SPORTING CHATTER FROM NEAR AND FAR

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 116, 19 May 1939, Page 13

SPORTING CHATTER FROM NEAR AND FAR

Wooderson's Fast Mile

C. James Excels.

In his thud season for Xorthamptonirp, K. ('. lames, wicket-keeper of the J7 arid ID'll New Zealand elevens in i_'l.ind. .id\anted on anything he had ne hitherto. He twice scored a ten-

tui >, NiirpriMng all Jllm county colleague* in tliin respect. and his work behind the flump* "'i* highly praised, for Xorthants ho made l<HtO inns at an average of 24.60. ,\!so on his fSile was I'. J. O'Brien, who made .'II and ">4 for Canterbury at Eden I'ark in 10: W. and hit 113 against Otago. In 27 innings for Xorthants in 1038 lie airgi-puHtrd only 413 runs (average l.j.88), with a highest knock of 44, againet Sussex.

Wisden's st.itcs that O'Brien was a useful recruit, but was inconsistent. New Zea» land's most discussed howler of the century. W. K. .Merritt, is also qualifying for Northamptonshire. anil against Cam bridge University, at Ken net's, a fortnight ago, hit double was seven for 00 an<l five for M. Played for Corinthians. N. H. Bennett, who will lead the Auckland attack against the Navy in the Drumrnoncr Cup Soccer representative "match on Saturday, is well known in the Soccer world in the Dominion. A member of the Y.M.I'.A. Club'in Auckland, he commenced football life ait a Rugby player *Wh«l at school *in'Knglanrt, and turned to Soccer when lie joined the lirm of J. B. Westray and Co.. London, which foriSied the well-known Maori Club in London. This club entertained the New Zealand cricket team oil two occasions at the beautiful Worcester Park, and Bennett played against them both time*. , He continued to play Soccer with the Maori Club while in the employ of the firm, and, when able, played game* with the Casuals. In his last year in England he had several games with the Corinthians. He arrived in Wellington last year, and had a successful season with the Diamonds Club, being top scorer in the Wellington competitions. Hit on the Face. A golf ball is a deal harrier than a Rugby ball. This realisation was brought too forcibly for his liking to A. E. Cooke, famous All Black five-eighth, on the Waitemata Golf Club's links last Sunday morning. A ball driven by Stuart Ferguson, the North Shore cricketer, hit Cooke violently in the face when he turned in answer to the warning yell of "Fore!" breaking his and cutting open hi* cheek. Fortunately his injury wa« not serious. Promising Inside Back. In a season when a thorough search is being made for inside backs with speed and ability, A, Graham attracted much attention when he turned out for Richmond last Saturday to play his first senior game in hie elub'g engagement with Marigt. Graham revealed a beautiful sidestep and wag usually on the move when the ball came to him. He occasionally dropped a pass, but this may be attributed in a large measure to nervousness at making his debut in senior company, and lg * fault which Graham should «oon rectify when he settle* down. Twenty years of age, Graham is a fine type of allround sportsman. It might be said that he has been bred in the League game. He P' a V e d his first game for the Richmond Club as a. schoolboy, when he was attending the Westmere primary school. In 1034 he was captain of the club's seventh grade team and in the succeeding year he led the sixth grade thirteen. Under his captaincy, Richmond won the championship on each occasion. Graham has been steadily climbing since then and in the past two seasons has given splendid service to his dub in the reserve grade. More should bp heard of him and his career will lip watched with interest, particularly by officials of the Richmond Club, which lor some years has used its lower girides as a "nursery" for the senior thirteen. A Fallen Idol. J. A. Hooper, mercurial but inconsistent Canterbury and New Zealand Rugby five-eighth, will be out of football djiring the early part of this season. An old leg injury, received during the .NorthMouth gainc in 1937, is still troubling him, and he is taking advice to rest until he is sound again. Hailed as another Cooke, he was New Zealand's greatest disappointment against the Springboks.

S. hl "*:•' „ f C.imbcrl«y, abating Blaclth'sa'th'Virr , ''T* ° o 4t " 14 88 C.11.,. ly 60pii """is ,l' R ° y /' "i"*? . T « fi B d ck W h '"r" h ° u " «*'» w„ MI. satisfied with his performance, and he is to r..„ ;« Z T often .. practicable a. part of hit training for hi. in June against ike ntar tf American miUr. \i/ j "rmceton the fir»t furlong, made ail the running and went riffh* er,on ' * hi. nearest rival, the College runner R. C. Mace Wooderl* 0 ™ time, for each lap were 6.., 68., 65., 60 4-5."' M^e' by 160 yard*.

