SPORT & PASTIME

Maoriland Worker, Volume 3, Issue 79, 13 September 1912, Page 6

SPORT & PASTIME

Twice Knocked Out in Three Rounds.

THE AUSTRALIAN CRICKETERS.

A TRIBUTE TO TOMMY BURNS.

SCRAPS OF SPORT.

Yorkshire has secured the English ] county cricket championship. Hughio Mehegan, the champion lightweight, of Australia, has been matched with Matt AVells to box for the lightweight championship of the Empire on September 23, Tito English Lawn Tehhis Association has suggested November 21, instead of the 28th, as the date for opening the. Davis Cup contest.. The English team will leave London on September 16. They will tour the Commonwealth, playing in the various Stofes after the big event. « ?- A Melbourne sporting paper statos that "Old Nick is to be put into work again after a spell." A horse with a na mo like that might reasonably be expected to make the pace, warm. * » « The League of New South Wales Wheelmen is now fixing up all details for a big sis days' cycle race to lie held on the Sydney Cricket Ground from December 20 to January J. The event will be held on similar lines to tho contests held in Sydney and Melbourne at the beginning of this year. The Australian record for this style, of race is Imld by Messrs. A. t'oii'llot and P- Hehir, who in Sydney in January last covered between them 2035 miles. The English newspaper accounts of tho Barry-Arnst race for the sculling championship of the world agree that it was a magnificent struggle, and that the better man yon. "From every point of view except physical strength," says- one authority, "Barry is a bettor sculler than Arnst." Dan Creedon, who had the reputation of being able to scrap a bit in the days when the cost of living wasn't as high as it is now, was outed' in one punch the other clay in Melbourne by the Law, his wife being granted a divorce on the grounds that he had transferred his love from her io the, whisky bottle. Pan Creedon is dowu and out —he has gone the way of t]to peerless Griffo, La Blanche, and others, and The End appears to bo in sight. * * * They may say what they like about the kidney punch being harmless, but, there are few men who would not rather take a good punch in the ribs in front- than have the same punch landed anywhere round the small of the back. Try if yourself. The punch was not prohibited in England and the United Statos in a hurry or without :;ood reasons. —Sydney "Worker." GREGORIAN. Syd. Gregory, our lionored guest, Of cricketers among the best, Bold captain of a gallant- crew, Of courage high and judgment true — All England honors you to-day, And all true cricketers will say You well deserve your purse and cup, And lots of stuff to fill them up. Though small your frame, your heart is great With hold resolve for every fate. Though luck on you may sometimes frown, You never take it lying down ; You play the game with all your might, And try to do the thing that's right, And though to win you'd always choose, You know the proper way to lose. From Sydney town you get your name; From all the. world you get your fame; Australia's justly proud of yon ; The British Empire, claims you, too. And when you pack your bag to go, 'Twill something soothing be to know That*-whother Fate be ill or kind, You're leaving none but friends behind. —London "Daily Express." July 1, 1912. * * » Jack MoAulifTo is a firm believer in the word "sufficiency." "The last time 1 fought a. real battle." he said, "was 16 years ago, in Seattle, with some fellow- named Jack Green. It was a sixround affair, lor which I was handed many reams of greenbacks. For five rounds that guy Green slammed mc around, and I never stopped seeing two referees. In tho sixth I let one desperate left swing go right on Green's jaw, and he went down. After he was counted out I did my Adelina. Patti farewell, and it went. That's the reason I am the only retired champion of tho world in the history of the ring." * ■ " Mine. Til, wife of the noted French lightweight boxer, Paul Til, both of whom are now in Sydney, is an enthusiastic admirer of boxing and boxers. "Boxing! I adore it," Mine. Til says of her husband's profession. "All Frenchwomen adore 'le hose,' and all admire •les Loxours.' Monsieur, why not? It is so splendid and so brave to be a man who never fears to fight. Every good and real woman loves a man who will be bold and strong, with courage to fight for her up till death—or the knock-out. Why is it that tho women of Sydney «»iw not to adore le boxe? They are. not afraid of men:*- lam here since only a, little while, but I do not think tbe women of Sydney are. thus afraid. They love the strong swimmer and the men who give such great kicks to the ball. Let them come, as I do, and adore le boxe also. Men are beautiful when they box, with such courage, such hardiness, such skill! I would like to see the Australian women look at boxing with the same eyes as we others in France. At the Stadium I see a few women —but so few! Yet for husbands, for heroes, what companions more noble and brave could one find than tho brave men who box?" The demand for first-grade motor cycles is so great in England that orders cannot be fulfilled. To meet Australian requirements, an enterprising Melbourne firm has laid down an extensive assembling plant, and expects to turn out some hundreds of motor cycles during the season. As first-class engine parts have been selecicd, and the machines will be built up with n view to suiting Australian conditions, the venture is one that should prove tho foundation of a la rue and lucrativeindustry. At the present time, fully 80 per cent, of the bicycles sold in Australia are nsscmbl-'d there, and there is no reason h hy th-- sa.me, -should not apply to the motor trade.

