Horses, Dogs, Cauliflowers

While a U.S. baseball star pouted on a Florida beach because he did not consider $40,000 enough for one season's harrowing toil, sports-loving Britain last week officially restricted three well-loved sports--horse racing, dog racing, boxing. Purpose: a closer approach to total war effort. Some U.S. citizens, impatient with Coordinators of Bowling and Horseshoe Heaving (see p. 57), thought the U.S. might well follow suit.

> In Britain this year horse racing will be limited to 42 days of flat racing (last prewar season: 331) and five race tracks, and horses will be permitted to race only in their own training areas. As compared to 5,500 at war's outbreak, only around 1,250 British bangtails will be in training. In the good old days when the Derby was held at Epsom, some 200,000 railbirds would turn out: last year the Derby, moved to New Market, drew about 15,000. At this year's Derby, on June 13, the turnout is sure to be even smaller, as gasoline rationing for pleasure cars has just been reduced by half. (Beginning July 1, such rationing will be reduced to nothing.)

> There are 160 British dog tracks (17 in London), and going to greyhound races is almost as popular a British pastime as throwing darts or playing shove-ha'penny in a pub. Since the war there have been three or four dog races a week. Henceforth there will be but one, on Saturdays. In 1939 there were 12,000 dogs on the tracks, now there are 6,000. Most of the retired dogs were not destroyed, but made into pets or put out to stud. Bidding is still keen for good dogs at sales, where a promising pup will fetch 300 to 400 guineas (a guinea is currently worth $4.22). A greyhound pup knocked down for 100 guineas is considered practically a selling plater.

> Big boxing matches are banned entirely; only small local fixtures are still permitted.

> Football (soccer) matches--British equivalent in draw of U.S. professional baseball--are still well attended, but the Home Office restricts attendance to half the ground capacity on account of possible air raids. This season's biggest match, England v. Scotland, will be played on April 18 at Glasgow, where the grounds can hold 150,000. Last week the firemen of Bolton, Lancashire caused a minor scandal when they borrowed the National Fire Service tender to make a 278-mile round trip for a soccer game with the firemen of Dumfries, Scotland.

> The Oval, one of London's two great cricket grounds, is no longer used for cricketing; but Lords, where the Oxford-Cambridge, Eton-Harrow matches were always played, is planning to open its season on May 2 with plenty of service matches and a few between schools.

> Newest British sport, much indulged in by girls attached to the various fighting services, is Scramball, the maidenly counterpart of rugby, from which the scrum (equivalent of U.S. football line play) and tackling are eliminated. When a player with the ball is touched, she must part with it instantly. Stalwart damsels play in service sweaters and short sports skirts.

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