1938-11-07 — Page 25

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THE CHINA MAIL, NOVEMBER 7, 1938.

Pago 25

Welsh Rugby Gates Suffer

SERIOUS DECLINE IN PUBLIC INTEREST

(By AIR MAIL)

Cardiff, October 23.

It was a general complaint among the leading Welsh Rugby clubs last season that public interest in club Rugby had shown a serious decline. More than one club made a heavy financial loss on the season's working, and the view was expressed that if things did not improve some famous clubs would be faced with bankruptcy. From all, I gather, gates, this season have been smaller than ever. True, the weather. has been un- usually bad for this time of the year, but even on Saturday week, સ day of brilliant sunshine, crowds • were disappointingly small. What is to be done about it?

Ry

YESTERDAY'S RESULTS AND SCORERS

Eastern

FIRST DIVISION

(Lee Tack-kee

(2)).

2 Royal Navy

(Hunt, Newall and Betts).

THIRD DIVISION Electric

(Lai Sum (3) and

5

Gardner (2) ).

30th R.A.

1

(Flanders).

Royal Scot's

(Kano (2)).

(“A” SECTION)

Service Corps (Martin (2)).

South China.

3

Obviously, the game needs to be made more attractive to the spec- tator. It must compete success- fully with other forms of enter- tainment, liko Soccer and the cinema. There are thousands of people who think that Rugby at its best is unequalled as a specta- cle, but of those thousands only small percentage are so desperate- ly keen on watching Rugby that they will put up indefinitely with the miserable succession of scrums and line-outs that make up so many games in Wales powadays. There was a time, in the first decade of this century, when it might be claimed with truth that Welsh Rugby That was was the best in the world.

2❘ the era of solid, stolid packs and

Glen Cunningham, right,

the world's fastest mile run- ner and famous Kansas star. walks back and forth for about 10 minutes before a big race as part of his train- ing. He then jogs · round the track exercising his limbs and continues this for 15 minutes before he is ready to attack the mile. (Copyright).

M'Grory Wins First Fight As Light-Weight

GUSTAVE HUMERY'S GAME PERFORMANCE

(By AIR MAIL)

London, October 23.

brilliant three-quarters, when forwards JOHNNY MGRORY, of Glasgow, the former feather-weight kept one champion, won his first fight as a light-weight by outpointing 3 set of hacks fought an equal battle of Jack Carrick, of Hull, over ten rounds, at the National Sporting (Li You-sung (2) wits against the other.

| Club's tournament in London last night. Everybody in Wales knows that that Rugby Any Welsh

(Yam Yee and

and Wai Chuk- sum).

2 P.W.D.

'Fung King U).

1

R.E. (E.)

(Maddox and Jones).

THIRD DIVISION ("B" SECTION)

Powhattan

(Tsang Yuen-

kon).

SATURDAY'S RESULTS AND SCORES

FIRST DIVISION

St. Joseph's. 2 Royal Scots...

(Castilho, Leonard)

Middlesex...........

(Pearson 2, Saw 2)

(Hoosick, MoKay)

4 8. China 'B'...

+

SECOND DIVISION

Kwong Wah, (Chow Wing-hung 2)

South China

(Ohan Ching-yin 2, Chau Wing Bang) Middlesex.

(Devonshire, Simmonde) Kowloon

(C. Bantou

II. Bantos 2)

Club.

(Scott)

St. Joseph's.....

(Campos)

3

2 R.A.0.C.

(DufBold)

Police

1 Engineers

2

WING-FORWARD BLAMED

2 era is past.

M'Grory made a magnificent follower will tell you the game is not recovery for he was down for a what it. was, and will blame the wing- forward for the fact. There is thus count of eight in the third no mystery about the disease which round, and later he suffered an afflicts Welsh Rugby. The difficulty eye injury. Carrick was always} is to persuade the Welshman that troublesome with heavy blows to the head, but the Scot general- A spirit, of defeatism seems to per- meate Rugby followers everywhere. Ily was the steadier boxer, and often hear it said that the English he gave a fine display in the teams alone seem capable of playing closing rounds.

