SCRAP BOOK JOTTINGS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 55, 20 March 1937, Page 17

SCRAP BOOK JOTTINGS

interesting news items

Former Champ. Fails. Bob Olin, former cruiser-weight champion of the world, was recentiy beaten in Philadelphia by Tiger Jack Fox, the referee stopping the fight in the seventh round. * * * Footballer Fined, A Berlin footballer was fined 50s, with the alternative of six days' imprisonment, because he made insulting remarks to a spectator who applauded a goal gained by the opposmg side. The Court declared that "Like a soldier in uniform, a sportsman is under special obligation to exercise selfcontrol and discipline." * . * * British Wins# Although not showing his best form Jimmy Walsh, Chester, British lightweight champion, outpointed Robt. Disch, Dutch title-holder, in a recent 12-round contest at Bristol. Booing from all parts of the hall greeted the verdict. Walsh was always hitting the harder, but neglected to use his right practically throughout the fight. New Games. There has been nothing more remarkable in English sport than the successful introduction to a nation reared on cricket and football of new games such as ice hockey* table tennis, and speedway racing. After the first speedway race had. been run some years agq people predicted death for it in three months. It is still there. Over 404,000 people went to watch it at Wembley last year. Ice hockey, too, had more doubters tnan advocates when it was launched in a big way in 1934, but, It, too has answered critics. * * Oxford and Floods. So bad were recent floods on the River Isis at Oxford that the Dark Blues went to Henley for boat race practice. At their new quarters they

also encountered fiood conditions, and planks had to be laid down at the Leander Club in order to launcn tne boat. There were no others crews to interfere with the Varsity eight wnen they were afloat, however, and they had perfect water. They created a favourable impression and looked as though they will develop into a powerful crew.

Compston's New Idea. Archie Compston, the giant of British professional golf, has made the suggestion that "traffic cops" with a roving commission, should be appointed at championship meetings and big tournaments as a solutlon of the problem of the slow player wno holds up other competitors.. "I have always maintained that there ougnt to be a 'traffic cop' on a golf course during a big meeting," Compston said to a reporter. "It would invest him with more authority if he were gsven a uniform of say, a helmet and a red coat and" (added Compston facetiously) "he might carry a truncheon!" Novel Snooker Proposal. In an effort to make snooker, as played by professionals, even more spectacular, Mr. W. A. Camkin, a Birmingham billiards promoter, has put forward a novel proposal. He suggests that when all red balls are off the table the striker shall have tne option of pocketing each coloured ball as many times as its value. In other words, the yellow may be potted twice in .successive shots, the green three limes, the brown four — and so on. Should one of these optional shots fail, the coloured ball would be lifted from the table as "dead." * =¥ * Tennis Coaching Fees. Last year Hans Nusslein, the foremost German professional tennis player, who is considered to rank next to Perry and Vines among1 professionals, was engaged by the Australian team before the Davis Cup Challenge Round against great Britain. His services cost £11 10s a day— Australian currency. Leading Australian professionals do little individual coaching, as there is more money in class work, but what is done is usually at the rate of between 10s and 20s an hour. The leading professionals do practically no coaching. There is more money ln exhibition tennis. Bill Tilden has often given lectures and demonstrations, Dut usually on behalf of some sportlng goods manufacturer. Howeven, Bill received the highest fee ever paid for one lesson. In the early days of his professional career he boasted that he did not have time for coaching. This was taken up by a wealthy enthusiast, who offered Bill 500 dollars (a&out £100) for an hour's tuition. Bill swailowed his boast and accepted!

