tour which he has just finished so far as first-class matches are concerned he has a little more than doubled his aggregate in corresponding matches in 1930, and more than doubled his average. He scored 1012 runs in 31 completed innings, in first-class games, at an average of 32.64, in the 1930 tour, and 2078 runs, in 30 completed innings, at an average of 69.26, in this year’s tour. His highest score in the 1930 tour was 96. Nice On Parade! Here is another note, by a leading English paper, on the conduct of the first day’s proceedings in the British Empire Games: "One observed with interest that the parade of the British team was led by 54 officials, all in handsome blazers. Surely their united wisdom energy, and experience can discover some way, or preferably several ways, of hurrying up the proceedings. So far this meeting has been more sluggish than any other that one can remember, and it has done the Empire Games cause no good.” On the second day the management of the track and field events was as dilatory as ever.

Still Breaking It. When is J. Torrance, of Louisiana State University, U.S.A., going to stop breaking the record for putting the 161 b Shot? At Oslo, Norway, a few weeks ago, Torrance heaved the shot a little matter of 57ft lin, at an international athletic meeting. The official record is 52ft 7Tflin, established by Z. Heljasz, of Poland, in 1932, but Torrance has betered that several times. Until his effort at Oslo Torrance’s best in official competition was 55ft Sin, at the American championships. * * * Twenty Runs Short.

If Don Bradman had scored 20 more runs in the first-class matches of the Australian cricket team's tour of England he would have reached an aggregate of 5000 runs for his two tours of that country. In 1930 he scored 2960 runs in 30 completed innings in firstclass matches in England, at an average of 98.66. ahd this year he made 2020 runs in 24 completed innings, at an average of 84.16. So in 54 completed innings in first-class cricket in England he has scored 4980 runs at an average of 92.22. * * * Self-Punishment. A medical student, B. L. Prendergast, who had been selected to represent Jamaica in the discus-throwing at the British Empire Games, withdrew from the competition in self-punishment Competitors in the Empire Games and the Women’s World Games, which followed, practised at the White City Stadium, London, at the same time. A Japanese girl, named Yamamoto, . was injured while she was practising jave-lin-throwing. Prendergast said that he was the cause of the accident, and therefore he had determined not to compete in the Empire Games. “But for the accident,” lie said, “she might have created a world’s record. I am too upset by the whole thing to take part myself. I am sorry for my teammates, 'but 1 will not alter my decision.” vfr 4F * Lancashire And Notts.

“it is to be hoped,” remarks a Lancashire paper, “Inat the suspension of the cricket matches between Lancashire and Nottinghamshire will be only temporary. The counties met for the first time in 1868, when Nottingham won on both occasions. The fixture then lapsed for a few years, but was revived in 1876, when each county won one game. From then until the present the counties have met regularly, and the results up to date are: Lancashire, won 35, ’ost 27, the drawn games numbering 47. In 1879 J. Briggs, then a boy of 17, made his first appearance for Lancashire, scoring 36. In 1882, R. G. Barlow carried his bat through the Lancashire second innings and made five runs in two hours and a-half, and in 1886 the Lancashire and Nottingham match was chosen for his benefit. Who that witnessed it will readily forget the 1926 match at Old Trafford, when Lancashire made certain of the championship, and when Makepeace (180) and Ernest Tyidesley (140) gave one of the finest displays of batsmanship ever seen there? If it were possible for a match to be played on the Elysian cricket fields the following teams of dead cricket heroes would provide great sport;—Lancashire: A. N. Hornby, R. G Barlow, A. G. Steel, J. T. Tyidesley, F. H. Sugg, J. Hallows, W. Cuttell, J. Briggs, R. Pilling, A. Watson, A. Mold. Nottingham: A. Shrewsbury, W. Scotton, W. Gunn, A. O. Jones. J. A. Dixon, W. Barnes, R. Daft, W. Flowers, M. Shcnvin, W. Attewell, A. Shaw.”

Boxing Curiosities. Vince Dundee, who was rated by the New York Boxing Commission as the holder of the world’s middleweight championship, but who has been deposed now by Teddy Yarosz, had to fight Yarosz recently because the commission ordered him to do so in defence of his title within 60 days of the issue of the board’s order. For the purposes of this order Dundee was credited with holding the American championship—which must be defended every six months—although the board regarded Dundee as the world’s champion. too. But Dundee had defended his championship four months ago. However, as he had dodged Yarosz for a long time the order to him was rough-and-ready justice. There is, though, a contrast with the board’s treatment of Earnev Ross, who has not defended the lightweight championship for 11 months.

Triumphant Finish. Figures tell what the rest, while five matches of the Australian cricket team’s tour were in progress, just before the fifth Test, did for Don Bradman. In his five innings since he had that rest in a private nursing-home, Bradman has scored 244. 77, 19 149 not out, and 132, the first two of these innings being against England, and the last two against specially-selected teams. So in the five innings he has scored 621 runs, with one innings not completed, giving him an average, for this part of the tour, of 155.25. *- * * Too-Effervesccnt “Futball.”

