Sportsman’s Notebook RANFURLY SHIELD MATCH MAY BE SOUGHT

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28491, 22 January 1958, Page 6

Sportsman’s Notebook RANFURLY SHIELD MATCH MAY BE SOUGHT

With the Rugby football season approaching, minds are burning towards the Ranfurly Shield, at present held by Taranaki. Whether or not Canterbury will challenge for the shield this year is uncertain. It has been decided that a short northern tour should be made this winter, and matches have been arranged against Manawatu and Hawke’s Bay. It is possible that matches may also be sought against Taranaki and Waganui. Should a match against Taranaki be secured, it would be a challenge. Because of Taranaki’s very heavy commitments this season, no definite statement can be made. Challenges will be discussed at a meeting of the New Zealand Rugby Union early in May. Indications are that the shield holder will face a heavy season of challenges, mainly from North Island unions. Two unions, Counties and East Coast, have already challenged for the shield, and four others, Horowhenua, Golden Bay, Thames Valley, and King Country, have also indicated in correspondence that they intend to lodge their challenges very soon. Other teams which are scheduled to visit Taranaki this year as part of their iwrmal playing programmes are North Auckland, Waikato, Wanganui, Manawatu, Wellington, and Mid-Can-terbury. It seems likely that all these unions will apply to have their games made challenges for the shield. ¥ ¥ ¥ Souter Twins The South Canterbury twins, Diane and Denise Souter, aged 17, winner and runner-up respectively in the women’s singles championship at the Canterbury lawn tennis championships, will be in Christchurch this year and next year. They will study at the Teachers’ College, and will play for the University Club. The girls are playing in the national junior championships at Palmerston North. ¥ * ¥ E. W. Carr A recent visitor to Auckland, on his way from Scotland to Australia, was the 1950 British Empire Games 440 yards champion, E. W. Carr. Carr, who has been completing a three-year postgraduate course in surgery at Edinburgh University, recorded 47.95ec for his Auckland victory. He also represented Australia at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, and toured New Zealand again in the next year as a member of the Australian Universities’ athletic team. He made his last competitive appearance in the universities’ tournament in Dunedin that year. ¥ ¥ ¥ Joyce Williamson The Canterbury and New Zealand representative table tennis player, Miss Joyce Williamson, has been enjoying fair success in English tournaments so far this season. Playing in the North-west Kent championships early this month, Miss Williamson was eliminated by Miss Anne Haydon, who reached the final of the women’s singles at the world championships last year. Miss Haydon beat Miss Williamson, 21-17, 21-18. Miss Williamson was very pleased with this performance, and in the previous round she had beaten another English international player in Miss Katherine Best. Speaking of her match with Miss Haydon, Miss Williamson writes: “We kept together all the way, and this time I didn’t go back on defence as I did in the English championships last year.” ¥ ¥ ¥ Cricket Surprise A major surprise in the Wellington Cricket Association's senior competition, which was continued on Saturday, was the outright defeat of the top team, Karori, by University, the bottom team. Two former Christchurch players, G. A. Leggat and W. J. R. Haskell, played a major part in University's victory. Haskell bowled throughout Karori’s two innings, taking 10 wickets for 115 runs off 36 overs. Leggat scored a quick 65 in University’s second innings, which, together with brisk innings by M. H. W. Lance and D- S. St. John, enabled the University captain, R. A. Vance, to make an early declaration and force the outright victory..' W. H. Nelson The official starter at the Nelson athletic carnival recently was the former national champion distance runner, W. H. Neftn. A 1948 Olympic Games representative and the 1950 British Empire

Games six-mile champion. Nelson knows all the details of racestarting for both the athlete and the official. His starting displays have recently been praised by athletics writers in northern newspapers as being the best since those of the late T. W. Leslie. * * * Waihi Surf Club The Waihi surf club, which operates over a long stretch of beach, has proposed a scheme which is both novel and useful for patrol purposes. The club hopes to establish four gear sheds at halfmile intervals, containing reel, line and belt and surf skis. The sheds will be connected by telephone to the main clubhouse. In an emergency, therefore, the gear would not have to be transported to the spot. Lack of finance is the main obstacle to the proposal, which is under consideration by the New Zealand Surf Council. ¥ ¥ ¥ Tennis Traveller R. N. Howe, of New South Wales, who won the New Zealand men’s singles title at the national lawn tennis championships last week, has played amateur tdrinis in a great many countries since he first travelled overseas in 1954. Howe estimates that in the last three years and a half he has played in 28 countries, and has visited seven or eight more. His career in international tennis stemmed from a surprise victory over a leading South African player who was taking part in an exhibition match in his home town, Armidale. On that player’s advice, Howe sailed for England the next year, and has been playing in many parts of the world. » ¥ ¥ Eight For Three An outstanding bowling performance was recorded on Saturday by a member of the Kaipara Flats team in the Rodney sub-association’s cricket competitions. The player, B. Andrews, took eight wickets for three runs in the first inings of his team’s match against Matakana. The Matakana team was dismissed for five runs, three off the bat and two extras. Andrews bowls slowmedium swingers. * * * Empire Games The number of countries which have signified their intention of competing in the sixth British Empire and Commonwealth Games at Cardiff this year, has now risen to 32. The latest additions are British Honduras and Ceylon. There is still a possibility that more countries may send teams. The number of competitors and officials, based on the estimates from the individual countries, is about 1400, and this will also be a record. Not only are there more competing countries (eight more than at Vancouver), but several of the teams will be larger than ever before. * * * Surf Boats Only one entry has been received in the surf boat class for the forthcoming New Zealand championships. This is from the New Brighton club, which will shortly have its new craft in operation. It is many years since a surf boat race has been held at the national championships. Surf canoes are more popular,, and more economical.