LAWN TENNIS IS SICK. SICK, SICK
By- JOHN COTTRELL
When the International Lawn Tennis Federation met in Paris recently they had the opportunity to take the most progres- sive and realistic decisions since they first convened nearly half a century ago.
Lawn tennis stood at the crossroads. Long ago it had become too late to turn back to the days of strict amateurism; now the way ahead was clearly marked,
It was marked by the Federa- These officials, who can be tion's own special committee found in such progressive woon- which, after a lengthy investiga tries as Australia and the United tion, had proposed the holding Slates, insist that their players, of open tournaikents for a trial by and large, adhere faithfully period of one year and the crea- to the rules, tion of "authorised players" semi-professionals who would Point to a farmer amateur remain under the control of champion like Lew Hood, who amateur associations and allow, received a £200 bomus from a ed to receive unlimited expenses, sports goods Arm
far winning There was an overwhelming Wimbledon in 1958, and they
in
of
always open answer that there are tournaments. Yet, by Ave the one or two exceptions and miserable votes the con- that once they have proof of they come tribution of one thisor nation such shamateurism -the Grand Design was re-down heavily on the man con- jected.
cerned:
casc
favour
Dreary
This narrow margin does en-
Jack Arkinstall. Mervyn Rose and Don Candy of Australia are given as examples of play- courage hopes that the resolu-ers who were reprimanded for breaches of amateur rules and tion will be passed next time. forced to mend their ways or Meanwhile we must be sub-
turn professional. Arkinstall jected to another year of
and Rose took the latter way second-rate tennis in
out. world's major championships, another year of hypocritical
shamateurism.
Through
the
dreary this the year there
STELY matches at Wimbledon year I was consoled by Thought that next
would be a star-studded seed- ed list of Gonzales, Hoad, Rose-
wall
Segura,
Sedgman, Trabert. Anderson and Kig
Kramer himself.
It would be like old times. A
vintage year such as 1952 when
Colonel Blimps
college scholarships and are ready to resort to jiggery- pokery, like playing 3 Peruvian
THE CHINA MAIL.
SPORTING SAM
MONDAY
JULY 18, 1960.
Reg. Wootton
London - Express Bärỳles,
CAPTAIN'S VIEWPOINT By JOHN WARR
I believe in cricket luck
in the America Davis Cup CRICKETERS should take
Leam.
deter- Naturally they are mined to win the Davis Cup--- but not just for love and glory. That Cup competition brings the USITA a useful supply 01 dollars every year.
The mark-time decision of the Paris meeting means that the majority of star amateurs wol continge ta receive under-the-counter payments.
The future
Nothing wil change. The tourmaments need the stars. And the stars need hard cash through absences from work. to compensate for money
Jost
The future? I shall not be surprised if Jack Kramer, the Log Vegas bori gambler,
Neale
swings into action room with his cheque book and skims the These Colonel Blimps of non-vintage cream off the top lawn tennis have impressed of the amateur game. me with their genuine sin-Fraser, Rod Laver and Nicole
Pietrangeli verity But they are sticking to
Gre just ancient ruter which they can players who interest him. enforce only. In the rare cases where concrete evidence can be supplied,
The Australians are especial-1 the Wimbledon list of seededly vehement in their opposition
Savitt,
three
King Kramer, 1947 Wimble- don champlon, once boasted: "I could destroy the entire Davis Cup structure by signing up the world's leading amateurs."
io "authorised players." Yet He is not destructive by nature layers read: Sedgman. Drobny they are perfectly happy that and is conscious of his debt to McGregor, Palty, Seixas, their own amateurs "attain the amateur tennis. But frank- Richardson, Sturgess, Larsen, Rose. Mulloy and Flam pecuniary advantage" throughly I believe he would be doing
goods firms, who Instead, we
can expect to the sports see the "old gang" in charge have spent as much as £100,000 a year on tennis since the war. of Wimbledon again. Already I predict that the title will be
Then there are American's won by either Barry_Mackay, who
that piously announce Neale Fraser, Rod Laver or authorised players" would Earl Buchholz.
never be allowed to play in the Davis Cup because i would be strictly against the principies of the competition.
