Early Start To Basketball

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30364, 13 February 1964, Page 10

Early Start To Basketball

Entries for the 1964 Canterbury men’s basketball competitions are already being called for by the association's secretary (Mr A. W. Barrett) and the first nights of play have been set down for Tuesday, March 31, and Wednesday, April 1. Mr Barrett said yesterday that entries would close on March 5.

The distribution of grades will be approximately the same as last season —A grade, senior reserve, B, C, D. and under 19 grades. The latter was instituted for the first time.

Nominations are also being called for the positions of selector-coaches for the Canterbury A, B and under 19 teams. Last season Mr A. Forrester was the coachselector of the A team, while Messrs G Dempsey and R. Thomson controlled the other two. _ The • selectors will be appointed at the first management committee meeting following the annual meeting, ■on March 5.

Mr Barrett said that after the annual meeting a special general meeting would be held to complete formalities necessary ■to allow the association to become incorporated. . These will include the adoption of. a new constitution. * ¥ ¥ Swimming Finals More than 300 children will fly into Wellington from all over New Zealand on Saturday to contest events in the Naenae pool: Another 100 willcome by road. They will be the. finalists in the nationwide /all-junior swimming competition, for children between the ages of eight and 13 years, organised by the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association and sponsored by Caltex. • The chairman of the N.Z.A.S.A. council (Mr A. J. Donaldson) Said yesterday that the competition was achieving its chief objective—to get children and their parents everywhere to take an active interest in swimming. The contest drew more than 800 entries. ¥ * 4S Cycling Records Two fine efforts that were overlooked at the Auckland Anniversary Day meeting at Western Springs late last month were two of the fastest cycling times- ever recorded in New Zealand. A flve.-mile time of lOmin 18sec by M. Grace broke the record held by J. Y. Wylie of lOmin 40.4 sec, established in 1952 at English Park.

The other, good time was a 12.2 sec 220 yards by the junior sprinter, V. New-love,

equalling the national junior record set by B. Hazeldine at Wanganui in 1960. ¥ ¥ ¥ Rothman's Cricket I. R. Mason, the Wellington captain, headed both the batting averages and aggregates for the Rothman’s tournament at New Plymouth. Mason scored 257 runs at an average of 42.85. K. Thomson, the Canterbury captain, scored 122 runs in four innings (once not out) for an average of 40.66. R. Edwards ' (Northern Districts) and R. E. Redmond (Wellington) were the only batsmen, Mason apart, to score more than 150 runs: their totals were 151 and 155 respectively.

The greatest number of wickets was taken by J. St. J. Parson (Wellington), with 18 at an average cost of 17.4 runs each. B. R. Taylor (Canterbury), with 11 wickets’ at 11.5 runs each, was the most economical of the regular bowler's. Thomson took three for 16 in his few bowling spells. ¥ ¥ ¥ Walsh In Doubt The Australian Rugby League vice-captain, I. J. Walsh, is uncertain about his football future. While on tour in France broke an arm in three places, and a bone grafting operation may have to be performed. Walsh has been offered a position as manager of the Wagga League Club and his

club in Sydney, St. George, i is willing to let him go if he wishes although his contract has a year to run. Another applicant for the management position is the former test cricketer and Sydney Rugby League representative, R. R. Lindwall. Lindwall represented Sydney during the war when there was no representative football.

The vice-captain of the 1959-60 Australian tour of Great Britain and France and a 1947-48 tourist. R. P. Mossop, has been placed on the transfer list by his club, Manly-Warringah. Manly signed the former Kiwi, J. R. Butterfield, for the coming season. ¥ ¥ ¥ Runner’s Setback When B. Sheard won the junior half-mile at Rugby Park last-Saturday with the excellent time of Imin 57.25ec it is possible that he might have done better still had he received additional assistance from 17-year-old C. McFadden, who was unable to compete because of a severe throat infection. McFadden, who has been improving steadily since he began this season’s speed training, ' has recently recorded Imin 57.25ec in a training time trial. It is hoped that McFadden will be well enough to contest the junior mile title' on Saturday in view of his recent form in the senior ISOO metres at Rugby Park when’ he finished strongly in sec-

ond place. His time of 4min in this race is conservatively estimated as the equivalent of about 4m in 20sec for the mile. ¥ ¥ ¥ Northern Revival For the first time since the national Rugby Lea sue ■ schoolboys’ annual tourn ii menits began in 1947. Northland will enter a team when I the eighteenth tournament is held at Rotorua in August. The Northland Rugby League schoolboys’ board, which controls between 150 and 200 junior players. recently gained affiliation to the New Zealand Schoolboys’ Council.

The rise in junior playing strength augurs well for the future of the game in Northland. The Northern League has been struggling for many years because cf financial difficulties.

Rugby League began in Northland in 1928 and the first representative match was played the following season. The Jubilee Park ground at Whangarei was obtained in 1933, and three years later Great Britain was the first international team to play on it During the war the League was forced into recess but was restarted again in 1947.

Northland’s only New Zealand representaitiive was E. Meyer, who toured Australia in 1930.