SPORTING and ATHLETIC REVIEW

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17039, 12 May 1923, Page 3 (Supplement)

SPORTING and ATHLETIC REVIEW

ODDS AND ENDS OF SPORT.

j Gnle.sa there are esreunastanres which j have not been made public, it is difli j oult t« understand the attitude taken j tip by the Akaroa Regatta Club, over the non-payment of certain prize money to the Avon. Rowing Club. From ofae facts that have been made public it would appear that the Avon Club entered a crew for youths’ races at the elub’e regatta, and with respect to one member supplied a declaration as to hie age. instead of a birth certificate. The Avon Olup was written to on the matter but did net reply. The regatta duly took place and the member of the crew above referred te was permitted to start in two events, in | each of which the crew was placed j third.. 'Hie Avon Club’s crews were J successful m other events, but the j Regatta Club refused to pay over the prise money aanountwig to £l6. and informed the club that " having received no reply to our letter, in which we requested the certificate, we declined to pay the prize money.’’ It would appear from the Regatta Club’s statement that its attitude rests entirely on that one point—faalure to supply a birth certificate. Yet the crew was allowed to start on two occasions. Surely the club’s proper course was to have informed the Avon Club I that, unless the birth certificate was ! forthcoming before the time of startj ing.. the crew would not be permitted, to compete. The action of the Regatta Club, on published statements, is absolutely untenable. A cable message states that, at the Annual Inter-State Rowing Conference at Perth on May 7, New South Wales submitted a motion out of cour tes> to New Zealand to allow the Dominion to compete in int-er-State races. This was defeated on the ground that the whole strength of the Dominion would be pitted against. individual States. A request on behalf of New Zealand for the Australian championship to be roued every two years alternatively in New Zealand and Australia was rejected, but the conference decided that any future races would bo left iri the hands.of the proposed board 1 of management to control rowing in j Australia. A survey of the position with respect. to eight oared rowing in the Do minion shows, beyond anv chance of dispute, that this form of boat racing is bevond the powers of the great majority of Hubs to achieve. The ab- | leading factor, but that ip only one. j Any person who is at all competent tu | express an opinion on outrigger boat } racing in New Zealand knows perfectly | well that Now Zealand form is simply 1 shocking, speaking <«;euerally. It would j i appear that because one or two centres > have succeeded in getting a couple of

eigh*. oared crews together to compete agjj yust each other, n vision of competing in inter-Statc races has developed into a request to be permitted to join in with the Commonwealth. Non Zealand Hub rowing, judging by tin* only standard that can be conidered. i* of the poorest description, as was illustrated at the championship regatta and in the hiterproviuciai Tours. Very likely it would be possible to get an eight together that vcmld give a good account of itself, were fight men available who could spare the time that would be required to weld eight different styles into one style, and this apart altogether Iron the question of expense. When oiu standard of rowing has improved 03 about 200 per cent it will be time, enough to talk about meeting crew*, that are regularly concerned in this Hass of racing. Instead of bothering about eight-oared rowing a far more sensible proposition would have been to ask the Australian States to consider rite question of establishing an inter-State four-oared race. That is about the Dominion's strength at present, and likely to be for a good many years so far as clubs are concerned. At a meeting of the Otago Rugby Union Mr Nelson, a member of the Management Omrimittee. expressed the opinion that the sport would benefit were the headquarters of the New Zealand Rugby Union removed from Welexpressed the opinion that the time was not far distant when there would be a North and a South Island Union which could appoint a hoard to attend to outside matters. With respect to the former matter there is little doubt that the business, of the New Zealand Union is not given the close attention i it demands. There was a time when the union’s affairs were handled m a most, capable manner, by men of practical knowledge and generous expertdropped out and their places have been tilled by others whose work will not wear comparison with that of their piedeeessors in office. They may be and. possibly arc, equally as earnest m that dissatisfaction exists. Whether removing the headquarters to another centre would be an improvement is an open question. The second idea will ■ j appeal to the parochial element. fn I all branches of sport there are to he found persons whose perspective is so circumscribed that they can see no further than their immediate surroundings. It would be a fatal error to split New Zealand Rugby into two sections. Such a course would produce no benefit to the sport which at the present time is beset by difficulties that demand perfect unanimity to surmount. United we ran stand divided iv© very likely will fall, is a good motto for Dominion Rugbyifces to hang >iPThe English Amateur Boxing Association has initiated a now scheme in connection with it* championships. This year saw the first oif what is known as the Divisional championships. which correspond with what are known in Neiv Zealand as local championships. At an out-back race meeting In I West Australia (writes a Svdnev “ Bull letan ” correspondent.) 1 saw a policeman and a parson and a half caste j playing hazards. And the sin-shifter f s ! pile was the biggest when the service closed. Ex-champion oarsman Bill Beach celebrated his golden wedding cm April 17. He was married on April 17. 1879, at St Lake’s Church. Brownsville, to Sarah Dew ley. The happy couple are J still living at Brownsville, near Dap to, | hale and hearty. Bill, who is now in I hie seven tv-third year, commenced his j sou Ring career in 1881, wh«s thirtyone yenTs of age. He won the ohaxn- | piowship of Australia oa April 12, I 1884, defeat mg Trickett, as.d four I months lator (August Iff) warn vb?

