SPORTS AND SPORTSMEN

Waikato Times, Volume 118, Issue 19639, 27 July 1935, Page 20 (Supplement)

SPORTS AND SPORTSMEN

(By “ Korotangi.”)

DOMINION’S HOCKEY STATUS

. Indians Suggest Olympic Games : Burmister in the Orient i A Tribute to W. J. Wallace : Youth Wanted in English Cricket : New Zealand Cyclist in England': Wendell Bill’s Batting Sensation : Lou Hodgson Leaves : Negro to fight Paimer.

IN RECENT WEEKS a good many conflicting statements lhave emanated from' the touring Indian hockey side. As late as last Saturday we were told by no less an authority than Mr Gupta that firstly : “I yield to no one in my knowledge of hockey. ... you can take r from one who has seen the game played in every country in the wor that your officials are dodging if New Zealand does not play in tie 1936 Olympic Games.” Then in an interview on the same er India had run New Zealand off its feet to a six goal victory: The touring team is far from the best side available from India. Many of the players have not'represented their provinces, and Dhyan Chand, the centre-forward, is the only one certain of inclusion in the side to compete at the Olympic Games.” It is difficult to understand what Mr Gupta means. India has not altogether had her own way in hoisting the flag of world hockey supremacy, and it seems absurd, on the data offered |)y his. second premise that a New Zealand eleven, could hope to be oh terms with teams, the li ’C P those which could accept only Dhyan Chand as a member. New Zealand has found the touring team immeasurably superior in.:every department of the game. It could then not hope to worst teams of the standard that the Olympic Games would attract. . . . Mr Gupta has not been noted for his tact. As he himself observes, he believes in calling a <sp£de a spade; and on the whole New Zealanders will respect him for his candid frankness.-/ His statement that “the itinerary could have been differently arranged without injuring anybody” will win a good deal of support among sportsmen ..of the Dominion to whom it has appeared obvious that the tour has been altogether too exacting. . .

“ Officials haife been unreasonable in looking to their own hockey inter* ests,” declared Mr Gupta. While recognising -that there is a certain measure of enthusiasm for the game in such places as Eketahuna, Morrinsvllle, Te Awamutu and the like, it would, perhaps, have offered little disoomfort to the publio and permitted the Indians to obtain rest and a welcome change from travelling if these oentres had been om.itted from the itinerary. The position which arose in the Waikato offers a good exmaple of what Mr Gupta is stressing On the Saturday the team played in Hamilton, on'the Tuesday they were driving about the country, on the Wednesday they were trying conclusions with Piako, leaving at night by train for Te Awamutu where on the following day a match was decided with Waipa. To many, including Mr Gupta, it appears that either the matches at Te Awamutu and Morrinsville need not have been held at all or that the team might have continued to remain in 'Hamilton and motor through to the other-, centres on the afternoon of each of the engagements. * * • *

Some other of Mr Gupta’s remarks will also find a ready ear in the Dominion. He says that the visitors were perplexed by the New Zealand custom of suspending a game on account of injuries. Elsewhere players were taken on to the sideline for treatment and the match continued without delay. Long interruptions, he considered, broke the morals of the game and could change the whole outlook easily. Replacement of players was in no case allowed, not even in England. This is a problem which has been thrashed out in many spheres of sport and upon it seemingly no finality will ever be reached. Much can be said for either side of the question.

One ‘hesitates to accept Mr Gupta’s opinions of umpiring although no doubt they are in essence true. M. N. Masoid, the vice-captain of tho team, can, perhaps, speak with more authority. He has said: “One thing I would ask of your' umpires to bear in mind; and that is to he consistent in ‘ awarding infringements to either side. Every umpire has his own ideas and Interpretations on the ruleis of hockey. You will -And an umpire lenient in one rule hut very strict in penalising other infringements. Thfcj •may be all right hut what he should do is to go on the field with a certain standard of play which he wants observed by the two teams. At no time during that particular game should he lower his standards of judgment. He should be consistent in his -judgments.’’

English Test Cricket. \

Test cricket optimism in England has sunk into the doldrums of pessimism. Of the five tests against South Africa, the tourists have won one and tho other two have been drawn, it is not too late Jfir England to make amends but the chances of winning the rubber remain definitely in South Africa’s favour under the operation of tlrreo factors —the unsettling effects of the new l.b.w. law, with its results on the rate of scoring, England’s shortage ol' good spin bowlers and the retention of too many “has-beens" in the side. Youth demands recognition in big cricket but despite the lessons of lost rubbers to Australia, the West Indies and. perhaps, South Africa, English cricket continues to be ridden by old men. Policy must change.

