1958-12-06 — Page 19

THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1958.

SATURDAY SPORTS SPOT

Did The Tennis Kings Produce Regal Stuff?

The tennis giants have come and gone. The Hongkong Lawn Tennis Association deserves nothing but congratulations for its enterprise and the thoroughness of its organisation yot, strangely enough, there seems to be very mixed feelings about Jack Kramer's latest contribution to our sporting entertainment,

Reduced to its basic points the question seems to be "Did the but

HKLTA and the paying public get due return for their respective efforts?"

Put more bluntly it would be, "Did Kramer's "Kings of the Court" play as well as we had a right to expect them to do?"

with the best backhaul work!'. putting backhand

the shot

saw all four players to bad when one rees Ro wall, netion during the first day's play and I saw them again after their swal-partners ment on Wednerday

arrange-

atter Luckhand shot into the net with B

Morvosion 1..

quite frankis just canies thrug of the shoulder, the ani

my mind

mke up tennis 1 saw

begi

les abonat the

wonder player take their mail state exhibitions as seriously a [el they ought.

There were of course, flashes of simply stings fleet ibly and exceptional courierajt the were times-particularly during the double when the sherr power and pare left one almost breathlem; and there were limes too when the unbellevable de- licacy of touch just had

seen to be appreciated.

Not As Serious The four players who furve just been playing at the Hong kong Cricket Club are certainly the best eight in the world and bmong the best eight ki Etiy but wurd and might Wel

the rated In

Bix. Yet top i do not believe that they

the show

seriousneas sume

there were also periods of play when the stars were almost in- diferent in their attitude and there were also occasions when approuch to their job play was, to be generous, cone | example do the great Prema place.

A 'Hick Stop'

stura

fur

By-

SPORTING SAM

wagging tongues plenty to wag

One of the important palats to be remembered is that victory or defeat plays little or no part in the Hongkong mode of gambling on soccer. Goals are the vital betting commodity and as unex- pected things have in fact been imppening to the gools' aspect of some recent matches, it is not

4

unexpectedly close results in cer- tain games as "...very suspici❘ ous indeed..........

Since that talk I have heard actual figures being quoted in respect

recent big game which ended in a draw. The Agures involved were staggering to buy the very least and, even allowing for posible exaggera ilon at various levels along the way, the amounts allegedly in- volved were certainly substantial. Football in an unpredictabic game. The big upset is the very lite blood of its altrectiveness and it would be dangerously wrong 10 assume that every time there is p unexpected result it has been caused by the betting boys sticking their surprising that the tople is get- ¦ cold Onger in the soccer"

"soufflé ting a pretty good airing at the | Jeaving it flat and distsateful,

I. M. MACTAVISH

they nake no UniCerskry movement towards a short which they know they cannot reach,

Maybe that is true but if so It detracts a great dent from the spectacle of the game....and I think it in ignificant that many of the folks who attended the Two exhibithas expressed some

desofiskartien wwsing

With what they RW.

Could it be This these experts make it all look too easy?

Do Not Descrve

unsalised feeling

Moment.

Interesting Study

Nevertheless

can nssure

a pluse examination

of games played in the last six to eight weeks provides a mast interesting study,

Apperent walk-overs somehow

ta

Cast your mind back over the last few weeks and think of the number of Umes surprise results HAVE VERY NEARLY HAP- PENED and you will see why the, you that funs are growling, Oh, the favourites generally win all right in the end but their goals margin

have simply does not indicate their anticipated

turned on

scrape- superiority paper at least. Teams that are throughs but in spite of these condently expected to win by u❘ NEAR upsets not a single one big margin

apparently of the big leanie has been in- LÜCKY victories by the odd volved La a result that has most unfortunate for the Hong-

with their kong Lawn Tents Asociation | goal.....and as a result the bel-

seriously Interfered league position. ting public are alleged in have do not deserve such a creum-

been taken for a ride. Thay stance

+1:51 greind Job planning from the start and for that reason hope this column gels ES

