SPORTS AND PASTIMES.

Thames Star, Volume LVII, Issue 16213, 30 September 1924, Page 7

SPORTS AND PASTIMES.

NOTES. Comment lms been caused in lawn tennis circles because Vincent Richards and not Bill Johnston was chosen to play in the singles matches against Australia. A Sydney writer went so tar as to hint that it looked as if the Yanks would not be sorry to lose the Davis Clip for a time. Of course, this was all pure bunk. In fact, four days beforehand, Richards in an important tournament fixture, beat Johnston 6-6, 6-4. * * • ■ “Australia will win if the teams are well chosen and captained.” This is the view of Warwick W. Armstrong, alter seeing a good deal of cricket in the current English season. He states that England and Australia are both very strong in batting and weak in bonding, and that all batsmen should eliminate the tendency to squat at the wickets, and in its place stand up and pelt the bowling.

A railway lire broke the monotony ot the British Rugby team’s 26 hours’ journey from Cape Town to Kimberley. Thu outbreak started in one of the carriages occupied by three members of the team, and was possiblv caused by a cigarette end. Smoke in considerable volume was soon rolling through the door, and T. Yoyce made a dash to the front of the train, where lie yelled to the engine driver, and threw lumps of coal at him, to stop the train, with a view, if necessary, of slipping thecoaeh. Meanwhile a hand oi the players was engaged in was not until the train had pulled up was not until lie rain had pulled up and buckets ol water were brought along that the fire was 1 , extinguished.

Beiore leaving for Stanford University and Santa Barbara for some special matches, the Austalian Davis vJnp lawn tennis teem, as is related by

‘ American Lawn Tennis,” weded its way into the picturesque Sierras with Jimmy Dean as its host. While on this trip Patterson met with a catastrophe. A gust of wind hit the automobile they were in, and blew off Gerald s trick hat, a light ,summery, broad-brimmed cloth affair, which had keen espcci.i 11v made for him in An/.ac land. Do tried his darndest to recover the coveted piece of. headgear, but to no avail, so he placed an order by cable with his native land hatter, and gave instructions that the unusual bonnet must arrive in the East for the Davis Cup battles.-

I is just as well Auckland didn’t succeed in <2;elli l1 «r Karl ifwersen into the All Blacks. Auekand s .'■.kipper has not shown the dash and initiative of oid in recent Raines, and obviously has lost a lot ol the pace that used to nice him tries. indeed, he lias not scored in an interprovincial fixture this season. hut Ik* has kicked goals in every mate'll hut one. * ! * * » 01 oonr-o no one oxpeeled anything else—tin* English Pughy critics are scratching; out nasty remarks about the w UK-I'orward play in tin* All Black limy class him as an obstructionist. because ins aim is to prevent open play by the opposing side. But the same critic apparently did not lake Devon to task' lor obstructionist tactics m repeatedly kicking for the li! "’ hi order to prevent the All Black bucks I nun opening up the play. | in re >, the difference? I ! i [ Speaking of 0. Purdy's deeds at the lailfoann (James, tin* sporting paper, “Boxing.” says:—“Purdy. the .Yew Zealander, who mooted such a furore in min ol the preliminary honks by his <‘asy victory over Pat O’l fa lira ha i). h ngland s best in the welters, won as he liked from Dwyer, the Irish elm npion. The iattfr was look- I up as still’ opposition (,„■ the All-Black considering that the Irishman reached the semi-firm I stage of tins Olympic Com-

THE ALL BLACKS. THEIR ITINERARY, 1924. For the convenience of our readers, we publish below the All Blacks’ itinerary for the 1924 tour, together with the figures for the 1905 tour: — Played 1905 1924 September: 13.—Devon .. .. 55—4 11—0 18.—Cornwall .. 41—0 29—0 20.—Somerset .. 23—0 6—o 25.—Gloucester .. 44—0 6—o 27.—Swansea .. 4—3 39—3 October: 2.—Newport .. 6—3 4. —Leicester . . 28 —0 B.—N. Midlands .. 21 —5 11. —Cheshire .. 34—0 15.—Durham . . 16—3 18.—Yorkshire .. 40—0 22.—Lancashire .. 25.—Cumberland .. November'. 1. —lreland .. 15—0 5. —Ulster .. B.—Northumberl’d 31—0 12. —Camb. Varsity 14—0 15.—London C’ties 20.—Oxford Varsitv 47—0 22.—Cardiff .. 10—8 29.—Wales (lost) o—3 December: 2. —Llanelly .. 6-—E, Midlands .. 11.—Warwickshire 13. —Com. Services 17. Hampshire .. 27.—London C’ties January (1925): 3. —England . . 15—0

petition at Paris. But Purdy outfoxed him in all phases of the contest •uul stamped himself as a past master in the art of scientific boxing.”