championship of the world, defeating Eduard Hanlau. He was born iri Sussex and went to Australia when four years of age. A Wanganui enthusiast considers that a recent visit, paid to Ratana, where ladies' football is now an established fact, was well worth the trip. It is reported that the Native belles play the game with gusto, the delighted warriors the while following plav up and down the line with shouts of encouragement and plenty of advice One try registered by a female exponent was obtained as the result of ; dive over the line m the approved “Moke” Beilis style Concerning the continuance or adoption permanently of the new “kicking into touch ’’ rule (write* E. E. Booth, of the All Blae-ks. from Sydney), f notice that some unions over there are against it. As regards New South Wales, let it be noted that hardly anyone has breathed a desire fc« return to the old “pokey lhae-kicking.” as one wag has christened it. Its reintroduetion here would he “ stone murder." or, in other words, the finish of Rugby Union. The new rules are a fixture where League prevails. The old adherents of the game over here are deeply grateful for the splendid manner' in which the governing body over there is helping New South Wales to attain a. solid footing It is a verifitting return for New South Wales’s aid to New Zealand in former times. The Irish Olympic Games. which were to have been held in August. have been postponed until August. 1924. after the Olympic Gagnes at Paris. Charles Stuart, a splendidly-built sixteen-year-old lad, of North Sydney, is regarded as a future swimming champion. He has covered 50yds in 25sec, which is only 1 2-oseo behind the New South Wales record, 100yds in 08 4-osec and the furlong in 2min 40 l-ssee.

In com men ting upon the tour of the Dominion of MaeLaren’s team “ Wanderer ” writes in the London 1 ‘ SportsIt is a pity that the English captain spoke as he did on his return to Australia on New Zealand cricket topics, and 1 am not surprised to hear that his criticisms were bitterly resented. What good purpose was served? Moreover, from what I have hearer, every effort was made to give the tourists a good time. The North Sydney League Club is methodically kicking itself for having lost the use of the local football ground (says a Sydney paper). Consider the growth of the - gate ’’ in recent years :—1915, £335 ; ]9J.b, £284. 1917. £2/2: 1918, £353; 1919. £696; 1920. £1301; 1921, £2500; 1922, £2770. Yet the League expected to get the ground for £IOO and L 0 |>er cent net. What a hungry mob it is 1 English Rugby selectors now adopt an entirely new method. They uo uot rely in the least on general itnprcs»ious; it is the individual forward they are after. Therefore one 01 them will take a particular forward and watch him, and him alone, for, •say, ten minutes or a quarter oi an hour. To the game he pays little or no attention, he is concentrated on his special victim. Then. having (ormed liis estimate, he passe* him or to a colleague, and selects a fresh specimen for dissection. With such careful watching by the keenest judges 111 England it is not likely that many mistakes are made. On looking at the performances oi the past season we find that, in having two sprinters of the duality of Porritt and Morgan. Dunedin has been indeed fortunate (writes “ Amateur ” in the Dunedin •‘Star.”) The latter is an all-round athlete, who is expected to make a good showing next summer. The former, champion both on field and track, will leave shortly tu take up his Rhodes Scholarship at • Magda lene College. Oxford. This move is an opportunity of which ue have no doubt our champion will avail himself to the full, and in the course of such endeavours we hope to bathe in the reflected glory that shall be ours for helping to produce a front-ranker on the English University track.

