GAMES AND PLAYERS

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27524, 4 December 1954, Page 10

GAMES AND PLAYERS

[By

MILESI

Sadler and Mikus in Title-bout “The Waimate boxer and New Zealand middle-weight champion, Ross Sadler and the Australian champion, Pran ’Wkiis, have been matched for the Australian ana Mew Zealand championship, the fig bt t, take olace at Timaru on January 6 The bout between Sadler and MHtus will be the first contest for the JftleivTr fought in New Zealand and it is just 25 years sin <i e under the guidance of Bill oc-onnui, Sadler’s trainer, was n . a . rrow^ v be syd? for the title at Rushcutters Ba£ Syd nev bv Harry Collins, a great middleweight. Collins won on points after a gruelling 20 rounds which to present day fighters would appear to be something of a marathon. After a wellearned spell Sadler has gone into hard training, but even when‘ s P elb ”® he showed his interest m the fight game by taking over a school of 30 boxers then being b / B 1“ O’Connor. He was official trainer to the Waimate Boxing Association s team at The New Zealand Amateur Championships. South Canterbury one of the strongest centres of the sport in New Zealand and has produced notable boxers in Eddie Park ®f’ Cliff Henham and Ross Sadler in recent years. In his short career as a professional Sadler has to his credit victories over Francis Joseph <FiJi>, Charlie Smith (Auckland), Billy Beasley (Wellington), Ken Anderson (Invercargill), Jack ° Lear X' Fitzwater (2), and Tommy Rudolph, the fight against the last-named being for the middle-weight title. Bill O’Connor, Saddler’s trainer, would like to see Ross fight in Christchurch. Remembering the great fights of thei past which were staged by the Christchurch Association, he is certain that with Sadler as the attraction, the halcyon days of Christchurch boxing would make a repeat performance and interest would once again be as great as in the time of Brian McCleary. Johnny Leckie, Eddie Parker and others. Boost to Country Tennis The extent to which the larger city tennis clubs can assist the smaller clubs situated outside Christchurch has been exemplified this season by the Avonside Club. Already matches have been played against Hawarden and Kaikoura, and arrangements have been made to travel to Methven and Akarba. The results of these matches are immaterial but the friendships formed and interest shown are of great benefit to Canterbury tennis in general and country tennis in particular. Merritt and Burtt

The talk under the trees at Hagley last Saturday turned for a time to slow bowlers, or the lack of them, and inevitably there was a discussion of the relative merits of two of Canterbury’s best. Bill Merritt and Tom Burtt. At the end of last season Burtt, playing against the team back from its South African tour, brought his career aggregate to 386 wickets, passing Merritt’s New Zealand record. But figures do not tell the full story in cricket; quality of opposition, the type of pitches played on and so forth, always have to be considered. But these two bowlers' career records do indicate their traditional roles in cricket. Merritt, a right-hand leg spinner, was rather of the Arthur Mailey type, “buying” his wickets; Burtt, lefthand leg spinner of the modern school, pinned batsman down and snipped them off in succession. So it is that Burtt, bowled 690 more overs than Merritt to get one more wicket, but had more than 750 more maiden overs, and a better average. The full figures are: Merritt 3004.5 overs, 428 maidens, 9744 runs. 385 wickets, average 25.30; Burtt 3693.2, 1185, 8591, 386, 22.26. * A Young Champion

A schoolboy athlete who looks like treading in the footsteps of the finest middle-distance men New Zealand has produced. 16-year-old M. G. Stephens, a member of the Naenae Club, was the outstanding performer in the contest between representatives of Wellington and Hutt Valley clubs at Hataitai Park last Saturday, says a Wellington writer. He won the junior 880 yards in 2min 2.7 sec—a remarkable achievement for one of hifc years in his first outing at the distance this season. These impressive figures were backed by. qualities unexpected in so youthful a runner. Already he is running faster halves than did athletes like V. P. Boot, an Empire champion at the distance, and Murray Halberg did at the same age. His best is 2min O.lsec, which he ran at the interprovincial meeting against Canterbury nearly 12 months ago!

