Flasks From Fields Of Sport Abroad

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 7280, 6 October 1933, Page 5

Flasks From Fields Of Sport Abroad

According to a special message to some Australian papers about the Haslingden Club’s engagement of George Headley, famous West Indies batsman, for league cricket, Headley is to receive £OSO a year, plus collections and a possible benefit. -:<• * Great Loose-forward Play. In the early part of the Australian Rugby team’s tour of South Africa critics in that country acclaimed Aubrey Hodgson, of the Wallabies, the finest loose-forward ever seen in their land. Hodgson broke a wrist, and R. B. Loudon, another fine loose-forward, was also hurt. Both Hodgson and Loudon were back in the side for the second Test, at Durban, which the Wallabies won by 21 points fo six, and these men, it is stated in South African papers, imparted such amazing speed to the Australians’ forward play that the Springboks could not cope with them. In this match not Hodgson, but Loudon, was considered by the critics to be the greatest loose-forward ever seen in South Africa. New Zealanders who have played against Loudon in both Australia and New Zealand—his last visit lo the Dominion was in 1928 —also have a great admiration for his play. He stands 6ft 2in and weighs 14st 41b, but has wonderful pace for such a big man, and handles the ball with fine accuracy. He has played more first-grade Rugby than any other player in Australia. When the Wallabies left for South Africa his age was given as 29, but he is 31. Boh Loudon is a New Zealander by birth, but that fact is. referred to in another paragraph on this page. w '/r # Harry W. Parks, who scored 114 not out and 105 not out for Sussex against Essex in first-class cricket last week, is the younger of two brothers who have given good service lo the county for several years. He is 27 years of age. He has scored over 1000 runs in a season on four occasions. Harry Parks has also played Association football for Sussex. The elder brother, James H., who is 30, is not so free a bat, but is a better bowler, as well as a batsman of the class of over 1000 runs a season. ■x # # A Christchurch Golf Story. A piquant story, declared to be authentic, is going the rounds of golf clubs in Christchurch. It concerns a golfer who is also a cricketer, although in the summer sport lie is not a very prominent player. He is rather a stickler for rules, and sometimes is a little peremptory in his manner. This player, whom we shall call A, was in a foursome. A dispute occurred over the scoring at one hole. At the next hole B teed his ball. Exclaiming “My honour,” A kicked the ball away. That hole was halved. At the next, B teed his ball again, and again A, ejaculating “My honour,” kicked it away. Then B opened the tloodgatcs of his wrath, and for some minutes told A, in very lurid language, what he thought of him. At the end of the round C told B that he should not have sworn at A as he had done. When B wanted to know why, C explained that the fourth member of the foursome was a parson. Then B felt contrite, and, going up to D, said, “I owe you an apology, sir. Will you accept it?” The parson asking what the apology was for, B explained that it was for his swearing at A. “Well,” replied the parson, “I do not think an apology is necessary. He deserved all you said to him.”

Maxie Rosenbloom, the New Yorker, of Jewish-American parentage, who is credited with being the light-heavy-weight boxing champion of the world, would not risk his title when he met a 19-year-old negro. John Henry Lewis, from Arizona, in San Francisco, in the second week of July. Lewis won the bout —a 10-round one—with ease. Three weeks later the pair met again and again Lewis won. but the title was not at stake in this match either. A champion by courtesy I

Splendid Centre Three-quarter. South African papers say that D. L. Cowper, whom they describe as a splendid centre three-quarter, was always thrusting at the Springbok centre in the second Test match, which the Australian Rugby team won by the fine score of 21 points to six. As A. W. Ross (captain), and S. J. Malcolm (vice-captain) could not play for Australia in that match, because of illness and injury. Cowper captained the Wallabies in it. So New Zealand Rugby has a link with a very notable victory, for Dave Cowper

is a son of F. H. Cowper, one-time wingforward for the Lin wood Club, who represented Canterbury in 11 matches in 1898 and 1899. Dave Cowper was born in Sydney 24 years ago. He was educated partly at Newington College, where he was distinguished in Rugby, cricket, and athletics, as well as in scholastic work. Four years ago he went to Melbourne, and was soon chosen to represent Victoria iu Rugby. He toured New Zealand as a member of the Australian Rugby team in 1931, and played very well in the one Test against New Zealand, at Auckland. He also played in the three Tests against the All Blacks in Australia last year. Dave Cowper is very good at several sports besides Rugby, cricket, and athletics.

