Albany Advertiser (WA : 1897 - 1954), Monday 3 June 1935, page 5


Sporting Comment

? -Pr " ALL-ROUNDER."==

Our Old Friend.

Australian cricket followers will be pleased to learn that their old friend Douglas Jardine is once more a jour-nalist. After a long winters' rest, Douglas has picked up his pen again for the South African tour, and, in the words of the evening newspaper that employs him, he will report the Tests "fearlessly and frankly." Tenacity of Purpose.

Visitors to League games in Mel-bourne are astounded at the pace and vim with which they are played. More than once people have been heard to say, "I would not take the risks those chaps are running for all the tea in China." Yet, players _ think nothing of risks, and actually ^TTSuld play the game if there were no

payment. Repeatedly we see men j

remain afield long after an injury, ] particularly if the 19th man has been j called in. To hover around the goals necessitates an opponent minding one.

although limping, and so it relieves the strain on the side. Possibly the most stoical incident in the long his-tory of the game was the performance of a player way back in the days when matches were played behind the Croxton Hotel. It was a game be-tween Fitzroy Juniors and Port Mel-bourne Juniors that a Port playerJack Kennedy-had his arm broken. Taken to a doctor, the limb was set and put in splints. Returning to the ground, Kennedy found his side in' arrears, and insisted on going full back. It was remarkable how he spoilt marks and kicked the ball as it fell. A wonderful ovation greeted him as he left the ground. That was the spirit in which the game was played 30 years ago. Not Worth While.

Three ardent Geelong supporters travelled to Melbourne to see the team in action. Emptying a few bottles in the train and a heavy session in hotels around town, left one of the party wilting under the strain. Dump-ing him in the park outside the ground to sleep off the effects, the other two saw the game and returned to wake their pal. His first ques-tion was, "Who won?" When told that Geelong had been beaten his face went purple with dismay and disgust. "Blimey," he exploded, "It wasn't worth coming up to see."

Bradman Settles Down in Adelaide.

Don Bradman has settled down to a business life in Adelaide, and is now an active partner of the sharebroking firm of H. W. Hodgetts and Co. Don recently motored to Robe, a South Eastern seaside resort, and was pre-sent at the social given by East Tor-rens, Adelaide's last year's 'Rules -premiers, the other night. With his wife he had a look at the football

match between Port Adelaide and ; Norwood on a recent Saturday. His

health is excellent.

Wanted, to See a Bosey!

Clarence V. Grimmett, the wily little man of the ball, bowled three batsmen in successive balls on the recent tour, all three with the "bo-sey" ball, that is, breaking from the off. The umpire then remarked to him that he had read and heard a lot about his "bosey" ball, and would like to see him deliver one!

Big Tennis.

Fred Perry is writing big tennis for a London evening paper. He has written, "We must hold the Davis Cup, regain the Wightman Cup, and retain the two Wimbledon champion-ships. Rackets and resoluteness ra-ther than' tittle-tattle are needed." Coming from playboy .Fred, himself a pretty fair "titlle-tattler," the last phrase sounds strangely. Perry's team mate, Austin, is also engaged by a newspaper to write this season's big tennis.

Umpires Were Appreciated Then.

Amounts equivalent to a King's, ransom were paid to umpires in some country finals in pre-war days. In those days an umpire often had to trek into the wilderness at short nok tiee. "Bunny" Nugent tells the story * of his most arduous trip and his re-

ward. Appointed to do a match be-tween Melbourne and Collingwood, he was surprised to hear from the secre-tary of the League on Friday that ar-rangements were altered and he would have to go to Sea Lake. When he told the secretary that there was no train connection he was promptly told that it was a final, and they were relying on the League to send an official, "There's no time to be wasted in arguing, so get on your

way," said the secretary. Taking the train to Korong Vale, "Bunny" pre-vailed on a football enthusiast to take him from there to Charlton by trol-ley. Arriving at 4 a.m., he caught a light engine to Wycheproof, and fluked a seat in a car from there to Quambatook. No car being avail-able at that town, he set out on horse-back for his destination, telling the livery stable proprietor to ring Sea Lake and get the secretary of the football club to send a car to meet him. In turn, the ostler told him that if, when picked up, he tied the bridle to the saddle, the horse would find its way home. The match com-menced at 4.40 p.m., before a large ! gathering, on a red gravel ground, and ¡ the players wore sand shoes. A great ! game ended in a tie, and "Bunny" re

I ceived 25 guineas for his fee and ex-

penses. So pleased were the locals at his interpretataions that they ap-plied to the League for Nugent to umpire the play-off. He travelled in comfort the next week, and the game was won by a point. To mark their appreciation of his second ef-fort he was handed an extra 50/. Yes, £28 15/ for handling a bush final is out of proportion to the paltry £3 15/ paid to an umpire doing a grand final in Melbourne before crowds in

I the vicinity of 75,000; but there you

i are.

