Sportsman’s Notebook Charity Rugby Game On Sunday

Press, Volume C, Issue 29625, 22 September 1961, Page 13

Sportsman’s Notebook Charity Rugby Game On Sunday

An hour and threequarters’ programme ranging from displays by United States Antarctic personnel to police tracking dogs will be the prelude to the annual charity Rugby match between the Combined Newspapers and the Police at the Addington Show Grounds on Sunday. The programme. which will begin at 1.45 p.m. with a march past, will include demonstrations of archery and pony riding and displays by Bucketts Gymnasium girls and combined marching girls. The band of the Ist Battalion. Canterbury Regiment, and the Christchurch Ladies’ Pipe Band will be in attendance. Added interest will attend the Police v. Newspapers game through the presence of past and present All Blacks in officiating positions. The Canterbury and New Zealand hooker, D. Young, will be the referee, and the All Blacks. D. J Graham, R. M. Smith and M. J. Dixon will share the linesmen's duties with D. Craig. The Commissioner of Police, Mr C. L. Spencer, will kick off. The teams will be:—

Police: N. J. Dennehy; R. Currey, P. Fletcher. J. White; B. McNeill, N. J. Stokes; B. Ellis; K. Kennelly: B. Beardsley, G. Riach. J. Phelan, S. Rarere; E. Niven, E. Clark, A. Dalzell. Reserves: A. Scott, L. Watkins. C. Morgan, P. Schwass, A, McMeeking. Newspapers: A. McKinnel; P. Wilson, G. Skinner, G. Priest: K. McMenamin. B. Powell; P. Gerard; B. Robinson; R. Norrell, T. Brown, A. Collins, M. Dick; A. Hatton, W. Spicer, F. Price. Reserves: G. Woodford, G. Burgess, P. Leonard, C. Mora.

The proceeds from the charity day will be divided equally between the Intellectually Handicapped Children’s Parents’ Association and the Cerebral Palsy Welfare Association.

Squash Test

Possibly for the first time a New Zealand squash rackets team will enter a contest with a team from overseas with some real hope of success, when the visiting Australians play the most important match of their tour at Palmerston North tomorrow.

The Australians in the South Island were hardly convincing enough for victory over’New Zealand to be assured, although the warmer and faster conditions in the north could be to their advantage. During the South Island portion of the tour they have all suffered losses to the leading Timaru players, and at the North Otago championships R. Thomas, the visitors' captain, and R. Pratt, the Australian junior champion, were outclassed by G. L. Bird. But Thomas improved substantially to beat Bird at Timaru a few nights later in a fine five-setter, taking the last two, 10-9, 9-6 after being down by two sets to one.

On his form in his second match with Bird, Thomas may well prove capable of beating C. Waugh, the New Zealand chamioion, and the success of the Australian team could well depend on bis ability to do so. Although two of the four Australians are still juniors, and a third also quite young and relatively inexperienced, a win for New Zealand would still be a notable achievement, and would provide a considerable boost for the game in this country. The New Zealand team in playing order will be: Waugh, • I. T. Easton. L. O'Neill and B. Clarke. They will be opposed by Thomas, P. Papst, Pratt, and L. Anderson. * * * Race From Kaiapoi

Seventy-seven entries have been received by the Presbyterian Harrier Club for its annual Kaiapoi-Christchurch road race of nearly 12 miles tomorrow. Several of the leading road runners have not entered for the event, however, leaving R. Stevens as the strongest contender for fastest time. Unbeaten in teams’ competition this season, Olympic is among the clubs not at full strength. With Stevens and K. Richards on form, this club should be given an excellent start towards another win in the teams’ match, decided on the aggregate of the four fastest times by runners from each club.

In addition to Christchurch athlete's, the race has attracted entries from Greymouth, Ashburton, and Timaru. Some excellent competition is expected in the junior relay, which is run over the same course. Prospects of some of the smaller clubs are enhanced by teams being of three runners instead of the usual four. Entries for this race total 15. Four teams have entered for the women's relay, run in six stages. Because of the traffic problem, the start has been transferred this year from its customary location on the Main North road, opposite the Kaiapoi Post Office. Handicapped on a time basis, the competitors will begin the race by running a short distance along Raven street before turning left into the Main North road. ■ The junior race will start at 2 pun., and the front-mark-ers in the senior race five minutes later. * * * Fine Gestures

At a time when New Zealand tennis is having its troubles, there are some fine gestures being made by individuals. After the report of a gift of £lO.OOO by Mr J. A. Redwood, of Titirangi, for the development of the Stanley street stadium. Auckland, has come an announcement that an Auckland businessman, Mr James Pascoe, has bought the Clive road courts to ensure that they will always be available to the Pascoe Cup Businesshouse Tennis Association.

There are 100 firms in the association and hundreds of players take part each season in the evenings in the Pascoe Cup inter-firm competition. Mr Pascoe bought the courts for £6OOO and handed the lease to Mr K. Jarvis, president of the association. The yearly rental will be £3OO and the association has the option of outright purchase. It intends to improve the seating accommodation to take about 1000 people, compared with 300 at present, and to build two squash Courts at a cost of £4OOO.