SPORT IN BRITAIN

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19437, 24 October 1925, Page 4

SPORT IN BRITAIN

THE SAUCY SUE SENSATION

FOOTBALL, CRICKET, GOLF, BOXING

{Special tc 44 Chronicle.” —All Rights Reserved.]

THE TURF St. Leger Sensation. There was (writes “ Centaur’’) an eleventh hour St. Leger sensation. Immediately after Picaroon’s failure before Spelthorne at York, as described In these notes last week, it became public property that the famous Manton stable would after ail be repre-1 seated in the last of the classic races ; by the unbeaten filly. Saucy Sue. Her | price, naturally, came tumbling down. I until, lo and behold, the result of a • final trial over the full Leger distance upset all the arrangements. Saucy Sue, it appears, was put up against Picaroon, Daimyo—a well-kuown stayer —Cross Bow and Tournesol. She could finish jnly a moderate third to Picaroon. The gallop disclosed at once that either the filly did not stay, or that she was out of form, and, having in that wav raised a considerable doubt as to whether she would win the classic race, Lord Astor at cnee decided to have her scratched. No risk was to be taken about having her unbeaten certificate besmirched. The alternative deduction to be made from the trial was that Picaroon had benefited so much from his York outing, after a ong absence from the course, due to an attack of heel-bug, that he was able to show his proper form once more. A lot of people took it this way, and whether they were right or wrong you already know. Two' of the fastest two-year-old fil lies of the season came into opposition at Derby the other day. They were Bella Minna, trained by Major Beaty p.t Newmarket, and the Aga Khan’s Moti Mahal. The former won by half i length, but, as she was receiving 3 !bs. from the other, it can be said that they are practically equal in merit. Bella Minna had run for the historic ?imcrack Stakes, of sis furlongs, a week before, but then she succumbed to Sir Abe Bailey’s handsome colt. Lex. It was the sixth furlong that did it. Bella Minna is a flier up to five furlongs, though, of course, she may develop stamina with ago. It is unusual, towever. for a horse with abnormal jpeed to become anything but a sprin,er these days. A Striking Example. The case of Diomedes is very illuminating on this point. He has done everything asked of him over sprint distances, and the only occasion he was put in a race of It miles, against just average horses, he was well beaten. Reverting to the Gimcrack, Sir Abe Bailev, whose second success it is, will be unable to attend the dinner, and make the usual speech later in the year, as he will be out of the country-. Some years ago. when he won the right ♦'» tell the Jockey Club exactly how the English Turf should be reformed. he made a very excellent at tempt indeed. The honour this* year will no doubt fall upon the owner of Bella Minna, a Yorkshire gentleman named Colonel Fairfax. The vicotrv of Lex was also notable for the tart'that it was the first success—since his return to the saddle from a period of suspension—of Michael Bearv. The jockey was seen to considerable advantage, for he was not perturbed in the least by the pare set bv Bella Minna. Beary gave his mount every chance to find his stride, and, after travelling a mile, it was clear he was going to be a big danger to the fillv. Bella Minna was still m front at the end of five furlongs, but she began to tire, and Beary had merely to shake his mount up for the colt to go on to a clever success. Lex has <rrown into a good-looking sort, and, as stamina would seem to be his strong point, we ought to be hearing of him in connection with next year s Derby although it is as well to remember that onlv on verv rare occasions indeed has a winner of the Gimcrack carried off the Blue Riband. Sansovino is the one exception of recent times. Frank Dempsey, the erack Australian jockev. is returning to his native land.' He' was going great guns here until he met with an accident a few months ago. since when he has been unable to ride. He has made arrangements to return to this country next season, however, when he will have retainers from Sir Charles Hyde, who owns a verv good two-year-old named Braren. and Sir Hugo Cunliffe Owen, whose fortunes have been none too rosy for a season or two. Frank Bulloek. who was responsible for introducing Dempsey, a fellowcountrvman of his. to use, intends to retired at the end of the present campaign. a.- increasing weight is beginning to get irksome to him. He intends launching out as a trainer, and he is so popular that he is bound to get a lot ax' patronage.

