SIDELINES

Press, 29 September 1979, Page 20

SIDELINES

A WEDDING with a pronounced sports flavour will take place in Christchurch this afternoon. The bride is Julie Verdellen, a former national junior tennis champion, » member of the champion women’s tennis team. Beckenham. and a New Zealand colts' hockey player and senior trialist. She will marrv Kim Read, a Canterbury cycling representative since 1973, a national rider, and a ometime hockey player. The father of the bridegroom. Gordon Reid, is president of the Canterbury Amateur Cycling Centre and a life member of the Canterbury Hockev Association. CANTERBURY RUGBY FOUK who are looking for a side to support in today’s Ranfurly Shield match at Eden Park might like to get behind Auckland. Next year. Canterbury' will be away to Auckland in the national championship and if the shield is retained today, then Canterbury' will almost certainly make a challenge. Counties, on the other hand, will meet Canterbury’ in Christchurch next winter and if it has the trophy Canterbury’s prospects of a challenge will remain distant. It was from Auckland—in 1972—that Canterbury last won the shield. THE CHRISTCHURCH City Council is considering future uses for the McCormacks Bay area, and the Canterbury Yachting Association is keen to demonstrate its value to junior yachtsmen by making extensive use • of it during a coaching programme in early November. McCormacks Bay. because of its confined and sheltered nature, is especially suitable for the training of youngsters in the Optimist class. LAST YEAR a national goalathon injected S9OOO into men’s hockey, despite a storm of protests of “too little time” from associations around the country. But the satisfying return tor apparently little effort encouraged the N.Z.H.A. to persevere, and another goalathon was scheduled for early this season, with associations’ approval. But when the deadlines tor returns from clubs and associations arrived last week, not one had been received by the N.Z.H.A. With apathy like that to overcome, it is no wonder the sport is stagnating. PERHAPS SOME boxing buff of long standing can put a date to an "Id publication found by one of our sports writers during a recent house shift. It is “Boxing Vp-to-date,” written by Major Leonard R. Tosswill, published by the British Sports Publishing Company, and part of Spalding’s Athletic Library. It contains both boxing instruction and the rules of the sport. On the last few pages Spalding advertises its products: boxing gloves from as little as 15/9 per set of four, boots from 12/6 per pair, rowing machines at £6-10-0 and £lO-10-0, and elastic webbing “jockey straps” at 2/-.