When Boxer* are Warned, The English Boxing Board «f Control announces that ref orete art to be asked to warn boxers that In the ovent of the official calllng the mem together to administer a cautioa they must not continue to box until ordered to do so. In the event of a boxer disregarding this instruction he will be liable to disqualification. * . * * Swimmer Dead in Bath. Recognised as one of the greatest breaststroke swimmers in England, the 28-year-old Arthur Summers, 6ft '4in. Empire Games athlete, and former Southern Counties champion, was found dead in a bath at him home. At the postmortem examination it was found that he died from pneumonla after a heart attack. * * ♦ Kid Berg's Comeback. Fighting as a welter-welght after a long absence from the ring Jack "Kld" Berg (St. George's), former British light-weight champion, scored a points victory over Ivor Pickens, Welsh champion, In a 10-round contest at The Ring, London. Neither boxer was impressive, but Berg, with short punches to the head, maintained a fast pace throughout to win by a clear margin. ♦ * # • British Footballers Insuranoe. The drain on the British Footfeali League funds in compensation to Injured playera is causing expenditure to outrun its income by about 12000 a year, hence the suggestion put forward that the Football Association come to the rescue. Instead of covering the liability of League clubs under the Workmen's Compensation Act through Insurance companles, the League fbrmed Its own Capital Mutual Insurance Federation as being znbre economicaL * * *

Bradman's BHssed CSuttee, Bradman in the fifth Test this year . took his aggregate for the Test series to 810. Hammond has the record for Aqstralian wickets with 905. Thus Don needed a century in the second innings to beat him, but didnt get the ehance owing to England being defeated by an innings. For all games for the season Bradman has made 1513. He holds the record with 1690, and with three innings to play may ereate new flgures.* In all Tests against England he has made 3406, and is getting close to Hobbs' record aggregate o£ $63& # * " * Swam for the Bolh The cricket ground ht IWoodstock, West Coast, is bounded oa the northern side by the Hokitika River. On Sunday afternoon last, during the progress of a subrassoclatton flxture match, the ball was hit into the river. At the time a strong current was running, but the batsman, A. Dale, of the Woodstock team, jumped in with all his gear, pads. ' and all complete, to rescue the fioating ball. He returned to the field with the ball and then went to his home nearby to change. The ball happened to be the only one on the ground and it was necessary to retrieve it or abandon the game. sfc sk

Diving Coach. > Pete Desjardins, former Olymplfl champion, will be in England for three months this coming summer to show how spring-board divirig should be done. Athletes who come to show things are not always popular, . but this American, who looks like a bronze statue when he is poised for a dlve, gets a big hand everywhere. He is terrific at every phase of diving. He can perform top-board dives which no other man will attempt. The efforts cost him many hours of tedious practice, and his daily schedule of eat-and-sleep is of the Spartan kind. £ ija 41 Smith After Golf Title. MacDonald Smith, at the age of 47, still one of the most active of American golf professionals, will make another attempt this year on the British Open championship, in which he has finished second, third and fourth. The event is to be played on his favourite Carnoustie links, where he learned the game as a boy before emigrating to America more than 30 years ago. "It will be my best opportunity of winning the title," he said. "I am not going to retire until I have won either the British or American Open championfehips." 4* + Richards in New Role. Gordon Richards was engaged in u very desperate finish at St. Mortz, re cently, and lost by two inches. On thi:occasion it was on the curling rlnk not the racecourse. Richards wa:playing for the second junior St Moritz team for the Gossage Cup, one of the premier curling events n: Switzerland for which eleven team: entered. The other members of th: team were Wally Griggs, who skippe the, side, Bobby Jones, and Jackle Sirett. In the final the Jockeys came up against Switzerland's erack team the St. Mortiz four, which last year won the Blue Riband of the curling world, the Jackson Cup. * * * An Qlympic Cross-eountry. There is a move to revive the Olym pic cross-country championship, say: an Australian writer. Past Olympi championships were spoiled because they were run in mid-summer, at tln. same time as the track and fiek events. In fact, the last of them almost ended in disaster, when many of the competitors collapsed with sunstroke There would appear to be no reasorr, however, why the event should not be revived, and decided in wint«r instead of summer. The Winter Gameswhich precede the bigger festival would provide the time and place for the evsr"