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THE CHINA MAIL, MAY 30, 1939,
BASEBALL LEAGUE SHOULD HAVE ITS OWN GROUND Would Obviate Difficulties Now Experienced HOPES FOR
G. E. Godsell caused quite a stir and a lot of controversy when he appeared at the Melbury Club, Kensington, to take part in the tennis tournament. He wore the shortest of tight shorts, with a blue band down each leg, an ath- letic vest trimmed with blue, and a jockey cap. Godsell is seen here in play during his match. (Copyright, Fox).
HAGEN SPEAKS OUT
SCOTLAND-
NEXT SEASON ENGLAND MATCH
(By· “GRÁND STAND”)
JUDGING from the attendance at the five games played so far this season, baseball has definite- ly come to stay and is getting more popular every year, hand in hand with softball.
Despite the increase in the price of admission from 30 to 50 cents, the grandstand erected by the League at Caroline Hill is not large enough to ac- commodate the crowd that turns out to watch the games.
It is rather unfortunate that TENNIS Hong Kong Baseball League does not have a convenient ground of its own so that baseball could be played either in the autumn from
TWO FINE
September to November or in INDIAN
the spring from March to early May.
At present, the baseball season, on account of the ground not being avail- able at any other time of the year, must be held during the summer months, when the weather is either too hot or rain causes postponements in the schedule which drags the season out till late in the Summer when nor
mally it should come to a close during
the latter part of July.
PLAYERS
London, May 14.
It is seldom, since the days when Mohammed Sleem used to hypnotise into defeat most of our best players, that India has sent us So far already, two week-ends of bad weather and six games have been a man capable of going through postponed. Even if the weather is favourable from now on, which is very the field at one of our big tourna- doubtful, the season will not terminate until August 5th.
TIMES OF GAMES
Another objection to the present set-up is the time in which games must be played. Because the Naval people require their grounds for their own use after 4.30 p.m., the ball games on Sa- turday afternoons must be started. at New York, May 19. Walter the latest, by 2.30 p.m. which is just Hagen, the former British and about the hottest time of the day. American Open Champion, is an- noyed about all the talk of a new breed of "super golfer" treading the fairways these days.
If the League had its own ground. these games could be played comfort- ably at 4 o'clock or a little after.
ments.
This year, however, there are two good. Indians playing here, Ghaus Mo- hammed and Y. Savoor, and only M. D. Deloford prevented an all-India final at Hurlingham, following on the all- China final at Bournemouth last week, by a hard-won victory over Savoor, on Friday,, thus qualifying to meet Mo- hammed, who, on the same day, had defeated C. M. Jones.
CANCELLED
The international match be- tween the professional golfers of England and Scotland, fixed to be played at St. Andrews on July 1, has been cancelled.. Difficulties arose because of the necessity of employing a large army of ste- wards and gatemen to collect ad- mission money, and the expense, it was estimated, would outweigh the revenue.
In recent years the surplus was devoted to the Professional Golf- ers' Benevolent Fund.
Last September, at Llandudno, England and Scotland took part in a quadrangular contest with Ireland and Wales, but this ser- ies will not take place this year in view of the Ryder Cup contest with the United States at Jack- sonville, Florida.
DONALD BUDGE "PERFECT"
London. A breathless, Bill Til-
den came off court at Wembley Empire Pool on May 17 exclaim- ing, "He is perfect," after having been beaten 6-2, 6-2, by Donald Budge in the professional lawn tennis championship.
the
Budge, present Wimbledon champion,' making his first appearance in this country as a professional. celebrated the occasion, by an exhibition of woll- der tennis to beat the man who reigned supreme a few years ago. Budge as a professional is even better than amateur who created a record by win- ning the world's four major titles last It was really a baking hot afternoon year.
wind that might "Do you think that Budge is better for tennis, and a otherwise have been hated must have than Fred Perry?" Tilden was asked.- been almost welcome. The two men "I don't think; I know he is," he re- be I do not mean to infer that-Hong had a merry bout which might have plied. "I played well enough to
ac-satisfied with my own form, but he Kong ball players are softies but it is been-and many people thought not very pleasant to be out in that tually was-over before Deloford scor- was just perfect."
hased his victory. Except for a dynamic,
Budge made possibly half a dozen sun, especially for the man who
His to pitch the whole of a seven inning service, Ghaus Mohammed had little to mistakes in each set, not more.
counter the variety of Deloford's play. backhand was much too strong for the Hagen, who is captain of the Ameri-game.
