FROM FIELD, FLOOD, AND RING

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19344, 19 November 1932, Page 16

FROM FIELD, FLOOD, AND RING

Jubilee Vase Surprise: H. Price, the holder, was unexpected- i ly beaten by P. P. Fulton in the fourth j round of the Royal and Ancient Club's j Jubilee Vase tournament at St. | Andrews. Price, whose handicap is j two, found Fulton, a five-handicap player, at the top of his form, and the J holder was four down at the turn, j Fulton having gone out in 38 strokes. Fulton was himself eliminated in the fifth round, in which he was beaten by F. L. Callender (12).

A “Leg-Before" Hat-Trick. What is believed to be the first instance in first-class cricket of a bowler obtaining a hat-trick of leg-before-wicket dismissals occurred in the resent match between Yorkshire and Somerset. H. Fisher, the Yorkshire left-hand fast-medium bowler, promoted from the county’s second eleven this year, was the bowler. There is no record an instance of a hat-trick of stumpings in first-class cricket, as long ago as 1893, and then, curiously enough, three Somerset batsmen were the victims; the bowler was C. L. Townsend, Gloucestershire amateur slow bowler.

Juvenile Scots Too Strong: Once more the superiority of Scottish juvenile golf was demonstrated in the tenth boys’ international match played on the Royal Lytham and St. Annes course in August. Scotland gained the honours for the fourth year in succession, and for the. seventh time in all. The last English victory was gained at Formby in 1928. Scotland’s triumph was almost assured when their representatives won all four matches in the foursomes. In the singles it was a case of 50-50, each side winning four matches. In the aggregates the Scots won by 8 to 4.

Fleetwocd-Smith's Methods? The following in London “Daily Mail”:—“Then we have Fleetwood - Smith, the gentleman who, according to reports, tries something entirely new—and illegal—when he finds he cannot get a man out. FleetwoodSmith bowls fast with his right hand and slow spinners with his left, so, as someone would have me believe, the run to the wicket, and where the batsman is expecting a fast right he gets a slow left, and worries himself out in trying to guess what is coming next. The only snag is that Fleetwood-Smith would be immediately no-billed by an unfeeling umpire, who would enforce the rules, even though it meant killing what might be an interesting experiment.”

Wide, Or Wicket? On some country cricket grounds where matting wickets are used, the ground immediately adjoining the wicket is not always level with the wicket. Sometimes, indeed, there is an upward slope from the wicket, and it ip possible for a bowler who pitches the ball off the matting to get a big “break.” Generally, clubs that use matting wickets have a local rule that a ball which pitches off the matting shall be treated as no delivery or as a wide, even if it be within reach of the striker. Where the matting is in

two pieces, with a gap between them, it is usual to treat a ball which pitches between the two pieces of matting as no delivery. The advisability of having such local rules in these cases was shown by an inquiry', from dweller in the country, which the CanNcbury Cricket Association had before it recently. In the instance cited, a ball that was pitched off the matting hit the wicket without the batsman making any attempt to play it. “Was the batsman out?” was the question. The only reply that could be given, of course, is that the batsman was out if there were no local rule, but that it is advisable to have a loci-r rule on the subject. The M.C.C. Laws of Cricket do not contemplate the use of matting wickets —or substitutes for matting—but they do make allowances for custom’s being followed in case for w T hich there is no other law.

The Enduring Kennedy: A. S. Kennedy’s bowling feat in taking 13 wickets for 71 runs for Hampshire against Glamorgan at Bournemouth must be counted as one of the great performances of the cricket season (comments a writer in an English paper), for apart from the merit shown by the figures, it must be remembered that Kennedy is in his 42 nd year, and since his former partner J. A. Newman, retired he has had to bear the brunt of Hampshire’s bowling. It is 25 years since Kennedy first appeared for the county, and since then he has taken over 2500 wickets and scored over 13,000 runs. His greatest successes have been since the war, and since 1921 he has scored over a thousand runs and taken a hundred wickets i:i a season on nine occasions. His most successful season was in 1922, when he took 205 wickets and scored 1129 runs, form which won him inclusion in the M.C.C. team under F. T. Mann, which visited South Africa. There Kennedy proved a great success, taking 31 wickets for an average of 19 in the Test matches. Among many fine bowling feats, perhaps his best has been the capture of 10 wickets for the Players against the Gentlemen at the Oval in 1927. Th's season he seems to be bowling as well as ever, and has over 130 wickets to his credit. He is, of course, a rare instance of a Scottish-born professional assisting an English county, for he was born in Edinburgh. j

