GAMES AND PLAYERS

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27143, 12 September 1953, Page 9

GAMES AND PLAYERS

ATHLETIC SPORT:

Umaru-Christchurch Road Race The Timaru-Christchurch amateur road race, which will be held today, has drawn a big nomination of riders from all parts of the South Island, as well as a good representation, from Wellington, including G. H. Alexander who finished first and established fastest time last year. The limit riders will leave Timaru at 9 a.m. and the scratch men 52 minutes later. This race which is being held under the control of the Avon Cycling Club, will be the fourth contest for what is virtually the road cycling championship. The first event was won in 1949 by A. Warrington in 4hr 42min and in successive years by C. E. Bishop 4hr 24min, G. R. Marks 4hr 35min 51sec and G. H. Alexander 4hr 56m in 19sec, fastest times being recorded by J. V. Martin, E. G. Lambert twice and Alexander. The race is expected to finish in the Halswell road about 1.45 pjn. Brian Lynn of Dunedin, Reg. Tovey a newcomer from England who last week won the Wellington 100 mile championship, Ron Williams of Wellington, and N. Vowles of Christchurch are on the mark in front, and they should make the scratch men work all the way. Previous winners in Charlie Bishop and Don Marks are also starters, and lan* Fleming of- Invercargill who last year won the round the gorges race is another interesting entry. One of the New Zealand selectors, Alan Gooder. of Auckland, will follow the race trying to sort out likely talent for the Empire Games. The New Zealand team for these Games will be selected in three weeks. All Blacks in Shield Match

Wellington or Canterbury players who are selected for the All Blacks will be given the opportunity of choosing whether or not tney wish to play in the Ranfurly Shield match between the two provinces at Wellington on September 19. The New Zealand selectors will give no direction in this matter, which is to be left to the unions and players concerned. Canterbury will choose its strongest team and any members of it selected for the AU Blacks will have the choice of playing or not. After the tourists have been announced they will be vaccinated immediately they return home, and many, as a result, may not be able to play again before they leave. Arrangements are being made, however, for the Wellington and Canterbury All Blacks to be vaccinated after the shield {natch on September 19. **Deserves the Trip”

“I am sorry that some of the qualifications don’t count in the selection of touring teams. Mac Gibbon has done his share of coaching, administration and all the odd jobs that have to be done in a cricket club,” said the president of the Old Collegians’ Cricket Club (Mr C. G. Hamilton) when making a presentation to A. R. MacGibbon at .the club’s annual meeting this week. Mac Gibbon, a member of the New Zealand team, which will leave for South Africa this month, received from his club mates a suitcase. Mac Gibbon had taken everx opportunity to improve himself since he had joined the club and his success was thoroughly deserved, said Mr Hamilton. “A cricketer like that really deserves the trip,” Mr Hamilton said. Swimmers in Training

The Centennial pool will be open to the public on October 12. The learners’ pool which has been in use during the winter will close on October 3. Some swimmers are already. down to solid training in preparation for the coming season. They include national and provincial titleholders in both pool swimming and surf life saving, and some promising juniors. Among them are Paul Garratt, Otto and John Snoep, Andre Peters. Graham and Colin McFadden, Jack Ryan. Dave McGiffen, Graham Prattley, Neville Austin and Miss Beverley Breward. Finding a Half-back

The omission of K. Davis from the North Island teams to play South Island at Wellington today has caused much comment, and from all appearances he was the star performer in the half-back position at the North Island trials on Wednesday. He has been picked as an emergency for the North Island and it appears that Davis is in exactly the same position as is P. J. Creedy, of Canterbury, -who was the star half-back at Lancaster Park last Tuesday. It would not surprise followers of form to find both Davis and Creedy in the final trials at Wellington next Tuesday, with a possibilty of gaining All Black honours. It should be remembered that the North and South Island selectors are different from the New Zealand selection committee, which consists of Messrs M. N. Corner, T. C. Morrison and A. E. Marslin.

Last Attempt One of New Zealand’s best-known amateur billiards players,. W. (“Pod’ ) Smith, who competed in his last national tournament in Wellington has been unlucky not to win the New Zealand title, says “Corinthian, in the “Dominion.” He figured in 16 finals in the Canterbury championship, winning 13, and took part in three national finals. He was beaten by H- GSiedeberg in 1921, and E. V. Roberts m 1922. World War I injuries caused him to drop out of the game for 25 years, but he came back and in 1948 was runnerup to R. Carrick. In 1947 when beating Carrick in the early rounds, he made a break of 180, a record till beaten in 1951 by Carrick with 187. Answers th Correspondents Curious. Riccarton: —The 1924-25 All Blacks played 28 games in the British Isles. George Nepia playing game. The remaining 28 with tne games played are as follows: Irvine Richardson 24, M. Brownlie 22, Cooke and Masters 21, Svenson, , White, Donald and McGregor 19, Mill 17, ? Ol *Z ter and Cuppies 16, Steel, Par s e £. Nicholls 15, C. Brownlie 14, Hart 13, Lucas and Brown 12, Dailey 11, West 10, Stewart 9, McCleary and Paewai 7, Harvey 6, Robilliard and Munro 4, Badeley 2. “Inquirer,” Addington.—The heaviest weight at which Schmeling fought a title bout was 13st 61b.

