INTERNATIONAL SPORT

Southland Times, Issue 23308, 18 September 1937, Page 20

INTERNATIONAL SPORT

PART PLAYED BY AVIATION Aviation is bound to play a part in the furtherance of international sport, writes the London correspondent of The Timaru Herald. Indeed, it has already begun to do so although the Football League has, up to the present refused its clubs permission to fly to keep their engagements. Presumably it is the fear of crashes that has scared the authorities. Think, however, what a boon it would be to the players of say, Plymouth Argyle, away in the far south-west if they could charter a plane and be whizzed through the air to Newcastle, instead of having to make the weary journey to London and on to the north-east coast by train. The use of the aeroplane is growing in connection with the visit of British athletic teams to the Continent. Our runners and jumpers can follow their ordinary vocations one day, leave Croydon by air the next morning, compete at Brussels or Cologne, and be back in London the same night. Hie first international team to take their journey through the air was that for the match with Germany in

August 1935, when the men had the really wonderful experience of breakfasting in Munich in the morning following the match and sitting down to lunch in Croydon. Air travel has enabled our International Board to accept more engagements for British athletes, and some are going over to the Continent every week. There remain in this country enough good men to prevent our home meetings from suffering in the matter of quality. c As the championships draw nearer the performances grow better. S. C. Wooderson is in great form, and his professional mentor, Albert Hill (past holder of the record), believes that Wooderson is capable of running a mile in 4.7 on an English track—a far different thing from the same performance under much superior conditions such as those prevailing in California or at the Eastern States. The writer sat next to Hill at the last Olympic Games, and will never forget the look of distress on the old champion’s face when Wooderson’s injury caused him to be tailed off in his heat of the 1500 metres. For some minutes Hill sat absolutely silent, and then left with downcast features to go to his protege. Like many others, Hill sincerely believes Wooderson to be the best miler in the world, and longs for a chance to see him prove it.