THE SPORTING WORLD

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 26 November 1938, Page 5

THE SPORTING WORLD

By “ERA”

VARIETY OF PARS FROM HERE AND THERE

OLD FOOTBALL CONTROVERSY ALL BLACKS, 1905, V. WALES THAT MUCH- DISCUSSED TRY Recently the cablegrams reported that Dr. E. T. Morgan, the dapper little Welshman who scored the try at Cardiff on 16lh December. 1905, which beat New Zealand, lost his right eye as the result of a shooting accident in Norfolk. And so all hands are resurrecting the Bob Deans’ incident, because Teddy Morgan is one of those —and there are really quite a few in Wales —who declare that the ex-Christchurch High School’s champion did ground the ball over the Welsh line well on in the second spell. George Travers, who was the scarlet hooker that great day for the principality has just recently said otherwise. In the course of a long article in “Reynold's News” on the Cardiff classic ol 33 years ago, Travers, after showing how W. M. Llewellyn, who was on the opposite wing to Morgan, had hard luck in not putting Wales six points up, goes on thus: — | Don't think, though, that it was all Wales. Far from it. The All Blacks were scrapping tooth and nail to pull the match from the burning. Mynott, who had taken the place of the topline Stead, was a bit hurried with his passes, but the rest were in magnificent storming mood. At last, with the crowd on the rack, Bob Deans, their centre-three-quarter, was given a chance in a million from an. opening carved by Wallace. Rhys Gabe went hurtling to grass Wallace, but not before the pass had been made to the fast-moving New Zealand farmer. DEATH OR GLORY DIVE The Welsh line yawned ahead. Gabe went into a death or glory dive, and collard the flying Deans. Down they went in a heap, with Winfield and Dai Jones on top of them, and Dick Jones standing alongside as he ran up a split second too late to be in the thing.

How that run by Deans started an argument, to be sure! To this day you’ll hear old-timers discussing whether or not the New Zealander crossed the line with the ball.

Why, even members of that historymaking Welsh team are at variance Some have it that Deans did get ovei, if only by inches; others declare that he fell just short of the line.

I am with those who say that it wasn’t a try. Don’t forget that Bob Deans weighed round about 14 stone, and if you can pull 14 stone back nine inches from a goal-line without the referee spotting it, then you’re a real strong man and quite a bit of a conjurer! Not only that. Deans was in the New Zealand uniform. Surely, then, the whitewash from the line would have shown on the sleeves of his black jersey had he been dragged back? As it was, there wasn’t a spot of white on those sleeves. “No try” it was, Jack Dallas, the Scotch referee, ordering a scrum down. Around we crowded-, pushing and heaving to stop that desperate assault. Anc} we succeeded. For 20 minutes the ball never stopped rolling, the All Blacks launching attack after attack, and Wales coming back with great raids. Qr. Morgan, too. got a bit mixed in his personalities, because in a Welsh paper on the eve of the 1935 All Blacks’ 11-3 defeat by Swansea he admitted that an equalising try was scored by New Zealand in 1905, but stated that it was Billy Wallace who had been deprived of the reward. (The Wellingtonian had passed to Deans). A “BED-TIME" YARN Now listen to Percy Bush, who wrote an article telling Swansea how to beat the 1924 All Blacks, instead of which the New Zealanders won on that occasion by 39 to 3 : “There had been a mad rush by the Fernlanders,'which left the referee and the major proportion of the players well behind, and it culminated in Deans getting the ball and gqing for the ljne. all out. R. T. Gabe, A. F. Harding and I came across the field from the place where the Welsh rush, which preceded that of the New Zealanders, had commenced (we had done our whack and didn’t feel called upon to follow-up—-wisely as it turned out). H. B. Winfield (full-back) was in front of Deans, and seeing that he (full-back) might possibly be unable to stop him completely, he headed him off so as to turn Deans towards Gabe and Harding, who were by this time quite close up. The manoeuvres succeeded, the eyes of Gabe and Harding lit up. and they hurled themselves on the luckless Deans. Now, when either Gabe or Harding took tt)e trouble to tackle a man you may be sure that that man was well and truly tackled, and on this occasion Deans came down, tackled by both Gabe and Harding, with the ball underneath him, just two inches outside the line. FINESSE “The referee was coming up at top speed, saw the tackle from about 25 yards away and naturally blew his -whistle. Gabe and Harding got off Deans, but, he, having probably not heard the whistle, at once placed the ball on the scoring side of the goal line. And now I pome on the scene myself, and I know what then transpired. Realising that the referee (Mr J. D. Dallas, Scotland) might quite reasonably consider on arrival that a try had been scored if he found the ball over the line, I immediately picked it up and replaced it upon the exact spot upon which it had been originally placde. so that when the referee did arrive it was w ? here it had been made dead, and—very properly—no try was allowed. So you see my part was only a walking-on (?) one, but highly important all the same!" Big Money Wanted “Big Bill” Tilden's terms for his ! offer to make a tennis tour of South Africa by the Frenchman, Henri Cochet and himself—which was rejected by the South African Lawn Tennis Union make interesting reading. Tilden wanted a minimum guarantee from the South African authorities of L2OOO. cm 60 per cent, of the gross gates, for a visit from him and Cochet alone, the tour to last a month ot a month ard a half. For a tour by Cochet, himself, and j two other professionals, Tilden asked i for a guarantee of £3O(JO. One of the j reasons for the S.A.L.T.U. turning down the offer was the fact that the | South African body would have to run ‘the financial risk.

