Sporting Sprints.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 3, Issue 62, 17 May 1912, Page 13

Sporting Sprints.

Jack Johnson is a very sick man, •ays a Piltsburg (T.S.A.) cable message to Sydney "Sun." He is scarcely able to raise his right arm, and his right shoulder, spine, and tho muscles of lis side and back have all Ivoen painfully wrenched. Johnson is bemoaning his fate. All his theatrical engagements have had to bo postponed, but more than anything he is dreading the putting oil' oi' his match with Elynn. Rome people are saying that the whole business is a. "put up," and that the black champion is not sick at all. Johneon's remark when this was mentioned to him was: "I'd like them to have my back. The pain's the worst ever." >le •ays he will try hard to got (it for the fight, but if it has to go by the board it will have to go. and that's all about it. "I'm not going to fight if I'm a nick man," he adds. * * # Pat Bradley, the young American middle-weight, has developed a carbuncle on his neck, and will not be able to light again for tivo or three months. His meeting with Ilughie Mehogan had to be abandoned. * * * Thus the Clarence and Richmond River (N.S.W.) "Examiner" on the Eol-4on-Fognell boat race: "Smiling Hilly" Fogwell has lost the title of Northern Riyers champion alter a race that did 4he vanquished as much honor as the Vanquisher. As a trial of strength tho liest man won ; as a trial of skill honors Wore even. A man of undeniable •trength and magnificent physique, with moderate match experience, proved the conqueror of a man lacking in the two first-named embodiments, but possessing more experience and skill, and, it .Was believed until the raw l was rowed, more speed over the earlier portions of S race. Yet he appeared to b<; of no Use to Felton, who went away from almost the first stroke. At one time it Iras thought that Fogwell would make • champion, but his weight, about list. fflb., was against him, and in addition to this he is a very difficult man to train Mid unless in firsL-elass trim is not a ftaycr. Feltnn also has been Declaimed H coming champion, hut he will have to Inake considerable improvement before he can aspire successfully to chanipioiifchip honors. ITe has fine physique, sealing about 13 J stone, but falls away in the extremities, and strength in'the legs is absolutely essential in a champion sculler. Perhaps Felton may be •ble to overcome this fault; if so. then be may make a lirst-class man. * • • C. M. Daniels, the well-known AmorScan swimmer, in a. letter to the Olympic Committee, states positively that he ■will be unable to attend the games, end asks that his name shall be taken from the list. » • # A couple of minors at Hendigo, Vie, toria, were looking at a bill announcing the Mc Yea versus Langford pictures. •'''l've Jieered of Mo\"oa and I've hcered 'of Langford," said one of the persons frfho twist- the dish, ''but 'oo's this bloke •"Versus , ?" "That's; the cove that gits l>etweon 'em!" said his bewhiskored pal. "'E's the referee." * *• * Bill Lang states that he will enter tho ring again after the winter has passed. "I will give the first chance," ■ays Lang, "to any Australian with ft reputation who is aspiring to win the championship from mo." * * * [A DYSPEPTICS IDEA OF SPOUTS. BTou hurl n ball with all your might, !And try another's lifo to blight. By smashing bones or maiming sight; iWhile he with cudgel shows it fight, Nor cares on whom the tiling may liglitThal's Cricket! ffou kick about a bag of air, (Then after it you madly tear; One barks your shins, you rend his hair, If necks are broken yon don't care, IWhile at you crowds of idiots stare — That's Football! lYou whack a little baby's ball ■Over a net, shout "Tlnrty all!" iYou slip and wrlKp;lc, slide and fall, Jump up to hit if you're not tall. [When away it flies o'er garden wall— That's Tennis! BTou stick a ball on a little pile, {Then knock it 'way 'bout half-a-mile; Tho farther it goes the. more you smile; Then wander after it in single file ; I'm sure, 1o watch you, gives mc bile — That's Golf! You string a worm on a barb-ed crook, 'And saunter down to tho nearest brook ; You fling it in. then stand and 100k — The fish have all the stream "forsook." Bix hours fer nothing! You take your hook — Thet'e Fishing! You take a "train to the racecourse gate To back a horeo in the Trentham Plate ; Ho's a dead sure thing—you've had it straight— But he runs last in a field ©f eight, leaving yen "stony," cursing Fate— That'i IWina!

