FROM FIELD, FLOOD AND RING

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18599, 21 June 1930, Page 16 (Supplement)

FROM FIELD, FLOOD AND RING

M. J. Turnbull, who was a member af A. H. H. Gilligan’s M.C.C. team In New Zealand, has been appointed captain of the Glamorgan county cricket eleven for the coming season.

To Australian champion Frank M'Clure has fallen the honour of being the first breast-stroke swimmer in the Commonwealth to break 3min for 220yds. Recently in an official attempt on the record he was clocked at 2min. 58 3-10 sec., thus eclipsing Ivan Stedman's previous best of 3min. 2sec.

Shaken like a leaf with a right to the jaw in the first round, rocked with an intense battery of left hooks to the body and right uppercuts to the head in the two rounds which followed, Louis Vauclard, of France, took his medicine with the fortitude of a Spartan, and, giving a great display of durability, was still on his feet throwing punches at Jack Haines when the bell ended the last round (says a Sydney writer). There was no doubt about the decision: Haines won in a canter; he was held even over one round, and won the majority of the others by wide margins. The Frenchman was finished in the tenth, but by sheer courage battled throughout to the bitter end. He should prove popular in this country.

Jimmy Wilde gained many of his wins as a fly-weight because he could punch very hard for his size. It seems that Bert Kirby, of Birmingham, is another little man with a weighty punch. He and J. Brown, of Manchester, met for the flyweight title and Lonsdale Belt, when Kirby knocked out his rival with as fine a punch as ever delivered by a fly-weight. His showing has induced his supporters to talk about a match against Frankie Gerard for the world's title.

Interest in the Australian cricketers deepens greatly in the knowledge that so many of them are the merest The average age is only 27. M'Cabe (19) is the baby of the team; while Grimmett (37) is the veteran. The following are the individual ages: Grimmett 37, Richardson 35, Oldfield 32, Woodful 32, Kippax 31, Homibrook 30, Ponsford 29, Hurwood 27, Wall 26, Fairfax 23, a’Beckett 22. Bradman 21, Walker 21, Jackson 20, M'Cabe 19.

Three world’s swimming records were set up at St. Augustine, Florida, by American women swimmers recently. The feats were: Lisa Lindstrom, 300yds in 3min 55 4-ssec; Josephine M’Kim, 250yds in 3min 4 l-ssec! Helene Madison, 200 metres in 2 min 34 4-ssec.

There have been quite a number of holes in one this season (says a Christchurch report), and one expert even went as far as to slice a tee shot at the first tee and hole out on the eighteenth green.

The Australian women’s hockey team have left Melbourne on the first stage of their journey to South Africa, where they will compete in the Empire women’s tournament. After playing in Africa, the Australian team will go to England. About November 27 they will leave for Holland, and will then play in Belgium, France, and Germany. The tour maye be finished in New York, although the American invitation has not yet been definitely accepted.

Many New Zealand cricket enthusiasts will regret that Carl Willis, of Victoria, has died of pneumonia. Willis toured New Zealand in 1925, as a member of the Victorian team captained by Vernon Ransford, and made himself very popular with his personality as well as his bright cricket. He was a very able batsman, and did particularly well with the A.I.F. team in England, for which he averaged 41.30 runs an innings for forty-four innings (four not outs). His best score was 151 against Somerset. When the A.I.F. team returned to Australia he scored a century for it against his own State. He scored a century for Victoria against New South Wales in a Sheffield Shield match two years ago.

In addition to lowering twenty-six billiards records, the maximum number possible, Walter Lindrum during his tour in Great Britain played without any intermission during week days from the middle of October to the beginning of April. He has earned, according to Burroughes and Watts, the firm with which he has a contract, £3,000 clear. From statements made before he left for Australia it is evident that Tie considers the financial results of the tour somewhat disappointing. M'Conachy,