2

there is any cure for it.

the open game that spectators want to

see, but few people seem to know why

Hugh Cameron (Glasgow), form-

it is that passing movements are deer Scottish amateur fly-weight veloped more often by English than by champion, won on points, against Welsh club sides.

Billy Watson (Stepney) in a six rounds contest:

ONLY ONE METHOD Partly it is because English sides

A GAME WINNER are less wedded to safety-first tactics, but there is another and more impor-

There was moré finish to tant reason. The average Welsh team knows one, and only one, method Cameron's boxing than to Watson's. of getting the ball back to the three-Three rights to the jaw put Watson quarters that is, by heeling from the to the boards in the opening round. set scrummages.

Afterwards he found it difficult to But, as everybody knows, the wing- forward system of defence has robbed beat Cameron's defence, Watson this time-honoured method of most of varied his boxing, but Cameron was its effectiveness. The quick heel from especially good at countering.

a loose move — a far more potent Fighting for seven rounds with a method of attack under modern con-

2ditions is completely neglected by all cut above his left eye, Gustave the Welsh clubs except Cardiff, and Humery, former feather-weight and

1 it is no mere coincidence that Cardiff light-weight champion of France.

are the most spectacular side in Wales. gained a points win over George

I am convinced that the regeneration

of Welsh club Rugby depends upon the Daly, of Blackfriars, in a ten rounds ability of Welsh packs to master, the fight. principles of the "loose-heel."

9

1

(Mak Yuk-fat)

10

(Fox 5, Pelham 7, -

1

Royal Scots..

2

flock to see it.

Thauss 2, Lowe).

*(McDonald 3) ·

THIRD DIVISION-SECTION “E”

R.A.F.....**

2 Medicals

4 Kumaon Rifles 0

(Elton 2)

Signals

(Bromley 2, France 2)

4 A.9.A.

University

(Ling Bing bang 21,

Yong Kin-lin,

Lom Yu-peng)

S'cutters W/T.. 2 24th Bty. 'R‚A. 0° ~(Croft M})

S. CHINA BEAT EAST SURREYS

IN FRIENDLY

It was aggression which won the

When they do Welsh back-play will come into fight for the sturdy Frenchman,

spectators will its own again; and

SERVICES SOCCER -

TEAM

The following will represent the Combined Services against The Rest At Caroline Hill, South China "A" in the Poppy Day Fund football match overcame the East Surreys by 4 on the Club ground on Armistice Day, goals to 1 in a friendly soccer commencing at 4 p.m.;

McAllister (Navy); Watson,' 'Capt. game. The Chinese were faster on (Middlesex) and Sheehan (Middlesex); the ball and found their men with Down (Navy), Bright (Middlesex) and well judged ground passes," while Tufnell' (Navy); Grogan (Middlesex) the Surrey forwards were very Collins (Navy), Strettle (R. Marines), Theborn (Navy), and Duffleld slow in rounding off their attacks. |(R.A.0.C.).

Lau Tau-man (2) Fung King- Reserves, Duncan (R. Scots), Web- Cheong and Lat Shui-wing" (pen-[ster (Navy), Berry (L. Fusiliers) Hen- alty) scored for the Chinese and derson (Navy), Collina (Navy), Arm- strong (Navy), Pearson (Middlesex) Harrison for the Burreys.

and Hossack (B. Scota).::

BENNY LYNCH LOSES

STONE IN WEIGHT -

No N.S.C. Decision About Sea Trip. Yet

Benny

London, October 28. Lynch, now resting at a sanator-

ium in Kent, has lost a stone in weight since he went into a Eon- don nursing home a fortnight ‘ago. “Lynch is doing splendidly," Mr. John Harding, manager of the N.S.C., who are defraying the costs of the rest cure, told a reporter yesterday. "To-morrow I am going to see Lynch and play 18 holes of golf with him.

"He is so keen on taking up fighting again that this woek he asked for his training kit to be sent him, but the authorities will not allow him to indulge in any heavy exercises yet. Perhaps in a fortnight's time he will be allow- "No ed to do a little skipping. decisión has been made about the sea trip proposed for Lynch. That depends upon how he progresses. in the next few weeks."

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