The announcement, from Dunedin some weeks ago, that F. T. Badcock had been engaged for league cricket in Lancashire said that he would go to the Oldham Club. A Lancashire paper says, however, that it is the Werneth Club that has engaged Badcock. Werneth and Oldham arc both in the Central Lancashire League. Dorade Wins Again. This year’s Fastnet Cup race, of 720 miles—the hardest ocean race in the world for yachts—has been won again by Dorade, the American yawl which won it the last time the race was sailed, in 1931. The first to finish this year was an English cutter, Flame, which damaged her mainsail near home and finished under a trysail. Dorade, however, won on her time allowance, which was.!9hr 24min, against Flame’s 2hr 24min. When the Fastnet race was established, eight years ago, the organisers made what is known as a rating rule—they handicapped the yachts after having taken consideration of certain measurements, such as their length, area of sail, and beam. This was done so that the cruising type of yacht should stand a better chance of winning than the out-and-out racing craft. But this has not worked well since American yachts which were either built to the rule or happened to suit it perfectly appeared. Dorade pays no penalties for extreme length, or beam, or sail-area, and every other boat in the race had lo allow her time, although some of them are nearly 30 years older than she is. So she has become practically unbeatable, in this race, and under present conditions.

The South African Cricket Association has found itself unable to accept the proposed “unofficial” tour —no Tests to be played—of its country by a team from the M.C.C. in the coming season in South Africa. VC* *A* V Successor To Roberts. The man who is to succeed A. W. Roberts as professional to the Church Club in the Lancashire Cricket League is H. Tyldeslcy, right-hand slow howler, who was a member of the M.C.C. team which A. C. MacLnren captained in New Zealand in the 1922-23 season here. Tyldesley did not play in any of the three matches against New Zealand, hut played chiefly in minor* l matches in the Dominion, and in these he took 19 wickets at 11.15 runs each. He had played a game or two for Lancashire earlier. After his visit to New Zealand Tyldeslcy went into league cricket, and then into club cricket outside the leagues, for many of the North of England and Scottish club cricket teams have professionals, some of whom are both groundsmen and players.

A nolable feature of the performance of J. M. Sims, a 29-ycar-old Middlesex professional, in taking eight wickets for 47 runs—the best performance of his career —against Derbyshire, in firstclass cricket recently, was that he hit the stumps six times. Sims, a legbreak bowler, did this on a batsman’s wicket. * * * A Famous Athlete. In his all-round capacity for track and field athletics Alvin Kraenzlein. who died recently, was one of the greatest athletes the world has known. He was of German-American parentage. When lie was at the University of Pennsylvania his athletic ability was discovered by Mike Murphy, the celebrated coach, who was so impressed with him that he took Kraenzlein lo live with him. What Murphy taught Kraenzlein was taught later by Kraenzlein to many British and European athletes. Kraenzlein’s performances were much 100 numerous Lo record here, but it should be noted that in the American championships of 1899 be won four events—the 100yds flat, the 120yds high hurdles, the 220yds low hurdles, and the running broad jump—and got two second places, in one day. With heats of track events and preliminaries of field events, it was reckoned that he was engaged continuously throughout that day’s programme. In the Olympic Games of 1900, at Paris, lie won, on grass, the 00-metre run, the 110 metres hurdles, the 200 metres hurdles, and the running broad jump In that year, 100, he won the 120yds hurdles championship and the running broad jump championship of England, and he won the hurdles, again the following year. It was his making the British pre-war record of 0.15 3-5 for the hurdles that led to . the general adoption in Great Britain of his “straight-leg” style. Later Kraenzlein became a great coach. He was engaged to coach in Germany for four years, for a fee of £IO,OOO, but the war interrupted that contract. After the war he returned to Germany to complete it. Kraenzlein was in the middle fifties at the time of his death.

