Sportsman’s Notebook SOUTH ISLAND CROQUET WILL BEGIN TODAY

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28475, 3 January 1958, Page 5

Sportsman’s Notebook SOUTH ISLAND CROQUET WILL BEGIN TODAY

With players from all parts of New Zealand competing. the twenty-fifth annual South Island croquet championships, which will begin in Christchurch today, should provide some excellent matches for local entrants. The headquarters for the’ tournament will be the Fendalton Park lawns, which are in good condition. Although the New Zealand Croquet Council was formed in 1920. it was not until 1931 that the first South Island tournament was held. No championships were held in 1940, 1942, and 1943. The present holder of the open championship, F. Gurney (Fendalton Park), will be defending the title, which he won convincingly at Nelson last year. It is uncertain whether the women's

champion, Mrs C. McHerron, of Westport, or the men’s champion. G. Rowling, of Nelson, will defend their titles.

In the past, Canterbury players have always been to the fore in South Island fixtures. A. G. F. Ross won the open championship in 1932, 1933, and 1937; the late Mrs J. Palmer won in 1935 and 1950; W. H. Kirk won in 1936 and 1947; Mrs W. H. Kirk won in 1939 and 1952; Lieutenant-Colonel Beamish won in 1944; Mrs H. A. Penn won in 1945; Mrs T. G. Dick won in 1948; and Mrs W. L. Martin won in 1955.

Mesdames Palmer, Kirk, and Martin have each won the women’s championship, as well as another Canterbury player, Mrs T. B. Grant. Ross and Kirk have held the men’s championship, an honour also shared by E. Trainor.

The tournament will be offi- j cially opened by Mrs A. G. Raw- j linson, of Methven, who is presi- ] dent of the New Zealand Croquet j Council. The manager is W. H. Kirk, the assistant manager, Mrs IF. McTeigue, and the referee will be Mrs T. G. Dick. ¥ ¥ * ! John Buxton Auckland will probably have the services of the All Black and former Manawatu, Canterbury and Otago breakaway forward, J. B. Buxton. When Buxton left Otago earlier this year he spent some time with the State Advances Department in Christchurch before being transferred to Hamilton. He has just received notice of transfer to Auckland. Buxton was educated at Auckland but his Rugby career began in ariother province. He will probably earn Auckland representative status ’ next season. ! » ¥ ¥ ¥ Hockey In preparation for the first game against the touring' Pakistan I hockey side on April 19, the New • Zealand team will go into a train- ? ing camp at Lincoln College. The I 25 players in the training squad will undergo training to build up • combination and teamwork at

week-end camps. The final team for the first test match will be chosen after the training camps have been held. ¥ ¥ ¥ Special Diet Athletes at the University of Southern California may adopt the special vegetarian diet of the Australian Olympic Games swimming gold medallist, M. Rose. Rose, now a student at the university, was raised from babyhood on this diet, and since he has been at the university officials have begun to take a keen interest in it. * * * Outstanding Round The Auckland representative golfer, R. R. Newdick. had an outstanding round of 67, an unofficial record for the course, at the North Shore links recently. His round was four strokes better than the standard scratch score for the course. His score included four birdies and an eagle three. On only one hole —the seventeenth —did he return a poor score—a five. * * * “Miss Blue Baths” For the second year in succession, Miss Wendy Taylor has been chosen as “Miss Blue Baths” of Rotorua. Judging for the event took place at the Rotorua Swimming Club’s carnival recently. Miss Taylor, one of the well-known swimmers of the Rotorua club, is a daughter of Mr M. B. Taylor, who for many years led Otago to victory in New Zealand water polo championships. He is now a swimming coach in Rotorua. ¥ ¥ ¥ Shenton’s Appeal The British sprint star, B. Shenton, whose time of 9.7 sec for the 100 yards has not been ratified by the Amateur Athletic I Association as an English native > record, has written to the asso- ’ ciation demanding a persona) j hearing to obtain reasons for the t decision. Shenton ran the race s —the last of his career—at Mann Chester on October 19. The A.A.A. _ general committee, at its meeting e on December 7, refused to allow n his time to stand as a record s but gave no reason.

Potato Peeling as Cure.— Helena, a kitchen-girl at Mbabane, in Swaziland, got influenza badly. She had cold shivers and a severe pain in the neck. She went home feeling very sorry for herself. Next morning she turned up to work completely cured. A friend had advised her to heat some potato parings and put them in a stocking around her neck. This she did, and she said it drove the influenza away.—Mbabane (Swaziland).