Piunket Shield Team Doubts whether all six of the New Zealand players from last season’s South African tour who are now in Wellington will find places in Wellington’s Piunket Shield team are expressed by a Wellington writer. J. R. Reid, he says, has already been appointed captain, and L. S. M. Miller, R. W. Blair and E. W. Dempster are almost automatic selections. However J. E. F. Beck ha A not been in form and F. L. H. Mooney has a strong rival for the position of wicket-keeper, T. G. McMahon. The writer says that McMahon is a New Zealand replica of Godfrey Evans—tremedously energetic, and he is one of the smartest wicket-keepers Wellington has had for years. He thinks Mooney could be retained fqr his batting. The team the writer selects, in batting order, is: R. A. Vance, D. S. St. John, L. S. M. Miller. P. Barton, J. R. Reid, J. E. F. Beck, R. T. Barber, F. L. H. Mooney o’r T. G. McMahon, E. W. Dempster, D. B. Morrison, and R. W. Blair, with K. F. Smith twelfth man. Great Milers Chris Chataway of England is the strongest runner I have ever faced—and I am not forgetting Emil Zatopek, said Vladimir Kuts the great Russian miler to “World Sports.” After two races over 5000 m our score is 1-1, and I am glad that there are more meetings to come. Our next race will probably be in Moscow next year, when I hope the U.S.S.R. will stage a fullscale international match against England. And after that—the Olympic Games in Melbourne, I hope. But do not ask me who will win next time— I honestly do not know. How can I know? In ouu second battle, in the London v. Moscow match at the White City, when Chataway knew what kind of race to run against me, there were inches between us after 5000 m. So how can anyone prophesy? People ask me how I felt during our two races. That is another question I am unable to answer. For in a 5000 m race of the top class you have time for only two sensations—first, the tiredness caused by the tempo of the race; second, the determination to win and break a record. To break a record I always aim to do that. I try to win of course, but records are uppermost in my mind. If I win, a record will be mine; if I lose, then I will have helped my conqueror set a record. That is the way I try to look at things. "Ont to Win”

When Brookes, retiring president of the Australian Lawn Tennis Association gave his annual party to visiting players from overseas and other States and leading Victorian players, Swedish players Sven Davidson, Lennart Bergelin and Stefan Stockenberg attended. United States captain Tony Trabert politely apologised to Sir Norman Brookes for the absence of the Americans. He said that the team would have liked to attend the , but had agreed that it would benefit more by some good hard woric. "We were sorry and apologised to Sir Norman Brookes, and we felt sure that he would look at it our way ” said Trabert. “We are back in Australia to try to win back the Davis Cup and we can only do it through hard work rather than attending social functions.” A Style Fighter

Jack Dempsey says:—“l had speed punch, courage and my conviction—which was either win or die—and mv style. I was what they call a style get 1 h t’’ Hlt the ° ther gUy and do "’ t

Senior Cricket The fourth round of the senior cricket championship will be ended to-day. The first-day scores were:— Lancaster Park 355 for six wickets against Old Boys; Sydenham 249, Riccarton 62 for one wicket; Old Collegians 301, St. Albans 15 for no wickets; West Christchurch 162, East Christchuuch 159 for eight wickets.

Interest Remains Although the football season in New Zealand is past and the coming season a long way off. interest in Rugby is not altogether lost and already the prospects of holding, or losing, the Ranfurly Shield are being discussed. Kevin Stuart, who retired with a broken arm in the Otago-Canterbury match, still has his arm in splints; Peter Eastgate, Canterbury and All Black prop, is not likely to be available; Ewan Hern, the other Canterbury prop, has been transferred to Blenheim: E. J. Heenan, Canterbury, South Canterbury and West Coast representative, has returned to Christchurch: T. P. Roberts, a West Coast representative, is due to arrive in Christchurch; little has been heard of R. G. Bowers, who is reported to be joining the students at Canterbury Agricultural College in the new year; John Hotop is said to be undergoing treatment for his injured knee; K. F. Meates’s reported transfer to Wellington has not yet taken place; and Mr N J. McPhail (Old Boys) is being talked about as a likely successor tp the Canterbury forwards' selection, Mr J G. Rankin, who has announced that he will not again be available

Otago’s Choice The selection of the Otago cricket team for the Piunket Shield match against Canterbury at Christchurch at Christmas should not cause the selection panel much difficulty, according to a Dunedin writer. The choice of an opening partner for Bert Sutcliffe, and of a wicket-keeper, appear to be the main problems. As wicket-keeper, the writer nominates an Oamaru player, I Geddis. who is also a good batsman, As Sutcliffes partners three players suggest themselves —W. S. Haig, R. T. Hunt and L. A. Watt, with little to choose between them. The writer suggests the following team might be picked:—L. D. Smith (captain), B. Sutcliffe, S. N. McGregor. C. G. Graham, E. A. Watson, J. R. Veitch, 1 Geddis, F. J. Cameron, A. M. Moir, G. W. F. Overton and W. S. Haig. Auckland Cricket Captain

