PEOPLE IN THE PLAY

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29170, 2 April 1960, Page 5

PEOPLE IN THE PLAY

Among the many promising < young athletes taking part in 2 the boys’ inter - secondary $ ichools’ sports at Rugby Park < today will be B. Cattennole 2 at lanwood High School Cat- 1 termole has a good record in < middle-distance running at his J Khool, where he holds the records for the 880 yards and mile events in the junior, intermediate and senior grades. In the inter-school sports, he was third in the junior 880 yards in 1957 and won this event in 1958. Last year he *on the intermediate mile event, and this year will be competing in the senior mile.

A Canterbury representative table tennis player of last sea*>n, K. F. Stevenson, has t r ansferred back to Dunebin after one •«ason in C hristchurch. It even son, who won the * a ti on a 1 junior doubles title in 1957, soon made his presence felt in Christ- . church last War. He represented Canter bury in several matches, and in the New Zealand championihips. A member of the Selwyn II team in the interdub A grade competitions, Stevenson was ranked fourth hl the province at the end of the season. .It now seems likely that the Otago full-back, D. C. Leary, *ho is now in Christchurch, will play for University this War. If so he will be challenging B. M. X Dineen for his position of full - back. Leary, however, has had some experience as a rwing-three-luarters.

While shooting at the 80-yard range in the Hereford round, Mrs D. Browne gained her first ‘'centrum” award at the Christchurch Archery Club last Saturday. This means she hit the dead centre of the bulls eye. Mrs Browne also top scored in the women’s section of the Hereford round.

Mr W. T. Dodds (Timatu) who was elected to the office of president of the New Zealand Referees Association (Soccer) is well known to followers of the game throughout the country. He originally came from Otago where he officiated for many years. He was the first referee to receive a Chatham Cup gold medal under the new system of awarding medals to officiating referees. In recent years he has concentrated mainly on the administrative side of the game.

A young New South Wales swimmer who has failed to gain inclusion in the Australian team for this year’s Olympic Games, W. Webster, left this week for South Africa to gain a place in that country’s Olympic team. Webster is qualified by birth to represent South Africa, although he now lives in Sydney. He finished fourth in the 110 yards and 220 yards freestyle in the recent Australian championships, and his times should easily gain him. selection in the South African team.

Early season training matches held at the Christchurch Boys’ High School have filled their primary function of giving Canterbury’s All Black trialists some match play, but they have not been without their disadvantages. In two games recently, two players suffered injuries which may take time to heal. The University halfback, M. R. Taiaroa, suffered a dislocated shoulder, and although this was treated immediately the injury could recur. In the next game the Sunnyside - £>preydon fiveeighths and trialist, V. C. Sykes, tore a leg muscle, and although this is healing well he will be unable to play in the Cantabrians-Trialists game today.

The Western, Canterbury and New Zealand soccer player, C. Steele, has returned to Invercargill to live. Steele has rep r esented S o uthland, Buller, Otago and Canterbury as wing, and has played for New Zealand on 22 occa-

sions. He first played for the South Island in 1953, and toured Australia with a New Zealand team in 1954. In 1958 Steele was a member of the New Zealand team which toured New Caledonia, and in New .Zealand he has played in international matches against Hong Kong and Australia. In Invercargill he will play for his old club, Thistle.

John Leeson, who for about \ 15 years represented Waikato, J died recently. Mr Leeson had 4 a long asso- j ciation with 5 Rugby in 4 M o rrinsville x and the Wai- 2 kato, apd as « well as repre- S senting the 4 North Island \ in 1933-34-35, S he repre- 4 sented ~ New j Zealand in . Australia in 4 1934. He became prominent J as a senior player with the J Kereone club, with which he 4 had a very long playing j record.