They are
all proficient ex- ponents of the modern surve- volley game. But at Wimbledon, premier charizpionships of the world, we deserve to see the best:
What a joke!
No cne expected the proposal for "authorised players" to be The well-meaning accepted. tennis officials of Australia end United States are still living in a dream world where profes- sionals and amateurs en be clearly defined and separated.
But just look at the official definition of an amateur, He is: "Any lawn tennis player who does not receive, or has not re- ceived, after attaining the age of sixteen, directly or indirectly, pecuniary advantage by the playing, teaching, demonstrating or pursuit of the game."
What a joke! While the Federation was meeting in Paris I spent a more profitable afternoon with one of these so-called amateurs,
He told me that one of his. Davis Cup colleagues had just ⚫ received the gift of a brand-new motor-car from a sports goods Arm. He corded that he hmself was disappointed that he had been officially nominated to play in the U.S. Championships at Forest Hills In September ---. "because it will mean lasing £300 for playing on the Continent."
Just one of them
It
was an all-too familier atary. He is just one of at least 1900 amateur atars whose tennis provese brings them, directly or indirectly, at least £2,000 a year,
Yet these same Americans reward their star players with
Four D. Jones BY MADDOCKS..
FERDINAND
NANCY
#
POOR ROLLO
Don't blame the "shamateur." The modern game, so flercely competitive, dehidrids that player must be a sun-chasing globe-trotter if he wants to reach and then slay at the top.' And only those with a large private Income could manage this on the official expenses allowance.
Ideally, of course, there would be no distinction be- tween aniatike isha proten- sionals. They would all be "players". But we can scarcely. expectsch; fevolutionary move from officials who will not even concedd, that there
Is an amateur problem.
Sports Diary
Venture for Victory v Ki Hbb
Colony
„20-600)
NOT
case
the game a great service if he further weakened amateur tennis by signing up the stars.
game is already sick. The Kramer could make it a for the emergency treatment. Then, at last, more associations their senses and may come to give open tournament an over- whelming majority vote at the Federation meeeting In Stock
holm next July.
A DAME
IN SIGHT
WHAT DO YOU MEAN POOR ROLLO ?
I THINK THAT FEMALE IS OUT OF
LUCK
BRICK BRADFORD
HE'S THE
RICHEST
their theme
song
from "My Fair Lady." Every player needs to be accompanied "wiv a little bit o' luck" on the way to the wicket.
In all other sports; a mistake can nearly always be rectified. A second chance seldom comes along in cricket, especially for a batsman.
I firmly believe, therefore, that all cricketers need luck, Even the player in form. He is in form largely because his luck is in and has boosted his confidence.
Czech soccer
champions win in China
Tokyo, July 18. A Czechoslovak football team, playing its third game in China today defeated a Shang- hai team 1-0 in a game played
In Shenyang, Northeast China, Peking Radio reported.
The broadcast said it was the second victory for the Hradec Kralove Spartak football team, champions of Czechoslovakia.
In a previous game the visitors tiett with the Shenyang Armed Forces team in a score- less draw.
The Czechoslovak team will leave for Changchun, Northeast China on Monday.—--AP.
HUSH. DARUNG, THEAR A STRANGERS FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING
KID IN TOWN.
THAT'S JUST IT
WHAT STRANGERS
·DO WE KNOW?
-JOHN WARR
captain of Middlesex, takes over the Monday morning
talking spot.
It's not surprising, therefore, that cricketers should be € superstitious lot. What is sur»- prising is that batsmen do not arrive at the crease more often
with their pockets bulging with shamrocks, rab- bits feet, and other. lucky charms,
George Cox of Sussex once went to the wicket after a row of noughts with a brand new bat, He was promptly caught, and a tell-tale mark on the back of the bat indicated the ex- tent to which he had miscuedi
It's great
In the next knock George went cut with a piece of ribbon tied to his bat, the bow tied at the back to remind him not to use that part again George hit a double hundred that day.
