Sports Topics From Britain

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27388, 13 May 1950, Page 7

Sports Topics From Britain

Rec. 7 p.m. LONDON, May 12. Although the 1949-50 season has ended, Soccer is booming in North London. Within a month the FA Cup winners, Arsenal, and the promoted Tottenham Hotspur will have taken £70,000 of next season’s gate money from the sale of season tickets— Arsenal £32,000 and Tottenham Hotspur £38,000. The privilege of having a season ticket at Highbury, »Arsenal's ground, is becoming as exclusive as MCC fi|embership. Arsenal has a list of supporters who have been waiting three years to get a season ticket. Neil Franklin, the Stoke City and England centre-half, and his colleague, George Mountford, have been warned by the Football Association not to take the position as coach with the Santa Fe Club, Colombia (South America). There are two rival factions in Colombia football, and the wealthy Santa Fe Club belongs to a group that is not in membership with the International Federation.

Although the club is supposed to have offered the two players a three months’ coaching engagement, Franklin, on his arrival, stated that he would be playing for Santa Fe and would not commit himself on the questipn of returning to England for the next football season. The Stoke City manager, Mr Bob McGregory, denies that he gave permission for the trip. ' The Name Compton ’ Denis Compton has turned him-; self into n company “to exploit; for commercial purposes the name, ' and reputation of Denis Compton in all parts of the world, and to carry out the business of professional sportsman, stage, film, radio,, and television actor and broadcaster, etc.” His partner in this enterprise is Bagenal Harvey. Compton says this does not mean that he is considering films or more serious stage or broadcasting work. “It is Just to keep my affairs connected with my contracts in order. My friend deals with these things for me.” Paish Magnificent The magnificent performance by G. L Paish, playing the greatest lawn tennis of his life, all but gave Britain a surprise and thrilling win against Italy in the first round of the Davis Cup at Eastbourne. A. J. Mottram had played a fine match to make the score 2 —all with one ,to play, when he beat R. del Bello 6—3, 6 —3, B—6,8 —6, and then Paish gave, a lion-hearted display. He lost only one game in .the first set against the leading Italian, Cucellj, won the third set, and made'the fifth a. long one before beaten I—6, 6—2, 4 —6, v 6—4, B—6. So great had been his effort that Cucelli collapsed on the court from nervous and physical exhaustion after making the winning shot.

West Indian Professionals The idea that there are only two professionals in the West Indies cricket team is rebutted in a booklet, “They Live for Cricket,” which has been prepared by West Indies journalists. In addition to the batsmen, Frank Worrell and Everton Weekes, who have played in Lancashire League, the fast bowler, Hines Johnson, is, according to the book, a professional ~in Jamaica.

For a long time in the Caribbean colonies, professionals were not permitted to take part in either competition or inter-colonial matches. Since 1947, however, each colony has been allowed to play two professionals in inter-colonial games. Crooner v. Hill-billy Singer The first opponent in the Amateur Golf Championship at St. Andrew’s for Bing Crosby—listed on the draw-sheet as Harry L. Crosby —is James K. Wilson. A master builder of St. Andrew’s, Wilson is known at local concerts for singing hill-billy songs. It remains to be seen whether he can offset Bing’s superior knowledge of singing by his own local knowledge of the Royal and Ancient course. Cambridge Eights Plans Most of the Cambridge crew which won the universities’ boat race this year plan to travel to Palm Beach, Florida, in the winter, to race Yale University, probably during Christmas week. The president, Mr C. M. B. Lloyd—No. 7 in the crew —says that plans now await confirmation from Yale.

The visit has been arranged by the ex-president, Alistair MacLeod, who will no longer be at Cambridge by the time the race is rowed, nor will about six members of this year’s crew. Lloyd, an Australian, will still be at the university, and he is afraid this may mean that he will miss the trip.