Flashes From fields of Sport Abroad

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 7278, 4 October 1933, Page 11

Flashes From fields of Sport Abroad

For The Third Time. The cabled averages of the leading players in the season of first-class cricket in England, finished recently, show that three batsmen have scored over 3000 runs each in the season. \V. R. Hammond and L. E. G. Ames, whom New Zealanders had the pleasure of seeing in action last summer, have each reached that mark for the first time. It is, though, the third time that “Patsy” Hcndrcn, who scored 3186 runs this year, at an average of 56.89, has topped 3000. Ten years ago Hendren scored 3010 runs at an average of 77.17. In 1923 he made 3311 at 70.44 an innings. Hendren will be 45 years of age before the English season of 1934 starts.

England took so little interest in E. B. Phelps’s departure from London to defend the world’s, professional sculling championship against H. R. Pearce, to whom he lost it, that only three people saw him off. Commenting on this fact, a London paper says that all the glory had departed from the championship. But if Phelps had been a horizontal heavyweight boxing champion—! •X* X* vr Cromb And Leg-theory.

Writing to a friend in Christchurch, I. 13. Cromb says that recently lie had to play leg-theory bowling, with eight fieldsmen on the leg-side, thrice in Lancashire League cricket, and in the three innings he scored 57, 78, and 87 not out. Cromb has ideas about the footwork needed for batting against such bowling, and lie thinks that his scores against it confirm his idea. However, he does not state the pace of the leg-theory bowling he played in these three innings, nor does he say whether it was ordinary leg-theory or bodyline bowling. In one of the three innings he had to play L. N. Constantine’s bowling—fast, but not as fast as Larwood’s—but it can be said quite confidently that Cromb’s experience docs not make any material contribution to the controversy about bodyline bowling. * * *

Walter Hagen, the famous American professional golfer, had a remarkable match in Scotland a few weeks ago. He played J. McLean, the amateur champion of Scotland, on McLean’s course at Havston. near Glasgow. It was a 36-hole match. On the first round Hagen was so erratic on the unfamiliar and tricky course that he failed to win a hole. He went round in 74, to McLean’s G 7. Bui in the second round Hagen pulled up to win, two up and one to play. He did this round in 66, against McLean’s 77. & * Leaving Lancashire.

G. Hodgson, the South African-born fast-medium bowler who took five wickets for 93 runs for Lancashire against the New Zealand cricket team of 1931, is one of several players whose engagements on the Lancashire County Cricket Club’s ground staff will not be renewed next season. W. Horrocks, former West Australian player, also on that ground staff—he has played mostly for the county’s second eleven, but has had some games with the first elevenmay return to Australia.

The latest information about K.. S. Duleepsinhji, the famous Indian cricketer for Sussex and England, who has been out of the game this year because of ill-health, is that his condition is much improved, and his progress is being maintained steadily.

The International Cycling Congress, held in Paris a few weeks ago, decided that the use of crash helmets shall be compulsory in all future track-cycling championships of the world.

The woman runner who is Stella Walasiewicz in her native country and Stella Walsh when she runs in or for the United States of America, ran for Poland in the women’s international track and field meeting at Brussels recently. She won the 800 metres in 2.26. ■* * * Help For Fvlerritt.

When W. E. Merritt, by. taking seven Todmordcn wickets for 97 runs, raised his total number of wickets for the Rishton Club, in the Lancashire Cricket League, this season, to 116, and so broke a record for Rishton that had stood since 1901, when H. Riley, the club’s professional then, took 115 wickets in the season, he had reason to he very grateful to the Rishton wicketkeeper, J. Hanson. Nine wickets fell before the Todmordcn innings was declared closed, at 215, and of the nine batsmen Hanson stumped no fewer than six, live of . whom he stumped off Merritt’s bowling. When the time for drawing stumps came Rishton had scored 167 for nine wickets, Merritt making 15 before he was bowled by C. F. Root, noted professional, formerly of Worcestershire.

Although Staffordshire is only a second-class cricket county, the fact that for the West Indies cricket team, against it, L. N. Constantine took, in one period of two overs and three balls, four wickets for one run is worthy of note. This followed after Staffordshire had lost live wickets for 92 runs in its second innings. With E. Achong taking one wicket, the county’s last live wickets fell for only seven runs.

Fighting at list 71b, Harry Lister, New Zealand middleweight professional boxer, outpointed Johnny Condon, of Victoria, who weighed 11.6, in a fierce fight at Brisbane Stadium recently. It was, says an Australian paper, only in the concluding rounds that Lister got the upper hand, but the decision in his favour was approved by a large crowd. Condon was handicapped by having his right hand injured early. The Victorian is awkward, aggressive, and fairly clever, and he did not retreat at all from Lister’s forceful ness.

Before it engaged W. E. Merritt, to take I. B. Cromb’s place as the club professional, the East Lancashire Cricket Club made overtures to Maurice Tate, Harold Larwood and James Langridge A Lancashire paper says that Larwood was offered a blank cheque, but declined to consider any kind of terms.