Jack far us Krumer's deal He's good businessinan, this big Juck and we might : greater effort from his men next time round.

bas tall basketballers like

Thi. thu

Harlem Globetrotters. the top ranking Roker players. 12it I know that other spectators,rading fuble tezis exponents

to whom I spoke, were equally mired in their reactions to the

it

und, no doubt, many HURT. Cat Tuval sportsman gave it Kramer's tenis served up by Rosewali 45 Juta vpliker that

monopoly In international pro- fessional tennis has killed the competitive incentive among the

dayors.

The term

been eircus" has applied to his organisation and. judging by what we saw curlier this week, that just about summ

}). Sexua is

11

and his colleagues. There yerine to to be more than passing feeling that the four experts had not played ne hard or as conscientiouly as WA

had right to expert them to do: some folk felt that they had treated the occasion us n 'hick' stop between Yoru important dates, that they lacked positive incentive to play to win and that much of what they pro duced was little more than u well rehearred ritual.

Personally I am still puzzled). There were times when watch- ing the undoubtedly Lalentert visitors in artion raised one to

high level of tennis deligh but unfortunately these ments

did

in games

100-

nearly

often enough

I know that tennia onL must allow SUMIC- this for the human error and be ready to admit that mistakes will occur...but on the oth

Maybe of course you do not agree with this whole argument. Maybe you are satisfied that the Kreat; mere presence of these great ponality but the others world personalities Is return lacking that vital quality-ar enough for the modest foo

which the HKLTA charge ut the gate.

us at na can be, and even Rosewall's occasional tantrums nowadays chube the crowl nothing more than temporary irritation.

Dissatisfaction

I heard it being argued that one of the features which tend to mislead watchers is that

If that is so I would be the last to quibble with your sense of enjoyment... but 1 canuot forget that I have seen three of these men play much better- and much harder-In other parts of the world.

मै ☆

and a short out-of-

1

lawn

thene modern professional players have, through playing season paragraph for day after day, developers 10 Instinct' as to what is and what bowlers. I have just been Is not retrievable with thereading about

rinks revalt that on many occasions match in South Africa in which the first five woods delivered on the ninth head were all touchers ... any of our statisticians tell me if we have any record of an equal or better achieve- ment in Hongkong?

MOST DEVILISHLY CUNNING SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR

By DEREK JOHN

My vote for the "Most Devilishly Cunning Sportsman of the Year" goes to Mr Al Lopez. manager of the Chicago White Sox baseball team.

Mr Lopez is not satisfied with dictating tactics in the dressing room. He likes to run things on the field as well. And he has found a way to do it.

It's all done by secret rádio. The pitcher's mound is fitted with a tiny transmitter and the pitcher has a tiny receiver fitted inside his cap.

Mr Lopez directs tactics by microphone-using, of course, a secret code in case the enemy should be listening in. Ironically, it was the White Sox fans which ruined the experiment with this radio hook-up. They cheered so loudly that they drowned the manager's voice.

THE

WEEKEND

I'LL HELP

GAMBOLS

WALAT!

DICES,

IN THAT

WELL, I'VE HAD IT A LONG TIME

AND ITS OLD -FASHIONED

★

can

The most important topic In Colony football circles at the present time does not concern the current stand- ard of play — neither does it embrace the good old standby regarding good and bad refereeing it has swung back in recent weekát, to the controversial subject of gambling.

The volume of gossip on this very touchy matter bas been growing steadily and some of the apparently strange results that have turned up have given the

score

The other evening I went out of my way to discuss this mutter with a Chinese gentleman who well informed on such things and be summed up the recent

You may point to the recent match between KMB and South and say that pe both China lost a point it must have had some influence on their league standing ... and superücially

by Reg. Wootton

It

that may be true... but you take the trouble to studs the records of both sides and at the some time put a real evaluation on Tung Wal's cham- planship hopes then you will ክርሮ that tie KMB South China draw did not weaken either team's chances of finish.

ing the sensort nt thr top of

the league.

