SPORTLIGHT ON N.Z. & ABROAD

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 58, 10 March 1939, Page 13

SPORTLIGHT ON N.Z. & ABROAD

A MAN OF MANY HOBBIES.

CRICKET BENEFACTOR. THEATRICALS AND HUNTING. The name of Sir Julien Cahn is familiar to cricketers all over the world as Britain's keenest and most generous patron of cricket. At his home at Stanford Hall, Loughborough, in Leicestershire, he houses the world's finest collection of cricket bats, ancient and modern, from the old curved one, which was the flashing blade of the top-hat era of cricket to the modern almost pure white one, which does not seem to possess the heart or stamina of those of the nineteenth century, when the demand for a new bat during a striker's innings was a rare happening instead of the common practice of to-day. Sir Julien is one of England's wealthiest business men, as head of its largest firm of furniture makers and interior decorators, which has scores of factories and stores. Many promising overseas cricketers, who were keen to carry on with the game have had an interest taken in them by Sir Julien — Roger Blunt and Stuart Dempster being notable ones from this country, and at his Leicester home the visiting caj>tain has an ideal cricket ground, where serious week-end games are played and overseas teams entertained. In one wing of Stanford Hall a perfect miniature threatre lias been built to cater for the sportsman's other theatricals. It seats 300 guests, and ie equipped with a 30ft stage, dressing rooms, air-conditioning, and is fitted for either flesh-and-blood or film shows. On the screen the host can entertain visitors with screenings of films taken by him during his cricket travels. This bijou theatre is ultramodern in one respect, as beneath it one finds assured shelter from air-raids in bomb and gas-proof quarters, well stocked u.nd equipped, in which a number of people could live in comfort for several days. In winter days, when not pursuing the sun south of the equator with his merry cricketers, Sir Julien is a keen follower of the hounds, and has been master of two Midland packs—the Woodland'Pytchley and the Burton. Bowling Tourists. The Auckland bowlers started very well in their tour of Taranaki this week- The first day wae devoted to clubs in and around Xew Plymouth, when they defeated Xew Plymouth, East End, Fire Brigade, Fitzroy and Vogeltown, but lost to Paritutu. In a seven-rink match against ■the Paritutu Club Auckland had only three wins, the winning teams being Sauvarin, Reed, Lane, Firth; Woolley, Brown. Bjenkarne, Sutherland; Ryman, Lye, Shirrift'e, Faire. The tour ie including Waitara, Stratford, Eltham, Hawera, Patea, Manaia, Opunake and Okato, fielding 12 rinks each morning and afternoon, and it is to conclude with a reunion game at Xew Plymouth to-morrow afternoon and a social gathering in the evening. Return of Mataira. When the coming Rugby League season starts the City senior team wiy again have -the services of Hawea Mataira, the former Hawke's Bay and All Black Rugby forward. During the 1937 season Mataira came to Auckland and played for City, but last season he returned to the East Coast. The Maori player has height, weight and experience to stand him in good stead. In the 1935 season he toured Australia with the Maori team.

A Chance for S. W. White. Advice has been received in Auckland that M. Spillatie (Otago), the present Dominion hammer throwing champion, will not be a competitor at the national championships at Xapier. His absence, coupled with the fact that the only man capable of extending him — J. U. Lecfie (Auckland) —will also be an absentee, will detract in some way from the interest in the contest. On the other hand, the competition will ,be much more eveu. A great opportunity presents itself for the Auckland entrant, S. W. %Vhite, who may well win a title at the first time of askiijg. This young (giant —he has only graduated from the junior ranks this season—ha* all the hallmarks of a coming champion. His style is good, but though to a certain extent he lacks that necessity of all field event champions—consistenecy—Jie possesses an even greater virtue in so /ar as at every appearance he shows improvement! His second place throw at the provincial championehipe was a great heave of 132 feet odd. Spillane and Lecliie are the only two athletes in Xew Zealand who can consistently .beat this throw, and the young Aucklander may be a .proud man to-morrow afternoon when the result is announced. Alan Player Reappears.

One of Auckland's most useful allround representative criuketere only 10 or 12 year* ago, Alan Player lias returned to the game us a player in a less strenuous class. He plays nowadays for the Xative Departments team in the Suburban Association, and a Witting average of round about 70 and a crop of 40 wickeus at a cost of three runs apiece indicate that hie eye has not lost it* speed or his hand its cunning. A left-hand batsman who had a strong defence, combined with ability to lift a loose baH over the boundary, Alan played some valuable tail-end innings for Auckland, while he was a bowler who collected each season from 10 to 20 Plunket Shield wickets at a cost of about 20 runs apiece. 111-health took him out of senior cricket early, but now that hie health has improved he is finding indulgence in the game «* help towards complete recuperation. Eden All-Rounder. In N. A. McMahon, the Eden eenjor cricket team has one of the most promising all-rounder* in Auckland, but he has not yet fulfilled hie promise of a couple of seasons back. As a batsman he has * free style and can drive with great power on the off. As a slow right-hand bowler he can spin the ball to an extraordinary degree. His length, however, is not consistent and that is the great requirement of any bowler in the senior ranks. As a fieldsman McMahon has no superior in Auckland. If he is able to develop his natural ability on the rig-lit lines he may yet find an assured jplace iu re|<reeentative cricket. Hat-Trick and 12-a-Side. When Marlborough played Wellington at cricket this week there were two notable features. First, the teams played a dozen men (all fielding, too); and C. K. Pareloe, who was sent to Australia in 1937 to reinforce the Xew Zealand team, performed the hat-trick. All The Wickets.. Two remarkable performances were put up on suburban cricket grounds last week, both in the Auckland Cricket Association's second grade competition. Playing for Y.M.C.A. against Papatoetoe on the latters field, H. Findlay took eight wickets for 21, caught another man, and ran out the tenth—thus having a hand in the dismissal of all his opponents. Wilson, of the unbeaten North Shore eleven, sent the whole of the Middlemore team back to the pavilion, but as it happened the ex-King's Collegians were fielding two men short. Xeveuthejess Wilson's feat was a meritorious one, jis his figures read—eight, wickets for seven runs! "Mr. Extras" In Form. When Oxford and Cambridge Universities met at Lord's in 1836, of the 479 runs aggregated in the match, no fewnr than 149 were extras. Byes totalled 95, wides (if you please) 44. In the circumstances no-balls read surprisingly low at 10. A correspondent residing at 29, Royal Terrace. Sa'ndringham, inquires if this is a record number or percentage. Wisden's is silent on the subject.