Larwood Not Optimistic. “I cannot run a yard, and my left foot is no better than it was when I came home from Australia,” said Harold Larwood, the Notts and England fast bowler, in the second week of August. “I have been advised to rest it as much as possible, but it has not brought the improvement necessary to enable me to take my place in the Notts team as a fast bowler. It seems that unless a miracle happens I shall never again bowl at my old pace.”

Percy Alliss, the English golf professional who has done much coaching in Germany of late years, won the German open golf championship for the fifth time, recently. His aggregate for the 72 holes was 284. T. H. Cotton was second, with' 290; Aubrey Boomer, of France, was third, with 294.

McCorkindaie v. Camera. It is reported from New York that Don McCorkindaie, the South African heavyweight boxer, is to have a fight with Primo Camera, the world’s heavyweight- champion. Apparently, however, the bout is not to be for the championship. Still, if McCorkindaie did manage, by a lucky chance—and it would be a very lucky chance if it came off —to knock out Camera the public would acclaim him champion. It is said that the bout will be of 15 rounds, and will take place in the Mussolini Stadium in Rome oil October 22. The Fascist Party is to sponsor the contest, the projits from which will go to charity. It seems that Ted Broadribb, McCorkindale’s manager and father-in-law, has had the better of his argument with Louis Sorcsi and Bill Duffy, Camera’s managers, who were at first adamant that the champion would fight no .one but Paulino Uzcudun, of Spain, the European champion.

Freeman’s Great Achievement. The leading averages in England’s first-class cricket for the 1933 season, cabled a few days ago, show that A. P. Freeman, Kent’s famous right-hand slow spin bowler, missed by only seven wickets exceeding his record aggregate of 304 wickets, which he obtained in 1928. Until 1928 the record number of wickets in a season of first-class cricket in England was 290, taken by Tom Richardson, great fast bowler, in 1894. So Freeman has twice beaten Richardson’s record. Freeman has now taken over 200 wickets in a season in each of six consecutive seasons. The nearest approach to that is Richardson’s capture of over 200 wickets in a season for three consecutive seasons, 1895-96-97. Only once in the last 13 seasons has Freeman dropped below 150 wickets in a season; that was in 1925.-when he took 146. In the last six seasons, including this year’s, he has taken 1673 wickets, his figures being:—l92B. 304 at 18.05 runs each; 1929. 267 at 18.27: 1930. 275 at 16.84; 1931. 276 at 15.60; 1932, 253 at 16.39; 1933. 298 at 15.26. “Tich” Freeman, who was in New Zealand with A. C. MacLaren’s team in the 1922-23 season here, is now 44 years of age.

A Lancastrian cricket critic noted recently that E. Paynter “seems to have lost that superb hostility of stroke-play which at one time suggested that Lancashire had found a kind of lefthanded J. T. Tyldesley.” This note gives a little point to the fact that Paynter’s aggregate for a season of first-class cricket in England has fallen from 2035 in 1932 to 1342 in 1933, although his average has dropped only from 37.68 to 36.27.

Sharkey And Levinsky. The defeat of Jack Sharkey, formerly heavyweight boxing champion of the world, by King Levinsky, in 10 rounds, a few days ago, emphasises the deterioration in Sharkey’s form and completes a turn of the wheel of boxing. In 1931 Sharkey beat Primo Camera. In 1932 Camera beat Levinsky. Now, in 1933, Camera has knocked out Sharkey and Levinsky also has beaten the former champion. This King Levinsky should not be confused with Battling Levinsky, at one time known as Barney Williams, who once held the world’s light heavyweight championship, but who retired from the ring three years ago. Like the earlier Levinsky, King Levinsky is a Jewish-American. but his right name is Harry Krakow. His best performance of late years was a win over Paolino Uzcudun last year. His usual fightingweight is about 101 b lighter than Sharkey’s. King Levinsky is 33 years of age this month; Sharkey will lie 31 next month.

T. W. Green, the veteran English walker who won the long-distance walk at the 1932 Olympic Games, established two new records in winning the Not-tingham-to-Binningham walk, of 55 miles, a few weeks ago. • His time for the face, 8,39.10 4-5, beat the previous record for it, held by himself, by 1.51 4-5, and in completing 50 miles in 7.48.42 he beat the world’s record of 7.52.27 for 50 miles which J. Butler, of Putney, set up in 1905.

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Bowlers Needed. Recently we noted that the league cricket clubs in Lancashire need very successful bowlers as their professionals, or all-rounders whose bowling is as decisive as their batting. In a reference to changes to professionals to league clubs, for next season, a Manchester paper which arrived recently strikes the same note. “There is a marked tendency,” it says, “for league clubs to search for a professional whose main strength lies in his bowling, rather than in the ability to run up large scores. There has been a remarkable number of drawn games this season, and this is attributed to the comparative weakness of the present bowlers.”

The women’s world’s track record for 100 metres has been broken again. It is now 0.11 9-10, a Dutch girl, T. Shuurmans, having been clocked at that in winning the 100 metres at the women’s international sports in Brussels rcccntly.