A SPORTING MISCELLANY

Thames Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 17660, 10 August 1929, Page 5

A SPORTING MISCELLANY

FROM ALL THE WORLD OVER.

GAMES, PASTIMES, SPORTS.

SCISSORED, PINCHED & STOLEN.

It is understood that when the programme is issued by the Auckland Trotting Club for next season, several d' the races will lie made for flower class horses than formerly.

“He will he unablei to go t as he is much too busy,” said Lacoste, sen., of his son, Rene, last month, when ouestioned as to the latter’s visit to Wimbledon this year. All through the winter Lacoste, like Borotra, has been devoting himself to his business withj an important motor-car firm (says an English paper).

At a country race meeting one of the amateur jockeys was thrown and “sat down” heavily. His mother w-mt to hi'f, assistance, saying, “You plucky hoy, you showed no signs of pain.” “No,” said the rider. “I felt it beneath me.”

All that some of the forwards need to make them fit for a representative cap is a diet of raw steak and a charge of dynamite.

The Welsh Rugby Union made a profit of £5305 last season. The best gates were £3847 against Scotland at Swansea, and an almost similar amount against France at Cardiff.

The Sydney “Sportsman” makes the following reference' to Willie Smith, thei English billiards champion, who was beaten by Walter Lindrnni last week—“ The Englishman has proved himself a great player, a veritable scoring machine, and a man who can’t be rattled. Maybe lie will show better form in Sydney, where he made his bow, than in Melbourne. Anyhow, ho is a. most'• attractive-player to watch, and a good fellow. Barracking at billiards is an almost unheard of offence; hut Smith has taken what little there has .been in Melbourne in good part. One man who Veiled a sarcastic remark forced the visitor to tako notice, but Smith brought down the house bv saying: ‘Hi, my name’s Smith, young fellow, not Larwood.’ ”

France announces, the discovery of a new swimming marvel, an eighteen-year-okl Parisian named John Tans, John has broken every French record from 100 metres to 1500 metres, and has bettered even Charlton’* best for the 200 and 500 metres, for which his times were 2 lliiii;? 17 4-5 secs, and 6 min. 24 secs, 'respectively. The first performance is only" 2 sec. worse than Weismuller’s world’s record, but Taris has some way to,/go to equal Arne Borg’s 6 min. 8 1?-5 secs, for tho 500 metres.

W. G. Grace is the only English cricketer whose record shows that his scores included every number from 0 to 100. Wilfred Rhodes has made every one of these tscores except 99. F. E. Woolley lacks only 89. J. B. Hobbs misses 95 and 98, H. Makepeace 94 and 97. C. P. Mead 83 and 99. Others with remarkable figures are D. Denton (Yorkshire), who has three numbers missing. J. T. (Tyldesley, T. Hayward) P. F. Warner, G. Gunn and E. P. Hendren each have four blanks.

London “Sporting Life” says it has been estimated that the Derby established a record as the biggest betting race in the history of racing in any country, and a conservative estimate was that nearly £10,000,000 changed hands.

In England the bookmakers have decided on following limits in connection with starting prices decided by the totalisator. On minor races, win limit 33 to 1, place limit 10 to 1; on important races, win limit 100 to 1, place limit 25 to 1; win double events, win'limit 200 to 1, plac,e limit 40 to 1; win treble events 250 to 1, place limit 50 to 1; and win accumulator'!? 300 to 1, place limit 60 to 1.

A circular concerning the coming tour of the Australian bowling team suggests disembarkation at. Toulon, a tour of the Riviera and Italy, and thence on to Paris by way of Switzerland, to be followed by a visit to Brussels and, of course, Ostend, where the Casino now rivals that of Monte Carlo. No mention is made at all of bowls or of Britain, where the tourists are supposed to be committed to a senes of gamejs.

The fact that none are so ignorant of the rules of golf as those who havj been playing it for years has ofteri* been emphasised. An illustration of thi,? is seen in an occurrence in the recent amateur championship of England, played at Newcastle. In the semi-final were Cyril Tolley, twice amateur champion of Britain, and W. Sutton, another' player of note. On the last green Tolley had a threefoot putt to sink to square. There was a chunk of snow between his ball and the hole, and Tolley was told by the referee that he might remove it. Sutton objected, saying that snow patches had interfered with putting at holes previously played, and that lie had not asked for removal. Tolley waived the point, putted and lost his match. Neither player seems to have known the rule which allows snow on the putting green to be scraped away with the club without penalty. Not lifted or scratched, mind you, but just scraped away.

The Olympic champion sculler, H. R. Pearce, of the Sydney Club, lias been challenged to race’ for the Philadelphia Gold Cup, which was presented to him last year after he won at the Olympic Games, bv J. A. Goulding, one of his cluhmates. This i(i the first time in 'the history of the sport, that a match for the amateur sculling championshio of the world has been arranged. Goulding is among the first rank of amateur ,scullers of Australia, •and finished second to Pearce in the Olympic test race on the Yarra' in October, 1927. He will be prepared for the match by George Towns, a former world’s professional champion. Goulding is just as skilful with the bladeyi as Pearce,, but lacks the physique of the Australian champion. The date of the race has not definitely

been decided, but it will be on the Paramatta course over the Olympic distance of one mfle 110 yards.