Rules of Golf The following question was sub. mitted to the management committee of the New Zealand Golf Association at a meeting, held on September 2: — A. player playing his second stroke plays a wrong ball and the shot finishes in a water hazard. On lifting it out of the water hazard he discovers it js not his ball and he goes back and plays his own ball adding two strokes to his score. marker says he should have added an additional stroke as the penalty for lifting the ball from the water hazard. Who is right? Answer: The player was correct in playing his own ball and adding two strokes to his score (Rule 21-3). The result of the stroke played with the wrong ball does not affect the position and the marker’s contention that a further penalty was incurred (under Rule 33-2) is incorrect. Soccer Final

The final of the English Cup knockout competition between Thistle and Technical will be played at English Park today. It is two years since these teams met in the final of this competition and on that occasion Thistle also went through to the South Island final of the Chatham Cup without being outstanding in the championship. The result then was a draw with two goals each. This season Thistle’s best games have been cup matches, Chatham and English; and in the championship the club is fighting to avoid relegation. Here with two matches to be played, including that against Technical today, Thistle still has a leeway of at least three points to make up to head University. In’ two games played this season Thistle arid Technical have each been successful. In the curtain-raiser Western will play Shamrock in a Hurley Shield fixture. Over the Fences

Show-jumping made Ireland’s biggest sporting headlines in recent weeks. The Dublin Horse Show was favoured with glorious weather, and a revival of the competition for the Aga Khan Trophy, after a year’s lapse due to the 1952 Olympics, resulted in packed stands and terraces at Ballsbridge Showground. Brilliant riding in the second round by the English trio, Messrs. White, Robeson and Hanson, who conceded but three and a half faults between them, clinched tjie issue to provide England with a third successive victory and an outright win of the trophy. The Seddon Shield

A West Coast correspondent writes as follows:—After a most successful innings, West Coast has lost the Seddon Shield. The defending team 'appeared only a shadow of its former self in the match against Buller last Saturday. Many features aided Buller but it was apparent that the West Coast players were showing marked signs of a hard season on heavy grounds, combined with the trial games in which 13 of the side participated and the additional game with Motueka-Golden Bay on the previous Saturday. Buller’s success was not ex-, pected and Buller supporters were agreeably surprised. M. Thomas was much missed in the first five-eighths position in which E. G. Walker was not a success, and the fast-breaking Buller forwards gave the West Coast backs very little chance. West Coast’s persistent effort to handle the greasy ball in the first spell proved disastrous. In the second spell these tactics were changed entirely, *but Buller forwards still continued to outplay West Coast in the greasy conditions, and while Coast rallied on a number of occasions towards the closing stages, Buller was always master of the situation. Evans and Redpath Shields

The Marist Club won the Redpath Shield for the fifth successive year and the Evans Shield for the fourth successive year, this season. The Redpath Shield is competed for by clubs entering teams in all competitions under second grade except schoolboys’ competitions, and the club securing the highest aggregate number of points is the winner. The Evans Shield is the

club championship shield. Points are given for wins and draws in all grades except from under Bst 71b downwards and schoolboys’ competitions. The .following were the placings for the two shields:—Redpath Shield: Marist 115 points 1, Sunnyside-Spreydon 76 2, Linwood 67 3, Sydenham 66 4. Evans Shield: Marist 96 1, Christchurch 841 2, High School Old Boys 72| 3, University 72 4. Rugby Jottings B. J. Lloyd, captain of the Wellington Ranfurly Shield team, has established a Wellington Rugby record of having played 77 games for his province. In recognition of this the union, at its weekly meeting, decided to present him with a blazer and to forward to him a letter of congratulation on his record. The Canterbury record -is held by D. H. Herman, with 91 games. At his retirement at the end of last year he had played about 120 firstclass games. Accompanying a letter of congratulation on having beaten Taranaki in its challenge for the Ranfurly Shield, a large cheese, a gesture or goodwill from the residents of Hawera, was received by the Wellington union at its meeting last week. The cheese was distributed among the members of the union. College Rugby Record The Silverstream first XV for the second year in succession ,was unbeaten in school games and won the Wellington third grade first division championship. Seventeen games were won, two by default, with 401 points for and 52 against. For the first tftne the team scored 100 points in five school games—against Hutt Valley High School 22-8, against New Plymouth Boys’ High School 12-6, against Wellington College 27-12, against St Patrick’s Town 26-12, against Palmerston North Boys’ High School 13-0. The five-eighths, J. Taitoko and R. Sierpinski, scored two and three tries respectively. The three-quarters, P. Derig, J. O’Rourke and G. Mahoney, scored more than 40 tries. H. Hikaka (fullback), for the second year in succession. scored more thah 100 points, with 33 conversions of tries and 14 penalty goals.