The double-headers on Sunday morn-which is getting more like Perry's every 47-year-old ex-champion, and his fore- can Ryder Cup team, stated that he ings usually start after 10 o'clock and day in the way he leaps to the ball and hand, which, according to Perry is the Ghaus only vol- only weak point in his game, was about and the "Bobby" Jones of a decade finish almost at three in the afternoon takes it on the run.
see both rames, it leyed twice in the match, and then as good as one could wish. (By Air ago, "could have trimmed the pants off If fans wish to the current crop of hot-shots with their means the whole day in the hall park unsuccessfully. Deloford scored heaps Mail). stroke-saving sand wedges, their forty-where he has to have his tiffin or go of aces with delicate stop-volleys, and
was altogether much the more inter- then her own shots began to go astray, mile golf balls, and their neatly mani- without! cured courses that never give a bad lie. For the past two years, officials of esting to watch. But he also played and Miss Lumb fought back bravely to the League have tried their hardest to large numbers of very careless shots. reach 5-4. This only spurred Miss Scott to such a burst of scoring that "Do I think Bobby and I could have procure a suitable ground for the ex-though he generally seemed able
she took seven games off the reel, win- make a winner when he wanted one. held our own in a series of matches clusive use of the Baseball League
and reaching with Ralph Guldahl and
He won the first set easily enough at ning the set at 7-5 Sammy but their efforts have not been re-
Miss Lumb 6-3, and reached 5-2 in the second; 4-love in the second. Snead?" he added. "If Bobby would warded. be willing to take a year off from busi- It is hoped by fans and players alike then he struck a bad patch, and Ghaus. made one more effort, which gave her the next two games, but that was the ness and get himself in shape for a that this year Major V. E. Duclos, making some fine recoveries, came ur match with those fellows, I would do president of the League, and his com- to 5-all. Deloford got ahead again. end of her tether.
and in the next game, at match-point it, too-no fooling."
mittee. will be successful in procuring and to wait a long time for a decision "With this sand wedge in their bags a suitable ground which Hong Kong
which eventually went against him. the kids don't have to be scared
of Baseball League can call its own, as chaus eventually won that game and in the ladies' doubles final; and won in traps," he said. "They know that if from next season. they do hit a trap they still can scrape
the next two for the set. Deloford came back to his best form in going to the ball out with their wedgo, and
4-love in the final set, producing a probably get a par.
series of the loveliest shots possible, in Ghaus got a couple every variety. more games, but, after two long deuce games Deloford was out at 6-2, winner who might have won much more easily,
"Anybody can bang the ball with confidence now. It took nerve when Bobby and I shot at the pin when there were traps only a few yards in front of it. We know that if we fell short we had lost two or three strokes. I'm positive Bobby and I could have out- putted any two of the present top crowd,"
Hazen admitted that he probably did not drive as far as Guldahl or Snead do these days, but he put that down to the now ball.
"Let's give these boys a little more time to see what they can do about winning championships," he concluded, "Bob and I want a real run for our money when we challenge them to that match."—(By Air Mail).
ALTERNATIVE ARRANGEMENTS
If it is found impossible to play the lawn bowls championship matches scheduled for to-day and to-morrow, the programmes for both days will be postponed until Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, it was officially stated this morning.
to
A
Mrs, Andrus and Mme. Henrotin con- trolled the ball in the wind better than Miss. Dearman and Miss Ingram could
two sets-a good performance con- sidering that they had had to struggle through four desperately hard matches to reach the final.
Men's Singles-Final: M. D. Delo- ford beat Ghaus Mohammed (India), 6-3, 5-7, 6--2.
Women's Singles.-Final: Miss V. E. Scott beat Miss M. E. Lumb, 7-5, 6-2. Women's Doubles.-Semi-final round: VARIABLE PLAYERS When two such vivacious though. Miss E. M. Dearman and Miss J. In- one must own, variable. players as gram beat Mrs. D. Roberts and Mrs. Miss M. E. Lumb and Miss V. Scott K. Underwood, 7-5, 6-4. Final: meet, one may look for plenty of ex- citement, for both adopt attack as their watchword. There were plenty of beau- tiful shots by both girls, and plenty of bad ones.
Mrs. D. B. Andrus (U.S.A.) and Mme. S. Henrotin (France) beat Miss Dear- man and Miss Ingram, 6-3, B6.
2) Women's Singles (Section Final: Miss L. Shou Nilsen (Norway) As a result of the opening stages beat Miss E. M. 8. Andrews, 6-2, 6-3, Miss Scott, steadier than her opponent. Girls' Singles-Final: Miss M. Wad- who was over-driving and never seem-low (Shropshire) beat Miss J. MON. ed happy in the wind, led 4-2; but Holman (Surrey),