Sporting and Athletic Review

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17346, 10 May 1924, Page 25

Sporting and Athletic Review

So the Scottish Rugby Union has do finitely refused a match against thNew Zealand team. The cable reports that, at the annual meeting of the union, Mr Neilson, the retiring prcsid ent, announced that the Scottish union had no quarrel with New Zea land, hut ignored the New Zealann visit owing to the manner in which the English Rugby l nion had arranged the tour. After the New Zealand tour oi 1905. it was agreed that any tour to or from overseas should l>o under the direct auspices of the International Roarcl. but in July Scotland was merely informed that thirty-four matches wer : being arranged, of which two had been allocated to Scotland. The meeting accepted the statement without discus sion. The meaning of this is that th*' Scottish union is peeved because it was not consulted in the matter of the at. rangements. and consequently says to the other unions—England, Wales an,l Ireland— You can have the whole show to yourselves." What a beautiful sporting spirit, to be sure! Someone whose name is not on record once referred to boxing as “ the noble art of self-defence,’' and occasionally the phrase is used nowadays, but it is a misnomer, because defence, in the proper meaning of the word, is soi dom seen. The principal thing about modern “ boxing ” seems to be 1 to belt the other fellow as hard and as often iX-i you can and take' n belting yourself h you can take all that the other fellow gives and he can't take what vo.t give him. then you win. It isn’t box inc. of course; it is just fight, and nothnig else. But fighting i s illegal, therefore we refer to contests ii| which the contestants use gloves as hosin ' bouts, and boxing bouts to-day are permitted by law. In describing how he found boxing progressing in the various countries ne visited during his recent trip to the East. Mr T. M. Wilford. M.P.. stated at the annual meeting of the Wellington Boxing Association that the game hud secured a firm hold in Singapore. He had attended tournaments there at which the majority of the contestants were Chinese. They had one very promising 9st champim there, who had knocked out everything about Ins own weight which had been brought against him. The Chinese had taken to the game with zest, and readilv entered the ring to box for ten dollars, winch was equivalent ■to about 2s in English money. Battling Key was going to Australia, and it would he interesting to see how the Singapore champion would shape against the tougher propositions lie would meet at the Sydney Stadium. The Maoris are great wrestlers but one of the finest ever seen in action was a big King Countrv maiden (savs a writer in “Smith's With her sister she used to wrestle with any man willing to challenge the pair and though the couple were beaten it was only on rare occasions. She knew practically every orthodox hold, and a tew not known to the pakeha. An old warrior who had been skilled as a youth in the art had been her teacher.

The affection of the caddie for the star golfer who happens at the same time to be a human being is traditional (says a New York paper). At Skokie two caddies beat their way east from California to caddie for their men Bobbie Jones has had the same caddij in all his national championships since 1920. and last spring Joe Horgan. a famous Eastern caddie, tried to stow away on the Mauretania so that he might caddie tor Jess Sweetser tn Eng land. The true caddie for a champion will always tell how ‘‘we” won the championship, and he isn’t always uc tering an idle boast, either. Motion pictures are now to decide the finishes of foot races. At the annual meeting of the Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America, it was decided to photograpii the finishes of all races at the outdoor championship and to accept these , *»oving pictures of the finish as the I final judgment was agreed upon. Even ! though the track officials in charge ( should decide otherwise the results revealed by the motion pictures are to be final. This move (says a New York paper) is intended to eliminate anv ; dispute in the cases of close finishes. - such as are usual in the championships. | One of the reasons for*Prince Ranji’s popularity with the English crowds w r as • when playing for Sussex on the Old Trafford oval. Manchester, he was the first amateur to walk to the wickets with a professional batsman in opening the innings. In the etiquette of English cricket the proper thing | was for the amateur to come out of I the front of the pavilion and the proj fessxonal the side. Entering the oval by different gates they should walk to their respective ends with a good twenty-five yards between them. Ranji was the first to break down the rule. He joined his fellow-batsman and chatted with him as they journeyed to the pitch. It wasn t long before other amateurs followed the Prince's commonsense practice. The Stawell Easter Gift, which ranks as a sort of Melbourne Cup tor the professional ped—£lss and a gold medal «i- h ® w,nner ’ s guerdon. with £6O, £-•> and £lO for his nearest pursuers—attracted the usual crowd of fleet competitors from all over the Commonwealth. It takes two dozen heats to I -nd the semi-finalists. The back-mark-ers made little show this year, the ultimate winner turning up in \V. P. j Iwomey. of Collingwood, with Bsyds start, who streaked home ahead of Peinberthy (B*yds), Hunt (9yds). and Roberts (11yds). Twoiney seems to have been regarded as a stone moral before the final, for the books refused to lay him. His time was 12 1-lOsec—just under •‘•ovens.’' ! England had a great win in the | seventeenth international cross-country ! championship, held at Gosforth Park, j near Newcastle, on March 22. establishmg a record for the cross-county cham- , pionship by filling the first six places, i t‘he previous best performance was accomplished by the English team at ] Glasgow in 1907, when they occupied 1 the first four places, one sixth and one seventh. The course was ten miles, and -he winner Corpoial N. M. Cattereli (the English champion) who finished about twenty yards in front of E. Harper J. J. Ryan, of Ireland, held a good load from the start until the last quarter of a mile, when he collapsed and had to be assisted off the course. The winner’s time was oomin 35 2-s.sec' As six runners were placed for each team England, by filline- the first sin places scored the possible—2l points, r ranee was .second with 80 points, the plaemgs being 7. 8. 10. 14. 20 and 21. Scotland was third with 133 points

