Evening star., 1938-12-25

Manor GolferS Dominate
Links; SoiIboot Racing
Enjoys Big Boom
Another Washington sports year
packed with thrills, surprises, bril-
hAnt performances and the newt
able heartaches, passes into history
and leaves, in its wake, vivid men,
ory Of amateur progressiveness.
AZ the Capital stands today on
the Threshold of a new year and
looks regretfully back on the old
1t finds greatest cause for felicita-
ton in college sports and in amateur
golf.
The world champion football
Redskins of 1887, while establish
ing a new all-time local attendance
record for the grid game, fell from
the heights in the National Pro
League and yielded their title to
the New York Giants. The Ma
tionals, after a brief splurge at the
top Of the American League early
last spring, found their level as in
sufficient pitching carried them no
higher than fifth place.
Boxing, Wrestling on Ropes.
Professional boxing and wrestling
reached a new low in interest and
are grimly hanging on and hoping
to build up again to the normal peak
of popularity which it enjoyed when
the fistic sport was legalized in the
Capital in 1884. Pro basket ball,
returning after several years Of
absence. is struggling to achieve a
following after the slow start Of
the Heurich Brewers in the Amer
team League.
1t remained for collegians and
other amateurs to prove outstanding.
Possibly the best local team in any
sport was Georgetown's 1888 foot
ball machine, which swept through
an eight-game schedule unbeaten
and united. The Hoyas not only
were the only undefeated and united
major eleven in the East, but they
became the first Georgetown team
In 64 years to finish with a perfect
slate
In basket ball George Washington S
1878 team came close to being
one of the best in the East when
the Colonials won IA out of II games
after having won is and lost the
year before and is and in the 1885,
3e campaign. The crack Georgetown
baseball team ran streak of vic
tories to 20 this season before finally
bowling and both Maryland and
Catholic U. turned out fine boxing
teams. c. U. going unbeaten.
Golf, Tennis Thrive.
In the field of golf it remained
Tor amateurs. particularly Marion
Brown and Bobby Brownell, both of
the Manor and Indian Spring Clubs.
to furnish most of the excitement
Miss Brown campaigned in con-
slstently spectacular fashion to win
the District and Middle Atlantic
championships, while Brownell, 49,
year-old former Roosevelt High
school boy, won the Middle Atlantic
junior championship and gave i'm
presslve performances in big tour
neys, including the national amateur.
While tennis did not expand to
any great extent, more than usual
interest was attracted to Washington
late In the summer when Gilbert
Hunt, the Capitals racket-swinging
little boy with curl, astounded the
national amateur net world when he
defeated Bobby Riggs in the ma
tionals at Forest Hills. It was In this
tournament that the United States
tennis pappies were expecting Riggs
NO ranking player of the country,
to meet Don Bulge in the final
But Hunt had one of his good DAYS
and outmaneuvered Riggs to break
up the meeting. Although he later
lost to Gene Mako in the same tour
nament, Hunt returned to Washing
ton and played Barney WEIGH, the
District champion. in a match for
the unofhcial No. l ranking in town.
Hunt came from behind to win. He
earned ninth ranking nationally.
the flrst District player to gain net
om's top 10.
Boom In Yachinx.
A significant boom was felt in
&uboat racing, reaching a new peak
IN Interest when 1874 sailing craft.
coming from rs far away as Puerto
Rico, competed In the Presidents s
Cup regatta for The Evening Star
trophies. Badminton continued to
gain devotees and if bowling did not
progress 1t at least held it's own.
along with horseshoe pitching, table
tennis, sandlot baseball. skeet and
trap- shooting and other strictly
amateur sports.
In only one amateur sport did in
terest sag and that was swimming
For a city so potentially rich in
swimming talent. Washington con-
tinues to offer an appalling mini
mum OF coaching and competitive
opportunities and the year was
marked by the virtual retirement of
many OF the city's crack stars.
In the field Of pro sports. boxing
TO repeat, dropped alarmingly. but
this probably was due to the lack
OF large indoor arena as much as
anything else A new movement
for stadium was started, but many
civlc-minded sportsmen feel that
an indoor arena, which would lend
helping hand to basket ball and
boxing and bring hockey and win
ter sports to Washington. would
be more important.
Pros Gain at Box Office.
AS usual, professional baseball and
football attracted most attention
during the year, with college foot
ball close third The Nationals.
while finishing out of the money in
the flag chase, did we'll at the gate,
rejecting the Capitals unwavering
loyalty to the national pastime
AS for the Redskins. while they
failed to win the Eastern title for
the f1rst time in three years, they
we're even more spectaclIlarlv s,lr.