Sporting and Athletic Review

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17835, 1 May 1926, Page 22 (Supplement)

Sporting and Athletic Review

“ Not Out,” the well-known cricket writer of the Sydney “ Referee,” who accompanied the Australian team to England, wrote to his paper as follows from Colombo, under date March 24: The cricketers are as quiet and modest a lot as ever crossed the seas. They are very happy; yet not one is hilarious. Jack Ellis, the ruddy-faced Victorian, quick and smiling in his repartee, a convert to the jazz, mingles mirth and humour, with his philosophic talk. I am tipping that while there will be no sad-faced wowser in this party, Jack E. will rank second to none in popularity. W. H. Ponsford and William Maldon Woodfull are as shy as birds. Wherever one is the other is. If one reads Dumas the other reads Dumas or something like him. If one's eyes glint with merriment, so does the other’s. If one i.» silent as he often is), so is the other. A Melbourne paper stated that these great young cricketers are sons of clergymen. But Ponsford's father is not a clergyman. Woodfull’s is. and so is Johnny Taylor’s, both Methodists, and very fond of cricket and good cricketers. Ponsford in his street clothes looks a boy. But he is a strongly-built man, and weighs over twelve stone. Woodfull was born in Maldon, hence his second name. He is a few years older, yet hardly so in appearance. They are off to Kandy together, and I fancy they will make centuries together in England a littlr while hence if Old Sol does not hide himself too much in the clouds that swing in from the North Sea.

The athletic craze has spread to Egypt, and that country is now organising the first African athletic sports neeting, which will be held at Alexandria in April of next year. The com * mittee which will have charge of the ** games will have *the assistance of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the former i president of the International Amateur Athletic Union, the “ grand old man ” of athletics and the man responsible - for the revival of the Olympic Games. The African games are to be exclusively for athletes of African origin, and only for amateurs. Any one who has become a professional in any

branch of sport whatsoever will not be allowed to take part in the games. Women athletes are barred from the Egyptian games. The Egyptians think that home is the proper place for women, and not the playgrounds. The programme includes athletic and cycling events, gymnastics, weight-lifting, fencing, boxing rowing, swimming, lawn tennis and football. Lionel Tennyson, England's captain of 1921. has just returned to England from a cricket.tour of the West Indies, and his information about the cricketers of the old slave colonies is as refreshing to the newspaper-reader, weary of interminable musings on test prospects, as the sight of the islands themselves, was to the fed-up seamen of Columbus (says a Sydney writer). West Indian cricket has improved out of sight, says Lionel, since the first side from there visited England over thirty years ago. It is equal to South African form, and capable of giving the Big Pair a good fight. Many of the first-flighters are coloured men, the darker section of the population show-* ing great aptitude for the game. It has always been a puzzle to the writer why Maoriland form is not up to S*African at least, though the will to do better is becoming apparent latterly. The attributes which have made the Maorilander such a supreme player of Rugby are all assets for cricket. Only an Evangelist is wanting. A Sydney paper speaks of the increasing prosperity of the Rugby Union

game in the Commonwealth’s oldest State:—The N.S.W. Rugby Union, which has had a hard climb since it started again, after closing down for the war years, can fairly claim to have breasted the* hill. It has been fortunate in having a splendid reserve and recruiting ground in the Great Public Schools, though a big proportion of the general public schools has gone solidly for the amateur game. Better even than the metropolitan rfesults is the news of progress in outside districts. Newcastle has soundly re-established the game, while the North-Western and New

England centres, which have kept the flag flying, have gone forward. Bathurst and Orange, once strongholds of the game, are re-establishing it, and the revival of Country Week may bring a return of the days when the country unions furnished a big proportion of the N.S.W. representative sides. With the Maori and All Black visits this season, and the English tour in prospect, all the material offering is likely to be needed.

