1951-01-08 — Page 6

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH, MONDAY, JANUARY 8, 1951.

THESE FOUR ARE "TOPS" IN BRITISH SPORT

Says RAYMOND GLENDENNING

From a long list of those who have been in the limelight this year I have chosen the four who have done most for British sport both in this country and abroad.

When I say British, Dominions readers must forgive me if I talk solely of men born within these islands, other- wise the task becomes too fantastic.

Here in passing let me raise my hat to men like Weekes, Worrell, John Goddard and Sonny Ramadhin of the West Indies, and South African golf star Bobby Locke.

Well, here are my four:

So hats off to Harry and, of course, his outstanding com- panion Foxhunter.

(1) Geoffrey Dukes.

(2) J. T. Holden,

(3) Harry Llewellyn.

(4) Dai Rees.

Worrell Scores

A Century

Jamshedpur. Jan.

7.

146 the and

A splendid innings of runs by Frank Worrell, West Indies Test player, rest of the players enabled the some consistent batting by the Commonwealth Cricket touring team to gain a first innings lead Governor's XI here today. of 150 runs against the Bihar

The Commonwealth declared their first

1,

team innings closed at 343. runs for eight wickets and at the close of play the Governor's XI, who had scored. 193 runs in their first innings, had made 24 runs for no wicket in their second knock-Reuter.

My number four, that irre- pressible, Dai Rees, short of You will see I have picked a stature but mighty of drive, who racing motorcyclist, a long-retained his Match Play Cham- distance runner, a rider of show pionship, won the Masters' and jumpers, and a golfer. That several other tournaments and surprises you, does it not? finished second only to Bobby SPORTSMAN'S DIARY

Laoke in the Open.

What, no footballers and no cricketers? No established favourites like Gordon Richards, Len Hutton, Reg Harris, Joe Davis or Stanley Matthews in my list? Not this year.

Nerve Strain Was Our Batsmen's Bogy

Says IVAN SHARPE

"Send for Bill Edrich and Fishlock," they are scream- ing from Australia. Let's do the job thoroughly. Send for Wilfred Rhodes and Frank Woolley as well.

Is it old-timers we are needing? Aren't we supposed to be blooding youngsters to get English cricket out of by England at Soccer at the age of 38, isn't joining in the rut? I will wager Leslie Compton, recently capped the chorus.

SIMPSON, Dewes, Parkhouse, able to follow the example of Close ("Send him home!") Bailey, who decided to remain can all do better. If not, it's the in his hotel because he could selectors who should be sacked.not stand the Nerve-strain is the cause of the watching..."

strain of batting breakdown, and only experience can remove it.

"As wickets began to fall Denis Compton just couldn't bear to look. J

Nerve-strain? These things I have read from Melbourne: "So tense was the struggle that many of the English players must have wished they had been

Von Cramm At 40 Will Be Back

EARNED HIS PLACE

When you consider that in his wake he has left powerful pro- fessionals like Roberto Vicenzo (Argentina), Flory Van Donck ALL HAVE CLAIMS (Belgium), Hassan 'Hassencim Gottfried Von Cramm, pre-vice with the same club, at (Egypt), Ossie Pickworth (Aus-war German tennis ace, will a mounting total of £150 per True, these men all have a tralia), Italian champion Ugo head the official German team season. He cannot in any way .claim to high praise. Gordon for Grapazoni and New Zea- that will visit Wimbledon next augment this benefit, and the becoming, at the age of 46,land champion Alec Murray, as year,

€750 is taxable at the rate of champion jockey for the 23rd well as the cream of our own time; Len Hutton not only for talent, you must agree he dem The German Tennis Associa- 9s. in the £. his topping the 2,000 runs, but serves his place.

tion is planning to take part in. Jack Parker, who will have for his outstanding performance

all major championships, includ-a benefit, has been with Surrey in the recent Test.