■'Central Europe is' having a high old sporting time at the moment,” asserts an English paper's' correspondent in Vienna, recently. "Football matches are being played for the Mid-European Cup, and almost every one of them during the last few weeks has produced its crop of ‘regrettable incidents.’ Last week-end the important Italian club of Bologna was playing against the Vienna club Rapid, and there was apparently some rough play by the Austrians. Thereupon Monzeglio, a member of the Italian team which won the European Cup, used insulting words to some of the Austrian players, and the game degenerated into a free fight before the grandstand. Since Monzeglio seemed to include the spectators in his remarks, the crowd also took a hand Quantities of soda-water bottles were thrown at the Italians, who had to be protected by the police. Meanwhile in Budapest a match between the club Hungaria and the Prague club Sparta also developed into fisticuffs. Various people are now wondering whether football, in Central Europe at least, is quite the promoter of international goodwill and better relations it is cracked up as being.” 44 44 44 Progressive. In his first visit to England as a member of an Australian cricket team W. 11. Ponsford had 22 completed innings and scored 901 runs at an average of 40.95, in first-class matches. Tnat was in 1926. In 1930 he had 2!) completed innings in first-class games in England, and scored 1425 runs at an average ol 49.13. His 1784 runs in 23 completed innings in England this year (average 77.56) bring his aggregate in first-class matches in England alone to 4110, for 74 completed innings, and his average for the three tours is 55.54.

Crawford’s Racket. If a great lawn tennis player uses a racket or garment different from that in general use he is sure to find otheis to imitate him. J. H. Crawford uses a wedge-shaped racket, so do other Australians; that shape is being copied in England, and players are finding m it merits not associated with the usual design. The modern racket is the result of gradual evolution (remarks a writer in an English paper), and Crawfords racket is a reversion to an early type, one associated with the game when women played in voluminous dresses, with hats on, when the influence of the bustle yet lingered, and skirts just cleared the ground. It docs not really matter veiy much if the player thinks he can play with a certain shape and weight. N. Brookes once ruled the lawn tennis world with a racket which was only 13oz or less in weight and was not tightly strung. Who would play to-day with a racket that was not strung to its highest pitch? But who can play that wonderful volleying game that Brookes played? Those balls fell “dead and scored in dying.

Noted Cricketer Dies. L. J. Tancrcd, the Transvaal and South African cricketer, died at Johannesburg, recently,, at the age of 58. He was well known in . England, for he made four visits with representative teams in 1901, 1904, 1907, and 1912; on his last tour he took over the captaincy from F. Mitchell in three of the six Test matches played against England and Australia. Having abundant patience, Tancred was an excellent opening batsman, for he could wear down the bowling for oiher players to punish. He also hit powerfully, but a pronounced crouch spoilt his play. He was particularly good in playing fast bowling. His highest score in a Test match was 97 against Australia in 1902; his aggregate in twenty-six innings against England and Australia was 530 for an average ol 21.20.

An Essex Loss. Dudley Pope, the Essex cricketer who was killed in a motor-car accident a few days ago, was not quite 26 years old. He was born in Surrey, but first qualified in county cricket for Gloucestershire. As he could not obtain a regular place in the Gloucestershire team he removed to Essex, for which county he qualified in 1930. In his first season with Essex he scored over 1200 runs at an average of 34. He dropped below 1000 runs in 1931, but after that he remained in the class of a thousand runs a season. About two years ago he was promoted in the batting order, becoming an opening batsman, and a consistent one. Pope was a personal friend of F. J. Perry, the world’s leading lawn tennis player.

It is reported from Sydney that the New South Wales Rugby Union _ has been investigating the constitutional position that would arise if it decided, next season, to revert to the amended kick-into-touch rule, and has found that the legal position is that there is nothing to prevent its reverting to that rule for its own matches, provided it follows the International Rugby Board s laws in international matches. vr "ft ■** The America’s Cup.

The racing for the America's Cup, between Harold Vanderbilt’s Rainbow (defender of the trophy) and T. O.M. Sopwith’S Endeavour, recalls the first race, in 1851, when a specially-built schooner, the America, crossed the Atlantic from the United States under its own sail and racing against 14 competitors, won, 24 minutes _ ahead of the second boat. The America was a freak craft, and old prints of her at the time of the race show startling differences as compared with racing yachts of the period. Stability and seaworthiness were then the chief aims of yacht designer, and boats were of the “codhead and mackerel-tail type.” with a broad, blunt bow, tapering away to a fine stern. Although strong, they were anvthing but swift, as they offered great resistance to the waves and were extremely slow in turning. The designer of (he America abandoned (he 'adpole model as it was called, and built a vessel notable chiefly to (lie eye for her exceedingly sharp bows. The A.merica, however, proved a much more useful vessel than might have been expected. After showing well in later races she was used as a blockade runner in the Civil War, and was sunk by a Federal ship in Florida. Raised and repaired, she took part in the Cup race of 1870, and was in regular use for many years as a trading schooner. The big gilt eagle that adorned her stern was bought by an Isle of Wight hotel proprietor, but in 1912 the Royal Yacht Squadron, in a fine sporting spirit, acquired the troohv and Dresented it to the New York Yacht Club.

It was against his former club, Rishton, that W. E. Merritt took eight wickets for 88 runs, in the Lancashire Cricket League, a few weeks ago. Mer* rill’s present club, East Lancashire, batting first, had declared at 204 for three wickets, one of the opening batsmen, J. Chadwick, scoring 109 not out. and Merritt, who went in second wicket down, making 31. lUshton was dismissed for 153.