The famous cricket organisation, the Marylebone Cricket Club, which is the great power in the cricket world, will have a new secretary next year. That fact, outside England, is of no particular importance, but it is interesting none the less, when all things are taken into consideration. In fifty years the club has had only two secretaries, and both men who had made their mark in the world of sport. The present secretary, ATr F. E. Lacey, resigned the position some time ago, but was requested by the committee to continue his services during the forthcoming season, and agreed to do so Mr Lacey was elected secretary in February, 1898, and has thus held the office for twenty-eight years. His predecessor, Mr Henry Perkins, was secretary for twenty-two years, so the tenure of secretaryship by the two gentle men has covered a period of half a century. Educated at Sherborne, Mr Lacey proceeded to Cambridge, and played against Oxford in 1882. Scoring 6 and 39 not out, he assisted in a sevenwickets victory for the Light Blues. Mr Lacey appeared a good deal for Hampshire between 1879 and 1897, and was captain from 1888 to 1893. At Southampton, in May, 1887, for Hampshire against Norfolk, he put together an innings of 323 not out, which, at the time, was a record in county cricket, and is even now the fifth highest score ever recorded in a county match. Mr Lacey kept goal for Cambridge against Oxford in the Association football match of 1881, which Cambridge won by two goals to one.

The question of whether the amount handed to a professional cricketer as the result of a benefit match is subjected to the provisions of the Income Tax settled in London on March 4, in the case of James Seymour, the Kent County cricketer. Seymour’s benefit match realised a net amount of £938 16s lid, and the Crown assessed that amount on the ground that it was a

profit arising out of his employment as a cricketer. The General Commissioners, however, decided on Seymour’s appeal that the money was a gift subscribed by the public and had accordingly discharged the assessment. From their decision the Crown appealed, and the appeal was heard on March 4 by Mr Justice Rowlatt. After hearing evidence his Lordship said it seemed to him that the money was a testimonial, which might be properly said to be a mere present. In these circumstances he dismissed the Crown’s appeal with costs. It is fairly evident now that Helen Wills has improved her tennis game at least 20 per cent above the best form she carried to battle a year ago (says an American writer). As she is only twenty, young and strong and determined, it is just as evident that she will continue to improve. This means that she will be an even bet to win the British championship at Wimbledon, even if Mile. Lenglen decides to enter, which is doubtful. Miss Wills has kept her smashing game under way and has improved her control wonderfully. If she and Mile. Suzanne meet again the nerve pressure will be much harder upon the volatile French lady, who has always been of an extremely nervous nature,

anyway, even when there was no particular opposition at hand. It has been no great treat to Mile. Lenglen to see the California invader blazing her way up and down the trails which once belonged to her. She has undoubtedly brooded over the Wills march, the same being somewhat natural. No queen or king gets any unlimited cheer from watching a new ruler approach to reach for the sceptre. The brilliant Suzanne has had her share of glory. She has outclassed the field for six years. But the day must always come when another sits upon the summit.