* • I’odlar Palmer. secretary of N.S.W. Rugby Union, has had more than a little to do with the revival ot tln> old code since it resumed business alter the 1914 18 adjournment (says a Sydney paper). By birth a Victorian. Palmer went to Capetown as a young ster and took to Rugby, and also shone on the running track, winning the half-mile championship of South Africa in 1907. Followed a couple of years at Glasgow University, after which bo was engaged by London “Sportsman” to tour Britain with the 1912 Spring hoks. He played with Glasgow Univer.siti as a wing three-quarter and, joining up in 1914. served in France, India and Palestine. playing Rugby when a chance presented itself. When Aston Villa in the days of its infancy began to play football, it was no unusual thing to' see a mere halfdozen shivering but enthusiastic spectators watching their efforts (says a London paper). To-day. little more than a generation later, when the ■' A ilhms ’’ take the field it is usually to thunders of cheers from *20,000 or more throats. Such is the amazing growth of the popularity of our great winter game. It was considered most encouraging when •* couple of thousand people flecked to Kennington Oval to see the first cup-final played. when the gate-mony reached the impressive total of £SO. Ten years later. 3,500 spectators saw the great struggle between the Old Etonians and Blackburn Rovers. By 1895 the crowd that witnessed the final tussle for the Cup had grown to 42,500: four years later it bad reached 73.883 : and that historic: match in 1901 between Tottenham Hotspur and Sheffield United roused over 111.000 spectators to wild excitement. But even this wonderful record was thrown into eclipse when on March 23. 1912. Hampden Park was converted into a dense sea of humanity bv the 127,807 delirious spectators who shouted themselves hoarse over the struggle between Scotland and England for International honours. Every Saturday during the present season it is estimnti «d that no fewer than 600.000 “ Soccer ” enthusiasts enjoy the great win--1 ter gam* in England alorn*.

THE CALCUTTA CUP.

TH*R ILLING RUGBY MATCH WITH SCOTLAND (Special to the “ Star.”) LONDON. March 22. Alter a. titantic struggle the Cal eutfcu Cup. a* well as the Rugby championship. remains in the possession oi England. In the match at lnverieith, which was crowded with dramatic incidents. Scotland were beaten by a goal and try to two tries, or eight points to six. In fact it was only the successful taking of a goal kick which turned the scale twelve minutes from the close after the home side had .scored a second try and taken the lead, and well as England played justice would have been done if the teams had finish ed on level terms. Edinburgh p rev ides the ideal setting for the great national encounter and rarely has more enthusiasm been shown, as much as £7 being paid for a ten shilling seat that oauld not otherwise he obtained. Thirty thousand people gathered in the sunshine of a spring day. among wham many old Rugby men from all parts of the country, and pipers and bandsmen played popular The start was terrific. It was evident that the members of both teams were determined to do the supreme. Faster and faster became the game and although the play moved from, end to end with thrilling speed the tackling was so relentless that the prospect ©t a score was remote. .Suddenly, however, Locke, the new English centre three-quarter, intercepted a pas* with great daring and in a flash was boring down the middle. Moving towards the wing he handed to Smallwood and although held up the latter forced his way over the line- for a try. But Scotland were level at the interval, M’Daren scoring the try the side deserved. From this a goal should have been kicked and as we knew at the finish when Browning missed Scotland lost the match. Although the same pace did not last throughout the second half the vigour of the play did not abate Scotland’s second try was due to the splendid pace of Liddell. The bail was kicked over the heads of the Elnglish backs and Liddell, outpacing everyone else, secured it yard from the dead ball line it mis largely due to Locke, who was undoubtedly the man of the match, that England did not lose. Once more he snapped up a pa sc intended few.' u home back and running strongly with a crowd of opponents at his heels lie threw to Voice and the forward scored Could Luddiogton kick a goal am! put England in. front? The position where the ball had to be placed was a very difficult one and there were few who expected the Services’ player to land a goal. But the hall soared majestically straight- between the post.-, and carried just far enough to drop over the bar. l’he match was not over vet- Scot land strove with all their might, übt their efforts were in vain. If the match had a surprise it was that the English forwards held the mastery. They were not only faster in the loose but they got the ball from two scrumout of three.- Behind, the backs were well matched and if Davies, the stand-off half, hardly opened out the game as well as usual for England, his kicking and tackling were admirable. Every member of the side indeed played splendidly a*d as the same could be said of the Scots the significance of the result wits forgotten. Davies celebrated hi* “ coming of age’’ as an international and his record of never having been on the losing side was preserved. Needless fo say. he now goes into retirement on his marriage with the warmest congratulations of every Rugby man.

