1938-11-23 — Page 10

PAGE 10-HONGKONG DAILY PRESS

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1938,

** In the World of Sports

!

Second-Class Rugby Needs

WAS IT A HOMER?

Better Referees

PLAYERS FORCED TO DEVELOP OWN INTERPRETATIONS OF LAWS

When I find on my table the first letter about the inefficiency of referees I know that the Rugby season has really begun. The hunt is pp. in fact, and "the warmint's astir," as Mr. Jorrocks remarked one One morning.

Not that I hold with abuse of referees, who are a mealous, self- sertficing and almost wholly samitable body of enthusiasts. It is Just that human nature delights to express Itself by abusing the man in charge, whether he is responsible for a nation or a rame of ̈ football, weltes & Home correspondent.

Heavy-batter Davis of the Hongkong Baseball Club, shap- ing for a home run.

PROBLEM

OF

GATE MONEY IN WALES

This particular letter complains Now we come again to contro- that the refereeing in second-class versy. Amicable controversy this Rugby Football' football is so indifferent that play-time. A difference of opinion. ers are forced to develop their own about scrummage formations. B. Interpretations of the laws. It Walker, the Irish forward, who led therefore follows that when a the British team so admirably, has player graduates to first-class foot-come back a firm convert to the ball his ideas are already warped, 3-4-1 method. Major B. C. Hart- and the game is thus poisoned at ley, the honorary 'manager, main- tains thut the 3-2-3 formation is the root

My correspondent has himself equally endent if only the back- played in second-class football for row forwards will condescend to 10 fears, so he speaks from ex- shove. perience. Bitter experience, he

This argument is bound to spread

would say, and he suggests that like a prairie Ard. I have before an excellent. Uttle handbook the Rugby Union should examine me cauces before they criticise effects, which the Old Blues committee issue to all their players. It is s tactics, DEMAND EXCEEDS SUPPLY There, I am sure something very sound treatise on

in this contention; though the mainly compiled by R. A. Jones. Rugby Union can do very little who captained the club in 1934, out it. The truth of the matter and the Old Blues deserve to is that the demand for referees per for their enterprise.. vastly exceeds the supply. Re- fereeing is extremely difacult

RIVAL. FORMATIONS

Serious Decline In Public Interest

It was a general complaint among the leading Welsh Rug- by clubs last season that public interest in club Rugby had shown a serious décline.

More than one club made

correspondent.

A

SPORTS FLASHES

THE

HONGKONG BOWLING Alleys have proved to be such success that work is already under way with the extension plan. It is, however, not yet. decided how many more alleys will be con- structed. It being thought that at least another four will be put up.

•

DESMOND HYNES, the Hongkong Football Club rugger and soccer player, will be proceeding on Home leave on February 3, 1939. Hynes is a regular member of the Club "A" XV and is regarded as a very useful man.

THERE IS A DISTINCT possibility that A S. Suffad, the Indian Club first eleven Recreation cricketer, will return to the game in the New Year: Suflad has had to be content with merely watch- ing for the past two seasons due to leg trouble.

| LADIES AT HOCKEY AND SOFTBALL

1

The above photographs (top) show the C.BA. girls at hockey" and the bottom pictures depict two eldents during one of the recent werk-end softball games when the ladies pat up such a creditable display (Photo by All

LIGHT BLUES LOSE AT RUGGER

London, Nov. 22.

The

1

to

BRUTUS NOW IN "B" CLASS

alteration following.. W. C CHOY, the novice jockey, Is

The Cambridge University rugby Classification Lists dated June 7. convalescing after a bout of illness. He will not, it is feared, team recelyed a beating yesterday 1938 is announced by the Hong- be able to play for the Chinese at the hands of Newport, losing kong Jockey Club:- Recreation Club in the Badminton by six points to 18.-Reuter. League for some time to come.

·

THERE HAS BEEN SOME talk about the formation of a Sun-

day

Australian Ponies

"Brutus" to "B" class.

