1960-01-21 — Page 9

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SPORTSMEN IN THE NEWS

THE CHINA MAIL, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 1960.

Jack Kramer-He makes Wimbledon bend the knee

By RICHARD BERRY

In November, 1947, an event took place which was later to change the shape of world tonnis. That month, John Albert Kramer, Wimbledon and American champion, signed a 50,000-dollar contract to tour as a professional.

It seemed a harmless enough move at the time.

Other tennis

had

giants Big Bill Tilden and Fred Perry among them turned professional in pre-war days. And the amateur game had gone on from strength to strength.

Wis

A

But "Jake" Kramer

different proposition. A very man with the tennis and busi- world! ness ability to beenine champion among players and impresarios.

In two years as a protes- sional, Kramer earned some

dollars 200.000

and saved enough to go into business for

Then himself.

be gambled by making the highest bids for the world's leading play-

CTS,

Three times he snapped up Australia's world-beating" Davis Cup players Frank Sedemnan and Ken McGregor; Lew toad and Ken Rosewall; then Ashley Cooper and Mni Anderson. Other irresistible money offers gained ruch stars ns Ricardo Gonzales, Francisco Segura, Tung Traberi, Alex Olmedo and Res Hertwig.

Top players

Now, with the possible ex- who ception of Neale Fraser,

has turned down I £12,000 offer, he can fairly boast that the world's ten top players are members of his troupe,

reduced

1 las virtually anmiour teams to second-class The Wimbledon Cham- status, planship-on playing standards con n lnger be regarded as the greatest tennis show on earth.

It is with this background in view that a seven-nation commllice has now made the xensational recommendatlan that the world's major cham- pionships. including Wim- bledon, should be declared "open" to all classes of players in 1981 as an expert-, ment.

It is doubtful whether such a

evolutionary iden would have been offelalty

title. In December he helped, markels and a sportswear firm. the United States to regain | He la President and general the Davis Cup from Australia.

of Tennis Tourna-

manager

Inc.

The following June, 1947. hements Int, and World Tennis strode, easily to the Wienble- don final which he won in 45 minutes of overwhelminı power tennis.

Wimbledon's finest

Some consider Kramer to be

Anest Wimbledon's

post-war champion-cool, enteulating and wielding tremendous .power. Even now, as part-time player, there are fewer than Malt a dazen players in the world who could be sure of beating him,

Tennis la still his first love. But business demands the most of his time.

Besides having

De Kreategi tennis players

under contract, he has an in- terest in a Los Angeles golf course, an oli well, 48 super-

The Kramers live in West Las Angeles, in a big ranch- house with its own privato canyon and a garage' housing thrée automobilles,

But the globe-trotting life of a tennis tycoon does have some drawbacks, Last

King year Kramer was able to spend only eight weeks at home with him wife Gloria and five sons.

Benulful • Mrs Gloria Kramer has fearned to accept the situa tion. "I came to realise that Juck isn't a nine o'clock to ve man," she says,

"A man is only happy, if he is doing the job he loves. For Jack that means tenals and his kind of tennis means travelling oil the time."-Central Press,

Pago

HERE'S TO MORE SOCCER Changing face of Rugby

BEER GIVES WAY TO THE

COMFORT IN THE 1960 ENGLISH SEASON

By STAN CULLIS (Manager of Wolves)

London. Who will be League Champions this year? I've just taken a New Year look at the First Division table. I've reflected on some of the recent shock results. And my answer is: The competition is still too open for anyone to make anything like an accurate forecast.

Most of the clubs considered "In the running” for the title

must ruefully Innk back on games they con- sidered should have yield- ed more points.

My

own club, Wolves, for instance, must think them- selves sadly out of luck in

• pointless having such Obristmas.

Healthy sign

Yet the surprise results over

Christmas can suggent healthy sign-

Clabs in the bottom half of the table can still play a big part in deciding who clinches the championship. Of course, there is no doubl ihat the recent heavy rrounds have kad much to do with the shocks.

Sporting interest in South

Africa centres on

forthcoming England

By DEREK JOHN

tour

While interest in the Test matches has reached fever pitch in the West Indies, the chief sporting topic in South Africa is the Springboks' forth- coming cricket tour of England.

in

Such is the enthusiasm

that one of the South Africa

Wooler, is ar mooted so soon electors, Bob

night by

hy for the Influence of Kramer, ranging

of

charter

And certainly the sureess group of Johannesburg business the scheme will depend largelyen see two of the Ave

on the attude of Kramer and Tests grins England.

his men.

