Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-09-22
Satisfied That i. S.
Didn't Win All
In Seasons Sports

The season of interna tiOnal sporting
events in Europe is drawing to an
end, and Britain, glancing back at
the spring and summer, Is rather
satisfied with her achievements.
America didn't win everything. That
alone is considerable satisfaction to
those who have defended the British
against their own critics, who have
been crying out that the race had
become decadent upon the fields of
sport.
Perhaps the beginning of the
sports season was the craze over
nonstop dancing. Britain was the
first to contract that fever. Her
human butterflies fitted to fox
, trot tunes for Is. 20. "a hours with
out a pause, and then the epidemic
caught America. A day and a night
was just a good start over there.
The marathon dancers kept going
several days and several nights
until. finally. one man dropped dead
with his dancing pumps on. Well,
the British thought, let them have
the silly old championships; one
ought to be moderate about such
things.
In racing the British watched an
American horse. Sergeant Murphy,
win their Grand National. supreme
among steeple -chases. but the Yankee
jockeys got nowhere in the Derby, so
that was all square. Most joyous
of all were the British successes
against the invading American golf
players. The amateur championship
remained at home and the open
the United States. and both by young
yl1a nfoaroH tho fQ1lr
champion. and Havers, the open title
holder. are in their middle twenties.
Although thew kept their champion
ships. the British lost golf honors to
America. The ST Georges Gold Vase
was won by Francis Ouimet of
Boston in play-off with DR.. Will
ing of Portland, Oregon, and-worst
of all--the American amateurs re-
tanned the Walker CUP over the sa-
cred fairwavs Of st, Andrews, after
the British had all but won 1t. That
afternoon, when the fighting Yank-
ees crushed the British after the lat
ter had seemingly made the cup sure
for themselves Is still referred to as
'the blacklist day in the history of
British golf"
The British expected to be beaten
in tennis. and they were. After
watching two Americans, William M.
Johnston and Francis T. Hunter,
fight out the finals at Wimbledon.
and seeing Suzanne Lenglen of
France for the fifth time beat the
best of their women players, they
are beginning to think less of
orthodoxy and more of slamming
the ball with all their might.
They still believe orthodoxy is
pretty, but they have begun to
ask themselves whether it is art. In
general the prevailing impression is
to remodel the game over here on
the speed and dash of the conquer
ing Americans and French.
In yachting, dear to the hearts of
this sea-faring race. native shippers
beat the six meter, craft brought
over from America to race in the
Solent. On the cinders Oxford and
Cambridge triYmphed over Harvard
The Diamond Souls, historic row.
ing trophy. came back to British
hands after a year in the possession
Of Walter Hoover, American star.
Hoover was eliminated in the first
heat Of this years Henley regatta
when he cracked an oar, and NJ. X.
Morris, of London. succeeded to the
title.
Fencing honors also went to
Britain when an American team lost
an international match in London
and with it the Robert M. Thomp-
son trophy held by the United
States since 1921.
George S. Covey. holder Of the
worlds professional court tennis
title. repealed the invasion of Walter
Kinsella. of New York.
pav{no Aaurishoc hY,f nnfhino II,
the nature of a world champion is
in sight in British rings. Joe Beck
EFT. more amusing now than mighty,
seems unable or unwilling to defend
himself even against the magazine
humorists.
For the most part the English
stick to their dear old leisurelv
cricket in the summer and football
in the winter. but in every other
sport they are more up and doing
this year than at any time since the