ENGLISH SPORTING NOTES

Taranaki Daily News, 25 July 1931, Page 4

ENGLISH SPORTING NOTES

YOUNG PLAYERS IN GOLF FINAL.

JACK HOBBS IN HIS LAST SEASON.

(Special to News.) London, May 28.

Eric Martin Smith is the new amateur golf 'champion. In the 36 holes final at Westward Ho he defeated John de Forest on the last green by one. up. They were the two youngest finalists who had ever appeared in the' event. Martin Smith is 22. He is the son of Eyerard Martin Smith,, a Lopdon banker, who was in the semi-final of. the championship of 1924, and he wte a member of the Cambridge University team last season. His opponent, the son of Baron de Forest, is 2j. Young de Forest has had an adventurous career, but for two years or so he has devoted himself mainly to golf and. has spent some months gaining experience in the keen American school. His play gave proof of this. He has acquired much of the American golfer’s thoroughness and capacity for taking pains, and the way in which he sustained his game throughout the week indicated a marked improvement all round. A SEQUENCE OF SURPRISE'SWestward Ho, in North Devon, though .the . oldest courge in England, is far off the beaten, track, and there was a notable reduction, in the number of competitors. There were specially few from Scotland. But Cyril Tolley came from New York, where he has spent the last six months, and George Voigt, America’s premier amateur now that Bobbie Jones has forfeited his status, also came over. Voigt ought to have defeated Jones at St. Andrew’s last year, but when two up and five to play he broke down in putting. Under the circumstances, it was not ■ surprising that he was made favourite. He, however, did not survive long. Indeed, with the defeat of- Sir Ernest Holderness, Roger Wethercd, Tolley and other well-fancied there was an almost unbroken sequence of surprises. •Two players who did a lot of damage were C.’C. Tippett and Dr. John McCormack, and they met rather unfortunately in the round before the. semifinal. The Irishman was the winner, but he failed in his next match against Martin Smith. It is remarkable’ that McCormack can-play. golf at all. He -was shot through tlje back in t]je war and for five, years it was feared that he would not be able to walk again. However, he-made a wonderful recovery ’and took up golf plrying* in a steel jacket. He is now able to dispense with this and he ranks as one of the biggest hitters'in the game. A desperate FINAL. The final was a desperately keen jmatch, and the golf was as good as one '.could expect .from two such young players. As a matter of fact, neither showed any nervousness or likelihood, of cracking. Martin Smith, finished the first round two up, and at one point in the second he was as many 1 as four up. -Still, as Harry Vardon advises, ,de Foi> ,est went on hitting the ball in courageous fashion and- holes began to come back to him. Indeed, he squared at the' 14th in the afternoon. ’ His mistake was in trying to carry a bunker -with his spoon. In ordinary circumstances he would have taken a brassie, but the lie. was a poor one and he decided that the spoon would take him, over the hazard and also that it was the safer club to take? It was'a fine bold ehOL but the ball-hit the face of the bunker and came back, and Martin Smith-cap-tured: the lead .again and retained _ it to the end, though he was faced, with a nasty situation, at the last green where he had tq Jay tfie ball dead with a putt of over 20 yards. - . . . : TRIUMPH OF BETTY NUTHALL?'.. The French lawn tennis championships in Paris are only second in importance to those at Wimbledon. America as well as England sent an official team to take part in them, and other countries are represented by their Davis cup players. So far England have done exceedingly well. ■ Indeed, Miss - Betty Nuthall has achieved a fine personal triumph. Spe first: won the womens doubles with Mrs. Eileen Bennett Whittingstall as her partner, _. theii she gained the mixed doubles with Dr. P. D. B. Spence, the:jScuth African to whom.it is understood she is shortly to be engaged, and she is strongly in the running for the. singles/title. _ Miss Nutiiall has been at her best in -‘Paris. Always .an .aggressive player, she has attacked persistently in all her games, and she'has made the .winning strokes -with strength’and accuracy. It is a weakness of her game, however, that she is a little 'too .eager to attack; and when she is held there is a distinct limitation to. her defence; in fact, she lias i;o defcuco at. all when ;judged by -the ordinary, patient safety methode. In these circumstances one is a little doubtful how ..-she' will fare against such rivals as Miss Helen Jacobs, the American player, and’ Madame Mathieu, the French champion. Miss Jacobs, who has been in France for two months or more, has -bepn ill, and as part of her cure she has had to waste, and, . indeed, has lost over a stone. She is now, however, thoroughly fit and I think-«he will be a bold contender both for the French and English titles, especially, as it 'is; now' certain that Mrs. Helen ' Wills Moody is not to compete at Wimbledon, The absence of the Americate.champion, who is still unmistakably supreme dn the court is unfortunate, but it will throw the event into a state of uncertainty and so give extra interest to it. H. W. AUSTIN’S MISFORTUNE,

