SPORT IN BRITAIN

Evening Star, Issue 20058, 26 December 1928, Page 2

SPORT IN BRITAIN

[From Our English Correspondent.] LONDON, November 7. RUGBY. Yorkshire appears to have a strong Ru"by team this season, Durham being defeated at Ilkley on Saturday by the big margin of 21 points to 3. The pace of the Yorkshire players was a feature of the game, and on present form, county championship honours appear bright. Cumberland brought off a mild surprise at Whitehaven, where the home team beat their Cheshire rivals by a "goal to a try. Another match in the northern group of the county championship saw the overthrow of Lancashire when receiving Cheshire at Waterloo. A hard game ended in tho latter prevailing by two tries to a penalty goal. As to club football, Oxford University showed vastly improved form, and it is now generalyl believed that tho coming mter-’varsity match will be a keen one. Called on to visit Richmond, the Dark Blues gave their best exhibition of the season, and finally triumphed by 19 points to 0. No one player stood out particularly, the success being due to good blending and team work, which, perhaps, is more satisfactory than victory through the brilliancy of a few stars. The Cambridge University players were equally impressive when receiving the strong Leicester team. Showing superior form throughout, tho Light Blues finally triumphed by 20 point to 3. The Harlequins are rapidly settling down'to a strong side, the win over Bristol at Twickenham on Saturday, 19 points to 5, being evidence of this. Another victory came to Coventry when meeting Moseley, the margin being 17 points to 5. The visit of Edinburgh Academicals to Oxford did not provide the thrill expected. Tho visitors had to make up full strength by borrowing two Oxford players, whilst the home side was virtually a rescive tea- . In the end, the Edinburgh side gained rather a lucky win by 5 points to 3. Glasgow Academicals arc certainly strong this season, another big triumph being gained on Saturday, when Watsonians went under by 15 points to 3. Swansea also played a great game when visiting Gloster, winning by S points to 0. SOCCER. The season has now advanced far enough to form some real idea of the strength of tho leading team battling for league honours. H is surprising to find Everton and. Huddersfield, the two teams which had such a struggle for last season’s championship, well down the list, and at tho moment both appear a bit out of the running. Although Leeds Ci ty does not actually head tho first division table, this is certainly the team of the hour. To have secured 18 points in twelve matches is a fine performance. Derby County, also with 18 points, tops the table, by virtue of g al average, but, having played thirteen matches, is really not so well olf as Leicester. Blackburn is another team with 18 points, but for fourteen games. Leeds only just got home when receiving Portsmouth on Saturday, tho odd goal in five deciding the issue. Derby did well to visit Aston Villa and prevail, 3 goals to 2; and Sunderland showed to advantage when visiting Bury, victory coming by 3 goals to Huddersfield slipped further back through a heavy reverse at Newcastle, the home club scoring 4 goals to 1 by the Yorkshire club. Everton also had to accept defeat at Burnley, 2 goals to 0, whilst another prominent club in Leicester City drew, a goal each, when at home to Sheffield Wednesday. It frequently happens that once a team loses an unbeaten record, other reverses usually follow quickly. That has been the case with Chelsea, tho Stamford Bridge t«m now only being third in the sccod division table. Still it was not bad performance to visit Wolverhampton on Saturday and share the points, each scoring a goal. Notts County gained a convincing win when at home to Barnsley, scoring 4 goals to 1 by their visitors. Hull City also beat their West Bromwic' Albion visitors by 4 goals i/i 1. Notts County therefore heads the table with 20 points for thirteen matches, Hull having the same total, hut for an extra game. Chelsea may yet recover, being but 2 points behind the leaders. A 2 goals to l victory for Glasgow Rangers when visiting Hibernians gives tho leaders tho fine record of 21 points for eleven games, a convincing lead over Heart of Midlothian, second on , tho Scottish table. BOXING. Such excellent reports have been heard of Maurice Grisellc, that his match against Charley Smith, of London, at The Ring this week aroused unusual interest. The Frenchman is stated to be another Georges Carpentier, and with Francois Deschamps behind him, a big future is predicted. He may yet do all the big things expected, but he has a lot to learn. The contest had not long been in progress when the straight left jabs of Smith badly damaged Griselles eye, which at once commenced to swell. His defence was poor, so that Smith was able to shower blows to the head and body, and it was a tribute to the pluck of tho visitor that he lasted until the fifth round. By this time one eye was closed and the other in a bad shape, and it was no discredit that he retired at the wish of his chief second. Griscollo thinks he was unfortunate, and expressing willingness to put up a side stake for another match, his request was granted, so that a further meeting between tho men is likely. The chief bout at tho National Sporting Club this week had Enxo Fiermonte, of Italy, and Frank Ogden, of Manchester, ns rivals, the match being at list 91b and over fifteen rounds. Had tho Italian paid attenion to the many warnings he received from the referee ho would probably have gained the verdict. ' Showing pace and dash he commenced to get the upper hand, but persisted to hit with an open glove. ' Warnings appeared to do no good, and _at length he was disqualified, this being in the seventh round. Another international bout had C. Fortman, a German middle-weight, and R Price, of Birmingham, as rivals. . The German had made a good impression in his first match here a few weeks ago, and when he shook his rival in the eighth round with a heavy punch he looked to have a big chance. Price recovered, and bringing out his strength came back so well that he almost had his man out when tile bout, was stopped. As Price was a substitute for Billy Roberts, of Bishop Auckland, he certainly proved a good one. ATHLETICS. The most notable performance at the Oxford University senior sports was the sprinting of H. V. Warren, of Canada. He now appears to he finding Ms best form, and his recent 10 1-f'sec for 100 y- sounds_ good._ Oxford has another good sprinter in H. N. Harrison, of Australia who is perhaps better still as a long jumper. These two, with 11, Leigh-Wood, will

