THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 1954.

Pratesi Fights To Keep Promise

Honore

By HAROLD MAYES

Hall

Pratesi was a pretty good little Aghter. Boxing enthusiasts saw plenty of the young Frenchman in the 1951-52 period, and London's Albert customers still remember his-last fight,

SPORTS

EXTRA!

Chapter 3* in "I See It All" by GIL MERRICK, of Birmingham City and England

TORE more players are trying to

crft er te ferme, Jack Hart had given the decision against him in a contest with MR and the Ployment of surprise

the Zulu wonder-boy, Jack Tull, Pratesi stamped his way test, considering he had won.

AUCCENDEN heitere Twenty cofloped in his dressing-room by the kayo route.

minutes later

being gained

he sled

Two days afterwards Ahorral trom brain orrhage, befur; his wife Livell from Marselles,

She had always tried to pre vent her husband fighting. Few prople knew that he continued with his ring career only bo- to earn cash cause he wanted

around the ring in pro-

08

to

of our

ה

Il poses the question whether the ripe old age

for noon 21

proper one hasn't fighters to be allowed to take In tho contests. Kelly Part

hay was European champlon,

Peter ing our

beaten Scotland's Keenan, and as such was ob- viously to be expected to fight the best from the rest of the world,

I bring him to your although In haem beĻAUNO,

you're in Britain yeh, had fought

bound to be seeing him pretty MODEL When

he arrives bantamweights will be advised not to treat him lightly.

IDOLISED Isn't the first bantain Mun France

whom I've of

in Kiven you advance notice. Betfast

Robert Cohen shutler Belfast's price and joy.

than Kelly. More John

before months #go,

to pay for treatment for Invalid son.

When Mediame Pratesi rived at London Airpo

aware

uf Honore's

Un- she

saw

14

anyone

was taken to the VIP lounge; else had so much as mention- where the news was broken

ed the pocket battleship over 10 her. Comforling her WDS

here, 1

how brother-in-law, Hinire

Prutest, a lad of 21, who must have been undergoing siderable mental turmoil.

con-

For he, 100, was a profes-

sional fighter-with contest under his belt.

Just

one

wrote:

They rave about all sorts of things in France, but just now

דיויד

into their game nowadays.

I recall playing against Everton when they a free kick in the middle and were awarded

of the penalty within a few yards of the edge bax.

bent Peter Farrell grabbed the ball and down to put it on the ground as though he was placing the ball to take a kick,

The Story Of England's Ace Goalkeeper

The Tricks

They Try On Me!

Was

By GIL MERRICK

The manner in which he prepared to do this and the fact that another Everton pluyer

DO unusually standing near to him made me straight

Away think "something is on here."

Sure

Farrell enough,

yard flicked the hall a to one side and, in almost the same action, the second player shot the dimmed when they meet fight moving ball. It was well

the

With the shortage of real talent in Britain, a really pro- mising youngster can box him- self out of opposition, and, in- deed, win a title long before ho is really fitted for it. why so many

That's of our story are

that

done but wide.

of

ers from overseas.

shot was

UNUSUAL

F.A.

V. Crystal Cup-tia

all the

with their

on the goal

I'd go so far as to say the boxing toast of Paris is a the Britian Boxing Board little Jewlah Aghter from Oran Control should Fatre the title by the name of Robert Coken. age to 23. It's possible to cite

Lates in justification, but M member an unusual TANY of you will re- He's not even French pet. but they're, so impressed

it imit

necessary to go by Mir edition In those elreumstances the: this bantaniweight

beyond what has recently hap- photograph taken during " urge to continue might not the late Marcel Cerdas that he pened to Kelly and to feather- Finchley

Palace Sammy McCarthy to soon will be. 22 he's weight

showing nearly won all of his 25 fights,

prove my point, latest feat being the stopping

I could not help noticing the Palace team European

difference champion Maurice

in the British and goalkeeper Sandeyron."

the Continental approach

when Well, that was fair warning. such problems

How I wish wasn't it"

the talking to one of the advhers

had hedef party. of Kelly

Darty it, ned then

would have sigist been spartel the

uf brave Hule boy being mere jessly punished, almost beyond the inits of endurance.

MAKE IT 23 (Jut Kelly, #k

have been strong, a nei that would have been understand able. But he knew that thence- forward the xrealest difficulty of his sister-in-faw would be providing for the needs of her young boy.

Quietly he told her. "Don't worry. I give you my word that i will du all that is neces- zary, and I will fight to carn

the money."

idolise

We

to

1 was Cohen

Ilne blocking the whole front of the net.

now

off

а

3

of

They were, of course, taking, fected on to the post and into

the net. defensive action against an in- direct free kick.