Psalm-Slnglng Boier. A young American negro boxer who in his 41 lights has not failed to recite a warlike psalm of David before climbing into the ring and has knocked out (his manager claims) *26 ot liis opponents, arrived in Wellington from San Francisco by the Makura this week on his way to Sydney and the Australian champion, Ambrose Palmer. He is Deacon Leo Kelly, 24 years of age, of Los Angeles, light-heavy-weight-. Kelly said in an interview to a southern journal that lie brings to bear on bis matches tho following verse! “Blessed he the Lord my strength, which leadeth my hand to war and my fingers to fight."

His manager, Mr W. Newman, of San Francisco, declared that Kelly is the best light-heavy-weight in tho world and said lie would bet 1000 dollars Unit lie would beat the champion of Australia with a knockout. Palmer would have no chance of staying on his feet for more than four rounds, lie continued. Kelly had been boxing for three years and a-half. He was under contract to the Lotchardt Stadium, Sydney, for four lights. There was a guarantee of over £2OO and a promise of 25 per cent of the IWt*.

" The Graceful Loos.” The suggestion of an'English commercial man that the All Blacks during their tour of Great Britain should “gracefully lose a few matches” will no doubt be much misunderstood in the Dominion. Sport has an amazing reaction upon Empire sentiment and one can side with MF H. Turner, the London representative of the New Zealand 'Fruit Board, when he suggests that “if there is just a shade of criticism of the All Blacks it is. that they showed a tendency to be a little eager to win at any cost.” It is hard to believe that he would suggest that the All Blacks should deliberately lose matches; rather it is that he advocates that the death-knell should bo sounded of the “win at any cost” spirit. There was fcnougih of this ugly sentiment in the England-Aus-tralia cricket tests. Let us, above all, play the game for the fiun'wc get in doing it. Wins and losses are taken too seriously.

Six-Day Cyclist, 1 Herbert Turtill, the New Zealand professional cycle track rider has the distinction of being the first Dominion cyclist to compete in a six-day cycle race. Turtill is, perhaps, the best -track ‘rider New Zealand- has ever produced and his English tour with ifive (AusHlalian riders, including Herbert Opperman, promises to give him the finish which will bring him into world class. At present he is in London where he is a competitor in a six-day race commencing on July 21 and finishing on July 27 (today). Turtill hails from Greymouth. He is 23 years of age, built on stocky lines and possesses all the, endurance that is essential for distance work. At the Otorohanga sports this year he put up a New Zealand record for half-a-milc on a clay track with a time of GO seconds, capping a good day’s performance by winning the Otorohanga wheel race by a comfortable margin. He intends returning to the Dominion in 1937.

Burmister Comes Back. llnlervJcwlug Biurmisler always brings to mind the story of the Lilliputians and Gulliver. Again, afler a lapse of some flve yers, Sum, Hu? Esthouian Yid, lumbered his way uPj

the-stairs into the editorial sanctum of the Waikato Times the other day to break the news that lie was nowchampion of the Orient. AltogeUiei it has been a bright five years for Burmister. Although he has not tried with the Hindu matmeii he seems to litve worsted the besl men‘the Middle and Far East had to offer, maintaining the winning way through tfic hairy Kalmuks of Harbin and the wiry Japs of Yokohama However, lie has seen enough of tho Indians’ technique to know that on their training on rice and butter they have the “unfair” advantage of being able to ooze oil when exerted on tho mat, wriggling cel-like through the best applied holds of their adversary.

In Japan, says Burrnister, by far the most popular type of fight wa9 between a ju-jitsu expert and a boxer., Altogether the issue was, open, the match being brought to an abrupt conclusion only if the boxer connected with a good one or if the wrestler tossed his rflversary into insensibility over the ropes. In Japan, in addition to -the ju-jitsu entertainments, there w r as another form of the sport, conducted on traditional lines by a religious caste which was an established -institution in the country. Even'the jovial Burmister, who tops Hie scale at 2001b5., had to take second place to these men y/lio were often more than six feet in height and who weighed anything up to 24 stone.