Ball-Throwing Record. I h.nJn COrd th .^ t has stood fiince 1890 was ' bic ken recently at the Wanzanni fol eg'ate Schoo! by R. F. MaVklef" iT-ySJ: vardi Th h ° , toe * ed a cricket . ball 112 on a "winHle i the feat -was performed tor.ous one da> ' " a reall >' — Wellard the Smiter. Par from being tired after a tour of India in the 193,-38 season, A. W. Wellard ast jear remained a glutton for work, and i. energy and determination were prime teenM," t'" a,lvi, '! c ' m £ Somerset from thir- ?® ventl i,P' ace Jn the 1038 county thj.mpionfdnp. He returned the highest 0t t , wickeu ( 172 ) first-class rV,.» ™ n e season. This success was due more than anything else to his versatility in changing from fast-medium to off-breaks round the wicket without losing command ot length and direction. Albert Irott and W. Voce provide instances of two other bowlers to alter their styles in a similar way. Wisden's is quite" apologetic because the reputation of Wellard an an aggressive batsman suffered (on account ot long spells with the ball) to an appreciable extent. Although not hiT'c'w •' fc i v Beasone a S°> when he nit 93 sixes in the season, last year he Kent ii tift 'T f ", lc - h shots - Against Kent, at Wells, he hit five consecutive sixes in an over, and was missed on the boundary off the sixth ball. Plaving against the Australians, at Taunton, lie lost a couple of balls in tile river. Not a Record. A correspondent aaks if T. W. Goddatd s ltt wickets (nine for 5,j and seven tor 44) for (iloucesteifhire against Worcestershire, at Bristol, earlier in the week, was a record. It was one wicket short, anrt there are 10 instances of 17 wickets being taken in a first-class match. Two men twice did this—W. Mead (Essex) against Australia at Ley ton. 1803. and Hampshire, at Southampton. !B!>."i. and A. I'. Freeman (Kent), againsl Sussex at Brighton, 1802. and Wai« i-k> ! iii <• at Folkestone, 1032. Versatile Soccer Player. Soccer player Bob Innes, one of the veterans of the code, is as versatile as ever. . Called upon at short notice to fill a vacancy caused by sickness in the Pon--sonby ranks last Saturday, ho wont on to the field to reveal himself as the outstanding forward in the match. His record in representative Soccer over the last 10 or 12 years is probably unequalled by a player in any other code. Mcßeath's Solid Hooking. Orammer Old Boys' baekline- cannot complain that it has Jiot had its fair share of the j ball in recent matches. Hooker " Andy" Mcßeath has raked it back, consistently, and, in addition, lias shown 'himself an enterprising type of forward. Mcßeath has played for the Grammar ■ senior fifteen since a couple of years after he left school. He and Bond, Auckland representative hooker, should have an interesting battle for scrum possession when Grammar and Ponsonby clash at Eden Park to-morrow. Grammar's Juniors Go Well.

The full-back, T. Hay ward, scored three tries for the Grammar Old Boys' third grade side when it piled up 42 points against the 8 of the Auckland Meat Company last week. Apart from this unusual feat. Hay ward played a sound all-round game when required to defend. The Grammar side threw the ball about with an abandon reminiscent of last year's championship fifteen. Besides Hayward. others who impressed were .T. Barr, the half, and K. Wallace, the centre, who showed outstanding pace, but was a little uncertain in his handling. Sharp, one of the wings, demonstrated that he can produce a neat side-step and is not afraid to "give it a go." Bailey, Wolfgram and Johnston were the best of the forwards. The Grammar intermediate side, too, has been piling up points. So far its record is 65 for and only 8 against. The team's line has been crossed once only. Torrence, of last season's side, leads the pack, and his best support come from Houghton and Warren, two forward straight from school. Kidd. Hewitt and Gill, the half and fiveeighths, have worked up a combination that has troubled recent opponents, and Crogg, the winger, seema likely to secure many tries before the aeason'e close. Ex-All Black Strikes Form. It was indeed pleaging to many followers of the League code on Saturday to 4ee Milliken, the ex-All Black, strike form in his side's match with Ponsonby. Since coming from Canterbury to play the 13-a-gide game, Milliken hag taken off a good deal of weight and it is now apparent that he is getting back into that condition where he can be relied upon to give of his best from bell to bell. In his early appearances at Carlaw Park the big forward was inclined to hang off a trifle, but this appears to have been largely due to bis inexperience in the League game. The crowds at League headquarters are apt to be exacting also and their occasional advice to Milliken to "get into it" has not proved helpful to the newcomer to settle down as quickly as he might have done. Then again he has been a "marked man," and with every man fighting for a place in the New Zealand team for Britain and France Milliken has not been given much opportunity of showing his paces. On Saturday Milliken «gave more than a glimpse of that form which won him his All Black cap last year. His energy in a large measure enabled Papakura to hold the strong Ponsonby pack for most of the afternoon. The fact that Milliken struck form when he did was timely, as Papakura were minus the services of two of their beet forwards in the tall and well-proportioned Herkt and the lighter but virile Evans.