ENGLISH SPORTING LETTER

Taranaki Daily News, 27 August 1930, Page 5

ENGLISH SPORTING LETTER

WONDERFUL TEST MATCH. AUSTRALIA’S GREAT WIN. (Special to News.) - London, July 3. When diapman won the toss, and England made 4'25 in the first innings of °the second Test match against the Australians at Lords, everyone said: “Well, we can’t lose'now whatever happens." An hoxir before ' the time for drawing stumps on the fourth day McCabe .mad© th© winning hit, and tji& Australians had seven wi'ckets still in hand. It was the 'most remarkable match ever played botween England and Australia, at least in this country, and the tourists accomplished perhaps the finest performance in the , history of the game. • One after another old-establish-ed records were broken, and even in defeat much credit was due to . Chapman and his men. To score 37-5 on a four-day-old wicket was in itself an astonishing feat. Th© fortunes of the teams ebbed and flowed in' thrilling fashion on the first day. Th© Australians rubbed .their hands with glee when they got rid of Hobbs for one. Woolley, who went m first in th© absence of Sutcliffe, unable to play owing to the injury he had sustained tb his hand in the previous game, was out at 53, and Hammond at 105. It was'all very encouraging to the Australians. But they had to,, reckon with -K. S. Duleepsinhji, the Indian batsman, whosbi uncle,' 'the ever-to-be-remembered Ranji; sat in the pavilion, delighted with.,the. graceful and skilful display of his,nephew. “Duleep,” as he is popularly called, , completely mastered the. bowling, and, finely supported by Hen•dren’and Tate, he scored 173, and was out only - in- trying to force the pace when the ..end of: his innings was in sight. • .. As has been stated, .England made .425,, and, inasmuch, as it -.was ■not ex-; pebted'that .'the,'Lords >pitch ..would r©l z main : trii©' ,tb tli© end', of the • fourth innings, and.as.it was taken for granted that th© . .Auisiralians '. would ; hb-ve- to bat last, they--appeared to'be in a serious position.’ "-But' disheartening as the prospects; were,' they refused to be dismayed,'and* tiiey'.gave a magnificent display of jbatting. Indeed,' at' the. end Of a full day’s ~play, they had lost only two men, and they were within twenty of England's . sc-ore.. Evert then, however. it was not. realised that Englandwas in any .danger. Woodfull and Ponsford were the.players who.'laid the foundation ~o'f' this startling,performance. •They' began ih careful -steady style, as is usual with. Australian batsmen, mastered ’the bowlers. so thoroughly that they appeared ■ totally inadequate for .the purpose, and ; then, set .about . the-' task of getting the runs..,Not until 161 had been obtained was the partnership broken, and then another almost as long and as prolifi-p was entered upon, when Woodfull was joined ,by Bradman. . . -' ' THE HERO...OF. THE MATCH. - - .Superbly as the .captain, played in' making 151, Bradman was. the hero of the .match. 'lndeed,-his innings will be recalled as' one .Of the ' greatest overplayed in this country.' Certainly the present generation of cricketers ■ has seen’nothing like’ it. 'He did as he. likedwith the bowling, going yards down the -pitch, . and- banging 'good-lengthy balls either to the. on or-the off, and it was no wonder that the huge crowd began to wonder what- was wrong with the bowling. At the end of the day Bradman .was 151 not out,’.: and, .after Sun-day’s.-re.st, he started again, and not only beat all records, for individual Test scores -in -this country—the previous best was 211 by W. K Murdock as long ago as TBB4—but got very near to the absolute record of 287 set up by the ■late R. E. Foster.at Sydney in 1301. Finally Bradman was' brilliantly caught at 254,-after an innings lasting five and a half, hours, '..during: which he did not make A false stroke. . Few cricketers have ever received such a reception as the Australian’ youth ad he went to the pavilion. , The whole crowd rose and cheered him all the way,in appreciation of an epoch-making innings.

The. Australians batted until teatime on the third day, and raised their score to 729, with only six mon out, which was also a record for Test cricket. The previous highest total was England’s 63'6 -at Sydney. This placed the Australians' 304 ahead, and it now became a question whether England could remain at the wickets long enough to prevent them forcing a win, • Before the end of the day the doubts were substantially increased. Both Hobbs and Woolley were rather cheaply dismissed, and, with the' loss of these stalwarts, the score only reached 92. At last, too, the pitch was showing .signs of wear, and th© spin' bowlers could turn the ball. Grimmett, who had always bowled superbly, now became deadly, and by lunchtime on the last day six men were but. Bitt England fought gallantly to the-end, Chapman setting his men a" .great example. Playing with great boldness, he' tried ,to knock Grimmett off,’..and he. succeeded,., He. hit the ball four times into the stands, and, though his daring entailed risks, it was the ■game to play, : and'it came off. Getting fine help from Allen, the Middlesex amateur fast .bowler, who did not take a wicket, Chapman reached his century, his first in a Test match, and it was largely through him that the Australians had to go in again to make 72 to win. These were obtained for the loss of thr.ee wickets.