Doug Insole, the Essex skipper, will not change his cricket gear once he has made a big score until he next falls.
that me People often tell
Middlesex are lucky to play at Lord's. Admittedly, it is great to have as headquarters THE headquarters of all cris- ket, but Middlesex are mere- ly tenants of the Marylebone Cricket Club.
Even Surrey can rusticate for a
week in Guildford, We dre the only wholly Metropolitan county. There are no country retreats for Middlesex for home matches. We have to play all
WHAT'S THE IDGA-. OF ROAMING ARDIND OUR CAVES?
By Mik
By Ernie Bushmiller
THE DOCTOR SAYS HE'S ALLERGIC TO MONEY
By Paul Norris
ON BARTHI
our home Axtures In Landon. We did go to Horisey last year for one county fixture. The public. however, find Lord's handler, and prefer able, so all our "home" games this summer are there.
Cosmopolitan
But these are not home fixtures in the sense they are in other counties. The Lord's crowd is the most comopolitan in the world, They come to applaud the op- position as much as us.
Denis Occasionally, 9 with
Coltipkin, the crowd have a favourite. but that popularity is centred on the individual
not the team.
So "Lucky Old Middlesex" is a misnomer. Not that I'm one to complain at any hide that happens to come our way.
CHESS
BY LEONARD BARDEN
(5855)
Here is a problem specially contributed by H. W. massing ham (Manchester). White, to play and mate in two moves.
Cosdon Exprem Berstel
Pare
DAVID SEGAL IN THE 'RELUCTANT HERO'
One of greatest sports
farces of all time
By ARCHIE QUICK
Presenting the greatest sports farce of all time=
the athletics scholarships mix-up. This latest production by the Amateur Athletic Association, a tragi-comedy in a seemingly un- limited number of acts, stars British sprinter David Segal, and it might well be titled: "The Reluctant Hero,"
Segni is a young man who seeks to get ahead on the track and in his private life.
Į
prepare for the Olymples be arrived on e Thursday, waLS granted his clearance by the Laudable twin ambitions, you ÄÄA on the Friday and rän would think, and straightfor successfully in the Southern ward enough, But with their Championships on the Saturday, usual facility for making simple After all that fuss! things complicated the sports What is more relevant is that officials, have gone to work, | Segal has won every race in After much deliberation they which he competed in the to go to United States, a dozen or more allowed the runner Furman University in South
- precedented feat for an Carolina on an athletic scholar- Englishman. ship, and rum for Furman In This fact, combined with the Inter-Varsity meetings.
achievements of Peter Radford, Alas, Segal unwittingly com-demonstrates very cliarly that peted in an open meeting and for the first time sirice Harold Abrahams won in Paris in 1824 that sent the AAA in a tizzy. It was against the amateur spirit Great Britain has a golden op- they said for some unknown pori unity of figuring reason but not a contraven prominently in the Olympic tion of international laws. That sprints in Rome this autumn. is a joke for a start:
Only stipulation
fo
The only stipulation re- quired by international law for a foreign athlete, to com- pele in an open meeting is that he shall possess certi ficate from his home associR- tion verifying his amateur. stains. This Segal had not
The Londoner received payment, of course, just a couple of trinkets for winning two events, but he stood in danger of suspension and the dashing of all his Olympic hopes. Mark you, he is an amateur, and, al- though we know there must be rules and regulations is prev vent chaos, you would imagine an unpaid runner could enter races he wanted to. Not when the fuddy-duddles call the tune though. Not when red tape entwines sport.
With Radford, Segal, the two. Jones, Whitehead, Brightwell and one or two others we have a great chance of winning the Games sprint relay too. We have the choice of perhaps the hottest four in the world.
European pole ́vault_record
Moscow, July 17. Lithuanian Ianis Krasovskis broke the European pole vault record during the Soviet Athletle Championships here today.
Krasovskis cleared 4.65 metres (15 ft. 3..ins.) to beat the pre- vious record of 4:64 metres (15 It. 24 Ins.) set up by Russian Vladimír Bulatov last year in Philadelphia.
"Krasovskis, 24, is serving in To add to the farce when Fur- the Soviet army. His previous man University broke up anti best effort was 4.58 metres (15 Segal returned to England to ft. 0 ins.).--Reuter.
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