THE SPORTING WORLD

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 21 January 1939, Page 3

THE SPORTING WORLD

VARIETY OF PARS FROM HERE AND THERE By “ERA”

Sport Specialists. Some men specialise in sport, but there are others in whom the “ball sense” is strongly developed, says an Australian writer. Don Bradman is specially gifted in this respect. Cricket, tennis, golf, squash, billiards, deck £ames on board ship all afford him an opportunity of athletic expression. Norman Brookes, the famous lawn tennis player, was also a golf champion, and in cricket, had he not deserted that game for tennis, his left-hand bowling might have won him international honours. Keen Golfers Now Everybody knows how well Ellsworth Vines, the champion tennis star, has taken to golf. He has become one of Southern California’s best amateur golfers, just as he is one of the world’s best tennis professionals, says an American sports commentator. Fred Perry, former world’s tennis champion, has become a fine golfer in the last few weeks. Recently he broke 80 for the first time when he returned 79 at Fox Hills while practising for the Fox Hills invitation tourney. Challenge to M.C.C.? The cricket records are all wrong when they state that England has played Test matches in Australia, India, the West Indies, New Zealand, and South Africa The team, which is at present in South Africa, for instance, is an M.C.C team, chosen and approved by the committee, of the Marylebone Cricket Club, wears the M.C.G'. touring colours, and is financed by the M.C.C. (states an English writer). The only representative England teams, and the only ones entitled to be labelled England, are those that play in England. Such is the farcical position. England plays Australia in England, but Australia plays the M.C.C. in Australia. And similarly with all other countries. Is there any other game of an international plane which is administered in such fashion? Not before it is long overdue there is a move afoot to bring about a badly needed reform. The object of it is to transfer the control of official overseas tours to the English Board of Control, who are at present responsible solely for Test matches at home. The challenge will come next summer when the M.C.C. have to select a team to undertake the tour of India, the provisional itinerary of which has just been issued by the Indian Board of Control.

There is a feeling of grave concern among country cricket committees about this tour. Some are openly antagonistic towards it, maintaining that previous tours to India have had a very harmful effect on players, particularly fast bowlers.

They ask, and with good reason, “Why should we be expected to give our star players permission to make a trip overseas which we are almost certain will seriously effect their form for the following English season?” While the counties have no say in M.C.C. overseas tours, they have the right to refuse permission to any of their players to undertake such a trip. I cannot recall any county taking such a drastic step when a player has been chosen by the M.C.C., although on more than one occasion counties have “discouraged” one of their stars accepting a 1 invitation to go on a privately arranged tour of India. Alf Gover went with Lord Tennyson’s team last winter, and, before the end of last summer, I should imagine, deeply regretted it.

He was well in the running for Test honours against Australia, and he told me himself that he was convinced his bad form last season was entirely due to the winter tour.

India is a particularly trying place for English players. In the course of two or three months they cannot get used to the heat, change of food, and the train journeys.

Stan Nichols, the Essex fast bowler, had a similar experience to Gover. He came back after a tour of India to have his worst season in English cricket for many years.

Bowlers are more affected than batsmen, but even the latter are not im-

The Indian tour is almost as long as th ' Australian one. The party would have to leave in September and would not get back until March. Is it surprising that counties are anxious? To have a star bowler or batsman right off form for a season is a serious matter.

An alternative demand to the M.C.C. will be that the M.C.C. team for India should comprise at least 17 players, so that everybody in turn gets plenty of rest. In any case the team will not be anything like as strong as the one at present in South Africa.

ltugby Scrum Laws A change in Rugby Union scrum laws is probable as the result of film tests. The English Union has sent a copy of the films. “Hooking the Ball” and “Infringements,” to all Dominion unions, which have been asked to comment on them. The English Union has decided that it is impossible for any player to hook the ball legally. It suggests that it will be necessary to legislate that the hooker’s foot can be advanced as soon as the ball leaves the halfback’s hands. It is also recommended that no foot nearer the ball coming in than the far foot of each centre-forward can be used to first play the ball. At present no foot may be raised in the scrum until the ball has passed three feet of the front forwards of each team. The tests show that this only allows l-20s for the hooking movement. Actually 3-20 s was, according to tests, the time required to hook legally. Cycling Records Endurance, speed, courage, pertinacity and riding ability marked what is probably the greatest of all the wonderful achievement of Hubert Opperman, who in one long-sustained cycling effort last month established the following records:— World 1000 Miles.—2 days 15 hours 37 minutes 30 seconds. Old Record: 2 days 22 hours 40 minutes, held by S. H. Ferris (England). Adelaide to Sydney, 1039.8 Miles.— 2 days 18 hours 16 minutes. Old record: 3 days 1 hour 46 minutes, by Opperman.

Adelaide to Melbourne, 475.1 Miles.— 1 day 2 hours 15 minutes. Old record: 1 day 22 hours 57 minutes, by E. Waterford. Women’s record: 1 day 9 hours 43 minutes, by Mrs Valda Unthank. Melbourne to Sydney, 565 Miles.—l day 13 hours 6 minutes. Old record: 48 hours 48 minutes 30 seconds, by L. Cecil Australian 24 Hours.—436.S miles. Old record: 416 miles, by Opperman. Australian 48 H0ur5.—775.5 miles. Test Men Tired Bill O’Reilly has announced his intention to retire from cricket after New South Wales has played Victoria —but his retirement will be only for a season. His decision, says Arthur Mailey in the Sydney “Daily Telegraph,” is not altogether unexpected. Fingleton and Chipperfield have also announced that they will not be available for the next shield game—against Queensland.

