1961-07-03 — Page 9

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ABOUT SPORT

Cricket's flabby anachronism

By Brian 'Glanville

Rain and Test Matches; what a travesty they make of that flabby anachronism, the county cham- pionship! In the current agitation for week- end matches, nobody seems to have made the point that not only would they be more in tute with the times, more economically viable, but they might also rationalise county cricket. Cricket's vulnerability to the eludert during the week, and weather has always Tent an counties depleted by Test calls andertone of fares to a cham- to postpone their games, The pionship as overcrowded and championship would be more real Protracted as ours: the match. If consequence. where play Is Irated to a few hours, the match where rain frustrates a certain result,

The Varsity cricket match, is Immediate--t Lord's on July 15, 17. 10-and dangerously unpre trast in caploine.

As for the Test calls, depriv-dictable, There's a marked con- Ing countles of their best players for not one but 1wo matches, ons can only say that the M.C.C. are lucky they do not have to deal with the Faniball League clubs!

Varsity captains

10

Traditionalists and sentiment alists will argue that it has seldom done much harm Yorkshire or Surrey in the past:- that Surrey's championship nionopoly colnelded with

period in which they furnished half the England team. True: but in a gat like cricket, an Individual sport first, and team Kame second, t is the smaller, weaker counties which suffer most when forced to re- lease a stur.

matches, played

Kirby, the Cambridge captain, is a large man to whom spec- tacles Jend an almost benign appearance. Like another Cam- bridge captain. Norman Yardley, he attended St Peter's, York, but unlike Yardley, he plays for, and has captained, Leicester shire.

Oxford's captain, the Nawab of Pataudi, is condemned to play forever in the shadow of hte legendary father. Did he score a century last year in his fra Varsity match? No did his father. Will he get one this year? its father. In 1031. scored 238 nol out,

Oxford appeal

Weekend over Saturday, Sunday and Nawab cuts Monday would allow weather-shouldered, impaired matches to be con- figure,

Chess News

By LEONARD BARDEN

Solution No. 5057: 1 P-RIO, BxP: 2 B–K5 cho KH a QxP cht. Ki×Q: 4Kt×P mate. Sendon roten meritra,

Out in the field, the second

a fragile,

round- alinasi adolescent engulfed by a Jersey which surely belongs to some one else. The facade-all lan guid aristocracy should not,. perhaps, be taken too seriously. After all, his father, as a young prodigy, is sald to have turned to his neighbour at

1 dinner table and asked: "Do you know, Frank Woolley says I'm the best baleman

In England." Not from vanity, but out of sheer, anguished embarrassment,

Four D. Jones/ JONES/I'M IN BY MADDOCKS

LUCK, THIS MUST BE THE GOODY GOODY NUMAN OLD NICK

200 TOLD ME TO

NOBBLE

THE CHINA MAIL, MONDAY, JULY 3, 1961.

The second Nawab of Pataudi (sea "Varsity coptains").

Vincent's, the Oxford sporting club, are looking for £20,000; the spent falls just short of their centenary, In 1963. Alec Ramsay, the secretary (son of Bill Ramsay, treasurer of the

the European' Boxing Charnley's manager, Bergis, tells me. And tickets, loo.

PUTTING UP

THE BANS

The ban on Richle Denaud, no longer allowed to talk to the Press about off- the-field matters, merely throws into

rellef 籍 Lamentable trend.

In more and more sports, athletes are being treated like children, banned from giving Interviews of any sort to the Freas. All Chit Australian cricketers, Benaud and Harvey apart, were obliged to promise, before they sailed, that they would not five interviews. The Springbok Rugby players were banned from talking. So, for some reason that posses ex- plaḥation, are Scottish nationals.

inter-

Dans of this sort are the pro- duct of mingled arrogance and fear; they are also totally un- realistic. Major sporl, whether it is overly professional, or whe ther it is played by omatetis and drawn money at the gate, is dependent on lelly; ob- scurity would kill 11.

Certainly there are unscrupu lous interviewers, certainly there ore tactless athletes. But the solution lies in dealing with the problem in an adult and con structive manner; not to cover behind a silly barricade. The Lawn Tennis Association did not bah Roger Becker from talk- Unlon,, ing to the Press, but when they Arthur disapproved (rightly, in my the akti view) of what he said, they had it in their power to ban him; and they did. If you with to talk to a Surrey cricketer, you must gel the permission of the secretary; again, # perfectly reasonable condition.

Rugby Union), tells me: The Over to match-play

premises are in the middle of Ox- Lord; most of the visiting teams are entertained there. All ex- penses have gone up, stewards' wages have gone up so they're looking for some money.

At the moment, undergradu- ates going down are naked to alan a banker's order, for a pound a year. Once you've got the banker's order. It's amazing how long it takes any- one to cancel it!", -

The club dinner this year takes place at the Savoy on July 14: Lord Amery is the speaker. Was he an athlete, then, I nsk- ed? Haven't u clue,** sold Ramsay, "I think he was just a clubbable chap."

· Cash in advance

That Charnley-Nobile bout in Rome is scheduled now forduly 5. But the organisers must ẞrs! deposit the £8,000 burse with

WHAT'S GOING ON?~ WENT ALL PECULIAR FOR

A MOMENT

SAY MAN, 1 LIKE THE WAY YOU HANDLE THE BIRDS, BUT TROUBLE IS ABOUT TO ENTER INTO YOUR LIFE

OH OH!

THE BOY

FRIEND

COMETH

Mr Arthur

is

Holl Knight,

ol The tournament manager Daks Company-their profess fonul competition worth | £2,750—has declared war

stroke-play. The publle, he be lleves, are growing "heartily slek of It,"

on

"My Idea is to step up our prize money for 1062 and, with an open entry, have the Arst two rounds of stroke play with 32

and then qualifiers

change straight over to knock-out golf, on a match-play basis. This may muan ment to four days, but I am

toura- extending the

If the Benaud Affair servển to ventilate the whole, unnecessary have problem, then it will occurred for the best.

Sports Diary

TODAY

Meeting Victoria Recreation Club annual

Dank Board Room, 3.30 pm.

ΤΟ ΜΟΙΠΟΝ

Телев

meeting at Hongkong and Shanghai

convinced it will be worth it. I

Ladler "B" Division: Uskc v have been taking a census of Recrelo, Urban C▾ LRC. opinion on the project, and I find that most people are very much in favour.

Just lately, I have become increasingly bored--and so. have the public-by the lack of cut- and-thrust golf that match-play brings. I believe my directors will welcome it."

YOU,SIR, HAVE INSULTED THE LIGHT OF MY LIFE, AND YOU ARE ABOUT TO

SUFFER. INDEED YES

Bowls Colony Singles championship PRC. HKFC, HKCC. KBGC, Talkoo, matches (Thated round) at Beerélő, RCC.

Water Polo CYMCA v South China, 8:30 pm; to Tin Army Jalami, 7 pm Vic toria Park Pool,

Sheaffer's

Newest

=

BALL POINT

PEN

AVAILABLE AT

Att goop ŠTORES.

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