Sportsman’s Notebook Surfers In Training For National Titles

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28415, 23 October 1957, Page 8

Sportsman’s Notebook Surfers In Training For National Titles

1 With the national surf life-sav-ing championships to be held at South Brighton this year for the first time since 1950, local surfers have already begun training for what promises to be a highly successful season. Canterbury is particularly well endowed with high-class surfers and its clubs should make a bold attempt to lake the Nelson shield title from lhe Maranui club, of Wellington. The present New Zealand junior champions, B. Robertson (New Brighton) and R. Blair (South Brighton), together with C. Bidwill (Sumner), will provide really tough opposition for even the top seniors such as Paul Garratt tor’s Mistake) and P. Breach and R. Henry (New Brighton). The two promising juniors. Colin McFadden (Taylor’s Mistake) and Alistair McPhail (Sumner), should be evenly matched. ' Last season J. Ryan (New Brighton), who is the New Zealand belt champion, said he was withdrawing from active competijtion. but with the national championships on his home beach this year he may be persuaded to compete once more.

W. Pasley (Sumner), the former Canterbury belt champion and New Zealand representative, will make a welcome reappearance [after a season’s absence from serious competition. If he can i strike form he will be hard to beat. I Particular interest will be i centred on surf canoe events. Sumner will compete in its new fibreglass canoe if trials prove satisfactory at the club’s opening day on November 3. All of the other clubs already have, or are building, new canoes, but in each instance these will be the older canvas and timber types. The only club without a canoe at pre’sent is New Brighton, which is building an Australian-designed craft. This will be the first of its type to be seen on a Canterbury beach for many years. Most of the Canterbury surf clubs will hold their opening days within the next three weeks. * ¥ * Rugby Gathering Included among Canterbury supporters who met at a Wellington hotel before the Canterbury Rugby match in Wellington at the end of last month were many whose names are well known to Canterbury and New (Zealand Rugby enthusiasts. Most of the clubs in Christchurch were represented by at least one former player. The best-known name from the Merivale club was Charlie Oliver, vice-captain of the 1935 All Blacks and captain of the Merivale team, who was one of the organisers of the function. Mr M. T. Gunderson, a former Canterbury management committee member, was one of the Linwood representatives and Messrs B. Mason, J. O. Hattersley, R. Hazelhurst, and D. Gemmell were well-known members of the Sydenham club. From j High School Old Boys were [Messrs N. J. McPhail. T. Ditford and G. Parsons; from Marist, Messrs Ted Brosnahan, Brian McCleary and B. Diedrich and from Christchurch, Messrs A. K. Johnson and M. Pengelley. There were also representatives from the University, Albion, Lyttelton, Technical Old Boys, West Old Boys, and Sunnyside-Spreydon clubs. # ❖ * France Appeals The controlling body of football on the Continent, the International Rugby Union Federation, has asked the Commonwealth countries to assist the game in Europe. The International Rugby Board, which comprises England. Scotland. Wales, Ireland. New Zealand. Australia and South Africa, has in the past refused representation to France, with which these unions have regular fixtures. Rugby is now played in 10 countries on the Continent, including Rumania and Czechoslovakia. ¥ ¥ ¥ I Athletics Coaching ] The coaching sub-committee of the Auckland Athletic Centre is I very satisfied with the results of I its policy of encouraging club [athletic coaches rather than have a small number of coaches being responsible for all of the province’s leading athletes. An increased number of athletic coaches in Auckland is coming forward for instruction and assistance and it is hoped that the policy will result in a general raising ot standards. sS * * Swimmer’s Death The recent death in Auckland of Mr J. H. Jarvis recalls his great ability as a swimming coach. ; Several members oi his family have won national honours in the last few seasons, both in swimming and life-saving. The most prominent have been Walter [Jarvis, who won national swim-

ming honours and was also a champion surf beltman; Sydney Jarvis, who held several national junior swimming records, and John Jarvis, perhaps the bestknown of the Jarvis family. He has won several New Zealand swimming titles and, last year, he won the beltman s championship in the inter-Dominion surf life-saving match with Australia. New Grandstand The Auckland Lawn Tennis Association intends to proceed with the erection of a new grandstand at its Stanley street courts. The new stand, which is estimated to cost £30,000, will have a seating capacity of between 1500 and 2000. It will be a reinforced concrete structure, sited at the souths ern end of the courts and, besides spectator accommodation, it will contain changing rooms, executive offices, a board room and a cabaret which will accommodate approximately 300 people. ¥ ¥ ¥ Start Of Marathon The Otago Athletic Centre will draw the attention of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association to the desirability of staging the national marathon championship either not later than 8.30 a.m. or not earlier than 2 o’clock in the afternoon. The centre’s medical adviser suggested 3 o’clock as the earliest possible time in the afternoon, but it was decided that this late start would cause too many administrative difficulties. ❖ # * Women Golfers There are now 16.840 women golfers in 278 affiliated clubs in New Zealand. Golf is the biggest women’s sport in New Zealand and is steadily growing in popularity. The sport is also one of the most popular games in Australia. « :jc

Racing Driver’s Injuries

The New Zealand motor-racing driver, T. E. Clark, of Auckland, is still in a serious condition at the Bathurst Hospital after his crash at the Bathurst track on October 6. Clark suffered serious internal injuries when a rib pierced his lung, and he also received bad injuries to his head. Clark’s Super Squalo Ferrari overturned after a collision with a Maserati driven by Jack Neal in the 100-mile New South Wales road race championship. Clark was thrown on to the track.

❖ ❖ sj Badminton Test The Indonesian badminton team which beat New Zealand by 9 matches to 0 in a recent Thomas Cup first-round match, beat the Australian representatives by the same score in Melbourne last week. The Indonesian team has. therefore, qualified to enter the third round in the competition, which will conclude in May with the semi-finals and final in Singapore. *