How to Brighten Cricket. >On the New South Wales Cricket team’s tour of North Queensland, Wendell Bill walked in last at Mackay to join Dick Nutt, the Balmain man -•of the bat. Time was 20 minutes to four o’clock. When they retired for afternoon tea at four o’clock (20 minutes later), 130 runs had been added. Wendell Bill, using the long handle, entertained the crowd by hitting sixes. The umpire was so immersed in it that he allowed the lasi over to extend to 11 balls. Off tho seventh, Wendell, trying for another six, was caught. His 87, made in those 20 minutes, surprised even himself. Trumper or 'Bradman could have done no better. ' ,

Lou Hodgson Leaves. Hamilton is losing a good sport and a promising cyclist in Lou Hodgson, Wiaikato sprint champion, who left yesterday for Australia. He has a few plans to carry out when lie arrives in Sydney next week but it is probablo that he will again be pursuing his occupation as a denial mechanic with one of the city firms, thus giving him ample time to continue ids cycling activities. Faced with (he* competition of some of Australia's best men, Hodgson,' who lias been a backmarker of the Hamilton Amateur Sports Club for several seasons, should develop into a cyclist of class. If lie returns to the Dominion, New Zealanders will no doubt find liis form a good deal improved. Submission Falls. The Waikato Wrestling Association is, at the moment, divided, in the eonlenlions of members as to whether submission falls should lie udmissablc in amalenr bonis. In Auckland Hie same rules apply !o amateur bonis as 10, professional engagements and in al least four oilier centres Hie same conditions hold good, but in the south- ;

ern towns the opposite view is in vogue and falls may bo obtained tn the preliminaries only by forcing the two shoulders of an adversary on the mat. By neglecting the submission fall tho association seems lo have discarded much of the science of wrestling and, if anything, encouraged it to develop into tho category of a rough and tumble, in which- body presses and the like arc lo be applauded in | favour of the essentially scientific submission holds. Representative Season Commenced. With the major competitions in most sub-unions in the Waikato com- , pleted (lie representative season will! soon lie in full swing. The firstPeace Gup challenge was decided at Malamata last week, and Hamilton and .Morrinsvilic meet in a Finlay Gup challenge 10-day. Malamata will have a heavy representative season Ibis year, as 10-day they play Te Aroha.j white if they hold the .Peace Ginij they will have five more challenges lo sustain. Four Peace Gup elimination matches have yet lo by played, as well as a number of liome-and-away' representative"- sub-union mulches.! The Wuikulq representatives ■ have sol far been,' scheduled lo meet King! Country al To Kniliun Aligns! 111, and! Otago at -•» —«w <rf ~*vber 11, I *

De Haviliand Popularity. Although one has noted, —-with regret—that the übiquitous Moth is no ltfliger in production, it is interesting to read in a recent English publication that 81 per cent, of the equipment of the internal airlines of Great Britain was produced by the De Haviliand works. It was recently reported that George Bolt had'ordered De Haviliand llapide Dragons for Cook Strait Airways, and one has heard a whisper that McGregor is ordering the De Haviliand 80 for Union Airways./ Since East Coast Airways and New Zealand Travel are also using De Haviliand equipment it appears as if this English firm might secure 100 per cent, representation on the air lines of .New Zealand, comments a Hawke’s Bay, paper.

W. J. Wallace’s Mana. Stuart Perkins, the Australian Rugby critic, pays a warm tribute to W. J. Wallace manager of the JSlaori team louring Australia, in an arMcle in a recent issue of the Sydney Sun. He says in part: The manager of the 1932 All Blacks to Australia is coming again as co-manager of the New Zealand native combination, and that means that in all' their games the Maoris’ opponents will have to beat 16 men if .they are to win. The world can possess few ‘better judges of football and footballers: few’ so proficient in generalship and possessing isuo-h keen perception in all things Rugby; or equal ability to assess and analyse the weaknesses and strength of the men on the other side of the field.

W. J. Wallace is one of the very few footballers who has left his mark in two generations of the, game. To thousands lie remains the oiie and only. ‘‘Billy’’ -Wallace, one of the greatest of the great All Blacks, a! star with the 1905 team of "originals.” With thousands more he has won almost equal admiration as an administrator, good sportsman and fine personality. The 1932 All Black side that Wallace brought here was not outstanding at the outset, and in Sydney lost the first test by 22—17. Wallace started the team-building on the train journey to Brisbane. He made of each member a confidant and friend. By the time the team readied the northern capital each shared a common desire—to make good. From the frequent round-table conferences that -Wallace held In Brisbane there emerged a new AH Black team, a crushing combination which won the succeeding tests, in Brisbane by 21 — 3, arid; in Sydney 21—13, and returned home- triumphant.