Sportsman’s Notebook Tennis Championship For Country Players

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28451, 4 December 1957, Page 6

Sportsman’s Notebook Tennis Championship For Country Players

The sub-associations affiliated to the Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association will this year conduct their own country championships. Details will be decided at a meeting later this week. The championships are Intended to supplement rather than replace the Browning Shield competition, which is at present being played between the sub-associations. The Browning Shield competition, which embraces two zones each of three teams, has until now been the only chance of competition between players from the different country areas. As only the two zone winners play off for the final, players from some districts will not meet at all during the competition. The zones are: Northern, Hurunul, North Canterbury, and Ellesmere; Southern, Mid-Canterbury, Malvern and Banks Peninsula. The Canterbury association, has offered the use of Wilding Park for the championships, at the conclusion of which a Country team will be selected to play Town. Possible members of the Country team include A. J. Hewitt (Darfield) and J..K. Fatailton (Ashburton) among the men, and Miss G. Hopkinson (Kaiapol), and the Howe Shield players, Misses C. Smith (Rangiora) and P. Andrews (Ashburton) among the women. A long-term view is that eventually a team should be chosen to tour such areas as the West Coast

¥ ¥ ¥ Lucas’s Swim In his first competitive swim of the season, the Auckland and New Zealand representative swimmer, F. R. Lucas, set up one of the fastest sprint times recorded for several years in this country. He was competing at ihe North Shore swimming carnival being held at the Auckland Tepid Baths. In the 100 yards freestyle race, Lucas recorded 54-3 sec—only half a second outside the record set up at Auckland in 1940 by P. Hanan. Throughout the race, Lucas kept about three yards ahead of another national swimming champion, R. Harker. Yachting Auckland yachtsmen may compete at Cowes in an international 14-footer contest Four countries, England, Canada, the United States, and New Zealand, will be represented by a team of three 14-foot yachts. In the event of the New Zealand yachtsmen not being able to supply a full team the English association has offered to supply boats or crew members. The annual International 14 event , for the Prince of Wales Cup will be held soon after the teams event.

• • • Hoad Improved

The Australian tennis writer, Adrian Quist, has commented on the standard of play of the members of Jack Kramer’s professional troupe, who last week made their first appearance in Sydney for this season. Of Lew Hoad, Quist says that his concentration and general mental attitude to the game have improved 'immensely since his amateur days, and that his matches against Frank Sedgman should be "some of the most exciting and spectacular tennis that anyone could see.” The other young Australian, Ken Rosewall, is “obviously a much better player now than when he was an amateur.” • • * Cricket Colt A late addition to the cricket colts’ training squad, which is at present practising in Auckland, was the West Coast player, M. Beban. Beban, a batsman and spin bowler, will live in Christchurch' next year, and will probably play for the West Christ-church-Unlversity club. Last season, when he was attending the Marist Brothers’ High School in Greymouth, he made 1000 runs and took 100 wickets. ¥ ¥ ¥ Surf Contest Members of the St. Clair Surf Life-saving Club will this week-end visit Sumner for the annual contest between the two dubs. It is 25 years since the two dubs held their first contest, and apart from a short period during World War 11, the visits have been maintained ever since. During the events on Sunday the new Sumner fibre-glass surf canoe will be launched. * * « School Rowing

Papanui High School may soon take part in inter-school rowing as four keen boys from the school have approached the Cure Rowing Club and are receiving coaching. An application will probably be made by the dub to the headmaster of the school and the schoolboys’ rowing association to permit the boys to compete against other school crews. ¥ ¥ ¥ Herb Elliott

An injured left foot is delaying the training programme of Australia’s most promising mile runner Herb Elliott, of Western Australia. Elliott, who tore ligaments round the ankle late in October and has not been able to train since, recently accepted an invitation from the Otago Amateur Athletic Association to race against Murray Halberg and Neville Scott in an invitation mile during Festival Week in Dunedin. It is not expected that the injury will prevent him from filling this engagement, as he is almost, certain to race against the Czech 1500 metres star, Stainislav Jungwirth, early this month. ¥ ¥ ¥ Swimming Record The establishment of a world swimming record for the 220 yards and 200 metres backstroke by Miss Philippa Gould early this year recalls the occasion on which another New Zealand woman went close to gaining a world record for swimming. Mrs Douglas Waghorn (formerly Miss Gwytha Shand) set what was first thought to be a world record time for the 440 yards at Honolulu in 1923. Mrs Waghorn, a former member of the Opawa Swimming Club who now lives at Little Akaloa, was docked at 6min 14sec for the 440 yards freestyle, beating the previous world record. However, after the time had gone forward to the International Swimming Federation for recognition, it was learned that another swimmer

had beaten the old record and Mrs Waghorn’s time shortly before.

Finance Problems The Auckland Lawn Tennis Association is concerned about a possible financial deficit gp its annual international tournament in February. Six overseas players have already accepted invitations to compete and a further three have not yet replied. If the nine all come, the estimated loss on the tournament is £4OO. In view of this, it has been derided to increase the entry fees for the Auckland championships to 15s in the men’s singles and £1 a pair for the men’s doubles, an increase of 5s in each case. ¥ ¥ ¥ Track Criticised The Otago distance runner, P. N. Sidon, has criticised the Tahuna Park running track, venue of inter-dub athletic events in Dunedin. Sidon, who was a member of. the New Zealand harrier team which visited Australia in the winter, considers that the track is too small in circmference for good times in long distance events. The short straights and pronounced bends, he says, necessitate constant adjustments to leg and arm actions. Mismanagement

Unless the Whangarei Rugby Sub-Union improves its ground at Whangarei, the North Auckland Rugby Union will move its headquarters from that ground. The North Auckland union has assured the Whangarei Borough Council of its support for the proposed purchase of an area of 50 acres to be developed as a sports ground. The management committee of the union agreed with its chairman (Mr D. K. Ross) that the main hindrance to the progress of Rugby in North Auckland was the management committee of the Whangarei sub-union. The persistent topdressing of the playing area of the park with a certain soil by the sub-union was carried out against expert advice. The 200 yards of soil which was placed at a cost of hundreds of pounds will have to be removed at an additional cost if the ground is to be repaired. Women’s Surfing Although the Moana Rua women's surf club has only been recently formed in Dunedin, its members are already taking part successfully in surf events. Competing in junior races at Oreti,

Invercargill the club won the four-man alarm event.

Hardcourt Tennis The Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association’s senior men’s hardcourt competition will begin on Saturday. The competition, which was instituted as a result of agitation for more matches for senior players, will be played on Saturdays alternate to those of the regular senior men's grass-court competition. This Saturday, University will play United, and Avonsid mellWteiebnUluo -hfltc Avonside will meet North Linwood. Opawa has the bye.