SPORT HIGHLIGHTS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 205, 30 August 1941, Page 3 (Supplement)

SPORT HIGHLIGHTS

Golfer's Four "Aces" As a result of a perfectly hit iron shot, the veteran golfer W. B. Colbeck holed a "one" at Middlemore last week-end. It was at the 155 yards seventh hole that his ball landed on the lip of the hole and finished in the tin. This is the fourth occasion on which Colbeck has achieved this feat. Although in his 73rd year, as he is popularly known, has retained a rhythmic swing and, particularly in the summer, his scores are remarkably gpod. Naturally his length from the tees has suffered as he has advanced in years, but the manner in which be executes short shots to the pin provides an object lesson for many golfers. W.B. can relate m a ny excellent ~ . stories of golf in this country in the early days. At a New Zealand championship meeting in the South Island many years ago there was particularly long grass off the fairways. On one occasion he placed his bag clown whilst looking for a ball, and when it was discovered he had difficulty in finding his bag. The climax came when he added. "By the time I found the hag 1 had lost my partner." At another championship he met and defeated the famous Maori golfer Kurepo Tareha. Some years later Kurepo's son, the long-hitting Kapi, was coming north to play in the New Zealand championship at Middlemore, and he was warned by his father to "Beware of Kopaki, who is a hard man to beat." Strangely enough the draw brought Kapi and "Kopaki" together, and the younger Maori was beaten. Probably the performance of which W.B. is most justifiably proud was in the Auckland provincial championship at Middlemore ten years ago. On that occasion he was narrowly defeated by the ultimate winner of the title who, incidentally, was less than half Colbeck's age. The figures produced by this pair were amazing, as first oiie and then the other carded a 3. Their best ball for the first eleven holes was 3, 3, 3, 4, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 3, 3—two over threes! Here the veteran was 1 up; but from that stage, although the golf was of course not of the same remarkable standard, the younger player was more steady.

Inconclusive Bouts Alabama Kid and Max Rayner were due to clash again last Saturday night at the Grenfell ! Street Stadium, Adelaide, after already having fought two inconclusive affairs in that city. Last year Rayner, in his bout against the negro, sustained an injury to a leg which kept him out of the ring for seven months. A fortnight ago Rayner was disqualified for having struck Alabama Kid when the latter had one knee on the canvas in the seventh round. Rayner, with a right to the jaw, sent the negro down and followed with another right which knocked him out. The second right followed so quickly that some ringsiders thought that Alabama Kid's knee had not touched the floor before the blow landed. Immediately Referee Tod Morgan had lifted the prostrate negro's hand there was an uproar. Managers and seconds jumped into the ring, and a scuffle ensued for a minute or two. The crowd counted out the referee and hurled cushions into the ring. Rayner had a substantial points lead. Alabama Kid's timing was astray, and he appeared to be content with taking punishment about the head with a view to coming from behind to win on a late knock-out.

Did Not Come "Home!" A recent reference to the first tennis match between Dunedin and Invercargill teams by Sir H. Y. Braddon, formerly of Invercargill and now of Sydney, serves to recall that Harry Braddon, as he was then known, was one of two Southland Rugby players who played for New Zealand, but did not play for Southland. The other was J. O'Donnell. Both played for the Invercargill Football Club when Southland clubs were under the

jurisdiction of the Otago Rugby Union, and both graduated from the Otago team to the New Zealand team. Harry Braddon was a great full-back who gained the distinction of playing for two countries. New Zealand and New South Wales. In

1881, when just , „ a youth, he represented Northern Tasmania in the Australian Rules (18-a-side) game. He played for Otago in 1882 and 1883, he was fullback for New Zealand in the team which visited Australia in 1884, and, remaining in Australia, he 'ater plaved for New South Wales up to and including 1892. He was also a keen oarsman, and in 1892 he rowed for the New South Wales eight at Brisbane His title is the ±lon. Sir Henry Braddon, K.8.E., M.L.C. (New South Wales).