The well-knowti American sporting journalist, Otto Floto, wrote in the '•Denver Post" of June 22:—"Speaking of Burns, do you know that the world never gave him credit for being the really great fighter that he For his weight and inch"* bis equal never entered the roped arena. At least, that's my way of figuring it. When you stop and consider thf* tough battle lie gave Juris, Johnson in Australia when he weighed b"t lOP'lb., it makos you rather wonder how he managed to last as Ion*: as he did. There isn't another man anywhere near that weight who mild even make Johnson extend himself. IWsonall.v, 1 have always been strong for Burns, first, we are good friends, and secondly, HO per cent," of those writing about him had no idea whatsoever of his fighting ability. They simply bellowed echoes of others who, for some reason, fancied or otherwise, R3*-* fit to roast Tommy. I want to still go on record as saying that, pound for pound and inch for inch, he was the greatest man that ever held the heavyweight title." * * » Ernie Zanders, "Tho Fighting Printer," from America, met disaster in the shape of New Zealandcr Bill Rndd in his first Australian ring engagement. To be knocked out twice inside three rounds, for the second journey into dreamland to be made while standing, and; to get out without losing the fight on a knock-out is an experience rarely enjoyed by a boxer. But Zanders had tho 'treat'served up to him by Rndd, the referee stopping hostilities in the third rotnd, when the stranger was dead to the world, although on his feet. It nasi hairiaismg fight, reports tho "Sun."' Tlmro vas not a dull moment. Each man knew it was a case of fighfiug and wiuuing by means of a dream punch, and Run-J was the man who won. 'The finish was handed out towards the close of the second round It was a speculative right, and it caught the American on tho point. Zanders went down in a heap, and rolled on to his side. One! Two! Three 1 Four! counted Referee Arthur Scott, and then the gong sounded. The referee did not hear the clanging, neither did Zanders. Consequently Scott went on ticking off the seconds, and he had counted to seven beforo he became 'aware that tho round had ended. But Zanders remained on the boards. He was out for sure, and when his seconds came to his rescue and carried him to his corner he had been off his feet for' about 13 seconds. The second knock-out, which does not count as a knock-out, was registered before the second round was half through. Rudd did not give the visitor the slightest respite, and finally chased-him into the American's own corner, where a right to tbo point placed the issue beyond doubt. The American, however, did not fall. He was balanced om the ropes in tho corner, and iv that way retained the perpendicular. But that ho was unconscious, although standing, there was no doubt. It was patent to everybody, and the refereo wisely stepped in and called a lia.lt. Tn a review of the. tour 'if the Australian cricketers in England, the Sydney "Sun says: Now that tho triangular tests are over, there is only a, feeble interest left in the remaining fixtures of what has been one of the most uninteresting tours an Australian team has ever had in England. It is sale to say that never before have- onr men had to put up with so many disadvantages as Gregory and his companions have experienced. It was unfortunate that the youngsters should have struck "bad paying soil." It was, perhaps, unfortunate in a- way that they struck the best team that England has ever put into the field. It was unfortunate that they struck, apparently, all the bottled-up rain of a thousand ages, for weather has a great bearing on an Australian's play. He can hardly be expected to arrive at or stay at the top of his cricket form under conditions that would be reasonably decent if he possessed webbed foes or fingers, or was going bog-hunting in Ireland. Those were the main disadvantages. The misfortune of losing the toss on so many occasions was only a detail compared with the rest. But, despite everything, the young team has done well, and the only matter for regret is that there has not been quite that all-round excellence that distinguished so many previous Australian, teams. In a way, it has been a team somewhat without balance, but that will come. It is hardly likely that they will have a similar unkind time in future tours, and there is no reason at all to bemoan the fate of Australian cricket because a side of colts new to the strenuousness of the international game have not jumped over the moon at their first essay. . C* G. MACARTNEY. When his side are needing notches, And the corner's rather tight, Then the hall he keenly watches In its timber-topping flight; Though the trundler slim dissemble Craft and guile in his attack, At such tricks he doesn't trembleHe is up to them, is Mac. When the bowling's getting twisted Into convoluted knots — Austral's best attack resisted (Shirt-front cricket, lacking "spots"), Skipper Gregory is never, So to speak, upon the rack: He just throws the ball to clever And resourceful little Mac. Keen and crisp he is at scouting, Through the longest, toughest match; Seems to revel in the "outing," Ever hungry for a catch. "Dolly" ones, or cayenne, "stingers," ( High or low, he has the knack, ' And the sure, prehensile fingers ' To make sure of them, has Mac. Can you tell mc of a better All-round cricketer to-day? If you can, I am your debtor, And I'll thank you, anyway. For the deeds he's done at cricket Laurels he will never lack; He's a daisy a,t the wicket, Littlo "Gov'nor-general" Mac.