Rays an American authority:—"lt is somewhat difficult to understand tin; latest cablegram from Australia, which r< , ports Iliafc Sam Langiord defeated Jim Harry in 20 rounds, presumably on having mot in all on somctlung near a do/.on so that the Tar Baby outfit to kuou all there is to know about .J iiii by this lime. Harry was reported to hav<; .gone hack recently, and certainly appeared to have done so pri'tly badly on his latest American form. So we are left to wonder as to tile nature of the calamity which must have overt a ken Landlord."' On top of that. MeVea beat Harry better than did Landlord, and later the Boston 'l\ir Baby won well from JUeVca. All of which shows that it is dangerous to make comparisons in ring matters. Australian sportsmen are ab-original (says a. writer in "Hailv's .Magazine , '). A 'Melbourne d-senbed Mitch', of the j English cricket team, as a stntt<>riti;i I hew lei , - because of his peculiar lialiit ]of halting twice in his long run up to tile ciease. 'Die Adelaide crowd called him the ''Hip— liiri—horrary bowler. , ' "Hip!" they yelled as Hitch made his iirst halt. "Hip!" aμ-aiii for the second one. Then as he swung his body and arm over in the act of delivering the ball came the triumphant' "Hooray!" * * * The X.S.W. ltiighy League luis arranged for a Xew Zealand team u> play Now South Wales at Sydney on .tune '2'J and 'It, and alter a visit to Queensland, on July 13. * * * Messrs. 0. H. Fry, H. K. Foster, and John Shu tor have bren appointed selectors of (upland's cricket teams for the triangular rests, and ('• H. Fry will act as captain of the .Englishmen in these important tests. * • • The two Sams, MeVea and Langford, are to come together sixain tomorrow evening. May 18, at the Sydney Stadium. *■ * * When Ernest Barry returned to London last year alter his defeat on the Zambesi by Dick Arnst for the world's sculling championship, his chief grievance was that Uie water on which the race took place- was ''as dead as a doornail," moaning to indicate that' there ■was absolutely no life in it. "It was totally unlike the dear old Thames," said (Ik , English champion, "with its swirls rind its currents, which I have | always been used to. The water of the j Zambesi was right against my style. T | do not rely on sheer strength hen soul- j ling. It was primarily the strength of! Arnst which pulled him through. Give mc the live water of the Thames, and I feel confident that I will beat Arnst, great sculler as he is." # * * The return scrap between "Porky" T'lynn and Jim Harry, at the Sydney Stadium, was nn instructive aft'air, ac-j cording to the "Bulletin." Harry was pounds .heavier than Flymi : he was much stronger and a much harder hitter. In tact, all that Nature could do to make an id"al fighter she had done for Harry. And yet he couldn't win the fight. Not only was Harry unable to win the light, but he even failed to mark his adversary. When the scrap was over it was Harry whoso yore stained the floor, and over whoso eye an u!/!v wound oozed redly. The light went the full 20 rounds, and although Fl.vnn boxed well and showed remarkable skill in evading, it became wearisome on account of its ono-sidodnoss. It is the fashion for the speed cyclist to look somewhat disdainfully upon such aids to case as tho throe-speed gear, but to the ordinary rider, who has neither the time nor the inclination to attain a degree of fitness oqrial to that of the racing man, variable gearing is a great boon, and it is a remarkable thing that it has not caught on more in Australasia. It may be taken as an axiom that the less efficient a man is physically, the greater will bo the value of the changeable gear. Wis irksome for the untrained rider to pe.d-i rapidly, and the hiirh gear enables him to avoid this, while maintaining a good pace. Similarly, it is toilsome for him to climb steep hills, and here the low gear comes to his aid, reducing his labor and saving much breathless struggling with the law of gravity. There is iicithcr mystery nor magic about the little box of tricks that accomplishes those purposes. It is a. simple moohanical contrivance that aims at providing different methods of power application to suit different conditions. It adds nothing to a man's energy, because so mechanism can do that, but it idilises in the most economical manner such energy as he possesses, and it is that attribute which appeals to the average rider. The man who regards cycling merely as nn athletic fport ir.ay have no use for tho variable gear, for there is sufficient, flexibility in hi.s trained limbs, but t-o tho everyday cyclist the v-ariable, gear is a boon, for it means eaeicr cycling. (. • • FOR WIIEELWOMEN ONLY. •punoj ft* 3uo.iAi 'A\£x3 'jedtxl otjx miv} 'snouno 'ssud rrt q&\ vi©A\ 'punoq eg \[,9A 'n«ui[aeqM £mao w& The man who asks, How are jou going to do it? doesn't want it done. If it ought to be done and you want to do it, there is fthvaj* a way.— "Appeal to Ilearen.*