Foreman of T.G.S. "The best captain we have ever had" is the verdict of Mr. C. C. Robinson, coach of the Takapuna Grammar School XV. when referring to J. M. Foreman, who led the side to its bracketed position with Auckland Grammar at the top of this year's secondary schools' championship. Takapuna's featfjwas all the more remarkable because it was four points behind Auckland at the end of the first round. Undefeated in the second half of the season, there are many who reckon the North Shore combination was superior to any other in the competition. One who subscribes to this opinion is the Very Reverend Brother Borgia, director of Sacred Heart College, over whose XV. (which beat Auckland at Eden Park in the opening series of the second round) Takapuna was twice victorious. Certainly T.G.S. had the better record, scoring 125 points to 60, compared with Auckland's 78—38. After leaving Belmont Primary School, Max Foreman "kicked off" at King's College in 1938, and when he left there some time in 1939 his best contribution to sport was victory in the lightweight boxing championships, by virtue of which he gained the 1938 award for the most scientific boxer at Middlemore. His pluck is evidenced from his performance in being runner-up to Jack Sherwood for the heavyweight title at Takapuna in 1939 and 1940, although he was still a "lightheavy" in the 1941 tourney when he won the championship in'that class. And as for versatility, can you beat this?—front row forward in the senior XV. in 1939, hooker in 1940, rover in 1941, in which season he also got his cricket cap as wicketkeeper, intermediate record holder for the 440 and 880 yards races which he won in 1940, and winner of the senior 440 yards and mile in 1941. He still had time to pass the matriculation examination last year, too. Max is a brother of Lieutenant R. M. Foreman, at present with the Artillery Training Unit at Rotorua, and Lieutenant H. M. Foreman, of the New Zealand Medical Corps, from whom no news has been received since he advised his parents that he was "staying put" with the wounded men under his charge when the Empire forces were evacuated from Greece. By the way, Max was elected skipper of the ? combined secondary schools' XV. which played the A.R.F.U. third grade representatives in the curtain-raiser to the Gallaher Shield final at Eden Park to-day. Clem Hill's 99—98—97 The greatest left-handed batsman in the history of cricket, Clem Hill, is now handicapper for the Victoria Amateur Turf Club. He celebrated his appointment last year by crippling betting all over Australia when he gave Gladynev (who ran second to Beaulivre) the minimum of 6.7 in the Caulfield Cup, in which he has allotted Kindergarten 9.2 for this year's race on October 18. Writing to Ponty recently, he stated: "I am

sorry I cannot give you for my •obituary' the loan of a photograph of me throwing my bat at your namesake, A. O. Jones, Tyldesle.y and .Jessop at Melbourne and Adelaide in January, 1902. The reason is that it is the first time I have ever heard of the 'facts,' so there can hardly be a picture. It may be interesting to you, and also useful for your paper, if . I gave you the 'inside works' of my three consecutive Test innings of 99—98—97 against Archie MacLaren's XI. In the second innings at Melbourne Reggie Duff was in with me. It was his first Test, also Warwick Armstrong's; and the crowd hooted Duff (N.S.W.) when he went in, because the selectors—Hugh Trumble, Alf. Noble and myself (not it bad trio, although I say it myself!)—had preferred him to Peter McAlister (Victoria). Reggie was on the way to become one of the few Australians to hit a century on an initial appearance in Test cricket, and so when I was 99 I told him to run wherever I hit the ball. Up comes a long hop outside the offstump. I really could have hit it for four; instead I just tried to guide it slowly to third man, with the result that I was out, caught by that wonderful slip fielder A. O. Jones off the great S. F. Barnes, who was on his maiden tour of Australia. Next innings at Adelaide I was 98—Len. Braund bowling—going for a six I was caught on the bicycle track, one hand, by Johnnie Tyldesley. When he saw me making my way to the pavilion he rushed up to the captain and told him I wasn't out as he had caught the ball on the track. But I was O.U.T. In the second innings of same game when 97, Gilbert Jessop was bowling to me well outside the leg stump, and in going to beat the man fielding on the leg sid6 to get the three I snicked it on to my pad. The ball rebounded on the other pad and rolled so gently on the wicket that the ball took some time to make up its mind to fall off!"