the New Zealand champion, it is said, 'will return to Australia a poorer man I than when he left. According to an English authority on billiards. Lindrum would have been in a similar plight “but for the fact that he played literally day and night and had been constantly slaving at giving exehibition games.” R. ji. Lowry, one of Wanganui’s front-rankers against the British Rugby team, represented Cambridge University in 1923. He is a brother of the New Zealand cricket captain. Last month Young Corbett defeated j the welter champion, Jackie Fields, in a non-title match. Corbett refused to give Fields a return contest unless the j title was at stake, and now he is too j late, for the negro, Jack Thompson, of San Francisco, relieved Fields of | his championship at Vancouver (8.C.) this month. The new champion is a ! great puncher; he outslogged Fields, ; but was forced to travel fifteen torrid j rounds to do so. The new champion admits that he was nearly knocked out ' in the second round. Fields received j £7,500 and Thompson £SOO. It is on , the cards that Thompson and Young i Corbett will fight in New York. Jeffries, by the way, still holds a conspicuous place in the hearts and minds ; of those who were around when his “ crouch w r as baffling Ruby Bob Fitzsimmons. Frank Graham, of the New 1 Yord ‘“Sun,” brings Jeffries to the fore 1 again in New York by digging up j 5 Tommy Burns, the former heavy- j 5 weight champion by virtue of Jeff's j • retirement and Tommy’s wins over [ 1 Marvin Hart and Philadelphia Jack , • O’Brien. Burns, called upon to rank , L the great champions of the prize ring ' in the heavy-weight division, excludes John L. Sullivan because he never saw him fight, but ranks them from Sullic van on in this order.: —1, James J. Jeffries; 2, Jack Johnson; 3, Bob 3 Fitzsimmons; 4, James J. Corbett; j b 5, Jack Dempsey; 6, Gene Tunney; 7, | 1 Jess Willard. His explanatory com- j ’ ments are chuck-full of interest:— j 3 “Jeffries, big and rugged and strong, j 1 was particularly effective because of his crouch. Johnson was the greatest t defensive fighter and picked off or smothered punches before they were r fairly launched. Fitz was a good boxer r ’ and a terrific puncher, with a great " fighting brain. Corbett was cleverest and revolutionised the sport. Dempsey, a savage fighter, had the hardest punch any man ever carried in a left hand. Tunney ranked next to Corbett in sheer cleverness. Willard lacked the skill of the others, but was a physical marvel.” “Protect yourself at all times,” is an old rule of boxing, and this Billy M'Alister forgot in his second test with the English boy Johnny Peters (says a Sydney writer). Peters hit him with a right below the belt in the twelfth round, and M'Alister was so busy claiming a foul that he forgot his defence. jumped at his advantage, pelted his man with punches, floored him for a long count, and then knocked him out. The referee was out of vision when the low blow landed, but had he seen it he could have scarcely done more than caution Peters. The majority of the 6000 fans present saw the punch. It landed below the w T aist line, but inches above the spot M'Alister held, when he rolled on the canvas vainly making dumb motion that he had been fouled. The end was similar to his fight with La Barba. He clutched the same spot, way below the belt, and rolled round the ring and out. The fans and referee ignored his action. Peters left the ring amid a storm of applause. Dr. Sydney Jones, the Stadium medico, examined M'Alister after the contest, and although two faint bruises appeared on top of the hipbone, there was no evidence of a foul.

A well-known boxing enthusiast, whose judgment may be relied upon, made some interesting comments to “Aeneas,” of the “Evening Post,” after returning from the Donovan-Leckie contest in Napier. He said that it was a fight worth going miles to see, and Leckie surprised even his most ardent supporters. The champion was confidence personified. He seemed to know from the start that he had Donovan’s measure, and gave the Taranaki man a lesson in straight-left boxing. “Any student of boxing knows,” he said, “that Donovan’s straight left is not a good one. He does not shoot it out, but “floats” it out, and Leckie caught him time after time. In the eight round Donovan started his flailing tactics, and for a while was successful, but I could not see anything in it but Leckie. He always looked the ultimate winner. His double left was a treat to watch, and the finishing punch was a masterpiece. It travelled only a few inches. Donovan might have done better if he had adopted bustling tactics, but he now seems to have the idea that he can box. As a boxer, however, he is not in the same street as Leckie. In fact, I will go so far as to say that Leckie is the best boxer in New Zealand to-day, importations thrown in. “I would not advise him, however, to meet Sarron again just yet, as Sarron is a crafty fighter, and there is a psychological reason why Leckie should not meet Sarron again until he is thoroughly tuned up again and absolutely sure of himself. There is no doubt that on two of the occasions in which Leckie met Sarron he was far from well. He seems to have shaken off his ilJiiiess, but should go carefully until he has re-established himself definitely.’