Sutcliffe's Prodigy.

Herbert Sutcliffe, in his new book, "For England and Yorkshire," tells the cricket world of a new prodigy, "a marvel, the discovery of a gene¡ ration," Herbert says. This is Len Hutton, an 18 year old lad, who has not yet got his Yorkshire cap, and who at 14 was a good enough bat to play for most country sides. "I am able to tell the world that he has as many shots as a Bradman or a Ham-mond, and I prophesy that when he has played himself into the side he will delight cricket lovers throughout the country and the Empire with some fascinating batting. His technique is that of a master, he has a rock-like defence, a great amount of patience, and he is a fighter-in short, he has the promise of an England player of the highest class," says Sutcliffe.

International Sailing Championship.

It is the ambition of Mr. James J. Giltinan to stage an international 18 ft. sailing championship on Sydney Harbour during season 1936-37. There is an obstacle, as this class of boat is unknown outside of Australia, but Mr. Giltinan says that detail is only of a minor importance, and can be quickly adjusted, and he is confident that when the moulds of our boats are sent overseas nations will build, as it is proposed by the New South Wales 18 ft. Sailing League, of which Mr. Giltinan is the president, to offer a prize of £1000, or possibly £1500.

McLarnin May Come to Australia.

A cable message from New York last week stated that after Jim Mc-Larnin has met the engagement he now has for the world's* welter championship against Barney Ross, he proposes accepting a challenge battle with Jack Carroll, the Australian wel-ter champion, either in America or Australia. A guarantee of; £5000 was offered McLarnin some weeks back to visit Australia for a match with Carroll. This was declined be-cause he had contracted to defend his title against Ross in June or July. For this match the champion was al-lotted 40 per cent. This is expected to bring him £20,000. McLarnin furj ther. indicated that he intended to have one more fight and then retire and be married. The cable statement that he would be prepared to meet Carroll in Australia suggests the pos-sibility of his visiting Australia in a honeymoon trip and picking up cash at the same time.

Caught Off Eleventh Ball! |

On the North Queensland cricket tour Wendell Bill walked in last at Mackay to join Dick Nutt, the Bal-main man of the bat. Time was 20 minutes to 4 o'clock. When they re-tired for afternoon tea at 4 o'clock (twenty minutes later), 130 runs had been added. Wendell Bill, using the long handle, entertained the crowd by hitting sixes. The umpire was so immersed in it that he allowed the

last over to end to eleven balls. Off ! the eleventh, Wendell, trying for an-other six, was caught. His 87, made in those 20 minutes, surprised even himself. Trumper or Bradman could have done no better.

'The Boys of the Old Brigade."

Conorning boxers from overseas who appeared in Australia at various times, the following tiding are of inte-rest:-Young Stribling, Eddie McGoorty, Jimmy Clabby, Sam McVea, Nat Williams, and Joe Welling have taken the final count. As Mark Twain said of himself, the report of Joe Shugrees death was slightly exagge-rated. We knew Joe as a lightweight; he is now 14 stone and doing well as a publican. He nearly lost his sight through a hereditary weakness, but an operation was successful. Mil-burn Saylor, who was a terror .to Aus-tralian lightweights, was killed while following his occupation as a railroad worker. Sam Langford has lost the sight of one eye, and the other one is failing. Jack Johnson is appear

mg: in a new role as leader of his own coloured orchestra, and is doing well on tour. Ray'Bronson is chief-of police at Jacksonville, and Cyclone Johnny Thompson also-has a police job. Middleweights Jeff Smith and Billy Papke are wealthy property owners, and Jeffs son Sydney-named after his birthplace-is a brilliant University athlete. Frank Loughrey, who has a family of seven, is also comfortably fixed. Fidel La Barba, now blind in one eye, has for years mixed education and boxing; he will graduate this year. Owen Moran is living in retirement in Birmingham, and Matt Wells has a hotel in Lon-don. Porky Flynn has a Govern-ment job in Jersey City, and Johnny Griffiths runs a billiard saloon at Ak-ron (Ohio). Sunny Jim Williams, Tommy Freeman, Tiger Payne, and Buddy Saunders are still fighting, and some of the others are in the game as referees-Ted Lewis and Johnny Summers in London, and Jimmy Cof-fey, the Mohawk Indian, in New I

York. Dick Daniels is teaching the game in London, and Pal. Brown at Milwaukee. Many will recall Jules Dubourg, the Frenchman. He was here when war was declared. He bluffed the authorities with a tale that

he had been thoroughly trained. He was in the trenches three days after he reached France. He lost both his legs in action.