Basically a goalkeeper should

chance of saving no Finchley, have of I told him that, on his Belfast

George Robb, showing. I didn't think Cohen

scored penalty kick. The renson, a 'Spurs winger, troubled would be unduly

1 with a shot that went

Is that since the goal- course imposes saing Australian Jimmy defender's leg

keeper must stand stil he has Carruthers of the world tile.

Tough on the defenders, per- only a split second to move to- To a British manager in the

but they had no option wards a ball, hit hard from 12 hops, mayush of อย

excitement following but to take up the position they yards away.

as did because crushing victory

the indirect free

was Portsmouth's hard kick was awarded less than ten shooting forward, Duggle Reid, yards from the net.

who was really responsible for These

me making a detalled study of the whole subject of penalty taking and the possibilities of a goalkeeper saving penalty kicks.

Now in France they him. because he has kept his Wo 1. In doing so, this ban tumnwelscht, who will be 23 other good British prospects, such a later this month. has built up has had to learn the hard way. -Cohen had gained, a statement without Oh The folly of pushing them of that kind would have sound- 2 Round of 18 fights diet, a targe percentage of, too quickly!

ed as music to the ear.

Athletic Training Suggested To Speed Up Footballers

By ARCHIE QUICK

COPY THIS!

the

Even though his fighter might not be ready, I feel that a Bri- tish manager would have been the last to admit it. But man talking for Cohen replied: "Wait. There is no hurry. punches ffe's good, But he with hin hands wide apart. Perhaps

for ho is too open Carruthers.

That Indicates that the people behind Cohen

award of

shortcomings

ven

are which may not exist. If the same ap- proach were made with British fighters

thinks there would

I

be fewer heartaches for boxers, managers, promoters, and cus- tomers for they take it on the

hopes destroyed.

Athleticism applied to football | athletes should land some of chin, too, when they see their

training is the

suggestion put the major prizes,

forward by Mr Stualey Tomlin for countering the overneus threat

British Soccer

supremacy. And Mr Tomlin is authority enough to command

for he attention

is not only Championships Secretary of the Amateur Athletic Association but he is a former Three Miles Empire Games Champion and a prominent broadcaster.

saw the Hungarian match at Wembley" he told me "and am certain that far as foot-

anybody in the

"

ball skill is concerned England

are as good as

world. Why they lose is that

YOU HAVE

TO CATCH

A 40lb SHARK

TO JOIN THIS CLUB

In a year the Shark Angling Club of Great Britain have more than trebled their membership. Every mem- her must have caught a shark weighing more than 40 lb,

Method of catching is strictly There

are Ave women **** | confined to rod, reel and line. į members of the club. Mrs D. they do not possess athletic

Although club membership is Case, of Looe, landed a blue balance. The Hungarians looked

113lb. to win the like acrobala, They were not; now 48, the number of sharks shark of "hooked"

380. prize for the largest fish caught Jost year was it was simply that they were

was a porbeagle by a women. lines and Top weight

(cold water) shark weighing No shark steaks are available grafted to

236lb,

after a big catch. that is all a question of balance

This was caught by Mr J. J.

"Nobody and quickness off the mark. Holmes off Brighton, guarantee that I could put two on to catch yards in twenty on to the speed | Sark

Trained on athletic had football

arts

thinks

Indirect free

kicks-

and I am thinking of the sort in the penalty box-are a problem

10 and n nuisance all defen- ders,

Take an incident in the Eng- land Hungary match at Wembley. The Hungarians had a free kick on the edge of the penalty area in the inside-right position.

y

8.

Puskas

(2)

Puskas (1)

How Puskas tried to put me of at Wembley

A prearranged barrier WAB formed, and the player hit the ball wide and to the right of the barrier as I faced them.

to As the right half ran up take the free kick I spotted the akipper, Puskas, running across the face of the goal myself and the barrier.

between

10

He was clearly moving create a diversion and in an at- tempt to put me off. I don't think for a minute that he in- tended to play the ball that was heading for wide of an upright. The kicker was aiming to score direct.

He went shark." the

the club secretary, MTHEN

THE FLUKE

no

of coling THEN cure the fluke that

one can do anything about. the The ball cought Puskas on

do. back of the heel and was

the biggest bluc Ronald Roberts, of Hannafore of the year-1151b-off Point, Looe, said.