RESIN ON GLOVES.

A GRAVE DANGER. They’re getting a bit careless again about the gloves (says an American paper). Several times recently we have noticed a. referee fail to compel a boxer t-c. wipe the resin off his gloves after they h«<l touched the canvas. That seems a little thing, but it’s bad. You can’t be too careful about the gloves.

Joe Shrugue knocked out Benny Leonard in four rounds. He beat Johnny Dundee. Charlie "White, Louis De Ponthicu. Hurry Stone. Leach Cross, Owen Moran and a whole parcel of other classy lightweights. Joe was headed straight for the championship, howling along at 1 hurricane clip. Only Willie Ritchie and FredJdie Welsh stood between him ana the coveted crown. New Jersey wan cocksure Joe ShrugUv certainly would give the State the honour of boasting a world’s ring champion. Suddenly Joe’s eyes went bad. He vas forced to retire from the ring Only a most difficult operation spared him from total blindness. All the trouble was caused by a speck ol resin being ground into his Most of you know “Doc” Bagiev, tlie famous manager and handler of fighters. “ Doc” brought out and developed Willie Jackson. All of you who know “ Doc- Bagley ” know he nears big. thick tensed, horn ribbed spectacles. His eyes are very ueak. Because of t«e glasses and professional appearance they coll him •' Doc.” There ivas a time when “Doc’s” eyesight was despaired of. For weeks he had to remain in a dark room. It was almost a miracle, the doctors say that he could see at all when they took the bandages off. All of “ Doc ” Bagiev's eve trouble was caused by getting resin in his eye ft is no wonder that whenever a box or’p gloves touch the floor Bag ley al most invariably yells : “ Wipe off the gloves. Make him wipe off the gloves.” When one comes near to blindness and for wepks has nothing but darkness in front of him. he doesn’t forget it very soon. Sammy Goldman long manager! Pete Herman, world’s bantamweight chain pion. Recently because of growing blindness Herman retired from the For several years he has been totally blind in one eye. He sucoeeded in keeping it a secret from most rivals, but some of them became aware of it and used to try to manoeuvre to come at Pete on his blind side, where he couldn’t see to block or evade a blow. It was a severe handicap, but it was really wonderful bow Herman succeeded. despite it. Eventually, however, Herman’s eve trouble became so bad that he like Joe 1 Shugrue had to retire from the ring.

