People In The Play

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27872, 21 January 1956, Page 3

People In The Play

ATURRAY Halberg, national mile champion and recordholder, hopes to make an attempt on the New Zealand two-

• mile record late next week. In the 20 days since he set a fresh mile mark of 4min 2.2 sec, he has run 356 miles in training and has bettered both the two and three mile records in his workouts.

The former Australian welter-weight champion, Tommy Burns, has awarded a trophy to Jobnny Jarrett, as the best preliminary boxer of last year. Jarrett, a North Coast aboriginal, is trained and managed by Ray Horne.

During an attempt on the Otago sixmile record last Saturday, K. E. Williams, who had recently made a New Zealand record for the three miles of 13mm 42.65ec, broke down and was unable to complete the race. A workout of 20 sprints over 220 yards the night before appears to have been partly the cause of his downfall.

The New Zealand swimmers, Marrion Roe and Jean Stewart impressed Australians with their enthusiasm on their arrival in Sydney recently. Two hours after thdy landed, they were training at the North Sydney pool.

The Australian Davis Cup player Lew Hoad has been offered an expenses grant of 30 dollars a day instead of the normal 20 dollars a day to play in the United States this year. Hoad had announced earlier that he did not know if he would be able to play in the United States championships because the grant was not enough.

A further unsuccessful attempt on the elusive 4-minute mile was made recently by Wes Santee on a fast track in Florida. He ran the race in 4min 6.3 sec after complaining of a cramping pain in the lower calf of his right leg.

The Italian bantamweight Mario D’Agata, has realised a life’s ambition. He is to fight for the world title. The World Federation of Boxing Champions has ruled that the champion.. Robert Cohen, of France, shall defend his title against D’Agata. The time limit has been fixed at between four and six months.

Two Canterbury athletes are overseas gaining athletic experience. Ferg Jarvis spent about two months in Australia before going to England. Jarvis is spending much of his time interviewing coaches and studying the organisation of athletics. A prominent middle-distance runner, Ted Stroud, is in Melbourne, and is being coached by the internationally-famous Franz Stamfl.

A pupil turned the tables on a former coach in the first round of the men’s singles at the national tennis championships. In the only five-set match of the day, 17-y ear-old E. Kirkland (Otago) beat E. J. Wright (Wellington), 3-6, 6-2, 3-6. 6-1, 6-4. Of Otago Boys’ High School, Kirkland used to play with Wright when the latter was an instructor in physical education there.

THE Fijian repreA sentative cricketer, M. J. Fenn, is at present in Wellington and will play for Midland for the remainder of

a capable leg break bowler with both the 1947-48 and 1953-54 Fijian teams which toured this country. In 194748, he took 101 wickets and in 195354, he took 43. He is also a useful batsman.

The former Sydney golf professional J. L. Kelly has accepted an appointment as professional instructor at the driving range at the Auckland Olympic Stadium. He has decided to aettle in Auckland for at least two years, and perhaps permanently.

A reunion of interest at the New Zealand lawn tennis championships was between the visiting English player. Miss R. Bull e id. who is touring Australian and New Zealand tournaments, and Mrs H. Robson. When the pair met in a plate match Wimbledon when Mrs Robson, formerly Miss Heather Redwood, was in Britain with her husband, J. E. Robson, the New Zealander won, 6-3. 6-3. In this year’s titles they met in the quarter-finals, Mrs Robson winning. 6-2, 4-6, 6-2.

Six Commonwealth golf professionals capable of forming a top-grade team to challenge Britain's Ryder Cup men are to play in the 1956 British tournaments. They include Bobby Locke (South Africa), Peter Thomson and Norman Von Nida (Australia). Bruce Crampton and Frank Phillips, two other Australians, will be introduced to the tournament circuit. The South African, Garry Player, also plans to compete.