So England- and Australia arc now one all in the. rubber. At Lords the tourists played the better cricket, and they -won entirely on their merits. We shall see changes in the. England team for the third game at Leeds. Sutcliffe will, of course, come back, and so will Larwood. The fast bowler was, very seriously missed. It will be no surprise, too, if Freeman is included, whilst it is probable that Leyland will be picked in place of either Woolley or Hendren. Hammond has not been very successful as a batsman, but his bowling has been very valuable.

TRIUMPH OF OVERSEAS PLAYERS.

WIMBLEDON TENNIS TOURNEY.

Wc have been pleased to believe that English lawn tennis was making real headway, but there has been no proof of this in the championships at Wimbledon. Indeed, it is the old story. Players from other countries have carried all before them. This has been the case in the women’s singles as well as the men’s.' In neither event did an English player survive to the semifinal. The last survivor of the men was Dr. J. C. Gregory, and he was defeated by W. T. Tilden in three straight sets. The failure of the'English , women was specially, disappointing. They had won the Wightman Cup from the Americans', and, though Mrs. Helen . Willsr Moody stood hi the way of a win outright, it was expected that we should ut least have a representative in the •final. But on. the same day three, who • had reached the last eight, went out. By this time the chief hope had become Miss Betty Nuthall, but she lost to Miss Ryari, a Californian woman who has lived here for many years. Mrs. Moody was much too good for Miss P. E. Mudford, and Mine. Mathieu of France accounted for Miss Joan Ridley. The tournament has, as usual, furnished many surprises, but none so dramatic as the defeat-of-the champion Henri Cochet, by the- young American, W. Allison, who ranks as the sixth ; player at home. Cochet was believed to be unbeatable even by Tilden. It is true he had conceded sets in previous games, but it was • said • that this was only his way of getting valuable match practice. So it. seemed; ■ for ■■■ when he made a definite effort-to Win there was never any doubt about the results. So: there was no alarm when he lost, the first set to Allison'. Even when he allowed the second to go, it was still thought that he would win. But the truth was that the Frenchman had struck one of those days when his touch de'derted him, and the. number‘of false'strokes he made was'astonishing. Allison realised that die had a' -great chance, and he went alFout 'ib .win with superb boldness. The. res'ult Ayas that he succeeded in straight sets. Frenchmen groaned and French womensobbed, They could not understand the defeat of their, champion. . But Cochet showed ho concern. When the winning shot was made, he took' a leap over the net, and with a happy smile warmly congratulated his opponent. Afterwards, with the true philosophy of the sportsman, lie remarked: “We must all be 'beaten some . time. Allison was' too good for ’me.” ’ So Allison joihed Tilden, Jean Borotra, and another American, J. Doeg,. in the eemi-final round, in which the Frenchman will oppose Tilden, and the other two Americans will meet. It would be remarkable if Tilden were to win the championship again, but it' is quite likely, if he can get the better of Borotra. BOXING AND BOXERS. If we have not been misled by the news from New York (writes Eugene Corri) that, so far 'as that State is concerned, there can be no such thing as a foul blow, our boxers will hesitate before seeking fame and fortune there. It U unthinkable that hitting below the belt can ever be - permissible, yet the New York State Athletic' Commission solemnly'tells the World that it will be allowed, since it will see to it that men are so shielded as to be able to withstand any sort of punishment. A more ridiculous, a more vicious, idea was surely never propounded. It "will 'ever be that there is fair and unfair fighting. Once that is not conceded, then the sooner we cease to have ..glove fighting the better. There is only one grand remedy for fouls of an unpardonable;- kind." That is to warn the perpetrator off for ever. We would have arrived at'a deplorable state of things if an all-in-policy was favoured. I cannot r hut feel that we have been misinformed.

I have' a wide and intimate knowledge of the American ring, and those of it, and I cannot bring myself to suppose that there ar© people in New York who believe the only cure for disqualifications is to have all fighters sent into the ring so protected that ■ they will be none the worse for any blow, no matter, where it is landed. I would rather we never had a real heavyweight champion than men should be given-a licence to fight anyhow and with no sense of chivalry.

If is curious that the ruling of the New York authorities should have come to us when v/e were for letting the world know that, if Scott beat Stribling, he must not, and could not, be denied a further opportunity to fight for the title. It might well be thought that th© Americans are determined to make rules - and regulations to suit their own book, and with a special mind for Sharkey, who as certain as anything could well be, will have another match with Sehmeling. Sharkey has shown that he is a stranger to self-discipline. At least, it would seem that- there can be .no guarantee that, when next time in the ring, he will not put up another inglorious performance. My friends in .New York cannot be in the least surprised if we in this country charge them with a confession that, if there were any insistence on the observance of rules, Sharkey would have to be scrapped, for the simple reason that he has shown in a most blatant way that he cannot control himself in the ring. The bosses over there regard Sharkey as a considerable, a wonderful attraction, and evidently they intend to keep .him in the business. They cannot be astonished at the charge that has been so persistently levelled against them that they intend te freeze out Scott. For the moment it suited them to have Sehmeling set up as champion. It now suits them to arrange things so that not only will the way to another match between Sehmeling and Sharkey be made, but to encourage Sharkey to suppose that he may fight anyhow and without the slightest regard for laws. I make bold to say that, if America felt that she had a'real as apart from an indifferent champion, there would have been no thought of remodelling the rules so that there would be found a place for the avowedly rough-and-ready fighter. WORSE THAN EVER. j am sorry to say it, but I am driven to the conclusion that the present state of the ring in America is worse than ever it has been. Th© condition of things is such that our boxers must feel there is little, if anything, to hope for in that country. Who, in his senses, would ever contemplate a trip to th© States, in the knowledge. that, to all • intents and 'purposes, th© most vital rule having to do ..with boxing would

not be put in operation? I agree with Lionel Bettinson that, if the New York Commissioners would be taken seriously ’boxing has suffered its hardest and most cruel blow.