I know it's a list that won't ing the Davis Cup

following 18 years. If he had served an please everybody. I wish, for their readmission Then there is Reg Harris, for instance, I could have included the International Tennis Federa-he could have received £2,700. recently by Association team for that period So successfully confounding the Peter Doherty for his inspiring tion. Continentals at their own pet leadership of Doncaster Rovers sport of cycling; Joe Davis foron and off the field, and for the still being the "Daddy of 'em craft and generalship he showed all on the green baize; and the when making an international evergreen wizard of

Soccer, come-back for Ireland after a Stanley Matthews, for lighting

lapse of years. up a murky December afternoon "with a feast of football that proves him stil the "Prince of Soccer."

ANOTHER VETERAN

One other veteran footballer, Joe Mercer, the

who

man

but .whom Tom

But they just do not compare with the record of first, 27-thought he was too old for year-old Geoffrey Dukes, Bri- football, tain's invisible sporting export Whittaker persuaded not of the year!

"hang up his boots" but to con- tinue skippering Arsenal,

Here is an amazing all- rounder, whose modesty is matched only by his fearless- ness. From novice to world champion in little over a year is his claim to fame.

WHAT A RECORD!

to

And so I could go on, but I leave to you, your pals and your leisure

moments to make your own list. But

I don't think you'll pick a better four

than mine.

All-India Tennis

In June, 1949, he won the Senior Clubman's race in the Isle of Man, in September the Senior Manx Grand Prix and in 1950 Dukes not only won the Senior T.T, (putting up new re- cord speeds), but was second in the Junior Race, won the Ulster Grand Prix and the Grand Prix

Bombay, Jan. 6. des Nations

Sven Davids, the the Monza on

Swedish Circuit-the

number two, qualified for the world's fastest road race at an average speed final of the men's singles in the of over 100 miles per hour.

All-India hard No

tennis by other racing motor-cyclist has championships here today

beating the American, Irving ever risen so rapidly to fame.

Dorfman by 7-5 and 6-4 in the semi-final.

JACK'S BEST?

in his

court

Jaroslav Drobny, the self- exiled Czech, now playing for

meets F. Egypt,

Kovaleski

As a cricketer his prospects are At the age of 40, Von Cramm, brighter, but he is dependent on weather and additional sums thrice runner-up at Wimbledon before the war, is still a world-from Sunday games, dances and other methods of money raising. class player ranking not far below men like Drobny and Geoff Brown. Hitherto he has always played as a private in- dividual.

No rival has challenged Von Cramm's status as Germany's number one -player. Should Great Britain come up against Germany in the Davis Cup, one might Lesitate to lay odds against a German victory.

EYRE REPLIES

Empire three miles champion Len Eyre, who has just won the Civil Service Championship for

Looks as if a cricketer's life is financially sounder in the long run.

MILLION-TO-ONE

And friend Swanton, journalist and radio commentator, says: "I confess I could not steel myself to watch Hutton with- standing Iverson's last over."

Yet, alongside the Tests of 1902, won by Australia by three runs at Manchester, and by England by one wicket at the Oval (Hirst and Rhodes got the last 15 runs in singles), this match at Melbourne was a walk- over.

WE

BEST OF ALL

THAT'S wrong. These years of rationing? Some vitamin missing somewhere? Or is it that our games, Tests and Cup- ties, have become excessively important? That's about it. has happened in these latest Anyway, the best of all things

Tests in Australia. Bowlers are This is of greater consequence sharing honours with batsmen.

than the question of which side wins.

Even Australia is saying this is better than the Bradman marathons. Of course it is. When wickets fall there's fun. It's a game, a match, as distinct

from a murder.”

I revel in a match, like that at Melbourne, yielding 722 runs for 40 wickets. That's cricket. Chance-in-a-Million football 700 in oue innings isn't cricket. injury has put Arthur Franks, I reckon it was hard-earned 31-year-old South Liverpool money

when I was paid to goalkeeper, in hospital. Th

report the Test at the Oval in injury? A fractured adam's which Hutton scored 304 in 800 apple.

minutes and England 903 for seven, declared,

. Franks received a blow in the throat, during a match against Rhyl in a Welsh Senior Cup-tie yesterday. Last night an opera-

tion was performed.