THE NEW FOOTBALL The new offside law In football has been put to the acid test of competitive play, and it has created two directly opposing opinions. Those who approve of the alteration say that the game is now much more epee and faster, and that, whe-n the men have had time to become accustomed to the new conditions. the standard of play will improve.' Opponents of the new rule, on the other hand, condemn it in unmeasured terms. Football, they say, has become nothing more than kick and rush, and science and craft have been driven out of it. They admit the increase of pace, but this to them is not

a gain. They prefer to see a man hold the ball and dribble, and proceed by what we have known as the short passing game. But there is one point on which there is general agreement. There are far fewer stoppages and a great deal more actual play. This in itself is, of course, a big gain. Matches which have so”far been played suggest that goal scoring will be heavier. On the opening day, when all the eightyeight League clubs were engaged, there were over fifty more goals obtained as compared with the corresponding fixtures of last season. This big total was in part due to a remarkable performance on the part of Aston Villa, who on their own ground humiliated BurnIcy by scoring as many as ten goals. No Substitutes. This is not a record for the League, but it is many years since so many goals were registered by one side. The Villa played brilliantly, but they had their task made easier than it would otherwise have been through Burnley losing’their centre-half early in the game owing to injury. There is little doubt that the team who lose a man will suffer a greater handicap than was the rase under the old conditions, and at once the point has been raised — should substitutes be allowed! There is trouble at present with Australia over this very point. In Australia, when a player is injured and has to leave the field another ihan is permitted to take his place. This is an infringement of the rule, and the Australians have had their attention called to the fact by the Football Association. It is not, of course, a new proposal, but the Football Association has refused even to consider it. The practice, would be a dangerous one, for it would epen the door to deception and unfairness. For instance, a man who was exhausted towards the finish of a match might sham that he was hurt in order that a new and fresh player might take his place. There are other equally objectionable possibilities, and the opinion of the Football Association will have to change completely before substitutes are allowed. Most of the clubs have now played two games, but apart from the sensational scoring of Aston Villa, there has been no outstanding feature. One of the best performances is to the credit of Tottenham Hotspur, who have beaten both the Arsenal and Sheffield United, the cup holders away from home. Another London senior club, West Ham, have also won twice. The other representatives of the Metropolis, however, have been very disappointing.

CRICKET YORKSHIRE WIN CHAMPIONSHIP. Though they have still one game to play—against Somerset at Taunton —• Yorkshire have already won the county cricket championship. Even should they now be beaten, they cannot be robbed of the championship honours, so decisive is the advantage they have gained over their rivals. But this final match is* important. Yorkshire will strain every nerve not to lose it in order to maintain their unbeaten record. Never was success better deserved. The old player declares that the team of to-day is not to be compared with the side of twenty years or so avo, when F. S. Jackson, J. T. Brown, Tunnicliffe, Hirst, and Haig were members of it. But such a comparison is impossible, and also most unfair. Suffice it to say that the players of today have proved themselves to be tl)e best eleven in the country. They had. a desperate escape from defeat in the' match with Si»sex, and they were twice behind in the first innings in ineompleted games. On both occasions this was against Lancashire. But, so keen is the rivalry between the counties, that the cricket when they meet is never in these days of a normal character. Both sides start with the feeling: “We must not be beaten at any cost,’’ and so the play is of a stilted, laborious kind. Good Sportsmanship. For instance, in the last game at Sheffield. Lancashire batted for over seven hours for about 250 runs. But, though Yorkshire were a few runs behind on their first innings, they had just as good a chance of winning when the game came to an end. This is the fourth vear in succession that they have captured the honours, and only two other counties have equalled this record. Surrey were champions from 1887 to 1892 inclusive, whilst Notts were all-conquering from 1882 to 1886 inclusive. Yorkshire were at the head of the table for the first time in 1893, and in thirty-two years they have claimed the honours fourteen times. It is a wonderful record. They are essentially a match-winning team. They fight from the first ball to the last, and thev never give anything away. There ■is no sentiment about their cricket. But their sportsmanship has been above • reproach. Even in their keenest mo|ments they have never sought an ad‘vantage except by the fairest mean|f 'Bnt like the Australians, their object jis to win, and they never lose sight of ■it. The team has been rarely changed ■' All the summer Major Lupton has had ten professionals under him, and when there has been a vacancy an amateur has not been called upon. Selection has always fallen on what was thought to be the best player.

