Hammond May Help To Dislodge Australia’s Best Test Batsmen.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18578, 28 September 1928, Page 12

Hammond May Help To Dislodge Australia’s Best Test Batsmen.

SPORTING NOTES FROM LONDON.

(Special to the “Star.”) LONDON, August 23.

The England team who are to leave for Australia in defence of the Ashes next month may be stronger in bowling than is expected. Hammond has of course, been chosen mainly as a batsman, ..ut those wno have a full appreciation of Australian conditions believe that he may turn out to be one of the most successful bowlers. In this side of cricket he has undoubtedly made a big advance. The other day he accompished the remarkable performance of taking nine Worcestershire wickets for less than four runs each.. Inasmuch as he caught the tenth man, he may almost be said to have dismissed the whole side. When his bowling was over he went in and made 80 runs. Truly it was a great day for Hammond. As a bowler he has the knack of Tpa-king the ball come very quickly off the pitch, and it is beideveci that this pace will be even greater in Australia. Having defeated Kent a second time, Lancashire now seem certain to win the championship. Their baismen are in wonderful form, and Macuonaid, the Australian fast bowler, with the help of the “ slow stuff ’ of Richard Tyldesley at the other end, is a great match winner. For the first time in the history of the club, three men, Ernest Tyldeslev. Hallows and Watson, have each made over 2000 runs. Tyldeslev in particular is batting in wonderful style. He should be a great su'-cess ’’n Australia. Happilv. too, the other men who have been selected to jom the M.C.C. tourin" side are aLso getting a lot of runs. Hobbs is at the top of the averages, and the next six men. including D. R. Jardine, arc all bound for Australia. Hendren. with 2600 runs to his credit, has the highest aggregate In respect to the bowlers, Larwood is back in the Notts eleven, and apparently has completely recovered from his injuries. Indeed, before being chosen by the M.C.C. he was medically examined and passed as sound: but it is realised that he will have to be carefully nursed in Australia. Steel Shafts far Golf. St Andrew's have done their utmost to preserve the traditions of golf. From time to time the Americans have introduced all sorts of innovations, and one by one they have been rejected so far as the game in this country is concerned. Unless this had been done, golf would have been a very different game to-day. But America has not always accepted a St Andrew’s ruling. For instance, in the case of steel shafts, they departed from the British conception of the

“ form and make ” of a club. Steel shafts are extensively used in America to-day. and it is understood that another attempt is to be made to induce the British authorities to accept them, and it is believed that it will succeed. It is not claimed that there is any virtue in a steel shaft. It does not produce a greater flight, and its life is little, if any, longer than a wooden club, though’ it may be less liable to snap from a jar on hard grourid. One can take these facts to be correct, otherwise more of the leading American golfers would use them. Actually, comparatively few do, and it is significant that the first thing a visiting player does on his arrival is to start collecting British-made clubs. A year ago Bobbie Jones took back with him as many as thirty drivers as well as many irons. He told me that he could not obtain such excellent shafts at home. Curiously enough, all the hickory used for shafts comes from America. One reason why the plea for steel shafts was made was that the supply of hickory was fast giving out. We have no evidence of it.

British importers can get as much of it as they require, and. moreover, it is of excellent quality. The appeal of St Andrew’s now is largely on patriotic grounds. Many steel shafts are already made in this country for export purposes to America, and it is believed that almost the whole of this trade might be captured. Indeed, if they were made legal at home, a new industry would be created. Though at first they opposed the innovation, the professionals are not now against the introduction of steel shafts. If only as a novelty, players would want to try them, and there would be a lot of new trade. Besides, it has been proved that steel is no more serviceable than hickory. But St. Andrew’s are notoriously conservative, and very stro’g pressure will have to be put on them before they risk the disappearance of the allwooden club.

Greyhound Racing Prises Reduced. Greyhound racing is being carried on, but on very different lines as compared with last season, when the sport was a novelty, and as such made an amazing appeal. Those who were first in at the promotion of the big syndicates have made a fortune. Those who have since taken up shares have to be content with small dividends, if any are forthcoming at all.

For the rapid decline the bookmakers have been largely responsible. They were too greedy. The new game was too easy to manipulate, and they wanted their money quickly from a public who were readily hoodwinked.

But the public have got tired of losing their money, and this is the reason why attendances have dropped more than fifty per cent, as compared with a year ago. In these circumstances, the compan.es have been compelled to cut their expenses, and one way adopted has been to reduce the amount of the prizes. At once the owners of dogs were up in arms, threatening to withdraw from the meetings. To protect their interests, they have formed an association, but it is not &asy to see what redress th y can obtain. In reducing the priz- all the companies are acting by c0m...0n agreement. The reply to one protest : ng owner, who de In red that he would not allow his dogs to run for £lO was: “Well, what are you going to do with the dogs— eat ’em ? ”

The compmies are still nearer together in the general control of the sport than before, but, before a decision can be arrived at, there must be a good deal of give and take. Should the dogs run all the year round, or how long should the closed ~eason be? This question has been con • dered, and the majority wanted a break of four months. But two of the London tracks announced that they intended to hold meetings as long as they could be made to pay, and so in the end was a compromise, and there is to be a stoppage only during January and February. This decision will not prevent tracks closing down earlier, and, as the belief that the dogs could compete with football has been abandoned, there is no doubt that many will shut with the coming of the bad weather. Earnings of the Footballer.

Most Scottish footballers are eager to come to England, though there is no limit to the wages they may receive at home, whereas the most they can receive from a League club is £8 a week. But usually they are paid a sum down as an inducement to cross the Border, and on the whole wages, despite- the limit, are higher in England than in Scotland. Players in Scotland have, of course, received very high wages, as much, in fact, as £6O a week. But this payment is really a dual one. When an Engilsh player is transferred, he is entitled to a percentage of the fee. This is in lieu of a benefit. In Scotland the player gets nothing from a transfer fee. and so it is given to him in wages. For instance, a player was signed on half way through last season, and to the end he was paid £6O a week. This represented £3OO he was promised on agreeing to join a new club. As a matter of fact, the finances of Scottish football are very low, and in some cases clubs could hardy have carried on unless they had received large sums for their players from English clubs. For two or three years all except such clubs as Glasgow Rangers, Celtic, and Heart of Midlothian, have had to be content with gates of not more than eight thousand. In these circumstances, wages have dropped, not only during the playing season, but to a very low level in summer. On the whole, the English player is undoubtedly a great deal better off. A man of senior rank—that is one who has been in the game four 3-ears —can make as much as £l2O a year, includ'ng bonuses. In addition he will probable receive £6oo as a benefit at the end of five years’ service. But the Scot is difficult to satisfy. Eager to come, he is all too ready to go—when he has got his “picking” from the transfer fee. Indeed, Scottish footballers have caused so much trouble in England that many of the clubs are sick of them. Everton, however, have just signed on another first-class player in Ritchie, an outside right from the Hibernians. Truly this club are determined to have a side embracing all the talents. As it appears on the field, it is an all-star team. Well might they be favourites for the championship.