ATHLETIC SPORTS GAMES AND PLAYERS

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27629, 9 April 1955, Page 8

ATHLETIC SPORTS GAMES AND PLAYERS

[Bl/

MILES]

King Rugby Arrives Seldom has there been so much interest so early in the season as was shown in the opening practices held by Rugby clubs last Saturday. Possibly possession of the Ranfurly Shield and the prospect of successfully withstanding several challenges is a reason for the added interest taken in the game. Although possession of the shield does not usually add to tne interest in club football this season appears to be an exception. Club officials, almost unanimously report an increase in membership especially among the lower grade players. To some the number of under-grade Players is becoming embarrassing for tne under-grades need supervision which automatically falls on the shoulders of the club stalwarts. With few exceptions clubs will be able to call on most of last year’s senior players and witn a few importations to add variety the 1955 season looks like being a bumper one. Last Saturday the grounds were hard enough to teach a much-needed lesson to those who had not paid proper attention to footgear, but generally players thoroughly enjoyed ana derived benefit from a game in the summery conditions. International Badminton

New Zealand will make its first appearance in international badminton other than in matches with Australia on May 4 and 5, when it will compete in the Thomas Cup series in Melbourne. The New Zealand team is J. E. Robson (Auckland) A. T. Skelt, and P. D. Skelt (Invercargill), and C. Sheerin (Palmerston North), with Mr W. R. Russell, of Hamilton, as manager. The Thomas Cup—the national Badminton Champion Challenge Cup—ranks in badminton as tne Davis Cup in lawn tennis. The cup was given by Sir George Thomas, president of the International Badminton Federation. He gave the cup in 1939 but the competition did noi begin until 1948 when 10 nations entered. The competition is a triennial one. In 1951, entries increased to 12 and, this year, to 21. Since July, 1954, these countries have been playing inter-zone ties on a knock-out ba sis to find the four nations which will play off at Singapore. The inter-zone matches and the world final will be played at the Happy World Stadium, where crowds of up to 10,000 can be accommodated. If the New Zealand team can beat Australia next month, it will go to Singapore to play_the winner of the European zone Denmark. The winner of this match then will play the successful team in tne Asiatic-American zone for the honour of challenging the present holder ol the trophy, Malaya. Clan Gathering

Cricketers, like criminals, seem unab'le to resist the temptation to return to the scenes of their misdemeanours, and during the second test at Auckland former New Zealand internationals were there in large numbers. In the space of a few minutes, the spectator able to look, back a few years could see J. W. Mills, C. S. Dempster—a famous opening pair—-M. G. Vivian, C. R. Allcott, R. de R-W°r-ker, G. L. Weir, J. L. Kerr, W. A. Hadlee, C. A. Snedden, W. M. Wallace, V. J. Scott, D. C. Cleverley, and half a dozen others. Bobby Locke

The outstanding South African golfer and former British open champion, Bobby Locke, will arrive in Christchurch on May 2, and the following afternoon he will play at Russley, his only South Island appearance during his tour. Locke’s exhibition will be in a four-ball match. His partner and opponents have yet to be chosen, but it is expected that a Christchurch professional and two leading amateurs will take part in the game. The match will be played off Russley’s new back tees which have lengthened the course to about 6500 yards. After leaving Christchurch Locke will play several matches in the North Island before flying to Australia on May 12 to take part in the Australian open championship in Queensland. Answer to Correspondents

G.M.: The captain of the Albion team when it won the senior Rugby championship in 1934 was A. W. Roberts. E.E.A., Weston road: Of .the 18 players : in the M.C.C. team which toured Australia, five were amateurs. They were P. B. H. May, M. C. Cowdrey, T. E. Bailey, R. T. Simpson and W. J. Edrich. All the bowlers were professionals except Bailey. Green Superintendent Honoured

Mr E. E. C. Hyde, who has entered his third year as green superintendent of the Shirley Bowling Club, was recently honoured and presented with a travelling rug. The president, Mr E. Williamson, referred to Mr Hyde’s work which, he said, was reflected in the greens. This year they had played better than ever. Rod Coleman in Australia

The champion New Zealand motorcyclist, Rod Coleman, arrived in Sydney last Sunday for the New South Wales Grand Prix at Bathurst this week-end. He won both the junior (300c.c.) and senior championships at Bathurst last year, and also won the junior Isle of Man T.T. Australian champion -Harry Hinton will be among his opponents. Hinton, who did not compete at Bathurst last year, holds the Bathurst one-lap record of 2min 55sec for 3 7-8 miles. Coleman’s best lap time last year was 2min 58sec. Welcome Reading ‘‘The History of the Rugby Football Union” is the latest valuable addition to the sportsman’s library. It is a work of all-embracing scope edited by O. L. Owen, who for more than 30 years has been Rugby correspondent of “The Times.” The author does not pretend to give a history of the game, but of the English Rugby Football Union. Ireland, Scotland, and Wales have their own controlling bodies, but there is only one Rugby Football Union in England, where the game had its official beginning. The book supplies many statistics and traces the progress of the game from the day William Webb Ellis ran with the ball, and Owen retains the interest of the reader from beginning to end. Stories of the first international matches with 20 a side, the reduction to 15 players a side, the Calcutta Cup, challenges from overseas, and British tours are features that will keep any reader enthralled. The book is published by Playfair Books, Ltd., and is distributed in New Zealand by Oswald Sealy (New Zealand), Ltd. Schoolboy Champions

When he jumped 6ft 2jin at the Auckland secondary schools’ sports on Saturday M. Jeffries, of Otahuhu College, beat his own record by half an inch. Jeffries, aged 18 years and standing 6ft 4£in, is the national junior high jump, shot, discus and javelin champion and represented New Zealand at the Empire Games. He also increased the discus standard by 7|in to 146 ft 9in. He won the shot title with 45ft 2in. Another record was in the senior IJ-mile relay, when Mt. Albert Grammar School reduced the time, to 4min 34.45ec. The anchor man was W. M. C. Macky, who earlier won the half-mile in the near-record time of 2min o.Bsec. Coached by Mr A. Lydiard, who also trains the national mile champion, M. G. Halberg, Macky is more brilliant at 16 than Halberg was and, strangely enough, has had an arm injured like the New Zealand champion. Macky’s right arm was broken and reset twice after an accident three years ago. Cricketer’s Doable A.. F. Wright,- who has been one of the mainstays in the successful Sheffield team in the Malvern Crickei Sub-association’s competition, achieved an _ outstanding double in the season which has just ended. He scored more than 1150 runs and took more than 100 wickets, a feat thought to be without parallel in the district