SPORT AND SPORTSMEN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18208, 15 July 1927, Page 9

SPORT AND SPORTSMEN.

With reference to the suspension of members of the Thistle Club at Auck land, the New Zealand Council decidei to defer the question of confirmation to see if a conference could be arranged between the parties concerned with a view to reaching a settlement of the trouble. With regard to Edmonds being :>r dered off the field in the Soccer test match at Dunedin, the New Zealand Council considers that the punishment in being sent off and the publicity given to the incident are sufficient, and no further action will be taken. A Mexican Indian, Chief Quanowahu, won the New York Marathon Race on May 16, from a field of 136 runners, which included some of the best distance men of America. And not only did he win, but he put up a record for the course, his time being 2hr 47min 43 l-ssec, as against 2hr 48min 23 4-5 sec, made in 1923. Many and strange are the demands made upon the time of a Mayor, but one that is bringing more than a smile to the faces of certain racing officials was made on the Mayor of Waimate recently, according to a southern paper. “ Dear sir,” wrote a lady from a town in the south, “I do not know any or? in Waimate, but I have- noticed your name in the papers and thought you might help me in putting some money on a horse or two in the coming meeting in your town.” “ For my part, I shall be glad of another * domestic ’ season of first-class cricket,” wrote “ cricketer ” in an English paper recently. “ Test matches are magnificent, but in recent years they have been exploited by the 4 stunt ’ people—who, indeed, are spoiling most of our pastimes by making too much of their merely sensational aspects. Let us all look forward to a return of the sense of proportion to the game. If some excellent groundsman should happen to leave a hosepipe leaking one fine morning on a county cricket field, let us smile indulgently at yet another ign of mortal fallibility, and not run around agitatedly crying for the police. And if our team gets well beaten, as most likely it will sooner or later, let us by all means curse it for a while and then link up the result with the Dog Star and the Cosmic Scheme in general, and realise in time that cricket is the j oiliest game in the world, well worth playing and watching, whether we are winning or losing (excepting against Y'orkshire—a match during which it is every Lancashireman’s duty to be a violent partisan, with no nonsense in his bosom about ‘ the best eleven winning.’)” The average follower of the game knows little cricket in New Zealand, and it will probably be a surprise to him to know that seven English teams have visited the Dominion, wrote P. F. Warner in a recent issue of the “Morning Post.” The first was (Parr's side) in 1863-64, and the last M.C.C.’s in 192223, captained by A. C. MacLaren. Some twenty-four years ago I formed one of Lord Hawke’s team. Travelling via New York, San Francisco, Honolulu, Pago Pago—the scene of the wellknown play 44 Rain ” —we played cricket from Auckland to Invercargill and back again, returning via Australia and the Suez Canal. The memory .of those delightful days will remain for all time. The cricketing world will accord the warmest of welcomes to our kinsmen from the furthest distant and the most beautiful of our Dominions across the seas.

Referring to the death of Aime Cassayet, French international Rugby forward, which occurred on May 27, a London paper says:—There is no question that Cassayet was the greatest forward France ever produced. He played in practically every international match since the war—he was always first choice for the pack—and the few games he missed were owing to circumstances over which he had no control. A strong, resolute, but perfectly fair player, Cassayet was equally good in the set scrums as in the loose.

A. E. Porritt appears occasionally on the track in England, but the bulk of his spare time is devoted to teaching schoolboys how to run. The Marathon race annually promoted bv the London “Sporting Life” was decided on May 28. and was won by S. Ferris, for the third year in succession, equalling the performance of A. R. Mills in 1920-21-22, who also finished second in 1923, third in 1925 and second in 1926, a wonderful record, considering that the fields he met included leading Continental runners. Ferris’s time was 2hr 40min 32 l-ssec, and his nearest opponent, Natale, of Italy, was nearly a mile behind him. The course was from Windsor to Stamford Bridge Sports Ground, a distance of 26 miles 385 yards. The fastest time was put up by Ferris in 1925—2 hr 35 min 58 l-osec. The rapid growth in popularity of Rugby football on the Continent is remarkable (says London “Sporting Life.”). France has played a prominent part in the game for the last 20 years. Spain has taken it up enthusiastically, and now Germany has entered into international engagements. K X X On May 19, King Christian of Denmark conferred a gold medal upon Mrs Clemington Corson, formerly Mile. Gale, of Denmark, in recognition of her feat of swimming the English Channel last year. “You have done credit to your country,” the King told Mrs CorTheir performance in defeating practically the same fifteen that overcame England bordered on the remarkable. It was unexpected, but it was the reward of thoroughness in preparation. Germany is destined to become a real force in sporting matters before long. They deserve to do so, for the reason that they lose no opportunity of ac quiring knowledge of the correct tactics from every possible source.

The 1932 Olympic Games have been allotted to Los Angeles, and it is believed that Barcelona, Spain, will have them in 1936. In support of this belief, a London paper mentions that already Barcelona is planning for one of the finest stadiums in the world. It will provide for a seating accommodation of 60,000, and a large swimming lake, and a gymnasium for boxing, wrestling, etc., are included in the scheme. Place aux dames. The other day, on the Thames, two eight-oared crews of women raced over the historic championship course from Putney to Mort lock, a distance of 4£ miles, the winning crew covering the distance in 26min 57sec. This year’s Oxford-Cam-bridge race, over the same course, was won by Cambridge in 20min 14sec. At San Francisco, a few weeks ago, Margaret Jenkins, a college girl, threw the javelin 121 ft 3}in (said to be a world’s record for a woman)., and about the same date another college girl, Ella Cartwright, at Eureka, California, cleared 17ft lOin in a running long jump (a world’s record for a woman). Sydney girls interested actively in all forms of sport—hockey, tennis, athletics, basket ball, etc.—are carrying on a campaign for funds. Close upon £3OOO is now in hand, the objective being £15,000, with which to establish a ground of their own. Jay B. Nash, professor of physical education at New York University, in a recent speech denounced the practice of women engaging in strenuous sports and denounced sports goods dealers for urging women to participate in them, (remarks London “Sporting Life.”) This savours rather of laying the blame on a garage proprietor because the man to whom lie sold a car got drunk and fatally injured someone. Woman has come to stay in sport. Of the wisdom of their taking part in some forms of it there may be doubt, but no number of learned pedagogues will stop them from doing so if they so desire That’s the wilful and lovable way they're made.