Wales fourth with 163, Ireland fifth ! with 180. and Belgium sixth with 181. { At the Oxford-Cambridge sports on Mai r eh 22. with two events to go. the scores were:—Oxford 5£ points. Cambridge 3j. the half-point being due to a tie in the high-jump. Dickinson, of Oxford, and Van Gevsel. of Cambridge, after clearing oft llin had several tries at 6ft, without success by either so the point was divided. Two doubles were scored, Lowe (Cambridge) winning the half mile in lmin 57 l-ssec and the mile in 4min 33 1-osec, and Thomson (America and Oxford) the shot putting with 42ft 2in. and the 120yds hurdles in 15 4-osee.. In the 50 meeting Cambridge have won the sports on 26 occasions, Oxford on 24. There have been six ties—four since the tenth event was added in 1899. the others at the first sports in 1864, and on March 22. In referring to the 100yds race at the uxtord-Cambridge sports, in which A. E. Porritt, the New Zealand Rhodes Scholar, and V. B. Powell, formerly of Christ’s College. were competitor*. the Condon “ Sportsman ” says: There was a slight breeze against the runners, who were, however, shielded by the covered stand on the south side. The winner was the young Etonian, Harrison, but Porritt at one time looked like snatching the verdict. The Dark Blues have not won this event since 1909, and in four times out of the ten level time has been done twice by D. Macmillan, and twice—viz., in the* first i ar *d last years of his four successes—'by H. M. Abraham. On Saturday, ’ after on false «Wt Harrison cot well away. and at half-distance held an advantage of a yard. Tlrrty raids from 1 home Porritt challenged him and look - led like winning but Harrison prevyili ed. and the official verdict in his fav- | our was a couple of feet. Renwiek I ‘Oxford) heirur a yard behind Porritt. Powell (Cambridge) performed poorlv Time -10 1-osec.

Even Jules Verne didn’t dream of a [ stag hunt beginning in England and ending in France, says an exchange. But this is what happened in one of the outings of the Mid-Kent Stag Hunt. A hind that was being chased found that England wasn’t big enough to hold her . and her pursuers, so she jumped into i the English Channel and started the ( I now fashionable swim to France. A j small French fishing-boat happened j along just as the adventurous hind was deciding that Channel swims are no I joke, and she was taken to France. ! When the Mid-Kent Hunt heard of her J i she was iri Etaples, and tjie French ! authorities were wondering what on 1 i earth to do with her. The matter was ■ , referred to the Ministry of Mercantile , Marine, and to the Ministry of Finance. : Later, it was decided to sell her, and she was bought by a restaurant-keeper for 85 francs. Then it was pointed out . that she was not a wild animal, but the { property of the hunt, which was at I liberty to claim her, if it paid salvage fees. It was then discovered that, veni- ! son being out of season, the fishermen ! had been guilty of smiiggling, and that ( if the hind were sold for consumption ‘ the excise authorities could take ac- i tion. It was also discovered that no salvage could be claimed. When the hunt expressed a desire to receive the j animal back, the Ministry of Agriculi ture considered the matter and decid- ■ ; ed that a period of quarantine would ! • be enforced, on account of the preval- . ence of foot-and-moiith disease. When the last advices left England the hunt had expressed the intention of not having the- animal taken back. And j the adventurer was eating well and ap- ■ parently enjoying her experiences.

