THE PLAYGROUND.

Southland Times, Issue 19458, 24 January 1925, Page 14

THE PLAYGROUND.

Sports and Pastimes.

Flying at the Istres Aerodrome, Chief Warrant-officer Bonnet beat the French air speed record held by Sadi-Lacointe by at taining an average speed equivalent to just over 242 miles an hour. In the first lap of the three kilometres covered Bonnet reached a speed of nearly 2661 miles an hour, which is almost equal to the world’s speed record of 266.50 miles an hour held by Lieutenant Williams, of the United States Navy. The World's motoring record is just about 100 miles less. At the Axeman’s Carnival at De venport, Tasmania, on New Year’s Day, W. J. Riggs (Paloona) won both the standing championship of Tasmania and the underhand championship. It is remarkable how the Puritan tradition dominates some forms of United States •port, says an Australian writer. Garbisch, captain of West Point football team, victorious over Annapolis Naval Academy before an audience of 80,000, including President Coolidge, revealed to 1200 silent classmates that “the team prayed earnestly before every game.” Mulligan, the Army forward, after being knocked cold by a Yale player in the 1923 Army-Yale game, told a mute audience that “Gahd deserted me when I needed Him most.” Centre College, of Kentucky, who, in 1922, gave the Harvard team the toughest of battles, prayed on the field before the game. Harvard aeems to have come to the conclusion that the Kentuckian’s prayers were “over the odds”; at all events, it dropped Centre from the 1923 schedule. Yale likewise severed relations with Boston College, another team that had religion. The Bostonians’ weight of prayers had broken a forward’s leg, given another concussion of the brain, brought on four fist fights, and disabled Aldrich, the Tommy Lawton of Yale.

Referring to the deceased of a famous turf celebrity, a Sydney Bulletin writer observes: The turf peerage lost a distinguished character when “The Count" closed his books at 76. Purves, K.C., is said to have bestowed the title on E. N. Abrahams; and it stuck. It is 50 years since The Count went into the game for keeps, at least a couple of years before, when he was an assistant in Barnard’s tobacco store in Bourke street, he compiled a libretto as a sideline. The veteran never liked cash betting. All his transactions were entered in a notebook, and even when the law made the issue of tickets compulsory, he tore up the pasteboards and adhered to the old method of recording transactions with his clients. A native of Kent, Abrahams had seen every Melbourne Cup since Warrior won in 1869. Like his friend, Phil Glenister, who predeceased him, he used to grin broadly when he read in some sensational •beet that “Jim Bagthumper laid £BO,OOO against the favourite,” and that “Splifieate’s victory took £500,000 out of the Ring.” According to old ’un, the biggest individual book in his half-century of fielding was one of £40,000, the layer being th* late Humphrey Oxenham. and the race, the 1892 Melbourne Cup. Glenloth, a rank outsider, won, and Oxey cleared £32,000.

When the Australian Board of Control met recently it was to have decided the question whether Ponsford’s score of 429 for Victoria against Tasmania was made in a first-class match. This question was referred to it by the M.C.C., for A. C. MacLaren, whose score of 424 for Lancashire agains: Somerset had stood stince 1895, raised an objection to Ponsford’s performance being recognised. All the way from South Africa comes a surprising admission: “From the manner in which the New Zealand Rugby team is hammering the best teams in Britain, it would appear that no combination that South Africa could get together would be capable of beating the All Blacks” (says a South African writer). “From what one reads of Porter’s team, I think it can be taken for granted that they are about the finest combination in the world to-day, and I do not think for one moment that South Africa is breeding such capable exponents. As a matter of fact, though the Springboks beat Britain in the tests in this country, their form was nothing to make a fuss of, and probably we triumphed because of the weakness of the opposition. Certainly the All Blacks, by their pronounced victories, are setting a standard which, I am afraid, would be beyond South Africa, who, before they pay a visit to the Old Country, must find some centres. Personally, I do not think for one moment that South Africa, had she been playing in England, could have done to English county teams what the New Zealanders have succeeded in doing.”

Run-getting in the third test match between the Englishmen and Collins and Co., at Adelaide, will be assisted by the placing of the boundaries. While the ground is of great length, the width is very narrow, and shots through the covers skim towards the boundary with lightning-like rapidity. Two batsmen settling down to their job will even surprise themselves at the rate their score increases. The boundary further away from the grandstand is very near, and the batsman has no need to run once the ball clears a fieldsman. What this means to the conserving of a batsman’s energy only he himself can appreciate. A splendid athlete is Billy Elvey, who has this season marked his entrance into the fight game by winning the Andrew Fairbairn Cup for the most scientific boxer of the season. Elvey’s corkscrew runs and ever-fresh trickiness on the Rugby field have made him the favourite of a big crowd of fans. His aggressive boxing and occasionnal back-flips in the ring look like making him as popular with the boxing fans. At the beginning of this season Elvey entered for one or two amateur running races, but did not appear on the track. As a boxer he should win New Zealand championships before long. He is a very strong, aggressive type of a fighter, and he doesn’t mind how rough the other fellow makes it.

