ODDS AND ENDS OF SPORT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16987, 10 March 1923, Page 19 (Supplement)

ODDS AND ENDS OF SPORT.

In deciding to support M’Quarrie in che legal proceedings ho has taken against the New Zealand Boxing Council over the fight for the heavy-weight championship in Dunedin some time ago. the Southland Boxing Association would appear to have entered into a dispute which really concerns the Council and the Otago Association (says the ** Southland Times ”). The local association has also acted hastily in coining to its present decision without having the full facts of the case before it. It is regrettable that a recriminatory tone has entered into the controversy between the two main parties, with accusations flying about that reflect no credit on their originators. When the position of both parties is examined, with special attention to the undisputed incidents occurring at the conclusion of the eleventh round, it is hard to see how the opposing parties expect to upset the Boxing Council's decision, which strikes one as being the onlv one possible.

Commenting upon Wellington’s loss ol the Ranfurly Shield last season, the Wellington Rugby Union’s Comni,ttee. in its annual report, states;— The Hawke’s Bay match was a Ranfurly Shield ohallenge, and the visitors’ win was most decisive, our team being outplayed at all points. This is the first occasion on which the shield lias been held by one of those which had hitherto been regarded as the smaller unions, and although the committee regrets its loss, it is pleased to see the coveted trophy go to a union which has in late years had an uphill fight I here is little doubt that the holding of the shield will give a fresh iiiinetns to Rugby in Hawke’s Bar ai-1 the committee extends to the Hawke's -Bay L nion its heartiest congratulations on tneir success.

There is one lesson in sport we might learn from the U.S.A.. says a Svdno Bulletin” writer. There it is the rule rather than the exception for the cracks to take the young ones in hand and endeavour to brine them on. T*. Australia with the possible exception of Rugby football and swimming, the attitude of the champions towards the •luniors is one of mild tolerance in amused apathy. Took at the results ~t the American system of intensive training. The foremost American swimmers. Johnny 'Weissmuller and Helen Wainwriffht. are aged 17 and 16 re spectivclv. The tennis wonder. Vincent Richards. is 19 : the golfers. S'wcetser and Bohbr Jones, are both 20: and the polo champion. Tommy Hitchcock, is only 21. In divine, cycling and handball the champions aterespectively 17, 18, and 20. Sandy McVea, the aboriginal fea-ther-weight, who was through the Dominion during the 1921-22 summer "ith Snowy Flynn’s troupe of boxers and wrestlers, who gave exhibitions at. tarious A and P. shows, died at Broken Hill on February 4. of pneumonia, which followed otL an operation for appendicitis. The ex-amateur champion of VieHl f u £?“> ' vb ° met C. ni s'teE Zealand, in contests ,- Austlalasian championships, tha first tune in Sydney in 1921, and the second in Hobart in 1922 and who ;iT I rJ ,rofesSio . nal immediately after the latter meeting, won his first conxT* j 313 ® r us new status, and secured the bantam championship of Victoria by deteatmg H. Gordon. Recently he I met oemmens, m Melbourne for the Australian championship, ancl lo'st on , r ° T . the first half of the com test Ristuccia more than held his own lo'Li S ,. the b °Pt progressed he steadily iost giound, and Semmens rn-n out a -f 11 / r? as ? winner. The probability , 3 that Ristuccia weakened liunseif i„ making the weight. He is a growing lad, and is realty a. feather. S Decidedly novel methods of advertismg a Rugby match were adopted in *? m , ake km own to people walking in the boulevards that a match between Tondon and Pans was being played in the brench capital on -Tew Year’s Day. ... In place of the usual sandwichmen, athletes dressed in regulation Rugby garb, with knees bare to the December rains, walked up and down carrying placards announcing the match. A great deal of interest was taxen in the match, each team bavins won three out of the s j x previous matches. A large number of the spectators hejonged to the British colony ’‘ l i ar is and the visitors did not lncg for support. Paris won by 22 to H. mainly ns a result of the superiority ot their forwards. 1 C'l-ioUpt is generally recognised as the king of games, perhaps because it IS at once the game of the greatest vi; 1 V an u- greatest luck (writes Bishop 11 elrlou. F.ngland). For. how e'-cr efficient an eleven may be in batting. bowling and fielding, there is al'y';' s r u e:npn .t "f chance in the weatnoi. m the winning or losing of tha v'V; ,n the brighter or duller ugh under which batsmen go to tile V clots Cricket is the fame. ton. which has taken the widest and deep, es- root over all the British Empire 'A bo can doubt that the interchange of visits between cricket elevens at Home and in Australia has done much to ox cite and sustain the passionate lovaT t slll'll bade the Australians. jj k „ all other colonists ~f the Emnire. to leal. SO arms m the hour of Great in 1914. S Per at tl,e outbreak ° f war Tt w** remarked the other dav (savs ■ ic Svdney “Referee”) that Vernon Ransford was one of the veterans of the \ ictonan Eleven. And vet Tie is you,,"— (•],-- IV Rards’ ] lo , S f ~n, ,n his Pritne as a cricketer. f ■ . -’“oil' rest !i’“y.':‘':; ; to otnr 0 tnr tcjtn to work into form that would i lake him as great as ever he was. At lus best lie was in the same class as Warren Bardslev. S On his only visit to England he performed with great success, rivalling Ihe^lney,left-hander, and perhaps match performer Ransford has” 1 heap particularly consistent end P surprises U, "the* selecrio,i°„f team "' ar’TTl'' ° V ' ?r ference given to men who cannot handle the bat with anything li'-o ids skill when at his best. Besides Raris ford is one of the best outfielders Australia has produced. He is still firstclass anywhere, and the beet of all the ' ictorians of the hour. A couple of unusual bowling feats were recorded in minor matches in Svdney recently. A 21-year-old left hand er. H. M’Donagh, playing for Clew - hind Street Young Men’s Club took nil ten wicket-s in an innings and G. Howard, one of the oldest members of the Centennial Park Association, performabout his performance was that not- one of his victims was howled, eight being caught and two stumped, whereas M - #onagli bowled eight and had two

