A VETERAN SPORTSMAN.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 752, 1 August 1922, Page 7

A VETERAN SPORTSMAN.

MIR CLAUDE RE UHESL’ItiNY INTERVIEWED. VAXISHIXG OF THE PICTURESQUE. Sir Claude Campion de Crespigny, a veteran sportsman, recently attained his seventy-fifth birthday, and celebrated the event with a dinner to a party of his friends at the Caledonian Club in 'London. As an all-round sportsman Sir Claude holds a unique reputation, and probably no devotee of sport has suffered more accidents, or made more remarkable recoveries from their effects. He owns to having broken at least fourteen bones while hunting, steeplechasing, and ballooning. Sir Claudes activities have included also big game hunting, swimming, and diving; while with his fists he is one of the best-known exponents of the art of self-defence.

■A newspaper representative who interviewed Sir Claude at his club found it difficult to believe that he was not still in the ’fifties. He carries himself as upright as a lath, and his cleanshaven face has the fresh colour of perfect health. Obviously, Sir Claude is still as capable of delivering as punishing a blow as men many years bis junior. Reference was made to the challenge he issued to his cousin. Lord Kenyon, to fight a duel over a dispute in 1920 as to their military service. The duel, of course, did not take place, but Sir Claude informed the interviewer that he by no means regards the incident as closed. Ancient and .Modem Boxing. Casting his memory back to early days. Sir Claude expressed the opinion that the present age has lost a good deal in point of picturesqueness, and he confessed to a preference for the past. “ I do not see,” he explained, “ that we have deteriorated in sport, as we know that records are being broken; but probably only a small per centage of those who attend boxing matches, for instance, would care to go in the ring themselves, and a similar condition holds in regard to the crowds at football matches.” Boxing. added Sir Claude, has improved; it is now more scientific; but he regrets the passing of the old knuckle fighting, of which Jim Smith and Jim Carney (who dubbed boxing gloves “.pillows”) were excellent exponents, and who are still alive. The great boxing matches’ of recent years be regards wit'll an unsympathetic eye, as

being money-making enterprises got up in the interests of the promoters, except those at the. National Sporting Club. “-In the old days,” said Sir Claude, “ a knuckle fighter would walk fifteen miles to fight a man for ten shillings, hut the men nowadays fight for a colossal sum.”

Referring to Dempsey, Sir 'Claude said that he would not regard him as the champion until he had beaten Harry Wills, the negro. He does not consider there is anyone in England who can beat Dempsey, and suggests that the best way would be to pick out four of the best heavy-weights, and let Dempsey meet them in turn. He named Frank Goddard. Jack Curphy, Dick Smith, and Guardsman Penwill. Hunting and Shooting. Hunting is another direction in Which Sir Claude has some regrets when comparing past with present. In the old days the hunt was composed of country gentlemen, soldiers quartered in the district, and farmers. “ But now,” as he expressed it. “ all kinds of tinkers and tailors send down their horses by rail and then rail down

themselves. Tf my grandchildren get any hunting at ally; it will be diaghunting. except, perhaps, in the Xew Forest or Exmoor.” In the old days also the foxes were bred wild, and not “faggot” bred; the wild foxes travelling far afield in search of food, whereas the faggot-bred foxes only know the country round tlieir feeding ground, and give therefore only a circumscribed run.

Both a.-' regards fox hunting and shooting. Sir Claude prefers the sport of past days. In regard to shooting, it is practically hopeless, he explains, to expect to -ihoot over dogs now. as the reaping machines cut the stubble so close to the ground that there is no longer any cover left for the birds, so that drives are a necessity. In for met clay:* the country gentlemen was content with a modest “bag,” but now men go in for a wholesale slaught r. First Across the North S°a. Sir Claude was asked a question vs to hit* ballooning experiences, as he was the first man to cross the Xorth Sea in a balloon in the ’eighties, and is the only living possessor of the gold medal of the Royal Ballooning Society. It was in his attempt previous for that achievement that Sir Claude’s balloon was carried against a wall, and he sustained a fracture of both bones of his left leg. Sir Claude still keeps up his sKvimming and diving, motoring out at frequent intervals to the Blackwater Sailing Club. He is president of the Amateur Diving Association, and was swimming at the Royal Automobile Association only a few nights ago. “Do you still keep up vour boxing?” Sir Claude was asked. “Only with my punch-ball.” was the reply. “But I am always ready to take on any man w,ho is anything like my own age and weight.”