In referring to the retirement of Peter M’Alister, representative cricketer. *J. ...” writes in ‘ the Australasian ” : —Cricketers. like other mortals, come and go : have their day. and cease to be. But in the case of Peter M* A lister his retirement is only from active participation in the game, for he is still on the executive. He is

lono of the selectors, and liis influence on the game is still very great. All through his long and honourable career 1 M’Alister has been a sound, steady, graceful, and scientific batsman, and a I most prolific run-getter. He was also ; n f«ir change bowler, and while not the j possessor of much guile in attack, mainj tained an excellent length. He thus could always be given a few overs, in order to rest the regulars, without any particular damage being done. As a slip j fieldsman and splendid catch, he was : famous in his young days, for lie posi sessed a most adhesive pair 01 hands, j But it was as a batsman that M’Alister made' bis name. He ripened at a time when there were giants in the land, yet his accuracy, grace, aud beautiful style of cutting placed him quite among the top-nofcchers. He is the last remaining link that binds the old East Melbourne of the past with the present. Although his hair is its white as snow, there has been little evidence of facial change, and no sign of any decline in his erect carriage. In his long and successful career Peter M’Alister made many centuries. On three occasions he had the satisfaction of makj ing hundreds against New South Wales. J and during that period he had to face ; many great bowlers, besides many ster- ! ling ones. Against South Australia [he made 157 and 100 not out; while against Queensland he compiled 111, ; against Tasmania 168. against New ! Zealand 224. and 139 for Victoria [against an English team. In pennant | and premiership matches he made 31 j centuries, three of them 200 or over, j Taken in conjunction with his representative games M’Alister has compiled 4c. centures, a splendid record. During his 37 years, from 1885 to xtjZ’2- —whien is a record length of time for any first eleven player in this State —he had an aggregate of 12,951 runs, with an average of 39.84. Jt is the greatest number of runs ever made by any V.C A. player in premiership games, and the average is one to be proud oi. His complete list is thirty-two years with East Melbourne, four with Williamstown. aud one with i*awthorn-East j Melbourne. For East Melbourne he had 320 innings, was not out on 46 occasions, made 11,610 runs, with an ayeiuge of 42.37. His highest individual score is 265 not out against St Hilda, many long years ago. Against j New South Wales lie made 1293 runs with ah average of 32.52 ; against South Australia, 1,11)8 runs, with an average !of 32.52. In first-class cricket M’Alister made 4.621 runs for an average of 33. His intention was to play again j this season, but owing to the serious illness of his father, whose death took j place at the ripe old agie of ninety-one after the season bad commenced, he decided, somewhat reluctantly, to sever his active connection with the game he loves so well. Notwithstanding his magnificent figures, M’Alister visited England only once as an Australian representative cricketer. He was a member of the 1909 combination, under i leadership of A If. Noble, and though j forty years of age, had the fair aver- ! age of 29

There is a dangerous tendency in American sport toward arrogance in international competition, which must be checked if we are to contribute fully to the high purposes of the Olympic tests (remarks a writer in an American paper). Each representative. official or contestant, is a special American ambassador to the court of the heart and the mind of the world. The attitude of these plenipotentiaries should be as carefully coached and trained as their bodies. Although, as Americans, we naturally want to see an American victory at Paris, we can, as observers of sport, see an even greater national benefit in enhancing our reputation for sportsmanship even in defeat. A true spirit of sportsmanship is fundamentally the most glorious gift any game has to offer, all that entails the observance of the rules and the graceful acceptance of defeat when it comes.

IRISH TAILTEANN GAMES. SAID TO HAVE EXISTED FOR 3000 YEARS. A writer on Irish things has noted as a sign of returning . ecurity in the country that the people are preoccupied now more with the coming Tailtcann games than with political matters. says a correspondent of the ‘‘Manchester Guardian.” It was a disappointment to many that the games could not l>e held in the summer before last. Most finished preparations had been made for them, and some foreign athletes who intended to take, part had actually arrived in Ireland. Many, however. decided. in • view of the troubled state of tho country, that it was unsafe to venture, and the games were abandoned. They have a legendary and historical as well as an athletic interest. It is claimed by some that they arc the most ancient organised sports known, for tradition says they were established by one Lugaid of the Long Arm. halfgod. half-hero in dim Irish stories, three thousand years ago. Whoever established them, they certainly were held in Ireland for many centuries. The oenaoh. or fair, of which they were part, had many objects. It was summoned by the King: the laws were publicly promulgated ; foreign traders came with wares which they exchanged for local produce. Among a people nurtured on the ! doings of such athlete-heroes as | Cuchulain the athletic side of oenach must have been not the least. There j wore horse-racing, running, and wrest- i | !»ng. and intellectual contests like those j ' of the Welsh eisteddfodau wore very j j popular. Poets and artificers met in I contest, and al! the people, with no * distinction of class, on those occasions j had opportunity to show in the eyes | of the whole nation physical or mtel- { lectual prowess. The comprehensive nature of these gatherings seems impossible to recapture. Just as the eisteddfod is now restricted to the intellectual and artistic, so the Olympand Tailteann gatherings are restricted to the exhibition of physical skill and endurance. They must have been very jolly assemblies when art and letters, I sport and commerce, law and learning all met and mingled, symbolising the unity in diversity of a nation’s life.