caught. The latter's performance brought his total for the season up to 64 wickets at an average cost ol 4.4

The French Government voted 10,000,000 francs for the 192-1 Olympic games It is reported that the Xew Zealand Government will come to light with a grant to assist the fund which will be raised to defray the cost or sending a Dominion team to take part in the games and compete at the Empire sports meeting.

At the annual meeting of the Australian Swimming Union, at Adelaide, it was decided to invite Joinin'- Weissmuller, the American champion, -.o make a tour of Australia next summer. On the question of representation L the next Olympic Games, which will he held in Paris in IJ>24 . it was agreed that a minimum of seven swimmers should be chosen, and that the tests should be held directly after the Australian championships, which will be held in Melbourne next season.

J.W.,” in '‘The Australasian.” wonders why Blaclde “ absolutely the best howler in the land, is studiously passed- by ” by the Victorian selectors. ‘ His attack.” continues “ J.W..” “is on the old approved lines—length, otf spin, valuation of pace, and a hanging slow. Considering our lack <>i a nettling like first-class bowlers, Blackie’s non-selection is remarkable. Some few years back he was a Prahran cricketer. Business, however, claimed his attention. and lie gave the game no. As he now resides in St Hilda’s district, his old clubmate, Bert Cohen, induced him to throw in his lot with the seasiders. And he has r-oine right back to his best form. Every batsmen who plays against him states emphatically that he is the best howler in Victoria, his consistency, match after match, being a most pronounced feature. Tt was strange that even when a member of Praham and howling splendidly, ho was never picked, and his ill-fortune-of whatever it may he termed—still clings tenaciously. Our first eleven could bo improved out of sight in batting. bowling. and fielding if om* selectors were more solicitous for State than sectional interests.”