MEDWAY WIN

cricket team, members of

+

Sporting

Fixtures

TO-DAY

| BADMINTON. - "B" Division, Re- trelov, Kowloon Tong "A"; St. John's . VR.C.: Kowloon Tong v. Wanders; YMG.A. Bad- minton in the West Lounge, all day: Cathedral Hall Bad- minton League Match, 8 p.m BOWLS.-His Excellency The Goy: ernor's Team v. Club de Recreio (Government House), 3.15 p.m. CRICKET.-D. B. 8. v. Old Boys

(DB.S.), 1.45 pm.

HOCKEY.-L Salle Y EXIA.

(King's Park), 4.30 p.m. RUGBY-Club "A" v. an Army

XV (Club), 5 p.m.: SHOOTING."

Weekly

Fractice

Shoot (Kowloon City Ranges), 2

31 p.m. 1

TO-MORROW

BRIDGE-Cheers Club Bridge and

Mahjong 8 p.m. HOCKEY.

Tournament,

-

Hongkong

Queen's College 4.45 p.m.

University

(University),

H.K.C.C. TEAM.

The following will represent the Hongkong C.C. 2nd Meven in a ericket match against C.B.S. at the EXC.C. on Saturday:-

R. S., W. Paterson (Capt.); A. G.

Stokes.

THE REV. C. B. R. SARGENT plays his last game of cricket for the Diocesan Boys' School to which will be made up of mostly

In a friendly hockey match play-Beck, C. W. Bishop, N. P. Fox. day in the game against the Old First Division League players. W. Boys. He is captaining the side HL. "B") Colledge, W. Paterson, Aed at King's Park yesterday HMS C. "E. Gabayan. H. J. Armstrong. pros-heavy financial loss on the season's for the first time, having always R. H. Esmall and A. K. Ismall are Medway defeated the YM.C.A. by J. Lnsley, H, J. D. Lawe, G. S.

three goals in each halt.. working, and the view was express-played under one of the boys when amongst those likely to turn out six goals to nil, the sailors scoring Lovett, D. O. Parsons and I. H.

for this side. ed that if things did not improve he was headmaster. I am glad to note that after some famous clubs would be faced From all, I bankruptcy. with they Job, and a thankless, one at that, general tactical statement and, aprtunately far too few begin with forward play. What is gather, gates this season have been piayers take it up when they retire. more. they advocate the 3-4 smaller than ever, writes a Home

Consider, for example, the Lon-formation, "as it has so many at-

True, the weather has been un- don Society of Referees, whose tacking and breaking advantages." work for the garbe is invaluable, i Let us admit that it produces a usually bad for this time of the They manage to produce approx-quick heel and brings the fank year, but even on Saturday week, mately 200 referees a week, but. men in the second row a yard or so a day of brilliant sunshine, crowds eyen 30, they can only supply the nearer the opposition, whether for were disappointingly small What first and "A" teams of the big defence or attack. These two men is to be done about it?

Obviously, the game needs to be the clubs and the first teams ofàre better placed for watching the

more attractive to ball when their opponents heel It, made. second-class clubs

Now clubs like the London Scotland we must not forget that if spectator. It must compete stic their cessfully with other forms of en- tish or the Wasps run eight or they push they transmit nine teams every Saturday and all weight directly to the front row. tertainment like soccer and the

rellere, the strain on the thefr junior teams, therefore, have and

to make do with any referee they second row, which is apt to buckle can, find

In the 3-2-3 formation.

These are important considera- tions, but against them we must

cinema

There are thousands of people who think that Rugby at its beat is unequalled as a spectacle, but of those thousands only a small per- a grave disadvantage. The centage are so desperately keen on 3-4-1 method of packing is 11-watching Rugoy that they will put adapted for wheeling. If the ball up indefnitely with the miserable Is Held in the second row the flank succession of scrums and line-outs men are apt to impede the middle that make up so many games in men. when they try to swing wide. Wales nowadays.

