A SPORTING MISCELLANY

Thames Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 17804, 1 February 1930, Page 5

A SPORTING MISCELLANY

FROM ALL THE WORLD OVER.

By Land, Sea And Air.

GAMES, PASTIMES, SPORTS.

SCISSORED, PINCHED & STOLEN.

When R. H. Bettington, who made 230, and A. P. Wells (139) were putting on 327 for the fourth wicket of Paddington against North Sydney, recently, thej r hit 108 runs off five overs sent down bv one bowler, Gilkes.

E. Humphreys, the Kent coach, who was a player-coach in Canterbury, -Christchurch, before the war, is now engaged as full-time coach to the 'Canterbury Nursery in Kent.

Wilfred Ward, 'backer of -Phil Scott, British heavyweight boxing champion, has announced that he has completed the formation of a syndicate to offer £50,000 to Jack Sharkey (U.S.A.) to fight.'Scott in the open air in London in the next English spring. “This £50,000,” said Ward, “is for 'Sharkey’s end only.” Apparently it is expected that the American will live up to his name! v. '

Some 25 years ago the Wellington Rugby Union’s offices on -Lambton Quay were burned out, and many valuable records were lost. The Union is now appealing to followers of the game who may have annuals in their possession of between 1888 and 1904 to forward them to the secretary (Mr A. E. Neilsen) so that the dates missing may be bridged.

An ill-informed writer of an article in an American journal which specialises in tennis remarks of lefthanded players that only one ever reached championship class, that one being Lindley Murray—an American, who won the Yank singles in 1917, and has never been heard of since. Passing over Norman Bypokes and Hawkes, both Australian lefthanders of some distinction, it will do no harm to call the attention of the Yankee'writer to two of his own countrymen, Beals Wright and that Dwight Davis, whose name is commemorated by a certain cup contest. Both these men were in the world’s champion class' in their day, and both were left-handers.

British golfers are in a ferment because someone writing in the Labour press has stigmatised golf as the pastime of the capitalistic class. It is a curious criticism ' coming- from Britain, where there are probably more toilers playing the game in artisan clubs and on fre£ courses than in any other country save America. ' ■ , ,;

Though nothing definite will be. known until after the Australian championships, the Australian Davis Cup team, which is to leave about the middle of March, has been practically narrowed down to eight or ten aspirants. The accident to Jim Willard is not likely to prove serious, and he may get his long-defer-red chance. Much is being made in Melbourne of the recent form shown by J. B* Hawkes, but Hawkes has yet to prove himself a stayer in a hard game. , His chief claim to consideration is his ability as a doubles player . with O’Hara Wood. As 'Crawford' and Hopman made hacks of the pair in the Victorian doubles final, it may be safely said that they will not be called upon. \ .

The Hon. Oeorge Scott, of Banbury Lodge, Chipping Norton (Oxfordshire), brother of Lord Polwarth. who has banned the local Heythrpo Hunt from hunting over his land, declared that was was not a personal matter. Hunting, he said, was all right in the days when most of the land was owned by big landowners, but now land had passed chiefly to owner farmers who were increasingly deriving a great part of their income from poultry. The poultry industry was too important to be ruined “by a decadent sport, indulged in by people who did little for the good of the country.”

Harold Gilligan, captain of the M.C.C. •> team, evidently values the assistance which newspapers give to sport, and believes in helping reporters to give accurate reports of cricket matches. Noticing, in New South Wales’ second innings against his team, that the big score-board on the ‘Sydney Crieet Ground was indicating incorrectly the names of fieldsmen, he held up the game while he sent one of the umpires..to the Press room to draw the reporters’ attention to the incorrectness of the score-board display.