McCabe had already dropped out of big cricket for the season.

There is such a thing as mental tiredness in cricket— in other

sports, too—which converts the £ame ilrom a pleasant pastime into real drudgery. Without intending to hurt anybody’s feelings, I would say that the more imagination a cricketer has the less desire he has to play first class cricket beyond a certain number of years. No member of an Australian eleven has worked harder than O’Reilly, and possibly no player has expended so much physical and mental energy. The reaction which sets in after an English tour is more or less obvious in all players, especially when they come back to find the cricket public somewhat apathetic. In addition to the psychological aspect, players who hold responsible business positions find that too much of their time is being taken up on the cricket field.

Matthews in Hospital Canterbury’s crack distance runner, C. H Matthews, went into the Christchurch Hospital recently for a hernia operation. He is recovering well. Winner of the three and six mile events in record times at the Empire Games in Sydney last year. Matthews will now be prevented from competing at the Canterbury and New Zealand championships and defending his titles. It is unlikely that Matthews will be able to run for six months. Olympic Games Programme The Olympic Games, fixed to take place at Helsinki in 1940, will open on Saturday, 20th July, and the athletic programme will occupy the eight days from 21st to 28th July. The 10,000 metres track walk for men and 200 metres, long jump, and putting the weight for women, have been added to the athletic programme. This will now consist of 24 men’s and nine women’s events—that is assuming that the programme agreed to for Tokio will be adhered to in Finland. Autograph Hunting The autograph hunter at international cricket matches will be the subject of ; correspondence between Australia and j England. In his report to the Board of Control recently on the Australian! team’s tour of England, the manager, j Mr W. H. Jeanes, estimated that each | player had to give 7000 autographs. He | suggested that the time had arrived when official cognisance should be taken of the time and labour involved in this.

The board decided to discuss the question by correspondence with the Marylebone Club, London, with a view to finding a solution. It is desired to draw the line between the genuine autograph hunter and the enthusiast of the moment, who chases players for signatures on scraps of paper. It is also recognised that cricketers’ autographs have frequently been the medium of raising money for charity. McCabe’s Performances A Sydney “Referee” writer expected S. J. McCabe to complete his 3,000 runs in the Sheffield Shield this season. Through the tour in Africa, and other causes, he missed quite a number of Shield matches in the past. Nevertheless, he has made just on 2,500 runs at 58 an innings, and taken close on 50 wickets at 24 each. Needing to recuperate free from cricket, he is to play no more first class cricket this season, having left for a rest in the country. Stan, returned from England looking fine-drawn. The only New South Wales batsmen in Sheffield Shield games who scored at a greater average an innings are topnotchers, viz.: Runs. Avge. D. G. Bradman 6,771 105.79 A. F. Kippax 6,096 70.90 M. A. Noble 4,996 69.38 W. Bardsley 4,171 60.44 Dr. H. O. Rock, in his brief career, scored 560 runs at 112.00 (highest of all). J. R. M. Mackay averaged 55, Archie Jackson 54, R. A. Duff 49, and Victor Trumper 47. Ray Robinson has made 1,483 runs at 41.19. In the Sheffield Shield bowling is not so steady and solid, nor team work so close as it used to be when Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia were a«, full strength in pre-war times, and for a period subsequently. Betting on Soccer It is estimated that half a million pounds a week are wagered on the football pools, and though it is not a usual form of betting, I am afraid the public are acquiring the habit of “having a bit on,” states a London correspondent. We may see this during the approaching Cup campaign. The bookmakers are not only inviting their clients to find the winner, but they intend to offer odds about separate ties or a combination of ties. The man who used to make the biggest book is dead. He started by backing all the sixty-four clubs who make up the third round —that is the round in which the First and Second Division League teams make their first entry—and then, as the number was reduced, laying them at reduced odds. And he never failed by this system to make less than £SOO. In some seasons his profit ran into thousands of pounds. It was mainly through his activities that prices were fixed, and no other bookmaker has appeared to take the same command of the competition. In the meantime, however, Derby County and Everton have been made favourites. I suppose this was to be expected, since they have already established a long lead in the League competition, and are the best teams of the moment. But the records tell that a team sel--1 dom maintains its form throughout the long season, and that the side which strikes its best form about Christmas the half-way stage, is more to be feared as Cup fighters. It is on this account that Wolverhampton Wanderers are being pointed to as formidable Cup contenders. They were slow in getting off the mark, but they have just won their fifth consecutive match, and are now playing extremely well.

It is significant, too, that the layers refuse to take a risk with the Arsenal, who have been a most disappointing team, and are still below the standard they have maintained for about nine years. The reason for their decline is difficult to assign. They will have an abundance of talent, and I think the bookmakers are justified in believing that they will rally and display their old match-winning capacity.