Instead of any relaxation of rules, there is need for them being enforced with greater severity. A boxer who goes down through the effects of what all right-minded people would hold to be an illegal blow is not a quitter. He is a much wronged man. It is the duty of a referee, to protect boxers by seeing that they have fair play. I was one of the most persistent objectors to the rabbit-punch, and with all humility, I claim to have had much to do with its being barred in this country. SUPPORT FOR AMERICA. .

. I never thought the day would come when any body of men would allow fighters to win by any means. That, in effect, is what the latest ruling of the New York Commission means. It is surprising therefore, to learn that Mr. Jeff Dickson believes that the edict issued from the other side was necessary, and the only safeguard against fights ending in disqualification. I quite agree that, many blows thought to be low and therefore illegal, are perfectly fair, but to admit that is not to approve of any regulation that permits of hitting low. One is almost made afraid of what might happen; It is certainly to 'be regretted that America apparently is not all and steadfastly for the kind of fighting to which we have ever been accustomed aiid which we, in this country, intend to have. We are rapidly coming to the day when Scott and -Stribling will fight at Wimbledon. I hope, in the light of events as they have developed in America, every possible precaution will be taken to ensure that the contest shall have no* ugly or regrettable feature; also that, if there be-a foul, the .heaviest penalty will be imposed upon the fighter guilty of it. I suggest that our Board of Control get in touch with the New York Commissioners, and they be told of the consternation that has 'been caused by their extraordinary ruling. In Kid Berg’s contract for his next fight, which will be with the winner of the Mandell-Singer bout, a clause has been inserted to this effect: ‘‘The participants agree to equip themselves with an abdominal guard of their own selection, the type to be approved by the commission, which will obviate the necessity of a claim for a foul during the contest.” Did you ever! RACING ON HARD GROUND. . BIG SPRINT AT GOODWOOD. (By “Centaur.” —’Special to News.) London, July 3. I am not able to become enthusiastic about any of the racing taking place as I write, and for that matter, I do not suppose happenings at such places as Carlisle, Worcester, Alexandra Park, and so on, would interest readers far away. The annual bogey in the shape of hard ground is with us, and on the July Course at Newmarket, we saw horses galloping on a track resembling macadam. It goes without saying that fields are restricted in consequence, and a time worn'subject in the shape of rubber plates for horses has again been revived.

I seem to remember that the opinions of eminent owners, trainers and veterinary surgeons have been canvassed on this subject before, and as far as I know, few people are in favour of rubber shoes, shock absorbers, or anything else of the sort. Racing plates of aluminium are assuredly light enough for anything, and my view is that rubber would prove a poor substitute for metal. The outstanding difficulty where rubber plates are concerned, of course, is in the matter of fitting, for they could not possibly be nailed on. Any form of clipping, or similar attachment to the hoof, would be unsafe, and, over and above that, who is to say that rubber would prove efficacious in any case ?

Let us hope that when Goodwood comes along we siiall have derived some benefit from copious rains. It is a course that wants all the water it can get each summer. There are all sorts of tips for the Stewards’ Cup —that famous sprint which has been the medium of so many big coups in the past. The days of heavy gambling, however, are over, and no matter what wins I feel safe in saying that the best backed horse will not credit his stable with as much as £'20,009. In order to pull off a flutter of that magnitude an owner would need to resort to much artifice, and, in any case, the Stewards’ Cup is not regarded as the ideal occasion these days.

Among the good sprinters noted for the event ar© Fleeting Memory, Friarvine, Grandmaster (who won the Wokingham Stakes at Ascot) and Quothquan (winner of th© Free Handicap earlier in the year). Mr. Sol Joel, the owner of Fleeting Memory, has not won any race of importance to date; in fact, his stable is so full of bad horses that he has given his first jockey, F. Winter, permission to ride for any other owner when he cares to do so. All the same, I do believe that Fleeting Memory may prove equal to his .task in the Stewards’ Cup if things come his way. He is a ‘dilatory starter, and if he resorted to any slowness in the Goodwood dispatch his chance would be gone. Some people are more co'ncerned about the Doncaster St. Leger, which, according to the advance price lists of the bookmakers, is regarded as “good” for the Derby winner, Blenheim, or for the Beckhampton-trained colt, Parenthesis, who won in good style at Ascot. My own fancy is for Blenheim, and at this stage I really do not see wliat is te beat him.