Australia, promises to he a terms "'orld this summer, and the mecc . of many champions. Reno ami Borotra are stated to have accepted invitations to play in Aust-P a. and several strong American plav :>.s will mr.im the trip down Sydney imwhou,'. W. T. lilden and Weiner were invited to Australia, hut they were unable to accept But a group of Californians, including Q. Johnston, C. J. Griffin, the Kinnsey brothers, Snodgrass and Westover, contemplate a tour of Japan and the Antipodes, following a visit to Mexico in October .

Billy Palmer, son of the famous Pedler, showed a. lot of flashy boxing in Ids recent fight with Harry Leach, lime and time again Leach was puzzled by Palmer’s unorthodox tactics, hut eventually Billy boxing on sound as well as vigorous lines ,lie emerged from the Lay a. comfortable winner on points.

“And in what direction does tho next village lie?” the tourist asked the ancient at the Blue Cow Inn. “Mostly about the size of fish,” grunted the ancient, as he gazed thoughtfully at his empty glass.

In lawn tennis it has. been considered very sporting and fashionable to net a ball purposely after being wrongly awarded a stroke by the umpire .The crowds, too, applaud such a sacrifice. Now, however, people are beginning to consider the feelings of the umpire, and the Rugby football dictum. “Play to the whistle,” is coming into vogue.

Griqualand West is hard—just about j as bard as the diamonds of Kimberley. : its ch:ef town. The football grounds arc liard and the players play bard

football. Therefore the handsome wi of the British Rugby team over tl “Griqs” created a sensation in Sout Africa. The game was a personal tr uznpli lor W. Wallace, the Northun berland county man, for he scored n tewer than five ti-ies by brilliant air dashing runs. Griqualand West Inn •not been beaten by a touring sid since 1903, tlie last to go down bciiq the New Zealand Service side in 1920 * * There wore two unusual'incidents it the English county match this yeai between Essex and Middle-ex. Nonas of Essex, anxious for runs, and uiiabh to score off Hearue’s slow breaks, began to kick them through the slip.aud luu leg byes, until the ruled aganst it as unfair play. Later, alien P. Ashton, of the celebrated cricketing family, bad scored 31 out 11. m half an hour, lie fel flat when trying to drag Hcariie to leg. The ball struck him on the top of the head and lie was given out Ibw. * * * , As a. fight promoter. J. A. Wilson, of London, has had a very hard spin. His troubles started when the intervention of the Home Secretary prevented the light between Battling Siki and Joe Beckett. After that there were the continual delay and the posponements in the Beckett-Carpentier match. As a. lesult of these; Wilson had to resort to professional money-lenders. Then lie promoted the Gibbons-Bloomfield contest, and all the world knows today with what appalling results. Apparently the day of the “big fight” is almost at an end in England. * * !> * When people realise how strong Brie- ! ish Rugby really is those (lays,"them 1 "ill be no pessimism over low scores ] b. the All Blacks, nor will there be • miy undue pessimism over the defeats : " Inch may he suite red. The New Zea- ' land Army team in 1919 was praetic- ' dl,\ an All Black side; yet. in spite of j -lie fact that it won nearly all its | Hatches, there were no Cricket scores. I u tact. a.II the important games were ling-dong struggles.

11 Sam Langford, blind in one eye and 0 faulty sight hi the other, is through b with fistic labour and has turned writer. He is writing the story of his boxing career in 3G articles for a local 1 paper. He starts:—“Little Tbammy I has lost lots of things— my figure, my l money, yah! and lots of other tilings; but not my memory! Hot dog—no, not : that!” Langford was in the ring battling for 23 years. He has probably given and taken more punches than any man alive. I promoted and refereed fights that Langford was in. I never knew a cleaner and fairer lighter. Jim Crbet-t told me that Sam was a greater fighter than Jack Johnson could ever he. Langford is now a resident of Los Angeles. * » • • Ihe appearance of Arthur Nourse i (better know as Have) was his forty- ■ third consecutive for South Africa in ' a representative match, when he playi ed at Leeds against England, and fre- ; cords tlie Field), lie enjoys a record i not possessed by any other living erick- , oter. M. A. Noble played in 42 such • matches without a break, but the late iotor Trumper played in 48 consecutive test matches. Woolley’s match • at Leeds was his fortieth tost match i "'ithout a break. 3. E. Gregory (58), Bnodes (53), Armsroiig (50), and Glem- . eiit Hill (49) are ether cricketers who have represented their country ns i many as 40 times, though not without :i break. J. B. Hobbs played in his thirty-seventh international match at Leeds.