Sporting Sprints.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 67, 28 June 1912, Page 13

Sporting Sprints.

"There is nothing tliat- interests nw 'ike boxing," said Sir Robert Peel, cue of England's most celebrated Prime Ministers. "It asks more steadiness, •elf-control, aye, and manly courage, than any other exorcise." w m » A Good Motto: "To brag little, to $how well, to now gently; to pay Dp, to own up. and to shut up if boa ten. arc the virtues of a sporting man."—Oliver .Wendell Holmes. • » • A fcurst of "chin music" from Jack Johnson: ''I am too good for any other Wnan in the world. No one is left for mc to lick. After July 4 I will meet the rest, white, black or blue hopes, »t the rate of one per week. This means Lang/ord, too; but I must have A side wager posted. 1 am feeling lino, and really believe I could put Vnlzer, McCarthy, Ivaufmann, Flynii and Langlord in the ring and whip the bunch without exerting myself." m ir - On the form he has shown in his hist two tights, Sow Zealander Bill Rudd, though ho has little science, as that word is generally understood, must be fccoounted among the best middleweights in the country, says the Sydney "Sun." lto is essentially a slugger, »nd only a short-distance man. An athlete would call him a sprinter. If ho does not succeed in handing his opponent the drenm-pill early, he is generally put to by-b.vc himself within a few rounds. His is the kind of fighting that men love, and it is safe to say that he Las never yet fought but what he has roused the spectators to enthusiasm. As be. comes crouching, tearing in, with "the feline gleam in his eyes, lashing out left and right, he simply thrills his audience. Like. Billy Papke, lie has found that iti pays to cut out the "fancy stuff," providing the ring-the-bell punch is there. It must not be imagined, however, that Rudd is an easy man to hit. He has a habit of bringing to light a neat duck, and drawing his body back just enough to avoid punishment. He is rather in the awkward than the unskilled class. * * * In reviewing the Australian boxing season in his magazine, "Snowy" Baker 13eals with Sam Langford, and his opinion is decidedly interesting. "Sam Langford has not lived up to his colossal reputation," he saye. "It was given out by many goodjudgps in America and England that the 'Boston Tar B:\by' tad the ability to lower the. colors of his dusky brother Johnson. With the giant champion in the form as wo Australians remember when he fought in Sydney, his pugilistic coronet would lurelyVomain undisturbed opposed to the 'Tar' Baby.' Sam Lancrford's methods in battle, are the unadulterated essence of natural fi^L t insx. and to this end nature smiled sweetly on him. With Jack Johnson's height Sam Langford would undoubtedly be world's champion heavyweight. 'What Langford 105e.3 in height, however, he makes up in Vreadth. His short, broad stature is tlmost uncanny. Langford's cleverness is more natural than studied. He has been gifted by the gods with a wonderful defence in tlio form of huge, deltoid cr top shoulder muscles and necto-p.ls--the large muscles over tho entire chest. These, with the. aid of a short neck, brinw the jaws aiul chin, into such a formidable cover that it is only by very skilled manipulating they can be landed on Little Sam's power to take punishment, like 'Cyclone' Thompson's is freakish ; in fact, Tie scorns immune from all hurt. He is probably the most forceful fighter we have ever seen. Always on the move forward in his quiet. do«"ed stylo, he rnn send right or loft swing to body or jaw from any angle. Landlord's footwork is slow but sure. He can rarely, if ever, be. caught napping in this respect, yet still I doubt if it could be classed as clover. Sam's defence, by means of arms and hand work, is excellent, though for timing end cleanness it cannot be classed with that of McVoa. Personally. I think Langford a great fighter and a true sportsman through and through, but he is not, as Sydney saw him, tho mighty champion the other countries have made him." • *- • Jim Barry, interviewed in Auckland en route for America, had some things to say concerning his experiences in Australia and boxers and boxing in general. Though Sydney had been ppoken of as tho Mecca of tho boxing world, and the Australians were right out on their own as sportsmen, he thought the business was being run in the form of a giant monopoly, and that one man was making a huge fortune. Ho was glad to get away from Sydner. ns were also Dan Flynn and Jim Clubby. Their Australian tour bad been a sad experience financiallyHe himself had fought two big matches of 20 round* each for £39 and £35 respectively, and it was only as the result of a big effort that he succeeded in getting £200 :js his share of tlm flpht with Langford. For his match vrth Bill Lang, which lie won, Barry got a little over £3.0. Other American Boxers, he declared, are treated ju»t as badly, and Dave Smith was very wise fa get away from Sydney and make for