writes in the “Sydney .Mail ’:—Looking at the teams in big matches, you will not see one player with his sleeves clown. It is only the alleged cricketer who commits such a breach of a usage of the sport. Some men have been known to howl with the sleeve of the bowling arm down and unbuttoned at the wrist ; but verv few, I am glad to say. The object is that the Happing of the sleeve takes the batsman’s attention off the action of the fingers around the ball, and makes the ball harder to see. This practice is most unsportsmanlike, and should be appealed against wherever resorted to. It is a trick, and a very dirty one i-low different when, during the Jast test in Sydney, one saw' Australian fieldsmen unwilling to try to run Hobbs out I>ecause he was lame. Nor shall I ever forget the genuine worry that came on Woolley’s face and betrayed itself in his step and every movement as an after result of the “sixer” lie got in the New South Wales match, lhe ball landed among the crowd, and its return to the field was unaccountably delayed. Wo meets passed, and the word flashed aroumU. “Someone has been hurt.” As Woolley dropped his oat and strode, full of anxiety, towards the place where the ball had gone, lie looked a bigger roan than oven when he hacl lifted it over the fence. It is all right.” they called to -iim. and he went back. Little in< dents of that sort make the records Of the game not merely a compilation of figures, hut a human document. Similarly one may class the episodes when some luckless wight misses a catch. One howler will take it cal i!y. another w,th a philosophical grin ol shrug, while now and then one meets the man who males no secret of hiboiling teroner. T like the way Parkin takes his disappointments; he suffered h iT™ < . I, ° . weakness of the Fun-, hsh fielding during the last tour Bnt the same applies generallv to the iv' presentatire sides of to-dav—thev are all good sports. ' ° the BOXER’S LIFE. NOT AS EASY AS SOME PEOPLE SUPPOSE. Many people consider the boxer's life au easy one (writes •< The Count ” in ,; le Melbourne • • Sporting Globe ’' ** ''" at has lie got to do?” thev as'Simply train a little while and iiwiit once in a while for about an hour Jhat ,S easy money. I wish that J nad the opportunity of taking a hiduu, for the amount that those fellows earn” r wouldn t be turning up to wor'- evc"v morning at t) a.m.'and knocking off at o.dO. Not On your life. What’s the tune now? Nearly closing. Come and have a wurl before the hotels n«» ■ we have just got time for a'couple before dinner. Time and again ! have heard poo- !,. alh in this strain. Even people who should knov; better. They seem to think that the boxer’s life is ■: bed of roses. .Ml he las to do is fi.'.bt . m ,i only for a little while at that ' T them it looks like easy mousy There is another side tn Hi, rt orv liowever. They forget what the l, () -.i T has got to go through before he is' fir to enter the ring. The elcsiug o f tlm hotels does not affect him 'it r,--be that be would like a drink but that doubtful -comfort is denied him. "ft may be that he would like to „ 0 tn the theatre, but ho is fighting Tn a tew days, and conseanrmtl v it wouk! j not ho advisable for him i 0 «tno nut hue. His opponent is prnl.nhlv >, to -,-], liov. who is „ ot wasting am- , ' | A hover’s life j< Ol , e of , ( . M • j self-denial, cm! 1 as k you it thrt is - not the hardest life of all Hu , tun,all, straining against his 1; he has n real desire to make good. Jiv a wee.-: of the boxer's ordinary be. and sec how you Would like j. I hnt would l>n the tc=d The boxer has a number "of tb-'n-o to rout'd o : Take them rnP , t ~ I H*- mn-t d amount 1 ' I I? ?°~i P ' V ' f - h y° st People imag* me that this is where his training I begins and ends. This is not so • it s only a small part of it. He must be careful what be eats. He must have a proper rest. Take n„ example of ■n» boxer s ordmorv rii,- r hilled to fight llrowi, at tbe Stadhim e™ " r ; y n, T ht ' H ” is hound bv ~ 100 forfeit not to exceed fist Tn consequence he must watch his step every moment of the time. J PLENTY OP NERVE STRAIN. Tins involves a considerable nerve strain. To begin with be must not drink half as much as he really wants throughout the whole week. He must

