FIELD OF SPORT.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 54, Issue 48, 6 December 1933, Page 2

FIELD OF SPORT.

NOTES AND COMMENTS. (By "Onlooker.") ♦ v Junior grade cricketers were conspicuous by their absence from the best batting performances put up in the Ashburton County Cricket Association's competition) matches on Saturday afternoon. R. Drennan (Rakaia) was the most successful batsman, having 101 runs (not out) to his credit. Among the good bowling averages were the following:—Senior grade: L. A. Watson one for 8, J. Goodwin two for 11, A. Doig four for 22; junior grade, P. Fear four for 28, R. F. Fear four for 25, W. Goodwin three for 23, S. Goodwin five for 40, E. Stigley five for 10, H. Baird three for 12, P. Gowans one for 5, H. Lennon three for 11, N. Phelan two for 8, S. Kerr one for 5, W. Hockings two for 2; third grade, V. Stills six for 20 and seven for 20, P. Willis three for 9, T. McNally three for 14, D. McKay two for 10, E. L. Kerr four for 25. Junior players generally were more successful with the ball than with the bat.

An unusual challenge was made in the cricket match, Y.M.C.A. v. Grafton, at Eden Park (Auckland) recently, when the Grafton skipper appealed to the umpires," claiming the wicket of a Y.M.C.A. batsman who had exceeded the time allowed a batsman, to take his place at the batting crease. The match was at a critical stage, when the wicket might have meant the winning of the match for Grafton, but after a conference with the umpires E. Horspool, the challenger, withdrew his claim. "When Lyon did not appear at the end of two minutes (the time allowed), I appealed for the ! wicket," explained Horspool to an interviewer, "but when informed that the penalty meant the awarding of the match to'Grafton, I let the matter drop. It is, however, time something was done on this point, and I intend to see a strict enforcement of the rule is made in future, as clubs have become too lax. Speaking generally, I feel that the penalty of awarding the match against the offending side is too harsh; I think they should lose- only the wicket concerned." Len Elliott, skipper of Y.M.C.A., said that the Grafton captain was within his rights in making an appeal, and that such rules were made to be kept, but at the same time Y.M.C.A., under the circumstances which detained Lyon, would have been most unfortunae to lose the match in such, a way. Leslie Ames, the Kent and England wicket-keeper, reached 30QO runs for the last season. In seven years for Kent he has scored 15,000 runs—4o

centuries—and his averago is 41 runs an innings. The number of wickets he has been responsible for is 650. In test matches he has scored 1092 runs (four centuries), has an average of 45.50, and has dismissed 40 opponents. Commenting on Bradman's score of 200 against Queensland —his 17th double, century—the correspondent of the "Melbourne Age" stated:—-Brad-man's first principle is to keep the ball down, and his strokes, were made with such uncanny judgment that only once in his long stay of 181= minutes for 200 runs did he give a cka/uce. This was a possible catch to Leeson, the wicketkeeper,' off Gamble, when he was 103; otherwise his display was perfect, both in execution and timing.

Georges Carpentier, the Frenchman , who - won, every divisional boxing championship ot Europe, the world's cruiserweight crown, and fought Jack ' Dempsey for the Heavyweight monarchy, won the European bantamweight title when he was 14 years old. It has been stated in some American journals that Jack Dempsey is to undertake a world tour, which will embrace Australia and New Zealand, where he hopes to referee a few important matches. The following ha§ been written concerning former holders of the world's heavyweight boxing championship:— Jack Johnson, reputed to have earned £50,000 in his time, is iioav a door attendant in Paris; Jess Willard, who owned £70,000 at one time is now a broker; Jim Jeffries was rich once, but not in these depression days; Dempsey earned £BOO,OOO and still has a quarter of that sum; Gene Tunney, retired with oyer £250,000, and still has most of it; Tommy Burns is'reputed to be nearly "broke," but other reports state that he owns a prosperous cabaret in New York; Max Sckniel,ing owns £50,000; and Jack Sharkey £75,000. Present official heavyweight champion, Primo Carriera, is living on the money he hopes to earn, as is the critics' pick as the best man in the world, Max Baer. Advice from England is that G. D. Innes, former Canterbury and New Zealand Rugby Union representative, has settled down to good play for the Wigan Club, in the English Rugby League, and that he is likely to remain in the League game for at least five years. Great success marked the tour of Europe by eight American athletes— Ralph Metcalfe was undefeated in 23 sprint races against the pick of Europe, J. McCluskey, the distance runner, and J. Anderson, the Olympic discus champion, were alone defeated, the other six members of Ihe team winning all along the line.

England is ranked only fourth athletically among European nations by a Finnish statistician, who places his own country fi|rst. with 241.185 points. Germany is second with 210.75, Sweden third, 176.00 points, and England fourth with 57.35 points. Hungary, Italy, Norway, France and Estonia are next in that order. Points are given for performances in track and field events, the first- ten athletics only being taken into consideration. Playing in the southern section's qualifying competition for the "News of the World" £IO4O golf tournament at Pinner Hill, Middlesex, P.,Newbery, the Sudbury professional, was so strong with his approach at the last hole that the ball bounced into the air and finished in the kitchen of the clubhouse. After seeing his ball ( among the pots and pans he decided to retire.

In the inter-Stato lawn tennis matches between New South Wales and Victoria, and the New South Wales championsliips, Miss Joan Hartigan, who gathered in the greater share of the honours among the women, disclosed definite development in her allround game. She has imposed upon her strength in forehand driving, greater sting* in her service, and in the backhand, together with an increasing degree of subtlety in placing the ball on either hand, and in accuracy where once sheer speed was the seeming aim. The Auckland trio of speedy sprint swimmers, R. Thomas, N. Crump and R. Frankham, the holders of the 100 yards championship of New Zealand, will have strong opposition this season from the former national champion of 1929, I. W. Cameron. He recently returned to Wellington, after spending three years in Sydney. Cameron represented Australia at the last British Empire Games in held in Canada. Conjointly with Thomas, Cameron holds the New Zealand record jof 55 4-ssec for 100 yards. He is now training very hard at both free-style and back-stroke swimming, and is confident of winning New Zealand titles again this season.

These Sports Depots will rest-ring your racket with EDWARDS' GUT. as used exclusively by CRAWFORD, World's Champion Insist on EDWARDS' GUT at W. H. Collins and Co. ; J. E. McElhinney; H. E. Taylor, East Street-.—(Advt.) 2