Tennis in Tibet Tennis has invaded Tibet, broken through the mountain barriers which have proved so effective against Western civilisation. But it’s not odd tennis should pop up even in the remote Himalayan fastness. About 2400 years ago Persians, who are next door neighbours of the Tibetans, were found of a game called "Salvajan.” It was played on horseback with ball, netted stick and a net. When it rained the same game was brought indoors and played without the horses. Then it was called “Chigan,” but from the description it sounds a lot like our plain, ordinary tennis. But the latter didn’t get started until 1873, when a British army officer originated the modern lawn game. Early variations of the sport are traced to the old Irish game of handball, and even the Romans (as usual) seem to have had a hand in something resembling the sport. Stumped at Last W. A. Oldfield, Australia's famous wicketkeeper, whose retirement from cricket is now announced, first came into prominence with the A.I.F. team in England, at the close of the Great War. He began his test career in Warwick Armstrong’s 1921 team to England as deputy to H. Carter. Oldfield became No. 1 ’keeper for Australia a few years later and held that position with signal credit in the 1926. 1930 and 1934 test teams in England, establishing such a wonderful record that he was termed “the greatest of his time, if not of all time.”

In all he played in thirty-eight tests for Australia against England, and accounted for at least ninety victims That was not all, for he made 1116 runs in Australia v. England matches as well.

In a graceful tribute to Oldfield some years ago after an overseas tour a well-known London critic said: “He has the art of restraint and unobtrusiveness behind the wickets. A silent, alert little man, he seems to know what the bowler is going to do

before he does it. He is quiet l}ut swjft in his movements; the completion of the job in hand is sufficient unto itself, with no need for flourish or acrobatic?. M * More important still W. A. Oldfield retires with an enviable reputation among opponents, as well as ffiends. for unfailing honesty and sportsmanshipHe appealed only rarely. When he did appeal there was very little need to look at the umpire. For a wicket-keeper, both on Australian and English pitches, he holds the record of having played in 38 Tests without a break. Bert Oldfield, during the 1934 sgries in England, accomplished a feat equalled by no other wicket-keeper in Tgst cricket - the capture of 100 wickets. In the final match at the Oval that year he completed another record that no other ’keeper has performed—the making of 1000 runs against another country in Tests. At the end of his Test career, at Melbourne in 1936-37, when Australia retained the Ashes after losing the first two games, Oldfield had figured in 38 Anglo-Australian Tests. His 62 innings (14 not out) gave him an average of 23.04 for his aggregate of 1116 runs. Oldfield's wicketkgepjng record has been built up in the course of 48 Test matches (against all countries), starting with the 1920-21 season in Australia. His successes were obtained as follows:

A. A. .Lilley (England) is second on the list with 92 dismissals, followed by H. Strudwick (England) with 71, H. Carter ‘Australia) 64, J. M. Blackham (Australia) 60, J. J. Kelly (Australia) 58. and G. Duckworth (England) 50.