With G. O. Rabone unable to play in Auckland’s first Piunket Shield match, at Wellington, and doubts about the availability of W. M. Wallace, there is considerable speculation in Auckland about the choice of the team’s leader. If Wallace cannot play, the most likely candidates for the captaincy, according to an Auckland writer, are D. D. Taylor E. C. Petrie, and G. C. Burgess. Taylor is now a very experienced cricketer. Petrie twice led Country teams to victory against Town elevens last season, and Burgess, a former Auckland representative, is an accomplished batsman and a player with a good background as a captain in club cricket. The Davis Cup

The Davis Cup was still very open, said the United States team captain, Bill Talbert, although Australia playing on its home ground, appeared to have a. slight advantage. He said the Davis Cup could go to any of the three nations competing—Australia, Sweden, and the United States. Sweden will play the United States in the inter-zor.ie final in Brisbane on December 16, 17 and 18. The winner will play Australia in the challenge round at Sydney on December 27, 28, and 29. Talbert said no individual player taking part in the inter-zone final and the challenge round “dominated the field.” Trial Match A correspondent, “Kangaroo,” suggests that the Canterbury Piunket Shield practice players, who are at nets most evenings of the week, would be better employed in a three-day, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. match at Hagley Park, with or against the Canterbury Brabin tournament team. He suggests that if the colts’ team was not strong enough to oppose the Piunket Shield team, the players could be mixed. “Kangaroo” says all players would benefit from having genuine fielding practice, from match conditions, from good opposition. and from being knit into a team on the field. Football and Athletics The promising young Hawkes Bay centre-three-quarters, H. G. Marrett, is something of a sprinter and will represent the Hawkes Bay athletic team against the Hutt Club at Wellington today. He will be opposed by T. E. Sharon and R. L. Dick, who have shown exceptional speed on the Rugby field. The wonder is that more Rugby footballers do not take an active part in athletics during the summer months. It would be interesting to see a race over 220 yards between the Ranfurly Shield stars, A. E. Elsom, R. M. Smith, D. D. Wilson, P. J. Creedy, R. K. Blick, C. McDonald and P. B. Vincent George Hart, the fastest but not the best wing-three-quarters the writer has seen, held a New Zealand 100 yards title. Ronald Opie, a wing-three-quarters in a third grade University team, was an Olympic Games representative, and G.' Smith, one of the 1905 All Back stars, was one of the Greatest hurdlers ever to race in New ealand. Many of New Zealand’s best backs have shone on the Tuning track, two of the fastest being the West Coasters Jack Steele and Tom O’Callaghan. Champion Entertains Clark McConachy, world champion billiards player, entertained patients at the Cashmere Sanatorium last % Saturday and after an exhibition o* straight billiards amazed spectator with the versatility of his game with a number of trick shots. Finance and Sport The importance to all sporting bodies in New Zealand of organising continual visits by top line overseas teams and individuals becomes more and more apparent as balance sheets are studied. In fact, without them the future of some sports could well be m jeopardy, writes “Corinthian” in the “'Dominion.” “Costs have risen steeply and administration difficulties with them. Happily, most sports bodies capitalised on the tremendous public thirst for sport after the war ana have built up useful assets. Thef® should enable them to move with the times. The turnstiles click over only when the fare is top class. Since the war the best in the world have been paraded before the people of this country. Just how easily funds can fall away has been reflected in balance-sheets. In 1953, without a major tour of this country, the New Zealand Rugby Union was ‘in the red for £BOOO. In the season just finished, again without a major tour the loss is expected to be about £4OOO. Th« New Zealand Cricket Council lost £1305 on the tour of the Fijian team last season, and the cost of the tour oi South Africa was £3821, a total or £5126.”

Young Swimmers With an ease that is making Auckland swimming fans wonder where u is all going to end, the two 13-year-ol® prodigies. Philippa Gould (Newmarket) and Jenifer Hunter (Waitemata). P ro ? duced more startling performances their second appearance of the season in the Ponsonby Club’s carnival last Tuesday, says the “New Zealana Herald.” Miss Gould, already holder of the national girls’ under-17 baejj stroke titles, cut 3.Bsec off the zzu yards backstroke record with a » n ® swim of 2min 55sec. In spite of an injured thumb which was crushed a car door recently Miss Hunter wo her heat of the 220 yards freestyle 2min 41.4 sec to be only 2.4 sec outsia® Miss Winifred Griffin’s New Zealan under-17 record of 2min 39sec. Wiw three years left in the under-17 ciajj these girls appear likely to dwa- . previous standards for women swimming in this country.