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A roundup of the week May 30-June 5
GOLF—In the first all-English final in seven years TREVOR HOMER, a 28-year-old businessman, defeated 43-year-old Alan Thirlwell 4 and 3 to win the British Amateur championship in Sandwich, England.
Doug Sanders shot a final-round 68 for a 275 total to win the $175,000 Kemper Open in Charlotte, N.C. by one stroke over Lee Trevino.
HARNESS RACING—ALBATROSS, driven by Stanley Dancer, became only the third pacer in history to sweep the Founder's Plate series when he won the $91,000 Realization Pace at Roosevelt Raceway by 1¼ lengths over H. T. Luca. Albatross' time of 2:06 set a world record for a 1[1/16]-mile pace on a half-mile track.
HORSE RACING—EXECUTIONER ($34.80), Eddie Belmonte up, won the $118,200 Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont (page 72), the first leg of the Handicap Triple Crown, by a neck over favored Bold Reasoning as Canonero II, the 1971 Kentucky Derby winner, finished eighth in the 11-horse field.
Rokeby Stable's KEY TO THE MINT ($5.40) won the $59,000 Withers Stakes at Belmont, a prep for this week's Belmont Stakes, by a length over Icecapade, while No Le Hace, second in both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, came in sixth.
Run the gantlet ($6.40), Grass Horse of the Year in 1971, took the $56,000 Bowling Green Handicap at Belmont by 3½ lengths over Kling Kling for his first win this season in four starts.
Droll role ($8.60) won the $118,280 Hawthorne Gold Cup at Hawthorne, beating favorite Good Counsel by three quarters of a length.
Smiling Jack ($11) gained a seven-length win over Second Bar in the $137,200 Jersey Derby at Garden State. Favorite Upper Case, Riva Ridge's stablemate, finished seventh.
Convenience ($25.20) set a stakes record of 1:47[2/5] in winning the 1‚⅛-mile $105,900 Vanity Handicap at Hollywood Park by half a length over favored Typecast.
LACROSSE—VIRGINIA upset Johns Hopkins 13-12 in the finals of the NCAA championships in College Park, Md. on Pete Eldredge's fourth goal of the game with 4:11 remaining (page 26).
MOTOR SPORTS—EMERSON FITTIPALDI of Brazil, averaging 113.35 mph in his JPS Lotus, won the Belgium Grand Prix in Nivelles, Belgium as Francois Cevert finished second and Denis Hulme third. The win boosted Fittipaldi's lead in the Formula I world driving championship to nine points over Hulme.
ROWING—PENN led all the way in winning the heavyweight eight title by about a boat length over surprising Brown at the IRA championships on Syracuse's Onondaga Lake (page 24).
SOCCER—AJAX of Amsterdam retained the European Champions Cup, defeating Inter of Milan 2-0 on Johan Cruyff's two goals in the finals in Rotterdam.
TENNIS—BILLIE JEAN KING defeated Australia's Evonne Goolagong 6-3, 6-3 to win the French Open women's singles championship in Paris for the first time. In six previous tries Mrs. King had not lasted beyond the quarterfinal round. In the men's singles, ANDRES GIMENO of Spain beat France's Patrick Proisy 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-1.
TRACK & FIELD—UCLA, led by JOHN SMITH, who set a meet record 44.5 in the 400-meter dash and anchored the winning mile-relay team, defeated Southern Cal 82-49 to win the team title at the NCAA championships in Eugene, Ore. (page 84). Other outstanding performances were turned in by BRUCE COLLINS of Perm in the 400-meter hurdles (49.1, equaling the second fastest in the world this year); JOE LUCAS of Georgetown in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (8:30.2, third best in the world this year); DAVE WOTTLE of Bowling Green in the 1,500-meter run (3:39.7, also third best); TOM WOODS of Oregon State in the high jump (7'3¼", best in the world this year); JOHN HALBERSTADT of Oklahoma State in the 10,000-meter run (28:50.4); AL SCHOTERMAN of Kent State in the hammer throw (231'3"); RON EVANS of Connecticut in the decathlon (7,571 points); and STEVE PREFONTAINE of Oregon, who gained his third NCAA title in winning the 5,000-meter run in 13:31.4. All the above are meet records except for Collins' time in the hurdles.
George Woods of the Pacific Coast Club put the shot 70'1¾" at the Compton Invitational in the L.A. Coliseum, giving him the second-best heave in the world this season. He became only the third man in history to exceed 70 feet.
MILEPOSTS—FIRED: JOHN QUINN, 64, as general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies after the team dropped 17 of 18 games. Quinn became GM of the Boston Braves in 1945 and helped build three National League pennant winners (1948, 1957, 1958) in his 14 years with the team before taking over the Phils in 1959. Farm Director PAUL OWENS, 48, replaced Quinn.
HIRED: Phoenix Sun Coach LOWELL (Cotton) FITZSIMMONS, 40, as coach of the Atlanta Hawks, replacing Richie Guerin, who recently became general manager of the team. Fitzsimmons led the Suns to third-place finishes in the NBA's Midwest Division the past two seasons, compiling an overall 97-67 record.
NAMED: As director of player personnel of the Atlanta Braves, EDDIE ROBINSON, 51, the Braves' farm director, replacing Paul Richards, who had functioned as general manager the past five years. Richards, who remains with the team as a vice-president, will "evaluate the talent of other major league teams," according to Brave President Bill Bartholomay.
NAMED: As manager of the Milwaukee Brewers, DEL CRANDALL, 42, manager of the Brewers' Evansville (Ind.) farm club, replacing DAVE BRISTOL, 38, who was fired after a 134-189 record in two seasons and a 10-20 start this year. Crandall was an All-Star catcher seven of his 11 years (1953-63) with the old Milwaukee Braves.
NAMED: As general manager of the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, PETE NEWELL, 56, succeeding Fred Schaus, who resigned recently to become coach at Purdue. Newell, advisory general manager of the Houston Rockets last season, coached California in 1955-60, leading the Golden Bears to the NCAA championship in 1959.
RENAMED: The former Cincinnati Royals, who will play in Kansas City and Omaha next season, as the KANSAS CITY-OMAHA KINGS. Atlanta's new NHL team, scheduled to start play next season, also received a nickname after a contest that drew 9 414 entries. The team will be called the ATLANTA FLAMES.
RESIGNED: As general manager of the Memphis Pros, the last-place team in the ABA's Western Division last season, BOB VANATTA, 50, to become head basketball coach at Delta Slate College.
RESIGNED: As commissioner of the ABA, effective at the end of his term in October, JACK DOLPH, 44, "because the merger with the NBA is imminent and Waller Kennedy will be the commissioner of the single expanded league."
DIED: MOE BERG, 70, a catcher who played on five major league teams during his 15-year career (1923, 1926-1939); in Belleville, N.J. The popular Berg, who was better known for his academic achievements (he breezed through Columbia Law School and the Sorbonne) and his ability to speak 10 languages fluently, hit only six career home runs and batted .243. "He can speak 10 languages," said one of his teammates, "but he can't hit in any of them."