GOLF ABE MITCHEL’S TRIUMPH. A golfer has rarely gained a greater triu'rhph than Abe Mitchell in winning the first prize in the £lOOO short-hole tournament. Fellow professionals have said, “If I had his length, I could play as well as Mitchell. He hits the ball so far that it is easy for him to put it on the green.” Well, on this occasion Mitchell was robbed of his advantage in length, and yet he proved himself superior to his rivals in the short game. It was a novel tournament. Special tees were created on the fairways, and all the holes were brought within reach of one stroke. The shots varied as to length and’character, all the dubs from a brassie to a mashie niblick being required. Thus the test was in approaching and putting. and it was over seventy-two holes. The value of each hole was three, and, if perfection had been attained, the score would have been 216. How near Mitchell was to playing perfect golf will be realised from the fact that his return was only four over this total. The result astonished everyone. It had been estimated that ten over threes would be good enough to win. Yet Mitchell did not win by a big margin. Indeed, he finished only one stroke ahead of Percy Allis, a young player of great promise. One stroke further behind were Archibald Compston and James Ockenden. Mitchell’s score was the best, but his golf was the best. An analysis of the cards reevaled the interesting fact that he placed fifty-eight out of the seventy-two tee shots on the green. That is to say, only fourteen went astray. Why They Win! ' No one else bad such an average. In this respect Ockenden had the second best record. He failed to reach the green on seventeen occasions. Ihe tournament was conceived with the object of showing that, it was in the short game that the British professional failed as compared with the American The result, however, was to prove the. reverse —that he plays the shots through the green better than the drives! The truth, of course, is that the British golfer will not admit that he is in anv way inferior to the American, though the fact that, the championship has been captured by American representatives four times during the past five years suggests that he over-estimates his own ability. But J. H. Tavlor has pointed out that, when Americans come to play for the championship, they have no other object, and that they concentrate on it to the exclusion of every other interest. On the other hand, when the British player has competed for the. American title, it has been only an incident in a long and Arduous tour. This is correct, and the jji’fference is important. The only way to equalise the position is to send over half-a-dozen British professionals solely to take part in the championship. It IS proposed that this should be done, but there is no suggestion who would bear the cost. St. Andrew’s have not the means to do so.

BOXING AND BOXERS So Phil Scott has (.writes Eugene Corn) won his three fights in a week, jfcftd has set off straight away upon his expedition into Spain, thtre t > singe— JIJJs to be hoped—the beard of Paolino, the Basque. This last-mentioned venture sounds to me the more doubtful of the four, for, lighting apart, many strange things are apt to happen in

corners of the Continent where boxing and refereeing are still in their infancy. However, “sufficient unto the day. . The order of fighting at the Blackfriars Ring proved to be Jack Stanley, Berry, Gipsy Daniels. Stanley went in to pave the r?ay for the otners rather too desperately, and, after a Jew exciting moments, in the course of which he rushed Scott almost off his feet and into the ropes, was knocked out. This all occurred in the first round, so that Scott won his first fight without having his stamina tested very severely. In every way, in fact, it was a good start for Scott. Cool Under Fire. ® His punching power was found to J>e sufficient for the occasion, and, moreover, he himself was found to be cool under fire, the fire being furious rushing and pummelling to the body, both of which have disturbed more than one leading boxer of recent years. He also was found to be quick in seizing his opening when it came his way. The style in which he pulled up Stanley’s final rush with a drive to the body, and the subsequent straight left and rights to the jaw. were fairly convincing. One rather fancies that Dempsey, for example, would have done in one blow whflt Scott did in four or five, but the fact remains that Scott hit back well and hard enough to deprive his opponent and the spectators of a second round. Scott met a much better boxer, and a fine old campaigner, in the second fight, and so must not be criticised too loudly for no more than winning on points. Berry, at intervals, was punished fairly severely, but was clever enough to ward off the coup de grace. At the end of the fifteen rounds there was no doubt as to the winner, though perhaps one did question whether Scotk had accomplished enough for a man who was out to carve a real name for himself in Fistiana?