Herman's blindness was not caused by resin. It was cfowe by a» opponent s loosened glove string. Peter wax sparring at a charity show in Philadelphia. He wax boxing a mere novice exhibition. in the midst of the bout his opponent’s glove string became untied, and on a missed blow, a punch which Hornisui easily evaded, the glove string whipped across Pete’s face and lacerated the eyeball so severely that he last the sight of one eye. So you see how careful it is that the gloves ol a boxer must be tied on securely and that uncler no condition can the glove strings be tipped with wire. mefcal or any hard substance. Every time you go to a boxing bent and you notice a boxer fail to wipe off his gloves after going to the canvas, just rise up on your hind legs and veil : “ Referee! Make that fellow wipe off his gloves! Why in Sam Hill don’t you know your duty without having to be told of it. anyway 5 ” And if you ever notice a boxer’s glove strings are loosened or dangling, don't be afraid t* rise up and tell ’em all about that. too. By doing so ion may sore a fellow mortal his eyesight, and a boxes* his livelihood.

WHEN RUGGER WAS ROUGH.

GAMES END IN HACKING CONTEST; Rugby football, m the old days, ivas more of a battle than a game, and the players had many hard and brutal Knocks to bake, as hacking wax a feature of the play. It was then allowable to hack aia o' 1 portent iti the scrum or when be was running with the. ball, so long as the hack was below the knee. Gradually, however, hacking was abolished, though up to well in tlie ’seventies it was not unusual for some clubs to finish a match with five minutes’ furious* hacking, irreligiously call ed a “ Hallelujah,” says C. J. B. Marriott in “The Rugby Game aad How to Play It.” When Rugger first started practically every club had its own rules. Then some fifty years ago. the secretary o 1 the Richmond chib convened a meet ing of all club secretaries and tin- “ Rugby Football Union.” was formed. The first international game between England and ibcotland was played on March 27, 1871, at Edinburgh. This game was brought about because in the previous year a team of London wScots had been beaten at soccer by an English team. This annoyed the Scots n en over the holder, and the Rugger match at Edinburgh was the result. Each team consisted of twenty men. there being three backs, one three--quai • ter-back, three hall" backs and thirteen forwards. Scotland won. alter a hot game, bv k goal and a try to a try. All important step in the develop ment ot the game occurred eight yea-re later, a rule, being made that as soo-i av » rnan who was holding the ball was tackled he must immediately drop it. This started the open game of to-day. Before this the forwards used to form up over the ball, and the result was a pushing match. Mr Marriott sounds a note of warning to the modern player. “No better form of exercise exists. than Rugby loot hall, but it should not be over-

ENGLAND’S NEW BOXING CHAMPION.

EXEECTED TO BE A WORLD BEATER. Not aiince the great Bombardier Wells flashed on to the stage and dazzled as with his brilliance has the boxing world of England (says a London paper) been so startled as by the advent of Rolan i Todd, who. by his a-uiaaingly easy victory over Kid Lends recently, now held* the middle-weight championships of Britain, Europe and the British Empire. Here is a. youngster who boxes 34 well Wells ever boxed : a better champion titan Wells, because he has nerves of steel and a magnificently tough constitution. Todd ha* never been knocked out Ho does not suffer from a “ glass jaw,” and the fiercest onslaughts of Kid Lewis on. his body-—and Lewis i* a born body fighter—utterly failed to affect him. In the last round of twenty this stalwart, upstanding boy wax smiling coolly, as nimble and fresh as at fhe Roland Todd was born in Marvlebone London. o» January 9. 1900, so that he is just over twenty-three. He started to earn his living as a carman’s boy. swinging from the rope at the bacts. But while he was yet fourteen thin lad found favour in the evee of the celebrated Professor Andrew Newton. To Newton he owes probably ©ivervtliing. The professor prides himself on having discovered the way t» avoid tha knock out. and he saw in the boy Todd clay for Ins cunning hands. Todd, growing fast, joined the Arnav when he wa» fourteen. but the Army and boxing did not get on well together. When he was eighteen Todd won the Middle-weight Competition at the National Sporting Club, but his real career started with the beginning ol 1920. Since then he has had forty fights, and lost only one—to Kid Lewis last November on a narrow margin of points. Todd has a defence like tdae great negro. Jack Johnson—practically itn penetrable. If he sticks t.o his task • f learning to attack, be will be one of the greatest boxers the world has ever seen. England looks to him to retrieve her lost laurels.