The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-08-09
BRITISH SPORTS REALLY EXCITED
BY RICHARD DAHLGREN.

est fstic battle of the year, from d sci entific standpoint, will take place at the National Athletic club on September 1S, when Jem Driscoll and Owen Moran will meet to decide the featherweight cham pionship of Great Britain. The winner will probably go to America to seek d match with Abe Attell.
 Driscoll and Moran will meet at 126 pounds, weigh in six hours before ring time. A purse of $12,5O0 is offered for the match.
 This battle, following closely on the heels of the Welsh-Josephs battle for the cham ponship of the lightweight division, has stirred up the fight fans to a high degree of excitement For some years there has been much dispute about the respective merits of Driscoll and Moran, and this battle will probably settle the question for good. Driscoll outpointed Attell in ten rounds in America, and Moran secured two draws from the American feather weight.
 The Welsh-Josephs recent battle in Wales has caused more excitement among lovers of boxing than anything that has hap pened in years in that line of sport Fresh from his American victories, Welsh was looked upon as an easy victor. Although Welsh never extended himself, he had Jo- sephs staggering and bleeding before the end of the fourth round. When the boys came up for the fifth Welsh started in to settle matters then and there. After a minute of fighting Josephs went down for the count of nine, and rising and fol- lowing the audible instructions of his sec- onds, deliberately fouled Welsh-the fourth committed in the fight. G. T. Dunning, England's most famous referee, immediately awarded the fight 70 Welsh a foul. Welsh protested against all lowing the fight to end in that way but the refree paid no heed to his protests
 Probably never before in the history of ring battles in England has such a sight been witnessed as that when Welsh and Josephs entered tie ring. Welsh is, as his name implies, Welchman. The big gest hall in Wales was hired and turned into one of the finest of fighting ampi- theatres in the world. The hall has held 12.00O people, and in this instance it was packed to the ceiling. Among the spec tators were colliers and gentry, trades people and church folk, with a sprink- ling of aristocracy seldom seen outside of the exclusive National Sporting club of this city. There was a fair sprinl1ling of women and in the press box sat a woman writer known all over the world. It Is even said that a few clergymen were in the audience
 The receipts from the fight are stated to be s2O,000, probably the largest sum taken in at a fight outside of London in this country. Welsh is said to have re- ceived s6OO0 for his end and Josephs s1100
 If this sort of thing can take place in Wales, London should look to her laurels as a boxing center.
 Sir Thomas Lipton Is not discouraged over his failure to have the universal rule, under which former races have been sailed changed and still has hopes that some arrangement can be made whereby he can see his way clear to issue a new challenge and for the fourth time try to lift the cup. The general opinion among yachtsmen on this side Is that the uni versal rule is unfair to any challenger They point out that the rule was made 56 years ago, and that under its provisions the defending yacht can be of any de- sign, without regard to seaworthiness, but that the challenger must be boat built on lines that will enable her to cross the ocean on her own keel. Sir Thomas has approached both Fife and Myline, the most famous designers | in England, but both have declined to 1 have anything to do with what they call
 a freak. Both designers are confident
 they could build a yacht that would lift | the cup. but such boat would be such
 a magnifed freak that they would not
 dare trust her to the treacherous seas | of the Atlantic
 Sir Thomas says he has many friends | among yachtsmen in America and has 1 only the klndest feelings for Americans l in general but cannot understand why l exceptional regulations are made in this case. and he has heretofore found the American yachtsmen fair, square and l above board
 | Sir Thomas adds, however, that he is l willing to race under any rules now ex- l isting and hopes that within the next | four or five weeks to have matters in | such shape that he can commence on a | Shamrock ".
 Sir Thomas will sail for America about the middle of the month.