Ex-Southlander Les Murray is now recovering from his recent illness, and his recovery is becoming so complete that he hopes to appear in the ring again before long, says Christchurch Sun. It was feared that he would never again be able to box, but Les now declares that he will be crossing gloves beffe very long. The Wellington Boxing Association, with the zip which is characteristic of it, is endeavouring to arrange a match between Murray and Ern Baxter for February 9. So far definte arrangements have not been made, but the Association is optimistic. The match should prove the best draw it would be possible to arrange in the Dominion at the present time.

Thus the well-known English writer, F. J. Sellicks, some weeks ago: At a rough estimate F. C. Porter and M. Brownlie are responsible between them for about threefouths of the penalties inflicted on the side, and unless and until these two mend their ways, the displays of the All Blacks will not be appreciated as they would otherwise be.” The extraordinary hold which cricket has upon the public has been strikingly illustrated by the crowds who attended the first Test match (says a Sydney writer). During the course of a struggle, business ip the city appeared to be only a minor consideration; all who could find the least possible excuse for getting out to the match, and many who could find no excuse at were there, rich and poor, young and old. And among those who could not break away the one eternal question was “What’s the score?” At the cricket ground one met

well-known citizens, ordinarily patrons of the best hotels, eating their sandwiches like true plebians. Among the spectators was an Australian by birth, who had travelled about 4000 miles from Assam (India) to witness this and succeeding Test matches. The recent cable announces that the All Black, Nepia, demanded £l5OO before signing up with a Northern Union (Eng.) club, recalls a somewhat similar incident which occurred during the last kangaroo tour (says a writer in a Sydney paper). Frank Burge’s remarkable skill and pace impressed the director of a big Soccer club. In conversation with a tourist, an ex-Soccerite who pulled the director’s leg that Frank was also one of Australia’s best exponents of the round ball game, he invited the tourist to sound Burge. Two days later he called upon the director and informed him that Burge would link up for £l5OO, the tourist to receive £250 as a bonus. Negotiations fell through, and the joke is that Burge was ignorant of the whole affair. W. Sidebottom of Tasmania, must surely be the oldest Australian cricketer (says an Australian paper). In 1862 he played for Tasmania against Stephenson’s English team —he is the sole survivor of Tasmania’s twenty-two—and he represented the North against the South of Tasmania on a number of occasions. Though eighty-nine, Sidebottom is still keenly interested in the game. The summary of cricket Tests between Australia and England, exclusive of the matches played in the present series, is as follows: —

The match arranged for Manchester in 1890 was abandoned without a ball being bowled, owing to rain. Where three or more matches have been played in a season. England has won the rubber eleven times and Australia nine. In 1881-2 Australia won two out of four, the other two being drawn ; and in 1882-3 each side won two of the four played. In addition, England won both the games played in 1886-7 and 1890, and the only games played in 1880 and 1887-8 while Australia won the only games played in 1878-9 and 1882. Each side won one game in 1876-7. Accounts from Wellington agree on the fine work being done by F. T. Badcock, the English coach imported by the Wellington Cricket Association (says the Christchurch Sun). He generally is liked, and the boys he handles in the primary and secondary schools respond to his instruction. Apart from batting, the coaching he gives in bowling is very thorough, his first insistence being on length. Further details of his career which have been given show how Wisden has come to miss reference to this fine cricketer. He learned his cricket at Wellington College (England) and enlisted as a subaltern at an early age. He did most of his soldiering in India, and after marriage he retired with the rank of captain. For a year after his retirement he was employed as a cricketer on one of the large grounds, and he was recommended as coach by the M.C.C. to the Wellington Association. A young active man, brimful of enthusiasm, he should leave his mark on cricket in Wellington. A prophecy which was made by the Athletic News, and which was justified, read as follows:—After their decisive victory over a powerful London side, achieved by some of the most brilliant football ever in this country, it does not seem over-ven-turesome to prophesy that England will be meeting an unbeaten side when the New Zealanders come to play thir last match of the tour on Januray 3. QOO

MATCHES: ENG. w. AUST. D. p. w. In England .. .. 47 17 11 19 In Australia .... 47 17 11 2 — — —— — Totals .. 104 40 43 21