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-LLANBRADACH RANGERS ASSOCIATION…

; A Cripple Champion.I

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A Cripple Champion. I WONDERFUL NEWPORT ATHLETE I Cyclist.Swimmer,wrostier, & footballer I Mr. W. W. Francis, the, champion cripple I athlete, has now returned to his native town (Newport) after his recent accident at Putney Bridge, London, which has previously been reported in these ookam,ne. His. accident is sure to handicap him, although he has mar..Y times held the whistle in local foot- ball ma tehee, and may be seen in this capacity again. During his career he hae displayed an enthusiasm in athletics whioh would have been worthy of a sound man. Mr. Francis I was born iu Newport in 1886. which' makes I him 22 years of age. He has been ACripple from BlrUtf I suffering from paralysis of the right side of I the body from the hip down, and particularly does this affect the lower portion of the right I leg which is almost without any muacle. The cripple has followed athletics from a very eariy age with a keenness which could hardly be surpamm in one of somid physique. Lt was in the football season of 1%3.4 that he took %n active part in athletim when he played as a forward for the Newport Thurs- day JunWrs. a Rugby team. In the fol- lowing1 year he took up swimming, and when the foo?b?U B?ason came -nd again played for Pill United, Llanfrechfa, and Newport Juniors. Then in the season 1906-7 Ho took r4, the organising of a Thursday team (the United Services), of which he was I •vice-captain. Ccirtinoing during the summer months his swimming, he was in 1906 captain of the Newport Forward Movement Water Plolo team. amd as their custodian rendered yeoman service. The next swimming season saw him captain of the Newport Y.M.C.A. Water Polo team, amd his ambitions were realised by having the honour to captain an invincible club. The same year he won the Newport Swimming Club's championship from i scratch. He also assisted the Newport Police at water polo. He holds A oertiftcate for Ufa-Savlnf, I and has been instrumental in saving morel than one person from drowning. lr t&e football season 1907-8 be played i "between the sticks" for the Newport Thurs- day A.F.C. Tin" career of this versatile young athlete had been closely watched by isergeant- iinstructor A. Stevenson, R.F.A., who is a military gymnastic instructor at Portland, and he kindly offored to tra-in Fiwbcie to see if he could lower the record for tiie athletic mile. In Ap-ri'l of this year he took this ma tter lW seriously, and accepted Mr. Stevenson's invitation for coaching. After some hard traiaik,,g the plucky cripple went across to Belfast, and created a sensation in the Irish city by covering the course in the marvellous time of lQmin. ldsec., and beaitmsr the previous record, created by J. Barns, of londou i waio, by the way, has the advantage of two sound legs) by 2mm. 32»ec.. This competition comprises a mile, equ?' patrts rlwil 'L,4 have to be cyoled (on an or?imary roadster bicycle), ran. w?ked, soiAled, and swam. After this achievement the Newportoniaa met with a wonderful reception from all classes.* Oe then threw out a challenge to any cripple athlete in Ireland, but failed to get an opponent. In ad-diiti-an to these branches of sport, he bad. under A-r. Stevenson, gone in for a good deal of wrestling practice, and, desiring to test his powers in this direction, he chal- lenged Tom Wallace, of Cork, for the 10st, Crr aeco Pi oiii ail Wrestling Championship of Ireland. This contest took place in Lorndon on July 23, at the West End Gyinnaaujn, where, much to the surprise of the large gathering of spec- tators, after a hard struggle the cripple van- quished bis opponent by two falls to nil, the first fall being in 4.min. 27se(J.. and t,he second 3min. 37&ec. Francis thus holds the distin- guished honour of being the only cripple athlete ilhat has ever held a. record or a championship.. Yet eager in his quest for records, he entered and easily wo'n a cycle race over two miles of the London-Brighton road, con- fined to cripples. Elated by his success, he wrestled and drew with J. Harris, the light- weight champ-ion of London. Francis is of aiD extremely iovial disposi- t.ion. is a. ba-ritoine soloist, having won several prizes in competitive festivals, and is also &n elocutionist and comedian.. He is well built, 10st. in weight, stands 5ft. 9". chest 42in.. calf of sound leg 15in., calf of defective, leg 7ial. waist 37in., biceps 14m., and neck 16An.

SKITTLE NOTES I

ASSOCIATION CODE.I >

WHO'S WHO IN SOCCER, I

" SOCCERITE'S " LEAGUE FORECAST.…

. WELSH TEAM FORECAST.I

LLWYNYPIA RESERVES RUGBY FQOTfiALL…

Air Rifle Notes.I -I

iMiniature Rifle Notes.

Mr. W. PREVOST, - -..!

SERGEANT -F. C. JOHN (Newport).-I…

BILLIARDS.

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DRAUGHTS. i

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iMiniature Rifle Notes.

Mr. W. PREVOST, - -..!