The Sporting Mirror

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 76, 31 March 1945, Page 3 (Supplement)

The Sporting Mirror

ACKNOWLEDGING his election as president of the Auckland ** Rugby Union, at this week's annual meeting, Mr. F. E. Sutherland, who gained international renown as a referee, recalled the Test match he controlled between New Zealand and the British team at Wellington in 1930. "Shortly before the game was due to commence," he said, "I was making my way through the players' entrance at Athletic Park with my togs wrapped in a towel when a boy rushed over to me and asked for my autograph. As I somewhat proudly signed my name, the lad looked at the signature and asked, 'But who are you? , I am the referee I told him. 'Oh, is that all,' he remarked in a disgusted tone as he turned away.

A Fine Record Referring to the revival this season of the College Rifles Rugby Club, at the annual meeting of the Auckland Rugby Union, the chairman of the management committee, Mr. A. A. Baker, said that at the outbreak of the war in 1939, the club had four teams In the competitions \7itli an active membership of 83. Eighty-one of the members had immediately joined up for overseas service and the remaining two had been turned down for medical reasons. Several of those who had gone away had been decorated for gallantry, while others had paid the supreme sacrifice. He congratulated the club on being able to effect a revival at this stage and wished it every success. Another Athletic Club The ever-growing interest being taken in Auckland in amateur athletics has been evident in the formation of more clubs even during the war. Still another club is in the process of being formed, this time within the Westmere, Grey Lynn and Heme Bay areas. Mr. S. Darbyshire, well known to followers of athletics as a keen harrier, track walker and official, is one of the leading figures in the formation of this club, tentatively known as Western Suburbs. With him is Mr. Arthur Hamlin, a former member of the executive of the Auckland Centre and a harrier of high class. The support so far given this project has been more than satisfactory, and with such a wide area to draw upon the club should be able to start activities next summer in a sound position. Boxer Killed In Action 'The heavy fighting by the United States forces in the Philippine Islands has an echo for Auckland fight followers. Among the casualties in the Lingayen Gulf area, on January 9. was Alf Gauthier, of the 43rd Signal Company. Alf Gauthier will be remembered for the fight in which he defeated Doug Rollinson

on points in the Auckland Town Hall last season. He impressed everyone with his fine sportsmanship and clean-cut fighting ability. An all-round sportsman, Alf'Gauthier represented his company, and his division, as a member of football, baseball and boxjng teams. His death in action is regretted by his many friends in Auckland, where he married. Back From Germany Canterbury representative Rugby hooker and an All Black trialist in 1939, W. A. Hearn returned to Christchurch recently after spending more than three years and a half in German prison camps. He has a particularly interesting story to tell, portions of it rather grim. Hearn and two other well-known representive footballers, E.- A. Vincent and "W. Greer, were among the two thousand New Zealanders captured at T Beach, in Greece, in the early part of 1941, and taken from there by way of Corinth and Salonika to the notorious Stalag at Marburg, m Yugoslavia. Joined the Navy Noel Bowden, one of the finest allround athletes Auckland Grammar School has produced in recent years, has joined the Navy, and expects to proceed to England next month. Bowden was a member of the Grammar first fifteen for four years, and was captain fcr the past two /seasons. He was also a member of the first eleven, and won the school athletic championship for two years. At tennis he has also shown considerable promise. Bowden intended to playRugby this season for Training College, but it is now possible that he may turn out for Ponsonby while awaiting transfer overseas. Prefers Rugby Gordon Littlejohn, well-known Auckland representative Rugby player, who switched over to the League code at the close of the last Rugby season, applied to this week's meeting of the Management Committee of the Auckland Rugby Union for reinstatement. Littlejohn, who was Auckland's representative fullback in 1943, stated that he had played four League matches but found he preferred Rugby. He played for Garrison when that team won the senior championship two seasons ago and last year he was emergency for the representative side when playing for Manukau. After hearing Littlejohn's evidence, the committee decided unanimously to recommend to the New Zealand Union that his reinstatement be granted. If his application goes through, he will be turning out again for Manukau this season. ■ Million-Dollar Gate Mike Jacobs, America's leading boxing promoter, thinks the European war will be over this summer or' autumn, and that he will be able to stage the Joe Louis-Billy Conn title bout in New York. "That is why I am pianning a heavy-weight championship bout here that should draw 100,000 people and bring the first 1,000.000-dollar (about £250,000) post-war gate," he said. Jacobs thinks both men will; he discharged soon after the European victory. "They have been in it for three years and done their bit," he added.

Well Known in Auckland Fred Allen, who was reported to have potted a fine field goal in the match in which the Eighth Army defeated a touring R.A.F. team in Italy, is well known in Auckland Rugby circles. In 1939 he was a member of the Canterbury team which defeated Auckland at Eden Park. A clever, experienced inside back, Allen again appeared at Eden Park three years later when he captained a New Zealand Divisional team which defeated tha Auckland representatives. After serving in the Pacific, Allen turned out for Gram-1 mar Old Boys in the senior competi-) tion last season and he was skipper of the Combined Services team which went under to Auckland. Allen also played for Waikato last year prior to going overseas. Professional Boxing The first professional boxing contest of the Auckland season at the Town Hall will be between Vic Caltaux and Tommy Dunn, of Wellington, on Monday week. Dunn met Al Stock in Auckland twice last season, each winning one bout on points. Last Saturday at Hastings Dunn (10.5) scored a points decision over Tommy Hansen (10.2). Dunn had the advantage of height and reach : throughout, but Hansen used scientific in-fighting and piled up points. Hansen was down for eight in the third round, and a right to the head put him down for nine in the ninth round. The decision of the referee, Maurice Strickland, met with a mixed reception. Rugby Scrum Formation. Charlie Brown, former Taranaki and New Zealand representative and a North Island selector last year, is an ardent advocate of the old 2-3-2 scrum formation. "It is the most mobile formation in the world," he declared at the annual meeting of the Tukapa Club. "The sooner we get back to it the better for New Zealand Rugby in general," added Mr. Brown, who deprecated the'tendency to adopt the 3-4-1- formation because it was introduced into the Dominion by the Springboks or-any-one else. A resolution was passed urging that the New Zealand Union revert to the 2-3-2 formation.

Cyclists' Winter Season Next month all the local amateur cycling clubs, Lynndale, Manukau, Northern and Papatoetoe,. will commence their 1945 road season. This season will depend chiefly on the older riders and recruits, for during the past summer many good riders went into camp. Notable absentees will be E. A. Langridge, G. W. Ashton, S. Lloyd and S. W. Bartley from the Manukau Club. However, all four are at Christchurch, and intend racing there. An ambitious programme of open events, two a month, have been arranged, terminating, in Auckland, with the 100 miles event in October. Wellington enthusiasts have alreadv signified that thev will be reviving the popular Palmerston North-Wellington race of 100 miles, which invariably attracted leading riders from all centres in New Zealand.