'Frisco, where he will get much better engagements financially. Mchegan, in Barry's opinion, would also be wise to make for the States. Reverting to the world's championship chatter, Barry said that it was impossible to do anything else but take a pessimistic view of the situation. The colored boxers I were prominent, and the only thing to do in his opinion was to draw the color line. Barry had fought Langford eleven times and McYca twin , , and is convinced that if McVea wero only a little more game he would easily defeat Langford and probably account tor Johnson. MeVea is, in his opinion, the hardest hitter and fastest ki'.liand puncher in the world. Thus "Bully" in tho "Otago Times": 't is so often said of hoi-key teams that, while in general the play is good, opportunities to score are not taken full advantage of, and there is no doubt whatever about the number of goals which should be scored/ but are. not scored. One great cause is that many forwards, after sending in a good shot., stand at the edge of the circle and watch its effect. The goalkeeper frequently stops such a shot, which rebounds off his pads into such a position as would give a forward a lovely chance if he followed up his shot. A rebound off a goal post creates a .similar position. For these and other reasons forwards should follow hard np alter the shot at goal. If tho practice has no other effect than to hustle the goalkeeper it is a good one. One other direction in which goals are lost is that sometimes, when all the defending backs are in the circle, anything like a clear shot is made impossible, and scrambling becomes the order of pluy. The forwards are live or six yards off the goal lino. A back manages to hit the ball past them. If the centre-half of the attacking team is at that lime hovering about the edge of the circle there is then a splendid chance for him to get in a hard shot. Wing forwards and wing halves can render useful service by rigidly adhering to their proper positions when the inside forwards are in the circle, and sending the ball back into the centre when it is cleared. In this way the inside men are enabled to sustain the attack, and a sustained attack should in most cases result in the discomfiture of tiie defenders. * * * The possibilities of the present day motor cycle are beginning to be appreciated ill the Dominion and Commonwealth, and the. result is a boom amongst motor cycle agents, who.se sole complaint is that they cannot got supplied. The demand for first-class machines is so groat it , . England that orders from Australasia cuiuiot be filled without delay, and uiiis appears to be a state of things that is likely to hold for some considerable time to conic. If a firm like tho B.S.A. Company would only supply component ptirts, in the same manner as they do their cycle parts, ti splendid assembling trade could bt- started immediately in this country and Australia. Given the parts, the machines could easily be assembled hero, whereas noiv the Lading English makes, which arc much sought after, cannot be supplied. The first manufacturing firms to grasp this fact and are quick to appreciate tho business that is waiting in Australasia, will gather in a big and lucrative business. ' * # * Judging from reports to hand from Australia, the forthcoming road-rac-ing season is going to be, a busy one. [n the whole of the States road racing is growing in favor year by year, and there is little doubt that its popularity it permanent. To command success in this field of sport, the cyclist who aims at success has to live a clean, healthy life. Old riders—by experience—have a fair knowledge or how to fit themselves for road-racing, but many of the younger school have little, idea how to go about getting fit. In this direction some very useful and instructive information is available in the Dunlop Rubber Co.'s publication, "All about Cycling." and aspirants for road honors should make a point of obtaining a copy of this interesting booklet, which can be had gratis for the asking, and training according to the rules therein laid down. The result is sure to be beneficial, both from a physical and racing point of view.