ENGLISH SPORTING LEITER

Taranaki Daily News, 10 June 1931, Page 12

ENGLISH SPORTING LEITER

SOCCER LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP.

ARSENAL’S DETERMINATION.

(From Our London Correspondent.) London, April 16

Sir Samuel Hill-Wood, an old captain of the Derbyshire county cricket team — his son was in the Oxford eleven last summer—and a greyhound racing enthusiast who has twice captured the Waterloo Cup, is the chairman of the Arsenal Football Club. A few minutes ■after the English Cup had been gained last season, he said to me: “Now we shall have to make our plans to keep it.” I reminded him of his remark the other day. “Well, since we have lost the cup, we are trying to do the next best thing by winning the championship,” he said. As a matter of fact, it ie “all over bar the shouting,” as they say in Yorkshire. The Arsenal want only one more point from the three matches to place themselves in an unassailable position. The Arsenal will be the first club to bring the championship to London, and they have accomplished the feat with outstanding distinction. Never before has a team obtained more than 60 points out of a possible 84. This is already the total to their credit, and there is no doubt that they will surpass it. Of these 60 points as many as 31 have been obtained away from home, and that is a record for the League. In fact, it is a very remarkable feat. Then their aggregate of 116 goals is 12 higher than the previous best. The secret of the club’s success has been team work with flashes of individual genius. James, the little Scot at inside left, is the finest forward 1 have seen in 30 years’ football, and another brilliant forward has been Jack, the first player thought to be worth a £lO,OOO fee. These two men have been the schemers, the goal-makers, and their colleagues have responded to their prompting iu splendid style. The crowd always follow the winning team, and it is probable that a new financial record will be set up. The average gate has amounted to over £2OOO, and I understand that the balance sheet will show a profit of over £20,1)00 for the season.

ENGLAND’S NEED OF BOWLERS.

In speaking of the prospects of Kent in the coming season’s cricket, Lord Harris said: ‘‘l am not afraid of the batting, but I wish we could find some new first-cUss bowlers. I fear we shall have again to rely mainly on Freeman.” Unfortunately, the position of Kent is not exceptional. All the counties want new bowlers. It is England’s great need, and, if the team to go to Australia in 1932 is to have a chance, they must be found. 'There never was such a golden opportunity for the young player. In the past Yorkshire has always produced the man, and, now that Wilfred Rhodes has definitely retired, there are strong hopes that a young player named Verity will prove a worthy successor. He is a bowler of the same style as Rhodes, slow and depending for his wickets on spin and length. He has, too, the same effortless action, and it will be a great thing if he fulfils his promise. Voce, the Notts man, has, according to A. P. F. Chapman, definitely arrived as a Test bowler, and it is greatly, in his favour that he has two styles, both of which he exploited with good effect in South Africa. He can both spin the ball and make it swing, and the Australians were astonished that he did not play against them in the Tests of last summer. Indeed, they rated him as England’s best bowler. Lancashire have also a bowler, named Hopwood, who should develop into a very useful man. He is also a capable batsman. 'But the supply of bowlers is far'short of the requirements; and it is impossible for English cricket to retain its supremacy until this deficiency is made good.