Sports News From Britain

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26958, 18 December 1948, Page 7

Sports News From Britain

NZPA Special Correspondent Rec. 9 p.m. LONDON. Dec. 17. As was generally predicted, Bruce Woodcock’s next fight—with the exception of one contest in South Africa against Johnny Ralph, the South African champion—will be against his fellow countryman, Freddie Mills. Many consider this will also be Woodcock’s last fight for a while. His reputation has been steadily dwindling in spite of his two nominal wins against Lee Oma and Lee Savold (nominal because Oma appeared to lie down to it and because Woodcock was lying down when Savold was disqualified). Mills appears to be definitely on the up grade. In spite of public dissatisfaction with the results of Woodcock’s last two appearances, the meeting between the two British champions is certain to draw another big crowd and Jack Solomons, who is promoting the fight, confidently counts upon a £60,000 gross gate. The fight will take place in the open air, probably at White City, on June 2, 1949. Solomons has expressly stipulated in signing up the two boxers that Mills is not to fight again until he meets Woodcock and that Woodcock is to have only one intervening contest, his meeting with Ralph in Johannesburg next month. As a result of this arrangement. Mills has refused tempting offers from America to fight the negro heavy-weight, Ezzard Charles, who recently beat Woodcock’s conqueror, Joe Baksi, and who is being generally picked to succeed Joe Louis as world champion. MCC Tourists’ Averages Roland Jenkins, the Worcestershire all-rounder, who was a last-minute selection for the MCC team to tour South Africa, at present tops the touring team’s bowling averages and has the second-best batting average. , He has taken 54 wickets at the cost of 14.31 runs apiece. The Kent wicket-keeper and opening batsman, Godfrey Evans, heads the tourists’ batting averages with an average of 196 runs in five innings. In four of them he has carried his bat. Denis Compton is third on the list of batting averages with an average of 119.14 runs in nine innings, two of them not out. Len Hutton, who is fourth, has an average of 96.25 runs for nine innings. Tremlett and Gladwin follow Jenkins in the bowling averages. Rugby Union-League Tussle

Another tussle has developed between the English Rugby Union and the English Rugby League, due this time to an offer, by the League to provide professional coaches for any amateurs who wish to learn the 13-a----side game. These special facilities are being provided every Saturday afternoon at Mitcham Stadium, South London The secretary of the Rugby Union, Mr F. D. Prentice, immediately issued a warning that Rugby Union players who took advantage of the League invitation would immediately be disqualified from playing the Union game. Mr Prentice pointed out that, although the League might claim that training at Mitcham came under the heading of amateur activities, it would not be so regarded by the Rugby Union. “The only leniency shown by the Rugby Union in this respect,” said Mr Prentice, “is towards schoolboys who play the 13-a-side game while at school, but' even they, if they play it after they leave school, will be barred.”

Olympic Games in View The British Amateur Athletics Association is already making plans to give junior athletes opportunities of obtaining experience in international competition before the next * Olympic Games in Finland in 1952. Arrangements have been made to hold triangular contests between Britain, France, and Belgium in each of the intervening years, while a number of other international meetings is also being organised. The British Amateur Athletics Board will in future recognise two types of British records for performances in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. They will be known as British national records for those of British nationality, and as British all-comers’ records for those of other than British nationality. •

Soccer History For the first time in the long history of the Football Association Cup series, the famous North London clubs, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, have been drawn against each other in the third round. They have been together in the competition for 54 years, and ’nave not previously met’ in a cup tie. The match will be on Arsenal’s ground at Highbury on January 8, arid already applications for tickets are pouring in. The Tottenham Hotspurs are now making a strong bid for promotion from Second to First Division, while Arsenal, after a very strong start in the league competition, have been badly shaken twice in the last three weeks by Portsmouth and Charlton. Arsenal have been eliminated in the third round of the Football Cup competition for the past four years.