SIDELINES

Press, 20 July 1984, Page 17

SIDELINES

A LAVISH book on the “centenary” of All Black rugby is selling for more than twice its value before it has been published. Twelve hundred copies of “Centenary, 100 Years of All Black Rugby” have been sold, a month before they are published. The books have sold for $795 and a Mangere man, Mr John Anson, bought five copies as a long term investment. He has since sold four of them to a private dealer for $2OOO each. THE NEW ZEALAND rowing eight might get only one race at the Los Angeles Olympics. The withdrawal of communist bloc countries has drastically reduced the number of crews seeking this elite title. A preliminary semi-final may be required, but this week it appeared only the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Australia would be entered in the eights with New Zealand. But the New Zealand manager, Dudley Storey, does not believe New Zealand’s task will be any easier. “It is the Western nations we regard as our potentially toughest competition,” Storey said. THE RECENT 16-0 hiding dished out by Woolston W.M.C. to University in a president’s grade Canterbury Football Association match was of special significance for Woolston’s veteran striker, Ron Fields. Four Woolston players scored three or more goals—Fields, Alan Faichnie, Murray Allison and Graham Dods, who scored four. Graham Hodgson scored twice ad the captain, Frank Nicholl, once. Those goals lifted Fields’ tally for Woolston in all grades over the 300-mark. THE SUBURBS senior rugby team had particular reason to feel gratified with its win in the senior competition last Saturday. It was the first time it had beaten High School Old Boys for 10 years. Suburbs had 'll losses in sequence to Old Boys before Saturday’s 16-6 victory. THE WAITIKIRI Golf Club’s caterers, Cliff and June Hibbs, will be moving to the North Island soon. Skill in the kitchen is not Cliff Hibbs’ only accomplishment. He played golf for Buller-Westland before coming to Christchurch, and at Waitikiri he recently held a handicap of 2. In Greymouth he set a sporting record which will be difficult to match. In 1961, playing rugby football, he scored more than 100 points. In the summer which followed, he topped 1000 runs in cricket. In 1962, he played rugby league and in the West Coast’s match with Britain kicked two goals to take his tally past 100. Hibbs played league for the South Island against South Africa in 1963, and was a New Zealand police rugby representative. THE LAST BASTIONS of male chauvinism have crumbled. The incoming Labour Cabinet will indelude two women, both major political parties will --soon be headed by women, and this week’s meeting dof the Canterbury Rugby Union’s management was covered by Alison Robertson (for Z, Radio New Zealand) and Jane Davidson (for "The ‘■■Press"). After that breakthrough, the least the “ union can do is to offer Lancaster Park oval to the Suburbs and Linwood women’s teams for their '(rugby final on Sunday. SHARP, Invercargill’s representative on the ’■ Rothmans Soccer League referees’ panel, has been padded to the full F.I.F.A. list of officials. His inclusion lifts New Zealand’s quota to seven on soccer’s international panel. The others are Gary Fleet and Tom Delahunty, of Wellington, John Cameron, from Waikato, Ken Wallace and Bill Munro, of Auckland, and Christchurch’s top official, Arthur Edwards. Mr Sharp is in his third season as a national league referee, having first been put on the New Zealand list in 1980. FRANK STANTON, the Australian rugby league coach, finally achieved a win over a team coached by the man he displaced, Arthur Beetson, when New South Wales beat Queensland, 22-12, in the third State of Origin match. It was only, the third time in 11 games since 1980 that the southern state had won—but Queensland had already clinched victory in the series with earlier home and away successes. The “man of the match” award went to Steve Mortimer, the New South Wales scrumhalf.