A Compliment to France: In the great 2.\ miles handicap, the j cesarewitch, the French-bred mare Brnlette was allotted top-weight, 9.8. Another French-bred horse. Ut. Majeur, j was next in order with 9.6. The Leger | next, in order with 9.6. The Leger i winner. Sandwich, headed the English I horses with 9.5.

A Rare Incident: An incident such as had not happened before in first-class cricket for close on 50 years happened in the recent match between Gloucestershire and Sussex. T. W. Goddard, Gloucestershire professional, fielding at midoff, stopped with his cap a ball hit by A. Melville. The umpire at the bowlers’ wicket thereupon put Law 41 into force, and five runs were added to Melville’s score. It is stated that Goddard was holding his cap in one hand and mopping his brow with the other hand, and when the ball was hit to him he acted unthinkingly in stopping it with his cap. Melville had made one run from the stroke, and the decision to give him another four runs was announced in the luncheon interval.

French Women’s Tennis Weakness: Why is France so weak in women lawn tennis players? (asks a writer in “Manchester Guardian”). Apart from Mme. Mathieu—who, by the way, has three children, and was actually a mother when she won the French junior championship—the country has no outstanding woman player. Just as in certain quarters in England a new star is periodically hailed, so in France a finger is occasionally pointed to some girl with the remarks: “Here at last, is the successor to Suzanne Lenglen.” The French Lawn Tennis Federation does everything possible to develop promising talent among the women players. “Perhaps these are the lean years,” says one writer, “and our womanly talent will bloom when our Musketeers (the men who won and have kept .the Davis Cup) must lay down the sword.”

Leonard's Come-Back: Of all the former boxing champions who have attempted a come-back, none has made such strides as has Benny i Leonard (says an American paper). The old master of the lightweights, now boxing as a welterweight, in an attempt to recoup financial lossess, started his climb to recognition a little less than a year ago, and although the boxing critics predicted his failure, Benny only recently succeeded in hurdling his 20th obstacle when he outclassed the hard-hitting Billy Townsend, of Vancouver, in a 10-round bout. The masterly manner in which he triumphed over the youthful Townsend left no doubt in the minds of the 8000 spectators that, to date, Benny has come nearest to making good in the come-back role of any of the hordes of battlers who came out of retirement to beat Father Time and failed.

A Champion Knocked Out: A world’s boxing champion was knocked cut in two rounds a few weeks ago. Young Perez, of France, who won the flyweight championship from Frankie Generaro, is the man who

suffered the indignity, which befell him at Newcastle, England. Mickey McGuire, a Newcastle lad. did it, but as the match was made at Bst. 21b.. and the flyweight limit is Bst., the championship was not at stake. Perez stansd slowly, and in the first minute he was warded when he swung a right which landed rather low. McGuire was quick on his feet and in the first

round scored twice, with a right jab and a left hook. The sedond round had just opened when McGuire sent in a well-planned right jab. The champion was hit on the jaw and went to the boards, his head hitting the lowest rope. He tried to struggle to his feet, but was unable to do so and was counted out. This was the second champion whom McGuire has beaten within a few months, as he accounted j for Jacky Brown, the European titleholder, on points at the same hall earlier in the year.

