ENGLISH SPORT AND PLAY

New Zealand Mail, 22 January 1902, Page 41

ENGLISH SPORT AND PLAY

FOOTBALL. n . ~ LONDON, November 23. Uwing to the disastrous operations of Jo-ing log only four of the games set for decision in the First Division of the league on Saturday last were able to be The most important resuit was that at Sunaeiland, where the defeat e Mearsiders by Everton was acceatuated by the fact that the latter were Pfajing on their own ground. The effect ? wm was to deprive Sunderl“„“ f , tbe . lr Posit at the head of the tn irn, , ble > h , elr conquerors succeeding to place of honour. of n.! h %[ 6 “?t 1 n 111 S three games under notice, Blackburn Rovers did well" to Sheffield^ h Derby County, at Derby; while BUeflield Wednesday's win over Bury was 6eo?V«?H er I° r surprise by reason of the whit N e , finisl }— four goals to one; but nofv,- *l° ,**o said of the three goals' to nothing defeat of Notts Forest by their fonn the r w N °t tS C<mr ’ I ty? ° n th ® latest Pon“nti seemed , to ta ve their.opproved nft thel - r me ™y» but the event has Eave P( °l ' enVlSe " Tb , 6 Same appears to nare been a very rough one. yielded *two rS in the Second Division Lough a i)d Middlesdid game S th JV^o rn r y ‘ a l ter a splen ' wich Arsenal I b at eceentnc team, Wooltwo mil! + b ?? tln g Newton Heath bv most ft is perhaps aiwere plavintr nf i. la L bbe Arsenal matches those r The other two were decided by the L flg? bter &nd Preston . of in each the former engagement Treajpes. In ed a little too lii Southampton provat the close beff«WSL MllI ?' al] * the dockers, however mml! f als The

League, came as a distinct shock to the Spurs supporters. At Tottenham there is over-much lionising of the team, and better combinations have been spoilt before in this way. No one denies the merits of the players, hut a word in season is sometimes useful. The Portsmouth f® B ™: must be coming on well. Thev should go far this seasonIn'the fourth of the qualifying compete 1 ? 11 for the English Cup fog again interfered with a number of the matches but several were brought to a conclusion. As usual m Cup tie encounters, one or two startling results have to be recorded. At Canning Town, West Ham went down ra / s United by two goals to one; | while Clapton, drawn against New BrompI ton > succeeded m giving the latter a great ! tbe -suit being a draw of two goals ! T'i® nex J : r ° u ®d in the qualifying eomI ovember 30) will be the final. Then the ten divisional wini? e A? U IJI be P ut ; into the bag with the following excused clubs for the draw for tiio intermediate roundßurnley, Chesterfield, Leicester Fosse, Millwall, Newton Heath Portsmouth, Reading and Woohyich Arsenal. Eight Southern clubs will, therefore, be taking part in the druggie for the ten places in the competition proper. The following are the fixtures set for decision to-day (Saturday) in the two divisions of the League and in the Southern .League. In each case the venue is the ground of the first-named club: THE LEAGUE.—DIVISION I. Newcastle United v. Liverpool. Sheffield United v. Manchester City. Bury v. Notts County. Stoke v. Derby County. Nottingham Forest v. Bolton Wanderers. Grimsby Town v. Sunderland. Aston Villla v, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Everton v. Small Heath. Blackburn Rovers v. Sheffield Wednesday. THE LEAGUE.—DIVISON 11. Burton Swifts v. Lincoln City Middlesborough v. Burslem Port Vale Gainsborough v. Chesterfield Bristol City v. Burnley. Glossop v. Woolwich Arsenal. Newton Heath v. Barnsley. Blackpool v. Preston North End. Stockport County v. Leicester Fosse. New Brighton v. West Bromwich Albion. j SOUTHERN LEAGUE, i Swindon v. Tottenham Hotspur. Brentford v. Watford I Portsmouth v. Wellingborough. I Kettering v. Northampton. I Luton v. New Brompton. Millwall v. Bristol Rovers. Queen's Park Rangers v. Southampton. Reading v. West Ham United.

ON THE TURF. Sam Loates’s accident at Northampton : last lv eek was a very severe one. He had ! a thigh and a rib broken, and was also i cut about considerably. The man who j caused the accident by trying to cross the course in front of the horses running I, e l’ ac ® which was in progress was i aiso badly hurt. Loates’s first inquiry on regaining consciousness was after the man i who hau caused him to be thrown. ! It was matter for some surprise that t-ie race for the Derby Cup last week produced no serious accident. The course is ; oval in shape, and far too congested for races in which there are as many as twenty-five starters. In the race for the Cup the crowding at the bends was something awful to witness, and there were ■ some nasty scrimmages, in which the horses were unavoidably cannoned into ! each other. No more unsatisfactory race has been run this season. | Mr Stedall, the owner of First Principal, who won the Cup, is almost the oldest supporter of the turf now running horses, but none of {he hig prizes have ever fallen to his share. He lives at The Chestnuts, Denmarkhil], and his hor;e< are trained locally. Mr SteadalFs is the only racing stable in London.

GENERAL. That famous runner, Leonard Hurst, of Edmonton, who holds the records from i thirteen to twenty miles, made an atj tempt at Stamford Hill on Saturday last i to beat the existing figures from twentyone to twenty-five miles. George Alaso-i’s record of 2hr. 36min. 34sec. for the twentyfive miles has stood for twenty years, and it wms destined not to be beaten on Saturday. The hard ground, due to the severe frost overnight, was responsible for Hurst’s failure. After covering 14? miles in Ihr. 29min. 37-jsec. ho retired from the track. When he got into his dressingroom it was found that his spikes had been forced through his shoes. For several miles he must have been running in considerable pain. When Hurst gave i p he was nearly three minutes inside scheduled time.

A general meeting of the Thames Rowing Club was held on Saturday last, in pursuance of the recent intimation'from the stewards of Henley Royal Regatta that they would be glad to receive the piew.3 of the clubs whose members usually competed at the meeting, on Mr Grenfell’s resolution to exclude foreigners. After a long discussion a vote was taken, and ine figures showed that only thirty-seven members were for the exclusion of foreign entrants, while ninety-nine favoured their admission. As the T.R.C. is one of the principal clubs supporting the annual Henley meeting, this vote is significant. Mr Grenfell’s motion comes up for discussion by the stewards to-day.