A doctor said today that the

the third successive year, is in- terested to learn that his great track rival Bill Nankeville is paying more attention to cross-injury was rare from any cause; country this season, (This he had never heard of it before column December 6).

in a sporting event.

1

"I'm looking forward to meet- ing him over the country in the near future," he says. "In the meantime I'll have to put in some training."

Eyre's next appearance in the South will be in the Inter- Counties Championships at Aylesford, Kent, on January 20. With both Eyre and Aaron in good form already this season, the Yorkshire

team may well challenge Lancashire, present holders of the title. Eyre was in New Zealand when the race was run last season.

Of

WHO GETS MORE?

Announcement

benefits awarded to nine county cricketers revives the question: Who is better off-footballer

Now to that amazing veteran of cross-country running, Jack Holden-the man from Tipton, Staffordshire-who started 1950, (U.S.A.) in the other semi-final, by winning the Empire Games

In the mixed doubles Marathon at Auckland

semi- and Mrs Rita bare feet, ran his European final, Drobny rivals into the ground at Anderson, (U.S.A.) won easily Brussels, and for good measure against the Indian pair, Maresh or cricketers? not only scored yet another vic- Kumar and Miss Laura Woods- tory in the Polytechnic Mara-bridge by 6-1 and 6-1-Reuter. thon, but won the A.A.A. cham- pionship for the fourth succes- sive year..

At the age of 43, Jack can claim this to be, perhaps, his greatest year, and that is why I place him No. 2.

GREAT PARTNERSHIP

Close behind him I put Colonel Harry Llewellyn, cap- tain of the British Show Jump- ing team who, although they had only six horses to jump against more than double that number belonging to the United States and the States-sponsored Mexicans, won more events per head of horseflesh than any other nation.

They frihed up at Toronto by winning five and a half events to the Mexicans' three.

THE

*Can

A footballer

get £750 after five year's ser-

GAMBOLS

WHISPER

'I PREFER YOU IN A DARK

COAT GEORGE.

I LIKE THIS.

ONE IT'S NICE

AND SPORTY

GIVES, BOXING HINTS

Tests Between Aussies And Rest Of Empire

Sydney,

A proposal for cricket Billy Gray, modest youngTests between Australia and Chelsea right-winger, is giving the rest of the Empire for the up some of his free time these 1951 Jubilee celebrations has days by passing on boxing and found wide support among soccer hints to members of a cricket lovers in Australia.. Wimbledon Catholic youth club.

Before he decided to stick to soccer, Gray was making a name as a boxer in the New- castle area.

FAMILY FOUR

Fourth member of the Wilson family to captain the Brighton

Brunswick Cricket Club has just been appointed. He is Mr N. F. K. Wilson. Others have been his uncle, F. W. Wilson,

president; now club

A. K. Wilson, his father; and F. R. K Wilson, his cousin.

--(London Express Service)

The proposal was supported unanimously at the celebra- tions" sporting sub-committee meeting in Hobart.

The

present acting Leader of the Federal Parliamentary Opposition, Dr Herbert Evatt, said that the scheme would be a splaadid thing not only for cricket and Australia but also for comradeship and unity in the British Commonwealth.

Alan Fairfax, former Aus-- tralian all-rounder who has lived in England for 18 years, said: "I think matches between Australia and the rest of the Empire would be a wonderful. idea."-Reuter.

by Barky Applely

"JUST A COINCIDENCE, SIA, BUT THE LAST CUSTOMER WHO

BOUGHT A COAT LIKE THIS ONE SEAWON 190,000 IN C

FOOTBALL POOL

REALLY

GOOD DAY

LMODOM

mi