Much has bech sald In Chinese clreles about this par- ticular game and, the low being what it is, it would be impos sible to repeat it here without reactions. But muny people have sold such things.

Suspicion

I am sure much of it is pure and simply hot air....and t um equally sure that It would be impossible to separate fact from fantasy n this stage. but the nner of muspicion is At Qui galu being painted football affairs.

071

-

Those folks most closely terested are making no boner about the fact that they believe gambling influence is oftée more

the

they increase... und Bay that there is plenty circumstantial evidence of that increase in a number of recent results of games in which First Division clubs have been volved.

The situation bears the closest watching. Let's hope the folks who should do.

HASSETT AND MILLER

UNFAIR-

By ARCHIE QUICK

Two former Australian Test Match cricketers, Lindsay Hassett and Keith Miller, are having fun and games taking pot-shots at the MCC cricketers Down Under, getting very well paid for it, incidentally, and incensing the game's lovers in this country. Never have 1 read such biased articles as those appearing under the names of these two.

seeme

In-

Desplie the set-backs Aus- Trueman's foolprints are a han-, for his batemen's protection tralian complacesky bud from dicup to Australia's left handers, when he him! is a spiu May, Lock, Laker, Louder and He follows through closer to the bowler. Stathan at Melbourne, Adelaide wicket than most fast bowlers, and Sydney

that and i feel the Australian captain, everything the Australian whoever he may be would be players do is correct; everything failing in his job if he did not that Fater Linya men đo 19 ask the umpire to enforce more radically wrong.

adequate protection of the bats- men's domain."

pair.

Batemanship, flelding, tactles, even team selection, are all The following morning Miller nayed by this reured

came out with an article almost Good it is to know that they identical Quite a coincidence, will not swny May from la Is it not? steadfast, almost coldly clinical purpose, of retaining the Ashés. Not even a seismograph needle would show a wavering!

Latest Angle

Would Be Fun

Neil Harvey is the Australian left handed batsman evidently for whom Hassett and Miller have such great solicitude, but England have left hunders in Willie The latest ungle seized upon

Watson and Peter by Hassett and Miler is foot-Richardson, and they do not marke on the wicket made by fisk for their protection. Freddie Trueman. Without a There is also the piquant mention of their "quickler" foot- | situation 17h1 since Hassett prints, Hasret! has the nerve to wrote that, Ritchie Benaud has print this: "The question of foot been appointed captain for the merke is a problem that must be Brisbane Test. It will be rather faced because it is sure to arise. | fun if he appeals to the umpirer

by Barry App lely

GO IM HOPING TRAT

I'LL TEAR?

Ever since the MCC landed as Perth this mlping has been go- ing oh. Miller has got so far Richardson as suggesting that should be dropped and Milton found a new opening partner. when it is Richardson who has scored the most runs and notch- ed a

greater mumber of half; centuries so far in the tour.

Answers To Sports Quiz

2. Four. Australia, United

States, France and Britain.

2. 26 miles and 385 yards. 3. Donald Campbell.

4. Yes. When it is in water or

when it is falling

5. Godfrey Evana.

6. Dai Dower,

7. (a) Lawn

off the

Tonnia,

(b)

Cricket, (c) Sici-ing. 8. 92.

Cooking Problems Solved, D. Goit.

10. Bobby Jones.

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DARNED

THING WON'T

{WEAR OUT-

ELLEN WAS TELLING

ME ABOUT HEAL

SHES GOT IS CHILDREN

ALREADY

AND SUBE HOPING FOR) SEVEN MORE IN THE NEW YEAR

HUH?

AND GUE ONLY STARTED) TEACHING MUSIC SIX: MONTHS A20

WITH GAS

EUROPE

... should have sent II by Pan American'

GIRGO