Sportsman’s Notebook Miss Womersley Gains High Praise

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29819, 11 May 1962, Page 18

Sportsman’s Notebook Miss Womersley Gains High Praise

Praise for the ski-ing ability of the 18-year-old Canterbury girl, Miss C. Womersley, who performed .with great credit at the recent world championships, has come from Mr W. Haensli, a former chief instructor at the Chateau, Mount Ruapehu.

“Some happy news at last. I had a feeling Cecilia would eventually come through.” wrote Mr Haensli after Miss Womersley had beaten several of Europe’s leading skiers to finish eleventh in the slalom at the international Gornergrat Derby in Zermatt, Switzerland. Among the skiers defeated by the Canterbury girl were Misses T. Obrecht. three times champion of Switzerland. S. Zimmerman. Swiss junior champion, and B. Henneberger, a leading German competitor.

In the world championships at Chamonix, France, Miss Womersley came twenty-seventh out of 51 in the slalom and thirty-seventh out of 50 in the downhill. In the combined world championship, which is calculated on slalom and downhill results, she finished twentieth.

"Cecilia’s place in the slalom, twenty-seventh out of 51, was very promising. The fact that 20 girls, more than one third af those in the race,

did not finish, proves that anyone who finished the course was of a good standard,” wrote Mr Haensli from Klosters, Switzerland.

“Unfortunately, in the other events at the championships she had less luck. Cecilia showed rather too much courage and took too many chances. This, of course, is good, and eventually she will learn to control her speed. Attention to the finer points of ski-ing will make a good competitor out of her Without any doubt she has seen and learned a lot.” The best British placing in the slalom was the twentyfirst of the Canadian. Miss L. Crutchfield, and several English and Canadian skiers finished behind Miss Womersley. Another New Zealander. Miss P. Hall, also of Canterbury, was one of the many who were disqualified. She failed to pass correctly through the thirty-seventh gate on her first run. * ¥ ¥ Squash Tournament Most of the leading members of the Christchurch Squash Rackets club have entered for the club's oneday tournament, to be held at the Chester street courts on Sunday. The object of this event is to give players the opportunity of preparing, by means of a concentrated day’s play, for the heavy South Island tournament season which (Will begin with the Canterbury Open championships at Chrisrtchurch on June 8. With the championship.

and two flights for losers in the early rounds, each com-

petitor will play at least three matches in the day. The four seeded players are G. A. Davidson, R. G. Pattinson, M. J. Simons, and P. M. Hill. In the first round Davidson will play M. O. Holdsworth, Pattinson will meet P. D. Preston, Simons will play E. R. Morris and Hill will be opposed by W. Thom. ¥ ¥ ¥ Marist’s Loss At Lancaster Park tomorrow, B. Dalliessi will play his last game of senior Rugby in Christchurch, for this season at least. Dalliessi, who has been a great asset to the Marist scrum this season, is returning to Picton. An honest toiler, both in the loose and the tight, Dalliessi will be sadly missed by Marist. He will continue to play senior Rugby in Picton. ¥ ¥ ¥ Famous Rugby Name A promising five-eighths in Waikato Rugby is the 20-year-old G. Catley, son of the Waikato selector and 1946-47-49 All Black hooker, E. H. Catley. The young back has shown up well as a Waikato junior and colts representative and is soon to take part in the provincial senior trials. ¥ ¥ ¥ Boxing Contest The inter-provincial boxing contest between Otago tfhd Canterbury for the Waironga Shield, at one time a regular feature, has been revived after a lapse of about 30 years. Discussion between officials of the two boxing associations recently has resulted in a decision to hold the first contest of the new series in Christchurch later this season. ¥ ¥ ¥ Cricket Fixtures The Canterbury XI v. Combined sub and minor associations’, match next cricket season will be played in Christchurch on November 21 and 22. Tentative dates for the match between the minor and the sub associations are November 14 and 15. The Labour Day and Show Day matches between town and country teams will again be held next season. ¥ ¥ ¥ League Selectors Mr D. H. White, coach of the New Zealand Rugby League team last year and possibly the best full-back that the code in this country has produced, has been chosen as a national selector by the League Council. Already an Auckland selector. Mr White will join Messrs T. F. McKenzie and W. Telford on the national panel. A former selector, Mr C. H. Siddle, withdrew and Messrs P A. Smith (Canterbury) and D. A. Barchard (Auckland), both prominent New Zealand representatives in their day. were unsuccessful nominees. However, Mr Smith was elected to the South Island panel with Mr McKenzie and Mr Barchard to the North; Island panel with Messrs White and M. Church.

Oven Fire.— Slight damage was done to an oven in a house at 114 Elizabeth street. Riccarton. when it caught fire about 3.10 p.m. yesterday. The occupier of the house is Mr C. Humm. Ohe engine from Central attended the fire.