“Not a Dark Horse” To the many tennis enthusiasts who are apt to blame Adrian Quist for his failure against Riggs in the Davis Cup challenge round it may come as a surprise to learn that the younger Californian has during the past few months won fifteen out of eighteen major tournaments, says a Melbourne writer. In doing so he decisively defeated every American ranking player with the notable exception of the champion, Donald Budge himself. All-India Team for Australia The Australian Hockey Association is considering the extending of an invitation to an All-Indian team to tour Australia in 1940. Mr P. Gupta, who managed the Indian soccer team recently and is secretary of the Bengal Hockey Association, said before he returned to India that he was confident an invitation from Australia would be welcomed. The New South Wales Association has proposed that the tour begin at Cairns in North Queensland and conclude at Perth. Athletic Tours The executive of the Canterbury I Centre of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association decided that for tours of the Dominion American athletes were preferable to Australians, and it was agreed to write to the New Zealand Council informing it of the local opinion, and suggesting that Americans be invited to visit thre country during 1940. The New Zealand Council is at present considering plans for the invita- | ; tion of an Australian team to New Zea--1 land in that year. If an overseas team was to be invited, first invitation should ; go to America, declared Mr R. Beattie. Australian athletes, although extremely | good, did not, in his opinion, offer a 1 sufficient draw to the public, and had 5 not always the ability of the Americans. Experience had shown that American tours were more successful. How to Continue to Enjoy Sport Many men seeking to enjoy strenuous sport when they are past the age of forty frequently find that competitive play makes too heavy a demand on their physical pqwers. Yet they are reluctant tp take a permanent seat on the side-lines. Perhaps a valuable lesson can be learned from Jean Borotra, who defies the laws of nature in living as a virile force beyond his fellow lawn tennis stars. A few days ago, at the age of forty, he won the English * covered courts championship for the ninth time, defeating in the final a noted player, eleven years his junior. What is Borotra’s secret? The answer, in a word, is tactics. Borotra deliberately plays in spurts, serving aces, rac- ' ing to the net to win points by the volley, and smashing with a deadliness which is still without equal. Then, having gained a lead, he allows the fire to go out of his game, patiently conceding points without seriously weakening his position so that he may have a breather, t Of course, every middle-aged tennis , player is not a Borotra. just as every , middle-aged golfer is not a Hagen: but , bPtb can enjoy the thrill and zest of j competitive sport, if, while keeping of their limitations, they so order , their play as to conserve their energies. And, above all, age does not preclude j skill. 3 Stronger Shield Team As a resuit of the transfer to Dunedin of several leading players, Otago will have a very much stronger PlunKpt Shield team this year than last. The Feturn of D. A. R. Moloney, the New Zealand representative, is par- " ticularly welcomed. 1 IVlolpney played for Otago first some }-ears ago, achieving his most notable t success when he made 74 and 44 against t Canterbury in the 1933-34 season. In B the following season he scored 14 and r 19 against Wellington—the only match in which he represented the province—t but, playing for the South Island against a thp North Island, he made 7Q and 71. t In the 1935-36 season he was selected 8 to represent New Zealand against s Holmes's M.C.C. team, and averaged f 13.83 in six innings. For Wellington his scores wpre 23, % 34, 9. 33. 30, and 29 s The next season, however, he improved t considerably on these performances. Against Otago at Wellington he scored g 91 and 16, and followed this with 2 and 82 against Canterbury. Finally, against Auckland, he scored 190 and 4. He I was, of course, a certainty fqr the New Zealand team against Allen's English bide, and his scores of 32 and 18 in [the test match gave further prpof pi his quality. On the tour of England he was one of the most useful members of the side. He was third in the batting with an average of 34.83 for forty-six innings. 3 and gave extremely useful service with V the ball tp take fifty-seven wickets at a •• cost of 26.68 runs apiece, a Moloney thus fulfilled all early ex- ) j pectatiqns, and his reappearance in j Dunedin will be awaited with anticipations for good scores well made.

Caught Stumped Total England . .. ... 54 29 83 South Africa 8 7 15 West Indies .... 6 7 13 New Zealand 4 I 5 Totals .... .... 72 44 116