deny himself every dainty for which his palate craves. He must go to bed and rest instead of going to some forn. of entertainment. After work the average man pleases himself as to what he does. But in the case of the boxer lie must be ever on the guard against excess of any kind. In the morning, after his ordinary simple meal, he dons his sweaters and travels at a hard pace along the road. This run is no child's play. The surplus flesh has got to come off, and it is better to work it off than attempt to get it off by taking Turkish baths. In the afternoon he spars with perhaps as many as four tough boys, each onetrying lor his life to land a telling punch. As the day of the contest draws near iie must tighten up on self-denial. He drinks less Ilian ever, and very often arrives at a state of intense irritation in consequence. He is worried all the time about making the weight. On tho last day his thirst is very great, but he is only allowed to sip. On the day of a contest Spargo’s trainer allows him only half a cup of weak tea. He is allowed to gargle a little to still the irritation of thirst, but that is all. Does that regime sound easy? If you think so, try it for a week. Jack Dempsey tunes himself up to such a fine extent that he is particularly hard to handle during the closing day of his training. His main trdubi 4 -. is surplus energy. He cannot keep still, and day and night he frets and worries about the coming contest. At such a time neither his 'life nor his trainer’s life is worth living. Ham Langford put up one of tho best stunts - ] t making weight. He was booked to meet the late Stanley Ketchel at 1581 b. He had a fortnight in which to remove 2st weight. Artie M’Queen. who is training Spargo, had him at the time. I will put the story in M’Queen’s own words. “We had an awful time shifting that weight,’ said Artie. “ First I made him go for long walks in heavy sweaters, and then put him in a hot bath, with only his head out. He was in real agony for a drink. We fed him on hot, strong bovril while he was in the bath. Of course, the liquid came out of him in perspiration, but his strength was to an extent kept up by the beef extract. During the day he was allowed one sip an hour at a little lemon and water. You bet he didn’t get the chance to drink. We poured the sip out for him. We watched him day and night in case he felt like being tempted, and at last, the day before the contest, he made the weight. Y r ct there was no contest. The Governor of the State stepped in and stopped it.” That is a sample of what a boxer has to go through. Would you like to try it?"