Whot klad of person ke this lean American who bestrides the tennis world like a coloreus and who has become a dollar-milaire of sport? Hated defeat

ia

a

Above all, Kramer Nghter. As an amateur tennis player

he balech defeat.

At present Interest centres

DA) the selcaiian of the fouring party.

The tourists will not be

until named

trial after the matches in Johannesburg next month, though Jackie McGlew has already been named captain and, Dudley Nourse is manager.

JLS

Like their English counter- used to cry my eyes out when parts, the South African selec unybody beat me," he says, tors are in the process of team. "Then I'd chase the guy around building and several youngstera the world until I'd licked him" are expected to be chosen

A warning

He is the same in big business their first four, -tough, shrewd and deter- minut. But beneath the fast- talking sophisticated facade is a waim-heurled family man, happily married and the proud father of Ave boys.

Jack Kramer was born 38 yours

In Las 2.50

Versa, Nevada, the son of a locomo- live engineer. on the Union Pacific Railroad, His father.

who had a lough upbringing.

was determined son should

have all the sporting opport- anilles ho himself had missed,

for

Jack Cheetham, Bouth Africa's cricket captain on the fast Springbok lour of Eng. land, says;

believe wo shall have to pick a side in the same

way as we Australia when

did for all-round player the

ability cave que edge over another." This should be taken as warning by Englund.

It

2

was in 1952 that Cheetham led an inexperienced team to

nascul was Jack's rst Australia and the outicok craze. Then he showed such so gloomy that ruany critics promise rat tentis that ha suggested the tour should be family promptly moved to Los cancelled.

Angcles which has the best The outcome was one of the tennis-playing facilities in the biggest cricket stocks in years. -United States. Kramer was 14, South Afrien won two Tests and Jack pained free coaching un-shared the rubber-London der the Junior Development Express Service. Programme and was

spotted by Perry T. Jones, then secretary of the Southern California Tennis Association, now boss of the American Davis Cup team and known as the Tir of American tennis.

Pacific war

Jones helped young Kraner-

to become a member of the

exclusive Los Angeles Tonnis

Royal Ascot to

have new £lm stand

Ascot, Jan, 20.

Club. Then he fatroduced the An American-styled stand,

boy to the great Ellsworth

Vines, 1032 Wimbledon cham-

plan. who coached Hirn TC- gularly.

Tennis now became Kramer's whole life. He won a

couting In the region of one million pounds is to be built at the Royal As- cot racecourse after the July meeting this year., scholarship to A college in The sland, which will re- Florida are Jones introduced place the Alexander and Grand him to Walter Pate, then US Tier Stands, built in 1993 and Davis Cup captain. At 10, he 1839, will be completed in ton was selected for his country's mouths and will accommodato, Cup squad.

approximately

people War interrupted Kramer's Career and he served as the under cover.

South Pacine, commanding a tank landing craft in

18,000

There will be boxes,

with

a private dining room. thela terrace of steps aloping

each

A

up

vasions of New Gulner and

the Philippines. But his tennis from the front lawn will pro-

was unimpaired.

Demobbed, ho quicidly res gined top form and was made

vide a clear view of the whole track for 0,009 people. Fusing beyond the steps and for the

Ho, 2 wd in the 1940 Wim 600-feat length of the whole bledon Championships., Hut for stand will be 10,000 tip-up chronic blisters on his moquet | stall venta.

hand, some experts believe ho One feature of the old lands would have won the title that is to bo relained. Ansot's yenr.

famous chimnisig“ dlock #

Three months Ixier bo 18p« | snoppaar in K héi toyretjem. inred the Amațioan slagles | China Mail Special.

FOUR D. JONES THE ROCKET IS BACK TO BARTH

MADDOCKS

IT'S A

BOMB!,

FERDINAND

NANCY

I WONDER IF IT'S REALLY WET

WET PAINT

OF COURSE

BRICK BRADFORD

THE DIRECTOR IS IN CHARGE OF

AFFAIRS HERE!

WE MADEIT!

OH BOY. LET ME GET

OUT

THIS

TIN CAN

IF IT SAYS

1

It is interesting to think (bat

many Continental League games would be cancelled if they had anything Bike the muddy conditions we have at present.

High value

From my GWD observations

and

and from hearing reading

reports of other natches, I think it la 'very reasonable to say the en- tertainment value of matches this half-season has been a high, if not higher. than for Many HODNOTIN,

While I am not regarding it as infallible, the match mark systems used by the Daily

Express and other papers certainly bear out this improvement,

So the entertainment pro- vided. at least by the majority of the clubs, CANNOT be blamed for the adverse attendance figures.

A 1960 wish

We

oor

I feel certain bat

could have more covered accommodation League grounds we should see improved gates.