There was a time, in the first de- and if the ball is overrun by the second row there is only one back-cade of this century, when it might be claimed with truth that Welsh

This is obviously a serious and deplorable state of affairs. It can only be remedied if the players set themselves will decide that when their playing days are over they will give their services as referees In return for the pleasure which the game has given them.. **RECRUTTING DRIVE NEEDED

7

This la'not a new problem, but it row forward in support. remains an urgent. one. We need my view the argument tums Rugby was the best in the world. many more referees, recruited par-upon this point. You may contend That was the era of solid, stolid tienfarly from those who have had that in the modern game quick packs and brilliant three-quarters, playing experience. Refereeing is heeling and quick breaking are the when forwards kept themselves to not a responsibility to be under vital factors, which means that themselves, and one set of backs taken lightly. It means consider you are a 3-4-1 supporter." able self-sacrifice and constant application.

fought an equal battle of wits against the other,

WING-FORWARD BLAMED Everybody in Wales knows that that era is past. Any Welsh Rugby

INVALUABLE WEAPONS You may, as I hope, take the Dar debt of gratitude to those devoted souls who do approach it larger and opposite view that what seriously is already great, but the the game most needs is a return to time has assuredly come for a big constructive forward play in the follower will tell you the game is old manner. This implies that not what it was, and will blame the recruiting drive.

The British players who have forwards should be masters of wing-forward for the fact. There mystery about" "the just returned from South Africa the straight shove and the wheel, is thus no were considerably impressed by the since. these manoeuvres are not disease which afflicts Welsh Rugby. In the only invaluable attacking and de- The difficulty is to persuade the standard of refereeing Walon. That is not surprising. fensive weapons, but primary fac- Welshman that there is any cure They played under picked referees, taxs in the control of the game. and I have no doubt that a Domi- nion team visiting the home com- +tries would be equally impressed

If the British team had watched second-class football South Africe they might well have been less enthusiastic.

in

ADVERTISEMENT

THE HONG KONG JOCKEY CLUB.

for it.

I contend, then, that the ortho-

A spirit of defeatis seems "to dox 3-2-3 packing, provided the permeate Rugby followers every second row forwards are up to where. I often hear it said that their job, is the best balanced and the English teams alone seem cap- the most satisfactory for all-round able of playing the open game that scrummaging purposes. And all spectators want to see, but few round scrummaging is the pith and people seem to know why it is marrow of Rugby football

that passing movements are de- veloped more often by English than by Welsh club sides.

I am stu! old-fashioned enough to think that forwards should die- tate the run of play, and this they Partly It Is because English sides cannot do if heeling and breaking are less wedded to safety-drst tac- tics, but there is another and more are their main preoccupations.

There will, as I say, be contro-important reason The average versy about thú. Many clubs, in Welsh team knows one, and, only all probability, will adopt the 3-one, method of getting the ball 41 formation as a result of back to the three-quarters that is, Drait Programmes and Entry Walker's advocacy. I only hope by heeling from the get scrum- Farms for the Twelfth Extra that when they give it a trial they mages. Race Mecting to be held on will think it out, with all its im Saturday, 3rd December, 1938 plications

(weather permitting), may be obtained at the Secretary's Office, Exchange Baldlog; the Club House, Happy Valley; the Hogg Kong Club; the Sports Club: and the Stables, Shan Kwong Road.

Entries close at 12 o'clock NOON on Thursday, 24th Nov. ember, 1938.

By Order

B. BROWN:

But, as everybody knows, the wing-forward system of defence has robbed this time-honoured method of most of its effectiveness. The quick heel from a loose move- à far more potent method of at- There will be a game of Rugby tack under modern conditions-is Football on the Club ground at completely neglected by all the Happy Valley to-day, when the Welsh cluos except Cardin, and it

RUGBY FOOTBALL

Club "A" XV will play the Lancais no mere coincidence that Cardi shire Fusiliers. The game

are the most spectacular side in A Wales. commence at 5 pm sharp.

The Club team has been selected I'am convinced that the regen- as follows: F, Hopkins, E. &eration of Welsh club Rugby de Munro, C. J. Powell, D. Bynes, p. I pends upon the ability of Welgr Bosanquet, F. Cessford, R. Hen- packs to master the principles of derson, J. C, Menhinick, J. 9. Dun- the loose-heel When they do nett (Captain), W. Stoker, R. E. Welsh back-play will come into las Naison, Hynes, BOM Deane, own again and spectators ELL 1971 H Pratt and K. H. G. White? flock to Bee 1,7

Wills's

Hasterpieces

GOLD FLAKE

CIGARETTES

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