ENGLISH ATHLETES.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 September 1926, Page 7

ENGLISH ATHLETES.

NEGLECTED CHAMPIONS.

APPEAL. FOR DEVELOPMENT

By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright Received Sept. 2, 5.5 p.m.

London, Sept. 1. here are England’s sporting champions? They are here, but there is no effort to find them.” Thus declared Sir Charles Higham at a luncheon of business men at the Savoy. He went on to say that nothing is done by England to stimulate effort. The Channel has been swum by two Americans and one German. One Englishman swam heroically but failed because he was not accompanied by properly equipped tugs, nor provided with expert advice and not financed.

“The two acknowledged tennis champions are French and American. England has talent and should be supreme in fhe tennis world. There is no English pugilistic champion, because there is nobody prepared to develop existing talent. America takes up any sporting talent and develops it systematically 1 . Does England ? No; that’s why we are playing second fiddle to other nations.”