02

If I could grant wat dah

to League findings would ⚫ unhesitatingly plump for more comforts for the spectators.

I think many clubs have this as top priority for the future. - London Exress Bervice.

CREATURES!

THEY MUST BE

PROM MARS

WET ITS WET-- DONT BE

STUPID

OH! WE'D BATTER GST IN THE TIMO- TOP AND GET CUT OF HERE, KRIS/

WB CAN'T ENTER THE TIME-TOP UNTIL

BRICK GIVES US

THE ALLCLEAR!

Filly por cant of the Rugby

footballers of today hava a cup of tea after the game, and go off almost Immediately to join their wives or girl friends. Twenty-five per cent hang ou for a couple of hours over one pint of beer, and then disappear from the club house.

The 23 per cent wiw stay DKI and sing art the older players, brought up in the tradition of a beery Saturday night.

a

This revolutioh in the Rugby world has been discovered by

committee 18 four-man painted by England's most- famous club, the Harlequine, to investigate the habits of

their modern members,

Don't drink

A Rugby moves into the 1980's, their findings are of consider- able importance to clubs, nol- ably the big metropolitan ones, who face the problem at declining bar receipts and loss sociable Saturday evenings. The members of this Harlegulus Committee were Derek Writing, David Marques, Martin Jackson, and Colin Laird, Whiting.

L

London produce merchant, aged 28, explains: "Young people don't like drink,

or wanting money on it, as j

1

GIRL FRIEND

By Roy McKelvie and Chrys

'Living Doll'

their Rugby predecessors dick of them don't smoke,

ground to join their wives, or 'go up West', with their girl friends."

Most elther.

In five years

from

"We

And that many of young players leave

Our the

A

*If I were a Marrying Mald

IN THE NAME OF THE SOVIET, I COMMAND

YOU SURRENDER 38 JACK!

PUT THAT THING AWAY YOU 'NIT, IT'S ANG

YOUR COMMISSAR

THE DIRECTOR (B LEAVING HIS SHIR KRIS, HE WON'T BE VERY PLEASED WITH THE DESTRUCTION WI

HAVE DONE HERE! Y

By Mik

By Ernie Bushmiller

THE LABEL SAYS DRY GINGER ALE

SET YOUR GAS GUN READY, PAW WE'LL PUT HIM IN A PRACEFUL MOOD IF NEED

128

By Paul Norris

HE TALKINS

| "TO GOWE OF THE MARTIANS! HE POESN'T LOOK VERY HAPPY/}]

SHEAFFER'S SNORKEL

S'all & Short people prefer

SWISSAIR

THE AIRLINE OF SWITZERLAND

CROWNTREE'S

AERO

THE

شهور شد ؟

MILK CHOCOLATE THAT'S DIFFERENT!

You can be SURE

if it's...

AXFORD

FORD

CORD

Harlequins have a special prob- lem, since they draw players

all over England their Saturday games.

for

Whiting added; "This trond

has appeared over the past Ave years. Up till then, most players behaved as before the

war.'

To counter the taend, this Har- lequins committee recommend greater attractions for young players and their girl friends at their Todkiington

club- house, and, possibly, a com munal meeting place, with reasonably priced meals, In the centre of London. The problem is not financial, since young players, except for students and the article clerk types, are

beller off than ever before. It is that the habits of young men have changed.

Clubs such as Richmond and Rosslyn Park have recognised a new demand for social life by running "hops" through the season in their modern club houses, to make players, wives, and girl friends feel the Rugby club is a family offair.

The experiments have been

reasonably successful.

Ken Smith, of Rosslyn Park, Buys. "Not anly do the modern players drink Icas, but very rarely nowadays do you see a Rugby player light.

Tradition dies

"In my young days that Was more or less the alm on Saturday night,"

much

Smith finds not only that the modern player gets married earlier, but that ho,is far more serÍDUA about the game,

"They are

so keen nowadays that no sooner have

they Anished Lils week's match

than they are discussing the next, I often wonder whether It makes them better players." The fact

remains, as many fathers of teenage sons must have discovered, that today's youngslera oro not prepared to entry on the old traditions.

+

Less appeal

Singing time-honoured ballads, Mald If I were a Merrying and The Good Ship Venter, over bara swilling with appeals to them less Living Dolt Or Travelling Light, and Expresso coffee.

than

The revolution is not complete. Wasps and Old Cranleighans and among clubs who do not allow women into their main bars, and have no immediate intention of "opening those back to them.

CHESS

by LEONARD BARDEN

(NG, 0798).

Hero in a position from actual play: White to move, and win London Carved during