SPORTS MISCELLANY

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 247, 16 July 1935, Page 15

SPORTS MISCELLANY

Laughter at Lord’s GEORGE NEPIA’S PRICE Apropos of the recent reported attempt by the Rugby League to wean George Nepia away from the amateur code, a Sydney writer recalls what happened in England in 1924 when similar overtures were made by the League to the famous Maori full-back. When asked by the League official to fix a price on himself, Nepia nonchalantly said, ‘‘Oh. about £20,000.” It was rumoured that the League representative promptly fainted, and no further attempts were . made to hobble the Maori crack.

Rugby’s Jubilee Gift. The English Rugbv Union commemorated the King’s Jubilee by giving £lOOO to the Jubilee Trust Fund and £lOO to the National Playing Fields Association.

Lofty Tennis Player. Probably the tallest man to take part in the Wimbledon championships is a member of the South African team He is W. Musgrove, who stands 6tt. uin. and is 20 years of age.

A Golfing Visitor. . Au interesting visitor to the Dominion who is expected to compete in the New Zealand golf championships at Shiney in October is Dr. 11. Gibbs, a scratch player from Lougniddry, near Edinburgh. In a recent game at Iliglifield (Thnaru) he showed impressive form, his long game especially being outstanding.

Laughter at Lord’s. Laughter at Lord’s! It is almost unthinkable ; the famous cricket ground is supposed to have such a cloistral atmosphere that the idea of a crowd at a cricket match there roaring with laughter, comes as something like a shock. Yet F. M. Sibbles, medium-paced bowler for Lancashire, gained, a few weeks ago, the distinction of being a player who has made a crowd at Lord’s laugh loudly. Sibbles did this by bowling six no-balls with one delivery; at least, one delivery by him caused six no-balls to be recorded opposite his name in the score books. It happened in a match between Lancasnire and Middlesex. Sibbles bowled a ball which caused the umpire at the bowlers wicket to signal “no-ball.” The striker missed it. but the batsmen ran two byes from it; under the laws of the game, byes run off a no-ball are scored as noballs. E. Paynter fielded the ball and tried' to throw’down the wicket, but missed it, the ball going to the opposite boundary. His overthrow caused the addition of four more runs to the effect of the noball. which thus became worth six runs to the other side. The spectators laughed loudly. Immediately afterward Sibbles retired with a strained stomach muscle. It was suggested that this was caused by his laughing too much!

His Qualification. At the start of a recent Association football tour in Eurone the team, as it was about to board the train, noticed that a stranger, wearing a bowler hat, was standing by the compartment which had been reserved for the players. Questioned by the manager, the stranger said that he intended to travel ■with the team and play in its matches. Asked if he were a competent footballer, he replied: “No. but my brother is.” . This is reputed to be the only occasion on which a man has mistaken himself for his brother! The finish of the story is not so interesting. The man travelled with the team for 50 miles, fell asleep, woke up, and got out at the wrong station.

Australia’s Olympic Team. The report of the New South Wales Olympic Council shows that it is proposed to send twelve athletes to Berlin, the cost being estimated at £2OO per member. and this is to be added to by the inclusion of a manager, a chaperon and a coach-masseur, the total coming to £3OOO. “The manager is necessary, but. the chaperon is an excrescence” (remarks the Sydney “Bulletin”). “If women are to be sent, they should be able to get about without chaperons. It is safe betting that not one of the selected girls would dream of placing herself under the care of a chaperon on any of her Australian occasions. The coach-masseur business is also a washout nowadays. Such an authority as Tolan scoffs at the rubbing-down fraternity.”

Eyes on England. There is talk in Sydney that Jun Ferrier and Harry Hattersley intend going to England next year to compete in the British amateur golf championship, and even of making up a team of four, with players like Harry Williams, to return the recent visit of the British side. The Australians, a .Sydney writer remarks, are likely to find out what their predecessors did—that British championship courses are in another category from the Australian variety. American Golf Tutors.

It now transpires that the visit of the American professional golfers was responsible for the wonderful improvement in Jim Ferrier’s form. Most of the Americans took a keen interest in the youthful Sydneyite’s play, and Sarazcn in particular gave him numerous tips. As a result he changed his style, and is now playing so well that the Manly chib reduced bis handicap to plus one.

Sydney’s Aspirations. Australian athletic heads continue te toy with the idea of holding the Empire Games for 1938 in Sydney, remarks a Sydney writer. The authorities will have to give some sort of financial guarantee before going to the Empire Games committee in London, and there seems, to be no doubt on this side that the estimated cost of organisation—£lo,ooo or so—can be raised without much trouble, he continues. The idea is to synchronise the Games with the 150th anniversary celebrations, and this prospect is expected to drag the subscriptions out of tlie pockets of Sydney business folk, who would stand to benefit by the invasion of visitors. Meteoric Rise.

The defeat of Primo Camera by Joe Louis confirms the recent rating in the United States of tlie young negro heavyweight fighter. A few weeks before the Baer-Braddock fight Max Schmeling was rated next to Baer, Braddock next, and then Louis, Camera following the negro. Louis has made a very quick rise to fame in the ring. He won the American amateur light heavyweight championship in April of last year, and became a professional in July.