Sportsman’s Notebook Perth Candidates Meet In Gisborne

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29824, 17 May 1962, Page 7

Sportsman’s Notebook Perth Candidates Meet In Gisborne

'T'HREE prominent Canter- ■ bury amateur boxers, P. Fitzsimmons, D. Murphy and C. Sheehan, are to have bouts with leading Poverty Bay competitors in Gisborne on May 26. Fitzsimmons and Murphy will fight the Lister twins; Murphy meets Peter Lister, light-weight and Fitzsimmons meets Paul Lister, light welter-weight. Sheehan, a bantam-weight from Ashburton and a candidate for the Canterbury team to this year’s national tournament, will box M. Watts. The boxers will be accompanied by Mr R. Palmer, of Christchurch, as trainermanager—a position he held with the 1960 Canterbury team which competed in the national meeting at Auckland.

The bouts between Murphy and Fitzsimmons and the

Lister twins will have particular significance, as all four are candidates for the Empire Games. Fitzsimmons won the New Zealand and Australasian light-weight title, at Adelaide, in 1960 and last year was runner-up to P. McNally (now a professional) in the national light-welter-weight division Murphy is the reigning national light-weight champion and had considerable success in Australia in 1960. winning Golden Gloves finals in New South Wales and Queensland. The Listers are botlf New Zealand representatives. Peter being a former featherweight champion. This year he has moved up to the light-weight division and should prove a worthy opponent for Murphy. Fitzsimmons and Paul Lister met in the light-weight championship final in 1960. when the Canterbury boxer gained a split decision. Last year both were in the light-welter-weight field, but Lister defaulted at an early stage. * * * Notable Absentees Three West Coast members of last season’s New Zealand Rugby League teams —G. Menzies, N. T. Tiller and R. Hart—are missing from the West Coast team to play Canterbury in Christchurch on May 26. Menzies is not available to travel. Tiller is in temporary retirement, and

Hart, who has played only one club game this season because of injuries, has been passed over by the sdle selector, Mr T. F. McKenzie. « * * Clarke’s Century The All Black fuU-back. D. B. Clarke, left for Australia with the satisfaction of al. ready having scored a century of points this season. His four conversions in the recent All Black trial at Palmerston North brought his total to 103, scored in nine games.

His first match of the season was for his club, Kereone, of Morrinsville, against the • touring Gordon club team, of Sydney, at Morrinsville on March 20. The points came from two tries. 15 penalty goals, five dropped goals, 17 conversions and a goal from a mark. * * » Bowl For Games In a shock move in London, the International Bowling Board has rejected an Australian proposal to permit the use at the Empire Games of the bowl commonly used in Australia and New Zealand. The international bowl weighs 31b 2oz and 31b 4oz, according to diameter, while the bowl used in Australia is 31b 3oz to 31b soz. A New South Wales bowling official has said that the board’s decision will mean that the seven bowlers in the Australian team will have to buy new bowls and adjust their game to the new bowl. * * *

Springbok Forwards

The Springbok front-row forward, P. S. du Toil who has played in 14 test matches, has reaffirmed his decision not to take part in provincial or international Rugby in the future. Du Toit toured New Zealand with the 1956 Springboks and represented South Africa in all four tests against the All Blacks in 1960. but is now confining his activities to club matches. However, his veteran front, row colleague for Boland and South Africa, A. C. Koch, appears likely to regain a place in the provincial side. He was dropped last season after an unbroken run since 1949. Koch is now 34 years old but du Toit is only 25.