People In The Play

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27832, 3 December 1955, Page 3

People In The Play

rphe national sprint x champion M. L. Rae showed impressive form at Papakura last Saturday. In a handicap race, he -won the 100 yards easily in 9.7 seconds.

That time equalled his own resident record, and it was passed by the referee as satisfying record conditions, but as it was in a handicap event no record will be claimed. On the same day M. G. Halberg ran a convincing first-of-the-season mile in 4min 13sec. The Empire welterweight boxing champion George Barnes has been offered £5OOO to defend his title in South Africa against the South African champion, Benny Niewenhizen. The Australian golf professional J. L. Kelly has accepted an appointment at Auckland and will take charge of the driving range at Newmarket. The former Australian spin bowler, B. Dooland, who has been playing for Nottinghamshire with outstanding success, Is on vacation in Adelaide, and he made it a busman’s holiday by turning out for West Torrens in the Adelaide competition. He bowled splendidly, taking five for 53.

J. R. Reid now needs 125 runs to become the second New Zealander to score 1000 in test matches. A former New Zealand women’s 220 yards freestyle champion, Miss M. Menzies has returned to New Zealand after more than a year in England and has become a professional coach at Parnell. A. R. Morris, whose retirement from test cricket was announced recently, might have to wait 20 years before he gets a testimonial match, according to a report of a meeting of the New South Wales Cricket Association. Members expressed dissatisfaction with the system of recognising the services of great players. This season there will be a match for A. A. Mailey, who is 67, and J. M. Taylor, 60. Next season a testimonial game will be played for W. J. O’Reilly, who is 50, and S. J. McCabe, who is 45.

rphe Canterbury allA rounder A. R. MacGibbon has carried his remarkable batting reformation, started it

Indian tour. Before he left New Zealand Mac Gibbon had had 80 completed first-class innings for 1450 runs, average 18.1. On the tour he has had nine more completed innings for 367 runs, average 40.6. His test figures—l4B runs at 9.8 runs an innings—were unimpressive, but in the three Pakistan and first Indian test, he made a further 229 runs at 45.8 an innings. L. Paish, at 13, is the. youngest girl ever chosen to represent Canterbury at softball. She has been selected for the team which will play Southland next Saturday. She is an outstanding fielder. The Australian left-arm bowler, W. A. Johnston, who suffered a recurrence of a knee injury in the West Indies last summer, gave the knee its first real test last Saturday in a Melbourne dub match. It was his . first appearance of the season, and although he failed to take a wicket, he bowled nine overs on end and he came through this solid test without ill effect