New Records For Walking: The world’s walking record lor one hour, made by G. E. Larner, at Stamford Bridge in 1905, was recently, at the White City Stadium, London, beaten by A. H. G. Pope, of Woodford Green A.C., the A.A.A. seven-mile champion, who in doing so also broke five other world’s records. Pope covered eight miles 474 yards one foot three inches in the hour, as against Larner’s distance of eight miles" 438 yards. The full list of his records was —Five miles, 35.47 1-5; six miles, 43.7; seven miles, 50.28 4-5; eight miles, 33.42; one hour, 8 miles 474yds. Ift 3in; 10,000 metres, 44.42 2-5. The old

records were:—Five miles, G. E. Larner (36.0 1-5); six miles, Larner (43.26 1-5); seven m les, G. H. Gouling (50.40 4-5); eight miles, Larner (58.18 2-5); one hour (Larner 8 miles 438yds); 10,000 metres, G. Rasmussen (45.26 2-5). A. A. Cooper (Woodford Green A. C.), the A.A.A. two-mile champion, led for the first four miles with Pope on his heels. Cooper also broke the old five-mile record with 35.54, but Pope had taken the lead before the fifth mile was reached. Pope forged ahead, and, walking strongly, kept well inside the old figures. Record after record went by the board after five miles, and he stayed on to beat Larner’s 27-year-old record by about 36 yards.

French Cyclist Victor: Paillard. the French champion was an easy winner of the professional 100kilometres (motor-paced) world’s championship final in Rome, beating Sawaal, the German, who won last year, by well over half a minute. Paillard. who led from the start, averaged 74.820 k.p.h. He finished in lhr. 20 min. 11 l-ssec, to Sawaal’s 1.20.59.

Going to Cambridge: A young American lawn tennis player with a cannon-ball service even more terrific than Ellsworth Vine’s is going up to Cambridge University this month. He is David Jones, of Columbia University, and his allround athletic prowess has -won him great prominence. He is also a fine oarsman, a speedy runner, and one of the best basket-ball players in' the United States. His smashing service has already brought him victories over F. J. Perry and Sidney Wood, and in his only match with Vines he took the champion to five sets. Jones will be at Cambridge for three years.

Game, or Gate? Some “heads” of British Rugby are fond of asserting that “the game, not the gate, is the thing.” Yet four of the most famous clubs in England— Blackheath, Richmond, Harlequins, and London Scottish —have deeded to discontinue matches with old boys’ clubs, and have given as the reason that these matches do not attract sufficiently large gates! The decision will not take effect until the 1934-35 season, as the fixtures for the present season and next season are already arranged. The only old boys’ club not included in the ban is the Old Merchant Taylors Club.

Twice-Ruined Benefit: The benefit match which was given this year to Frank Watson, the Lancashire cricket professional who was very seriously ill with pneumonia last year, was ruined by rain. Recently, therefore, a match between a Lancashire County team and a team of professionals from the Lansashire League,

with an amateur as captain, was arranged as a further benefit for Watson. The weather for the first day of this game was ideal, but on the second day rain limited play to an hour and five minutes, and on the th'rd day no play was possible, because of more rain. The gross receipts for the three days amounted to only £145.

Ireland Wants Olympic Games: Interest has been aroused in Ireland by the declaration of General O’ Duffy that he has applied unofficially for the Olympic Games of 1940 to be held in Dublin. The General, who is on the Olympic Council, and who “fathered” the Irish team at Los Angeles, declares that the prospect of Ireland getting the games is bright. He estimates that if the Olympiad were to be held in Dublin, it would involve the expenditure of about half a million pounds on a stadium. General O’Duffy says: “I suggest that the proceeds of a sweep-stake should be devoted to supplying the necessary facilities, and I trust the Government and the hospitals will help in this plan.”

Furlong Hurdles: An althletic event which is practically non-existent in Great Britain, Australian and New Zealand is the 220 yards low hurdles, but it is common enough in the United States of America and in South Africa. It is included in the sports programme of most South African secondary schools. At the annual sports of the Jeppe High School, Johannesburg, recently, a boy named I. A. R. Bird won the 220 yards low hurdles in 0.25 3-5, equalling the Transvaal open record. Bird had a wind behind him. He seems to be fittingly named, although his parents might have transposed his initials to A. I. R. Bird. The world’s record for 220 yards low hurdles, round a bend, is 0.23, held by an American.