PEOPLE IN THE PLAY

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 28002, 23 June 1956, Page 3

PEOPLE IN THE PLAY

The New Zealand representative and Wellington champion table tennis player, M. L. Dunn, has forsaken table tennis this year and is concentrating on improving his tennis. ☆ Thirty years ago a Sunnyside soccer team contested the Canterbury Chatham Cup final with J. Callaghan as its goalkeeper. Last Saturday the Shamrock team played a similar role and it too had J. Callaghan as its goalkeeper; not the same Callaghan, but his son. But it did have the original Callaghan with it on the sidelines as its coach. So with Joe Callaghan as goalie and Jim Callaghan as coach many supporters of this young and exuberant soccer team are confident it will go as far as Sunnyside did. when it won the New Zealand final.

Good athletes come in all shapes and sizes. If the Bst 21b, sft sin, Ron Stevens continues the remarkable improve-

ment he has shown over , the last year I then Canter- | bury will have another of the country’s best distance runners. Stevens is just another reminder that hard. systematic training is the important fartnr in

tant factor in ~ making good athletes. Stevens has been training to a schedule supplied by L. A. King (Auckland) and he is running something like 50 miles a week. Mainly interval running, it includes 50. 110 and 220 yards sprints, and strides over quarter and half miles. In the last two cross-country races he gained third fastest time.

The award of a New Zealand Surf Life Saving Association's honorary service award blazer to Mr D. Brown is a fitting reward for the years of service Mr Brown has devoted to Canterbury and national life-saving. He has been a member of the South Brighton Surf Club since 1937. and has been the starter at the Canterbury association s carnivals since 1952. He was appointed starter at the national championships at Dunedin in 1954 and at Oreti earlier this year. The former All Black. N. J. Bowden, who is taking a degree in physical culture at the University of California, has been named an “athlete of the year for his; performances with the umversitys Rugby team. Bowden has scored prohfically for his team—termed ‘The Cows” —and has kicked nearly 200 points in the last two seasons. He is known around tne university as “the toe” from New Zealand.

The All Black and Southland No. 8 forward VV. A. McCaw has taken over the coaching of the Invercargill Mar i s l

senior team from the former Southla n d representative, L. Ward. As a Niimbpr R for-

Number 8 forward, McCaw has had few equals in recent years and his presence in this position was sadly missed

sadly missea t t „. bv the All Blacks last year. His sound knowledge of a ba S k a ra t^® r a S play, plus his speed and anticipa tion, would have made him a strong contender for this years All Black team had he been available for selection.

Captain of last year’s Canterbury basketball team Julia Murray will not be available for representative games this year. A Canterbury representative since 1945, Julia first represented Canterbury while a pupil at Sacred Heart College. She gained South Island honours in 1948-1950, 1952 and again last year. Her sister, Onnah' (Mrs Shannahan), was a New Zealand captain, and her other sister, Mary . (Mrs Murdoch), was also a Canterbury representative. Julia is an accurate shot and one of the best field players in New Zealand. ☆ Mahmood Hussain, who bears the same name as a cricketer who played against the New Zealanders last season, has been appointed secretary of the Pakistan Cricket Board of Control. He was formerly Director of Sports for the Bahawalpur area. He visited New Zealand with Indian hockey teams in 1935 and 1938.