be of great value to Oxford diring the winter athletic ’ season. Tie lastnamed won a 600yds handicip from scratch on Tuesday, and b«ng just tho runner to improve, ho is counted on as a likely winner at the nett inter’vnrsify sports. j Oxford will alos ho able ti call on some useful distance runners,pf whom C. D. D. Beresford, of Worcester College, is one. He easily won the race for , the iutercollege cross-couitry cup on Saturday, and he appears to have a chance for the coming rac against Cambridge. J. R. Croggan my prove the best of the Cambridge class-coun-try pien, for ho headed the fiicl in tho intercollege race on Saturdaj though it was only by a margin of jyds that he beat V N. Skelton. AuMnkiiown man in M. S. Eggleshaw, wt a good third, and half a dozen of th runners finished close together, whichfndieates that the Cambridge cross-coutry team will he a level one. j —Eric Liddle.— 1 Tho news that Eric Liddlqran 200 metres in 21 4-osec and 400 jetres in 47 4-ssco in China a few wens back, makes it plain that the [English A.A.A. missed 'an opportunity in not taking steps to secure himlfor the British Olympic team. He miht have emulated Douglas Lowe andjsucccssfully defended his title as Olympic champion in the 400 metres, for he was not really trained to ijrfection for his races in China. He wjuld also have been very useful at the British Empire v. United States ma)h, and his inclusion jnight have jusi turned tho scale. Many American sjwtsmcn will recall the wonderful “quster” he ran in the corresponding ifltch in 1924, when he made up Sydijon one of America’s greatest quartimilers', and won for Britain | SCULLING. ( The news that Major Goods!, who lost the world’s sculling title'jo Bert Barry at Vancouver last yeai wants another match, is interesting.[Should, he come to England and ta|le the holder on tho Thames, it will jrtainly infuse new life into profession! sculling here. | BILLIARDS. | Friends of Willie Smith haveirounds for claiming that he is tB best billiard player in the world, Sitwithstaiiding the big break W. Xidruin made a few days ago. In arnatch last week, Smith scored 17,20£points in twelve 'sessions, his averagepr the week being 143. He made fivefreaks of between six and seven hidred, with four others totalling 94| 918, 776, and 702, figures which t<| their own tale. His play rather jlipsed the form of Tom Newman a| Jne Davis in their long-distance nifcli of six weeks, well as they are (lying. Newman only led by 305-at U end of the fourth week’s play, buthas drawn away since. Davis i|lc a break of 644 on Monday, but_ Nyman was in fine form in- the eveninSscoring 1,268 at the session. On | following day he increased an unfished break of 693 to 834, and wild play ended, his lead was the usefullie of 2,546, so that Davis now has Shard task in front of him. t