Similarly, in the third and last fight of the week. This also was of fifteen rounds, and also was well won on points against a boxer who had once, obtained a referee’s decision against Scott, and was known to be capable of making a fight difficult if no more. There was far too much holding in the

fight between Scott and Daniels, and, although one sympathised with Scott, one also wondered what Dempsey would have done to Daniels in similar aggravating circumstances. Something really horrid, I feel sure. A Good Sport. All this may sound as though I am out to damn Phil with faint praise. In reality, the reverse is intended. His sportsmanship has won my regard, like it has that of many others who dearly love the splendid sport of boxing. Scott is too good a fellow to be flattered by insincere nonsense. He wants honest, and, if I may say so, well informed advice, and more and yet more experience. He is winning his fights all right, and, when roused, seems to have the fighting instinct, but, like nearly all of our home-made boxer#, he is apt to let the fight take its course instead of himself setting that course.

The real truth is that the fine old Saxon spirit that makes men stand up and die, as at Hastings, and produces martial epics like the “thin red line.” and the retreat from Mons, is often thrown away in the modern ring. There, it is true, a counter-fighter with the superb technique of a Peter Jackson can just beat your Slavins, but there also must be the capacity to speed up the fight at the moment which suit oneself and not one’s opponent. It was Jim Driscoll’s great art, and Scott need not be ashamed to model his own efforts among the big men upon those of the master featherweight. Those of us who have seen Dempsey realise how, even if he has cut out many of the frills, he has, consciously or otherwise acquired the art of speeding up at the psychological moment, and also that of concentrated merciless hitting. If Phil Scott can improve the balance of his footwork, and also the timing of his blows, he may yet beat far better men than Stanley and Berry and Daniels. One can say no more. Meanwhile, the smaller men have started their autumnal and winter battlings with plenty of splash and vigour. Alf Simmons, for example, who would much like to be regarded as in the running fbr Harry Mason’s title instead of as a moderate welter, has just won a rough-and-ready scrap with Sonny Bird, of Chelsea. When the referee’s patience gave out, and Bird was disqualified for holding, Simmons was punching the harder, and so may be said to have deserved to win. Leu Harvey, the hope of the SouthWest Country, a4so has gained a bit more experience and a few more laurels by beating Harry Gent, of Chorley, in the second round of their 15* round contest. I cannot remember Gent, but I am told that he is tough, in >which case Harvey certain goes up. Among the bantam-weights, in a fight of perhaps rather less significance, two men I know from my own eyes to be distinctly tough, met at Premierland, where the atmosphere is even more electrical than it is at The Ring. Len Fowler, the little Birmingham fighter, who reached the semi-final stage of the competition organised by the Ntional Sporting Club, now met in Len George, of the Custom House, a man who can hit back really hard, particularly at close quarters. Fowler, however, proved himself the faster and more accurate boxer, in a fight that almost raised the roof.

Earlier in the same evening, I may add, a promising ex-amateur in Peter Lplosky, found an old pro. and fifteen rounds between them rather too much for him. Still the contest proved once more what splendid boxers our amateur clubs are producing. Two middle-weights, by no means to be despised, met at The Ring during the week. One of them, Marine Trinder, I once saw at the N.S.C. land as good a knock-out blow as one could wish to see. This time, he was up against the Canadian, Kid Moore. Trinder set a considerable pace and outboxed his opponent most of the time. Even when he tired, he still was too clever for Moore.