PROFESSIONAL BOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS. DOMINION HOLDERS. During the past year boxing received great impetus in New Zealand, and the various promoting bodies are deserving of the heartiest congratulations for the success of their efforts to give the public the best talent that was available. There"' bt a bright future before the “ noble art’ll!) this country and with well managed artf*-. clean contests, the sport is gaining mof? followers. In Christchurch the controlling body, C hristchurch Sports’ Club, took a new lease of life, and three splendid professional bouts were staged. The local heavy-weight, Titian M.’Ceary, proved a splendid drawing card, and the Sports’ Club showed that it had felt the pulse of local fans when it matched him here. The contests staged were brimful of interest and all three went the scheduled fifteen rounds, with the local man, M’Cleary, the winner on each occasion. In the first encounter with M ‘ Cleary, Cyril Whittaker, the ex-Snuth-lander, made a good showing and the Sports’ Club was justified in arranging :• veiurn match. This proved to a willing 'nout, fought at a fast clip, but Af’Cleavy, once into his stride, never left the issue in doubt. Albert Pooler of Auckland, is getting on towards the time when lie v iT. give the game best. lut still retains much of his former speed and ring-craft, which be brought into operation a fruitless endeavour to secure the verdict over AJ’Cleary. The latter, though fortunate here, met the first defeat in iiis career in the third round by the hard-hitting Anck .and boxer Laurie Cadmrm at Westport on June A. A return match in ("hristchurch was arranged but unfortunately Oadman injured himself and the contest had to lie abandoned. Paul A) ’Quarn?. the Southland heavy-weight also succeeded in administering a sleepproducing punch to M’Cleary in Pun'din in the thirteenth round, but nr AFQuarrie’s seconds, in the eleventh roi'nd. had intimated that their princioal had hro-ken his hand and was unable (•> continue, and further that he remained in his ea rner some time after “seconds out’’ was called. Al’Clearv protested. The .Vow Zealand Boxing f ouncil upheld the protest bv declaring the I,out “no contest.’’ The Otago * n g A■-■socio*-on. dis: gjrec' l wit h the ‘ ding and as 1 .-'* 1 that the c:re h*i< - opened. wliieh rhe (:oun< ;1 agree <1 t » Later the Cray., A -oriation protested against the CVii- ilk derision. Truly a remarkable a'.:iti:de to take no. Other heavy-., ci- h*. ,-«»•: t, .us of note in-i v eJI he < h -ii i- !cl Cudnian after his sensational win over M’C'lear,went after _ Pooler’s scalp at Auckland, but the big man possessed to many guns for his younger opponent and gained the decision after a sterling con test of 10 rounds Whittaker, .succeeded ,n outpointing -Tack Heoney ami wa> also declar*-d the winner on points m his contest with Pnolev. Les (/lee t -on who for a time made "nristchurch his headquarters in antminaLrn of a mnHi with M’Clenry or : n ,!nnp - ;vas unable to get a contest Ijo " p hut later lost to Cad man at New TB-mouth. Ta.k 11 coney of Gisborne still re*a'ns the middleweight, title as there i* no one in that class who can be regarded ac a serious contender for the title. From the amateur ranks. Dick AfenD of Auckland, and Laurie O’Neill of Greymonth. should they elect to turn “ pro ” would certainly keep him Th n we Ito r w eig h t crown adorns the hrow of Jock Graham who has not been called npo" for some time, to do battle to retain it. Recently he was matched in tlie North to meet Brock, the Australian, but was unable to take the ring owing to an injury to his hands. A wrrthv substitute was found iii Stewart Smith % who '>Uo hails from .Australia, and who at short- notice filled +ho breach and gained the doe!tinn fni»'!■>- easilv Smilh who make prrhtweight -amfortahly as overlooked by

the northern associations for some time but towards the end of the season he secured good matches. The popular Australian lightweight Hughie Dwyer was in New Zealand for a long time and was a great favourite with Napier fans. The writer received a letter recently from Mr Geo. Aldridge, secretary of the Napier Association, eulogising Dwyer both as a boxer and as a gentleman. Me expressed the confident opinion that if Dwyer and Sid Godfrey met for the Australian Championship, the tormer would win. Evidently his confidence was justified as Dwyer now wears the “ Referee ” lightweight belt. Des Murray, who, eighteen months ago knocked out Frank O’Neill in three rounds in "Wellington, still holds the New Zealand lightweight championship. He has had to defend it once and that successfully against Paul Hannah. The latter had a busy year. He is a rugged fighter, who gives of his best always. Christchurch fans will well remember him in his bout here with featherweight Din Robinson. Pat Gloeson. Bob Williams. Buck Shaw and Billy Preston, all Australians, have each been matched in New Zealand, and of this quartet is undoubtedly the best. Frank O’Neill, the West Coast idol, has had only one contest since losing the title to T/Cs Murray, and this occasion was at Westport when he went down before Pan! Hannah. Jack Keenan the Auckland lightweight has donned the gloves after a long rest and a trio to Australia with the New Zealand Amateurs. Tn his bout with Paul Demskv. he lost on n foul, and when he met Stewart Smith recently he was quite outclassed. “Duke’* Maddox, the Hastings lad who won the amatem- bantam title in 1920. joined the ranks of the professionals as a feather-weight. added to his laurels hv winning the championship from Tun "Robinson at Napier, and l>y suecessfullv defending it against Alf Bowl's at Ashburton. At Dunedin he lost the title to George Gunn, of Timaru. Among the bantams Gann still remains on ton of the ladder, though he has had some strenuous bouts.