Americans Have Victory In Walker Cup Golf.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19117, 9 July 1930, Page 7

Americans Have Victory In Walker Cup Golf.

(Spe.-ial to the “ Star.”) LONDON, May 22. The old question—what is wrong with British golf? This time it relates to the amateurs who suffered a humiliating experience against the Americans in the Walker Cup match at Sandwich. Of the four foursomes the only pair to win were Roger Wethered and Cyril Tolley, who defeated the first American pair, George von Elm and George Voigt, and T. A. Torrance was the only member of the side to be successful in the singles. It was a crushing reverse—ten matches to two—and it is no wonder that a fresh search is being made to account for the American's unmistakable superiority. We have praised them for their proficency in the short game, but on this occasion their advantage began at the tee. Indeed, the match was decided by the driving rather than by the putting. In contrast to the British players the certainty with which the Americans kept the ball in play on the fairways was most marked. Bobby Jones, indeed, spent a great deal of time watching Roger Wethered hacking his ball out of either the rough or the bunkers and by the time the green was reached it was often the American’s hole. As a matter of fact, in the first round the British captain lost six consecutive holes and at four of them Jones was not even asked to putt. In driving Wethered was hopeless. At one tee he would pull and at the next he would slice. One despairs of him ever using his wooden clubs again in his old masterful way. Cyril Tolley came back from America specially to take part in the match, and he played his part finely in the foursome. Against Harrison Johnston, the American champion, however, he lost the lead in the singles almost at the start and was always playing an uphill game. He finished the first round two down, but still it was thought that he would win. However, Johnston never gave him a chance and towards the end Tolley weakened and was beaten by four and three. There were other British players who fell away wrhen the crisis of the match occurred and it was obvious that the Americans were better fitted to play on to the bitter end. In this there is no doubt that their hard training is a big factor. They play far more against professionals and in open tournaments than British golfers, and

SPORTING NOTES FROM LONDON.

their experience stands them in good stead. Bobby Jones is just as wonderful as ever, and he is favourite not only for the amateur championship but the open in which he will oppose the professionals. He declares that this will be his last visit to play golf and he is very keen to secure the British amateur title which is the only important prize which has escaped him. He will take back to America at least one new trophy. This is the gold vase which he captured at Sunningdale, which /is one of his favourite courses, and of which he is an honorary member. A few years ago the qualifying competition for the championship was played at Sunningdale, and Jones returned the amazing scores of sixty-six and sixty-eight. In the gold vase tournament he equalled the latter score. One crumb of satisfaction is that the challenge of the American woman golfers * has been repelled. As a year ago Miss Glenna Collett reached the final and it was taken for granted that she would beat Miss Diana Fishwick. The latter is only nineteen years of age, and it was her first championship. But she is a very remarkable girl. So wonderful is her confidence that she has been called the Hagen of women’s golf, and instead of the final before a gallery of 5000 people being too much for her, she was almost audacious in her assurance. As a matter of fact, it was the experienced Miss Collett who broke down under the strain, and losing five holes during the first round, Miss Fishwick gave her no chance to recover. Every one was a little sorry for Miss Collett. It was her fifth attempt to win the championship, and she has appeared in the semi-final once and the final twice. She says that she will come back next year, and her pluck is greatly to be admired. England’s Test Team. As usual cricketers are trying to anticipate the decision of the selectors in picking the England team for the first of the test matches against the Australians. It is easy enough to choose seven or eight men. We shall have Hobbs and Sutcliffe to open the innings and Hammond to follow in. Hendren must be chosen for his ability in the long field as well as for his batting. Tate is the stoc.k bowler, Duckworth is the wicketkeeper unless it is thought that the batting requires to be strengthened and Ames is included, and A. P. F. Chapman will be

E n d in a Eg H 3 HE ® HI H 3 g ® @ @ @ HI !*] ® ID 1 the captain. The difficulty is to fill in the gaps. Many will be surprised if, for instance, Woolley is not chosen, but he must field somewhere near the wicket, and that will leave only Hendren for the long field. In the circumstances, Leyland may be preferred. lie has been through the fire of test cricket, and, moreover, has proved that he has the right temperament by scoring a ceqtury in his first match. But Woolley is still such a superb forcing batsman that I do not see how he can be left out. We must, of course, have three bowlers to help Tate. The authorities have been waiting to see the form of Larwood, and fortunately he has been bowling at great pace, and very successfully, for Notts. Geary is another who may be included, but R. W. V. Robins is a strong rival to Freeman. K. S. Duleepsinhji is, of course, another batsman with big claims. He has j.ust played a brilliant innings of 92 for the M.C.C. against the Australians, and on such form he will be difficult to leave out. As a matter of fact, the trouble of the selectors is to decide who not to pick. In making the final choice they are again to be assisted by Hobbs and Rhodes. England’s Soccer Team Return. England’s Soccer team, who defeated Scotland and won the international championship, have returned from their Continental tour highly delighted with their experience. Following the three-goals-all draw with Germany in Berlin, they went on to Vienna to play Austria, and this game was also drawn, but without a goal being scored. In both cities the British players had a magnificent reception. The German authorities gave each man a handsome tie-pin as a souvenir of the visit, and in Vienna they were presented with a silver cigarette case and a leather pocket-book. In addition, the Austrians sent back a silver bowl as an official gift to the Football Association. The play of the Germans and Austrians was of a high standard, and I understand that there is a likelihood of both teams visiting England early next season. The Austrians, in particular, are fine craftsmen who exploit the science of the game. They have been taught by English coaches to keep the ball on the ground, and they have also an excellent understanding of positional play. If not quite so spectacular and expert, the Germans are • very keen and enthusiastic. The conditions both in Berlin and Vienna were, of course, in favour of the home players, but they proved beyond all doubt that Continental football has made an enormous advance during the past few years and that no British team can now oppose them successfully without doing their utmost to win. Crisis in Olympic Games. The crisis which has long threatened in regard to the Olympic Games over the question of the payment for “broken time” has at last arisen. At a meeting of the Congress, just held

in Berlin, Sweden proposed that competitors at the Games in Los Angeles in 1932 should be paid their wages whilst they are away, and this motion was seconded by Finland, who even proposed to go further and pay compensation to athletes while they are engaged in training. The British authorities announced frankly that if the “broken time” principle were accepted they would instantly withdraw from the Games. They drew up a resolution debarring any man competing at Los Angeles, who at any time, or under any conditions, had received money for “broken time.” Twenty-three countries were represented by fifty delegates at the meeting, and each country had one vote. It was rather a surprise, and a distinct tribute to the prestige of Great Britain and the Dominions, that the Swedish motion was rejected by eighteen votes to four. The minority was made up of Sweden, Finland, Holland and Switzerland alone. America, France, Denmark, Germany and South Africa strongly supported the British position. A Dutch delegate suggested that a committee might be appointed to investigate the question, but the British representatives refused to accept any compromise, and insisted upon a vote being taken then and there. This is a very important decision, but everything depends on the degree of loyalty with which it is enforced. There is not the faintest doubt that veiled professionalism—what we call “shamateurism”—prevails in many branches of sport on the Continent, and until this evil is drastically eradicated there will be very little reality about international sporting events conducted under the amateur asgis.