GAMES AND PLAYERS

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25739, 26 February 1949, Page 4

GAMES AND PLAYERS

ATHLETIC SPORTS

(By “MILES?’) Strength in Junior Athletics The Canterbury Junior Championships held at Rugby Park last Saturday revealed a good standard of athletics for the under 19 years division and there was no runner showing more promise than the Technical Club member, K. Beardsley, who won the \lOO yards (10.4 sec) and the 220 yards (22.8 sec in the manner of an expterienced sprinter. Questions were asked when the list of entrants for the New Zealand Junior Championships did not include Beardsley’s name. A junior must be Under itt. years on the day of the race. The Technical runner turned 19 years on Wednesday. Another young performer, whose birthday fell unluckily, was B. Wilkinson, the Boys’ High Schodl distance runner, who became a senior runner two days before the Canterbury championships. Beardsley’s place will probably be taken by R. F. Warren, who, after a brilliant beginning in the 440 yards, failed to run out the distance when G. M. Cox made a fresh record of 50.9 sec for the quarter. Fit and well, Warren would have found this time not beyond him. He merely jogged home at a secondary schools’ sports in 51 l-ssec. Warren, who had done very little training since he represented Westport against Greymouth early in the year, was not in form to run a quarter against a proved performer like Cox. If reserved for the sprints he should collect a national junior title and, with Cox doing the quarter and half-mile, R. V. Nicoll the half-mile, and K. Loader the hurdles, Canterbury runners should gain a fair measure of success. Canterbury’s young athletes are of good standard. J. C. Daly, 4.24 3-ssec

It was thought that J. C. Daly’s mile in 4.24 3-ssec in a handicap race when La Beach and McKenley were in Christchurch would have been good enough to ensure him a trial against the Australians when they race in Wellington against the best of the New Zealanders. The two selectors, however, prefer the chances of N. Bates (Wanganui), M. L. Marshall (Waikato), and J. D. Sinclair (Otago). All the men selected have form to recommend them while the Canterbury man is just reaching the top. A short time before the mile handicap at Rugby Park last Saturday Daly was told that he had a chance of being selected to race for New Zealand against Australia if his time was good enough. He gave away 200 vards start and apparently had friends m the race willing to help him to make time. So ready were Daly’s friends to help him that they carried him along to run the first quarter in 59sec and the half-mile in 2min 4sec. With 500 yards to go Daly had caught hi® field and the other scratch men had faded. It was not surprising to find the last -half-mile run in 2min 20 3-ssec. making the full journey 4min 24 3-ssec. really good time under the conditions. From now on Daly intends to concentrate on the three mile race. If he elects to run the mile as well at the championships he will make an interesting race with the best New Zealand can produce. Fixtures To-day: Canterbury athletic championships (Lancaster Park); New Z ca J®” d motor-car championship (Wigram); New South Wales tennis team v. New Zealand (Wilding Park). Ananias—the Golfer Charles R. Clark, famous old-time mile distance runner, sends the following:— “I see a leading golfer is about to visit these shores. Maybe the local protagonists are unaware of its ancient lineage, as portrayed by an American versifier as under: When Golf Was in its childhood still. And not the sport that now it is: When no one knew of Bunker Hill, Or spoke of Boston tee-parties; One man there was who. played the game, And Ananias was his name. But little else of him we know, Save that his grasp of facts was slack. And yet, as circumstances show, He was a golfomaniac, And thus biographers relate The story of his tragic fate:— He occupied his final scene, (In golfing parlance so ’tis said), In "practising upon the green," And, after a "bad lie,” "lay dead”; Then came Sapphira—she, pour soul, A'fter a worse “lie,” "halved the hole.” Ananias. Comparisons The captain of the New South Wales tennis team, O. W. Sidwell, had several comparisons to make since his visit to New Zealand last year when the team was given an official welcome at Wilding Park on Thursday. He had been very impressed with the play of the national singles champion, Jeff Robson, last year, and had noticed a distinct improvement this year. He had also had a game ot snooker with, the president of the Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association (Mr J. Mercer) and had found that Mr Mercer’s game had lapsed badly. Sidwell said he thought the Wilding Park courts had improved considerably since last year, interpretation of Rules ‘Runner - ’ writes as follows:—At the junior and women's athletic championships at Rugby Park last week the re--ult of the Women’s 100 yards race was jiven as a dead-heat and the points for irst and second shared equally between .he two competitors placed first. Rule 24 ("Ties”) of the N.Z.A.A.A. handbook says: "In the case of a dead-heat in any track event, the competitors shall not be allowed to, divide the prize or points, or toss for them, but must cqmEete again at a time and place appointed y the referee.” This rule affecting ties in field events and. jumps, is regularly enforced, but the writer cannot recall one instance of the rule being put into operation in track events. With only a part of -this rule being applied, many field events men have been denied the honour a first place in competition while track men have been allowed a firstequal, and in one case the sharing of a title. The N.Z.A.A.A. is at present revising its rules; and it is to be hoped that rule 24 receives its consideration or, failing that, that its officials observe the rules. Then and Now

The New Zealand cricket team will have one outstanding advantage over the other three New Zealand teams which have toured Britain in that it will arrive in London nearly a month before the first match of the tour, against Yorkshire, at Bradford, on April 30, says an Auckland wtiter. The 1937 team had only four days before its first match, and the 1931 team a week. The abnormal period on this occasion has been caused by transport difficulties. Because of the -time available in England, no special training will be done on the .voyage by the players. The cricket practices proper will not begin until the team is established in London. Two or three practice games, including one against a side which will include a number of New Zealanders, will be played before the first match. While the All Blacks on their tour of {South Africa will receive 5s a dhy, the New Zealand cricketers will be allowed £1 a dfor ’ out-of-pocket expenses. In 19<>1 the New Zealand cricketers received 5s a day, and in 1937 10s. Good Measure

Two New Zealand records were bettered at the junior and. women’s athletic championships held at Rugby Park last Saturday. G. M. Cox (Crichton Cobbers) clipped one-tenth of a second off the quarter mile record, of 51sec, and a Canterbury Amateur Athletic Club team nnrt a new figure of lmin 42Jsec for the 220 110, 110, 440 yards relay. Both these performances are all the more meritorious when it is remembered that they were returned on the comparatively slow Rugbv Park ground, which has not the billiardtable surface of Lancaster Park. An official check of the ground after the meeting showed the track to be 22 inches more than the required 440 yards. Professionals at Wimbledon

No plans had been made for a professional competition at Wimbledon, according to a statement made by the the ? n S Ia * d Lawn Tennil Club, Lieutenant-Colonel A. D. c. Mac.Wa!t commenting on a report from Hollywood that Bobby Riggs Dinnv Pails, Jack Kramer, and Pancho Segura might pJay professional wimbledon this year. The report added that the troupe would play in England undSi* the ?o r °X tlo fh^ SI J A p rthur Elvin ’ who hoJSS to sign them up for a professional tournament at Wimbledon after completion ships? 6 Wimble<lon amateur champion-