The French men’s singles have not progressed very far. It is a misfortune that H. AV. Austin has had .to withdraw. He got into the final of the mixed doubles with Mrs? Shepherd-Barron as his partner, but in this? he struck himself on the ankle with his racket and hurt himself rather badly. Inasmuch as he is required for the Davis Cup Tie with South Africa) ho wag advised to take no further part in the championship. Thus F. J. Perry was left to carry the English flag. The latter contested the final of the men’s doubles with G. P. Hughes, -but they were beaten by the American" combination, G. Al. Lott and J. Van Ryn, by two sets to one. I should say that the-Americans are the best doubles pair in, .the" world at the present time, and there will be no surprise if Lott should carry off the singles. Despite the fact that he breaks many of the rules of the text book, he promises to succeed Tilden in American lawn tennis. ' . . HQBBS AND SURREY COUNTY. Jack Hobbs, who is 48 years of age, has intimated to the Surrey County Club that he hopes this will be his last season of cricket. His contract extends beyond this, but there is little doubt that he will be released. from it. He has been a member of the Surreyteam for 29 years, and there is a possibility that his association with it may not be completely broken. The secretaryship of the club will, be vacant at the end of the season, and his appoint-

meat to il would be extremely popular. He has, however, a very successful busi--ness, and he is well off. In fact, he has made more from cricket than any other player. - Hobbs has decided to say good-bye -owing to the fact that he feels the strain of six days’ play a week is too much for him- As he <?ays> you cannot put young legs on old bpdies, and often he finishes a day in very tired. It is thp fielding which is the burden. ■Though -,;P.? r h a J’S cbpie a little (slower now, he-/cap Mill get. through a (century innings comfortably. In fact, he has already made (bringing liis total up. to 177, This tops by over sft-the record of i? 6 centuries of W. G. Grace. ■ . _ The retirement of ; Hobbs, will be Tin-!fpi-tunatA for Surrey. His. place' cannot be filled. Stjll it is in'bowling rather than in battljig that the weakness of the eleven lies, and I am afraid they (will not do very well in the championship. With as many as 15 points now awarded for a win, a team mufit be able ,to force a victory, and there are several sidea-'hMter aW te.db thi«i than Surrey. In fact, the’ latter .have , pot been successful in apy of their five matches to date- though they have Rd in three on the first JP'nings, / , BOWLING -PBOWESS. ' To capture the championship a team list be able to get th© opposition out. That -is to say, their bowlipg : must. be good. Last summer Kent won more /games than apy of their rivals, apd had the present system of counting been in (force they would have beep champiops. Sigpificantly enough, they have now won four matches off the reel and they ■are (at the head of the list, being seven points in (front of Gloucestershire, who were unexpectedly defeated by Hampshire. - Notts , and Yorkshire have'also -impressive bowling strength, ■ arid -it is .likely that, they (.w.ill;,,pj.ay,'a. notable part. Larwood has shown a very pleas-ing-revival (pf form, and Verity/, the lyqurigyYorkshire-glQ.w bowler,: has made a 'splendid beginning. He hag accomplished the feat of taking all ten Warwickshire wickets.