Sportsman’s Notebook CANTERBURY TEAMS FOR JUNIOR TENNIS SHIELDS

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28795, 16 January 1959, Page 5

Sportsman’s Notebook CANTERBURY TEAMS FOR JUNIOR TENNIS SHIELDS

Canterbury boys’ and girls’ tennis teams will today compete in the semi-finals of the Slazenger and Howe Shields competitions respectively, in Wellington. The finals will be held tomorrow. This season there was a record entry in these competitions with teams from 19 of New Zealand’s 20 associations taking part in each—the only absentee was Hawke’s Bay. With the country divided into four zones, the early rounds of the competitions have been played over the last month. Now, North Otago, Canterbury, Wellington and Auckland are semi-finalists for the Slazenger Shield and Otago, Canterbury, Wellington and Auckland, for the Howe Shield.

Canterbury teams have usually been well to the fore in these matches since they were first instituted in the 1948-49 season, but 1956-57 has been its only win—in the Slazenger Shield when it beat Auckland very narrowly in the final. It was the first time the trophy had been away from Auckland and last season it was kept away when Wellington beat Auckland in the final after eliminating Canterbury. The Howe Shield has been held six times by Auckland, three times by Wellington and once by Waikato. Auckland is the present holder. The draw for the semi-finals was not expected to be made until last evening but Canterbury should acquit itself well whatever happens. The team which played in the earlier rounds has been strengthened by the inclusion of C. G. Judge as top player. The others are P. S. Alexander, G. Moss and R. Blunt, with L. Martin reserve.

If Canterbury meets Wellington, the matches between Judge and Alexander and the outstanding Wellington boys, J. B. Souter and R. G. Clarke should be very close, judging by recent tournament form. Alexander gave Souter stern competition in both the Canterbury and New Zealand championships. Canterbury’s Howe Shield team is Diane Souter, L. Mardon, Denise Souter and K. Brander with K. Williams and B. Blackburn as reserves. Auckland still looks by far the strongest side in this competition, with B. Bryant, P. Belton, who beat the New Zealand champion, Miss R. Morrison this season, E. Green and H. Lockington. # e «. Life-Saving Display One of the highlights of the South Canterbury Centennial celebrations tomorrow will be a display of surf life-saving at Caroline Bay by teams from Christchurch. This will be the

biggest demonstration of its kind in Timaru. At least 60 competitors are expected to take part in the many team and individual events.

Boxing Festival

Three Wellington fighters, J. O’Leary, C. Beaton, and *W. Beazley, will be matched against opponents yet to be selected in the Wellington Boxing Association’s festival carnival on February 26. Billy Todd and Billy Stanley, of Australia, are being sought for Beazley. This bout would be over 12 rounds with a £4OO purse to be split 60-40. Beaton, the New Zealand light heavy-weight champion, will probably fight the heavy-weight. Sonny Pehi, over 10 rounds. O’Leary’s bout will be of 10 rounds. Tuna Scanlan, the middle-weight champion has been approached to meet O’Leary, but no reply has been received. * *

Big Swimming Team

Australia plans to send a team of 30 to the Olympic Games in Rome next year. This would be the biggest swimming team ever to leave Australia. Because of the high standard of swimming in Australia at present officials there consider a big team a necessity. The only events in which Australia may not be fully represented will be the men’s,breaststroke and the women’s backstroke and breaststroke. The team will train in Sydney for some weeks and then go to Townsville for six weeks’ intensive preparation. » ♦ ♦

Great Feat z Jon Konrads’ effort in beating the world 880 yards swimming record by 13.9 sec recently was the greatest swim of all time, according to the world swimming authority, Mr W. Berge Phillips. Konrads became the first swimmer in history to break nine minutes for the half mile when he recorded Smin 59.65ec. Mr Phillips, secretary of the Australian Swimming Union, said that Konrads’ half mile swim surpassed his great 1650 yards world record at Melbourne last February. “They can talk about the four-minute mile, but this is a greater achievement,” Mr Phillips said.