The death of Frank Iredale, which occurred in Sydney on the night of April 15. has removed from this world of toil one of the most stylish batsmen that ever saw the light of day in Australia (writes “ J.W. ” in the Australasian”). I have played with and against him on many important occasions, and know his worth, and also his little weaknesses, a trait in character we all, more or less, possess. He has been ailing for some time, and the announcement of his death to many of his old friends was not altogether in the nature of a surprise. When in Sydney in December at the trial match he was looking very ill, being forced to send in his resignation as secretary of the New South Wales Cricket Association in consequence some little time afterwards. In true batting ability, and in the execution of his strokes when going pro- | perlv, he was practically in a class obtained by but a few batsmen in this country. But he was a notoriously bad starter. Once he got about. 20, however, he was a champion, the power and grace of his off strokes, especially in cutting and cover driving, being the perfection of wrist work and timing. There were giants in the land in his day, and though one would expect from the fact that he was such a beautiful off player that he would be innocuous on a sticky wicket, such was really not the case, as though he was not a Syd Gregory by any means on that class of wicket, he was capable of making runs if allowed to get a start. He was also a splendid outfield, one of the surest catches in that position that ever faced the cricket field, catching the ball baseball fashion. If Iredale had lived till next June he would have been fiftynine years of age. The members of the old brigade are leaving us one by one, becoming fewer almost every year owing to the advance of Father Time. He had rendered yeoman service to his country and State, being a most accomplished batsman and prolific scorer. It is the ambition of Charles Hoff, the Norwegian all-round athlete, and champion pole vaulter, to clear the bar at 14ft. After his recent indoor record performance of 13ft 6|in, he said that as he cleared the bar with several inches to spare, he should be capable of topping 14ft. On this a writer remarks:—However, there is a psychological handicap—a mental hazard, as it were—in clearing a bar at 14ft rather than one set at a lower mark. A man who. might clear with four inches to spare at 13ft 6in might have difficulty in repeating with the knowledge in his mind that the bar was at 14ft. ♦.» The late Frank Iredale made two trips to England with Australian teams, viz., in 1896 and 1899. On the first trip he scored 1328 runs for an average of 27.66. his best innings being 108 runs in the Manchester test match, though his highest score for the tour was 171 runs. On the second trip he scored 1039 runs for an average of 29.68, with 115 runs as his highest score. He belonged to the select few who have scored over 1000 runs for New South Wales against Victoria and South Australia respectively. He compiled 118 runs in the mammoth score of 918 runs made by New South Wales against South Australia in 1901. when M. A. Noble’s tally was 153, S. E. Gregory’s 16S, R. A. Duff’s 119, and L. Poidevin’s 140 not out. :: :« Writing of the late Frank Iredale, “J.W.” in the “Australasian” says: I can never forget an incident that occurred on the Sydney ground in a match between New South Wales and Victoria. Harry Stuckey was fielding ■ third man at the Rand wick end. Iredale back-cutting a ball and running. After winding up his arm, a habit of Stuckey's, to gather momentum, he threw the ball at Iredale’s end with all his added force, the ball striking the running batsman at the base of the skull. It was a terrible blow, and we feared the worst. Iredale ran groggilv past the wicket for about fifteen or twenty yards, stopped suddenly and collapsed. I was captain of Victoria, and informed Iredale that he could retire and resume when he liked. But he played the manly part and decided to bat. We were all profoundly sorry, except the man who caused the accident. Play was delayed for a while, but when the batsman felt well enough to resume Stuckey spoke to' him in a severe tone of voice as follows: “Look here, Iredale, I wish you would be more careful when running between wickets, for if you had kept your head out of the way you would have been run out.” It broke us all up, and the smile that overswept Iredale’s sickly countenance was of a death-like character. He had been regarding himself as the aggrieved as well as the injured party, but upon hearing that he was considered the delinquent, that took all the remaining starch out of the poor chap, though he informed me quietly that, in his opinion, Stuckey possessed murderous instincts. Strange to relate, neither party quite forgave the other, though the lapse of years lessened the blow to both.

If Major Goodsell wins the championship single sculling race against Tom Saul on May 3, it is said that he will pack his trunk and hie off to the United States. He may go in any case as there is not only a prospect of matches and gate-money from exhibitions, but professionals are in demand as coaches for college and university crews. Should Goodsell make the trip he will be accompanied by George Matterson, son of the famous- Neil. There is a report that the American amateur champion. Hoover, will turn pro in order to meet Goodsell, and that young Barry, a nephew of the ex-champion, Ernest, will go across from England to have a cut Ostrich-racing has been tried at a night trottirtg meeting in Adelaide. Some of the birds were ridden, and some pulled a light sulky; -but in every case they seemed quite unable to. grasp the idea of competition. They, showed great speed, but were strangely liable to fall down, apart from collisions, which were frequent. The spectators found the whole thing intensely funny, and the idea is to be developed, although some pressmen think it should be stopped as needless cruelty. An interesting point cropped up in the first innings of St Kilda v. Haw-thorn-East Melbourne in thp final match for the Victorian senior pennant. The incident is reported as foi-

lows:—Ravson witnessed one of his enticing slows driven beautifully by Cohen on to the railway line for six. The ball was not returned, and as Cohen objected to a new ball being used, a delay occurred until an old one was unearthed. Although le Couteur agreed in his usual sportsmanlike manner to Cohen’s request for a used ball, he considered that the old one that was submitted was inferior to the lost bail, and to play with it would mean a penalty to his side. It was then decided to let the umpires settle the matter, and, after a short consultation, they ordered the new ball to be used. The incident created much discussion amongst the spectators, as

there is no direct instruction to the j umpires in the rules of cricket to assist them in arriving at a decision. The umpires are empowered to call for a new ball ' when a bowler lifts the seam to obtain a better hold, and by doing so damages the ball in use, but the substitution of a new ball is not mentioned in the “ Lost Ball ” rule, which should certainly be amended now that “ swerve bowling ” has become such a prominent factor in the winning of games. In a note on Law 4, of the Marvlebone rules, the following is printed:—“lt has become the practise to call for a new ball at any time, with the umpire’s consent, if the old one has become damaged, or if the bowler has lifted the s6afn to obtain a better hold.” 1