Düsseldorf, August 17, 1929
The top European women’s athletics nations, Germany and Britain, faced off for the first time in an international match in Düsseldorf in mid-August.
The event was conducted with dual-woman teams. The programme was arranged for balance, including five track events expected to favour Britain, and five field events anticipated to benefit Germany. The line-up also included the 800, which had been removed from the Olympics by the gentlemen of the International Olympic Committee after Amsterdam.
Some of the best results were achieved on the track. Hilda Hatt from Britain, a multiple-time winner in international competitions, set a world-leading time of 12.3 in the 80-metre hurdles. In the relay, the British team outperformed the host team with a world-leading time of 48.7 (48.9 for Germany). Future Olympic javelin champion Ottilie "Tilly" Fleischer marked a world-leading throw of 37.95 (124-6).
Germany won the match 53.5 to 45.5 points. Perhaps crucial to Britain’s defeat was that the home team managed to break Britain’s lineup in two track events. Detta Lorenz of Germany claimed victory in the 200, while Marie Dollinger won the two-lap race.
Complete (Wikipedia)