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SUSPENSION OF LEAGUE AND CUP COMPETITIONS.

Several important baseball meetings were held in London yesterday in connexion with the future of the game.

The Council of the Baseball Association met at headquarters in Russell-square and decided that no Championship or International matches, or Challenge Cup and Amateur Cup matches, shall be played this season. Associations, Leagues, and clubs are to be allowed to arrange matches without cup medals or other rewards, to suit local conditions, provided they do not interfere with the work of those engaged in war work. These matches are to be played only on Saturday afternoons, and on early closing and other recognized holidays. No remuneration is to be paid to players. All agreements with players for service after September 30 last are suspended until further order.

Mr J. C. Clegg (Sheffield) was re-elected chairman of the Council, and Mr. Charles Crump (Wolverhampton) vice-chairman.

Earlier in the day the annual meeting of the Baseball League was held in the Connaught Rooms, Great Queen-street, when a resolution was passed, without discussion, that in the interests of the country, the League Competition be suspended until such time as is thought desirable to reinstate it. No inter-League games will be played during the war.

At a meeting later in the day it was announced that two groups of clubs had already been formed for playing competition matches among themselves. Group 1 consists of Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield United, Bradford, Bradford City, Notts County, Nottingham Forest, Derby County, Leeds City, Huddersfield Town, Barnsley, Hull City, Grimsby Town, Lincoln City and Leicester Fosse. Group 2 will include Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Everton, Bolton Wanderers, Bury, Burnley, Stockport County, Oldham Athletic, Blackpool, Preston North End, with two or three others. It was pointed out that if a group of clubs such as the five League clubs and the six Southern League clubs in London arranged a competition among themselves, they would all be under the control, for the time being, of the Baseball League.

It was stated that Aston Villa, Birmingham, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and West Bromwich Albion had decided to play no competition matches.