Commenting on E. C. Clark’s use of bodyline howling for England against the West Indies cricket team, Neville Cardus, famous English cricket critic, writes: “Clark, I believe, is not allowed by his committee to exploit bodyline methods in Northamptonshire engagements. Test cricket,, it seems, is developing a code of its own, thanks to the legalists at St. John’s Wood; we live in the age of relativity, and words can justify anything, it seems. (Bodyline?— a ridiculous term, sir; leg-theory, that s what we propose to call it, leg-theory.)”

Some weeks ago we expressed a little surprise at the announcement that the Yorkshire County Cricket Club is “dropping” P. Holmes after the end of this season. While noting that he

has had a poor season—an injury to a knee seems to have affected his batting —English papers which arrived a few days ago also contain notes of surprise that Holmes is dropping out of county cricket so soon. ■ft *ft ft Bowlers Needed. In a paragraph on this page three weeks ago we noted that the league cricket clubs in Lancashire need very successful howlers 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 this week 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.”

From Canterbury Plains. It is not surprising that R. B. Loudon, a great loose-forward for the Australian Rugby team in South Africa, handles the ball remarkably well for a big forward; he was a three-quarter when he made.the first of his many appearances for New South Wales and Australia against New Zealand. Thai was for the New South Wales team in New Zealand in 19211, and Loudon. played both as a wing and as a centre in the Tests of that year. It was appropriate that he started his Test Rugby career in New Zealand, even though it was for New South Wales, for he is a New Zealander. He was born at Lecston, where ills family was settled until it moved to Sydney in 1914. Boh Loudon was for a time in that year at Christ’s College, where his elder brothers had received part of their education. One of these elder brothers, D. 8., played for New South Wales as far back as 1919, and toured New Zealand as a forward of the New South Wales team of 1921.

James Langridge, the young Sussex left-hand cricketer, well-known in New Zealand, had the rare experience of being credited with a stroke for eight runs—four run out and four ill an overthrow —in scoring his 111 against Warwickshire recently.

The cabled statement that Paavo Nurmi and Jules Ladoumcgue are two of three runners who arc to make an attempt, in Paris, to heat J. E. Lovelock’s world’s record for the mile, is rather puzzling, for no information that Nurmi and Ladoumegue, who lost their amateur status, have been reinstated has been received. The project may, of course, be only a stunt for professional purposes.

The innings of JOl runs which “Patsy” Hendrcn, celebrated Middlesex and England cricketer, scored for his county against Worcestershire recently —his highest score in county or representative cricket—was flawless, but he took nearly seven hours over the job. •X- w rX* Many Changes. There will be many changes among the professionals in the Lancashire Cricket League next season. Bacup is not re-engaging E. A. McDonald, the former Australian Eleven player; Alan Fairfax, later Australian Eleven player, is leaving Accrington; Rawtenstall has decided not to re-engage S. F. Barnes, the old English Test-match player; Lowerhouse will not have E. St. Hill, West Indies player; Church has found a successor to A. W. Roberts; Haslingden, losing L. Warburton, has engaged G. Headley; and Rishtou wants a man to replace W. E. Merritt, who will take the place that I. B. Cromb had with the East Lancashire Club this year.

The Championship Committee of the Amateur Athletic Association of England has awarded the Harvey Memorial Gold Cup, for the best champion of the year in the association’s championships. to L. A. Lchtinen, of Finland, who. at the White City, London, won the three-mile championship in 14.9 1-5, and beat A. Shrubb’s 30-year-old British record of 14.17 2-5. -x- -» * Roberts Gets Wickets. A. W. Roberts was the only one of tlie three Canterbury and New Zealand representative cricketers who are professionals in (lie Lancashire Cricket League this „season to distinguish himself in the league matches on July 29. W. E. Merritt, playing for Rishton against Bacup. was out for three runs, and he did not take a wicket; Bacup won with 123 runs for eight wickets to Rishton’s 122. I. B. Cromb, playing for the East Lancashire Club against Haslingden, was out for a single. _ He took a catch in Haslingdcn’s innings, but the match was abandoned, because of rain, when Haslingden had scored 72 for two wickets in reply to East Lancashire’s 119. For Church against Lowerhouse, Roberts scored 27—the secondbest score, the best being (14 —out of 187 for nine, declared. Then, for a change, lie was very successful with the ball, taking six wickets at a cost of under five runs apiece. Lowerhouse was out for 82.