"It la probably something

of English players by teaching Love, Cornwall.

agree that speed

them track methods. I do not Blue sharks are found 40 lite tunny. After we have

is the be-all miles off the coast of

Cornwall caught, weighed and measured and end-all In football, but in May. Later in the summer the sharks we tow them out to

is the first they come much closer in, butses and sink them." speed off the mark

essential. You obviously get to not near the beaches.

the bali quleker. And balance

is the basic principle to give

you greater starting speed."

FOR THE FIRST TIME Stanley also told me that for

the first time in history a race

next Amateur Association's Annual The Two Miles

In the metric distance is to be

the

Championships.

Steeplechase has been altered

to 3,000 metres. That is the thin edge of the wedge.

For a long time there have been complaints that

our

athletes have been handicapped by having no previous knowledge of metric distances until they came into competition with foreigners at the Olymple Games and other overseas in- ternational meetings.

can see that initial obstacle being slowly remedied. Not for * moment do I expect to see the classic one mile eliminated from the National Championships not yet awhile at any rate-but think that certain motrie distance races will be introduced Into athletic programmes up

and down the country with the consent of the ruling body.

The standard "of British athletics today is higher than over before in history, but we still failed to win a single gold medal of the Helsinki Games in 1982. But there should be some next time,

Kui culto the strongest |}

of, the Empire towns and with the Games being next. held in Melbourne în 1956 home

THE

WEEK-ENO

London Express Service)

GAMBOLS

GEORGE LOOK AT THE MESS YOU'RE MAKING ~YOU NEEDN'T THINK I'M GOING TO CLEAN IT,

UP

YOU'RE NOT GETTING INTO THE CORNERS J

DON'T WORRY, DEAR. I'LL HAVE IT ALL NICE AND TIDY

• From "I See It All," by Gil Merrick, to be published by Museum Press in August.

bij

Barry

THERE'S THE BUCKET AND SCRUBBING BRUSH

YOU WON'T GET THE MARKS OFF LIKE THAT - YOU WANT SOME SODA

In 1940 Portsmouth played Birmingham at St Andrew's in the first leg of an F.A. Cup-tie. were When Portsmouth

look awarded a penalty Reid the kick. He hit the ball right- footed to my right. At full Stretch I punched the ball away and it went out of play on the far side of the field for a throw in!

About this time I had begun to analyse incidents in a game after the match, and it was in penalty thinking about Reid's and giving myself a pat on the back for having stopped a shot hit across me that the whole truth suddenly struck me,

From the angle that Reid ron at the ball and the power with which he hit, he had no alter- native but to hit the ball to my

AND ROBB SCORED |

This

Crystal Palace barrier falled to prevent a goat from an indirect tree kick.

put the ball, and then watching his action when he shot.

From there we advanced to him shooting without giving me any verbal Indication of which side the ball would go.

I

Without being influenced, could confirm in my own mind that I knew which way to dive by watching Stewart's action.

intensive

moro

The result of this work was that 1 gained confidence than I ever thought was possible in facing penalty kickers in actual match games,

The Continentals have proved their deep

Interest and study of the game

In their high standard, planned play and it was the Hungarian-born Kubala, how a naturalised Spantard, who, in the FIFA. match at Wembley, showed me something new

in the way of taking penalties.

When the referee gave the signal for him to take the kick he walked slowly up to the ball, almost on a side with his left shoulder pointing towards the post on my right-hand side.

When he was a stride away from the ball, he suddenly checked

his and suggested in that he was about to I studied a player's run up and stoop to the ball and adjust it action

kicking the ball, rather on the spot, IR

the ball in than waiting for fight and depending on quick- of the eye to make a save, I should have a better chance of going the right way,

" set me thinking that if action

1989

I WAS PUZZLED

OR a split second he had me wondering and thinking he might do that, but just as sud- Within a month or so of my denly he straightened up and returning to my club from the in the blink of an eye he hit band past my right Army a player joined us from the ball Raith Rovers in Scotland, and side.

who didn't the type need asking twice to join in any sort of practice involving a ball

he was

our

And how about this for trick 1 heard of a penalty taking?

in the 1052 Olympic player Games in Helsinki who placed He was Jackie Stewart, outside right, and he has heip-the ball on the spot, stood back, aspect made a short run and then hit ed me in almost every of goalkeeping. I practised for the ball by bringing his right foot behind his left leg (like hours with him.

Shackleton's trick passing effort) -and he had a reputation for nover failing to score from the

HOW I STARTED

STARTED by getting him to spot!

I BY he would

App leby

London Express Service.

POINT 35

THERE IS ONE

TROUBLE WITH

Surf

ZARIERS ZAKE ALAGA)

AND DIRT GETS

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