A SPORTSMAN’S NOTEBOOK

Evening Star, Issue 20635, 7 November 1930, Page 4

A SPORTSMAN’S NOTEBOOK

GLEANINGS FROM SPORT

.[By H.P.S.]

It was only the other day that I heard of a discussion that took place between a suburban school teacher and the parent of one of his pupils. The mother had objected to her daughter joining the school’s swimming class at the municipal baths. Asked to give reason for her objection, she said: “I do'' not mind her going to the baths, but I would like her to be taught something more useful than swimming.’ “ Something more useful than swimming”—that apparently is the attitude being adopted by the Government, which has decided to cut out the grant that was formerly made to the New Zealand Council for educational work, and the Otago Centre at its meeting last week decided to urge the New Zealand Council to voice the emphatic protest of the centres at the loss of the educational grant. It was pointed out that in the absence of any further money for educational work the Otago Centre would have to seriously consider the advisability of dropping its educational work altogether, as it did not have the funds to carry on the work. This is a more serious matter than it may appear to be at first sight. If or years past the various centres have received a grant from the Government, through, the New Zealand Council, for the encouragement of swimming in the schools, and this educational work has taken the form of tho issue of certificates to children or a teacher or other authorised person certifying that they hare swum certain distances up to half a mile, which is the limit for wliich certificates are issued. The scope of the educational work is shown by the fact that last year over 600 certificates were issued in Otago, and the former year over 1,600. The centre appoints an educational officer who circularises the school and issues these certificates, which undoubtedly act as a great incentive to children to learp to swim.

Swimming should be one of the most important features of the School’s curriculum. Too many valuable lives are lost through people being unable to swim and having no knowledge of life saving. And now the work or the controlling bodies of swimming is being further hampered by the action of the Government, in its policy of economy, in withdrawing the educational, grant. Is not the saving of valuable lives more important than the small amount voted for this work by the Government each year? The matter is one that should be taken up by school committees and education boards throughout the dominion to add! their protest to.that of the swimming centres. »• ■ ■ * ■ * One of the outstanding events in local sport during the past week has been the magnificent performance of R, G. Jolly, the athletic champion of the Otago Boys’ High School, whose best performance in carrying off the senior cup was his 21ft Him in the long jump. Very often fine jumps are registered by boys at secondary schools who are not heard of again. With Jolly, however, this is no flash in the pan. He has been steadily improving during the past twelve months, and has received coaching from R. O. Johnson, the Empire Games representative. Last year, at'his school sports, Jolly did 20ft siin, at the secondary schools’ championships at Invercargill in March he did 20ft lOin, and he has frequently performed well in open company, being the present back-marker in local competition. Jolly’s record-breaking effort last week is one of the best that has ever been done by a secondary school boy in New Zealand. One of the best on .record was the 22ft of J. N. Millard at the Southland Boys’-High School over twenty years ago. Subsequently he did 22ft BJm while attending the Otago University, and he also represented New Zealand at the Australasian championships on one occasion. It has also been stated that the Auckland Grammar School record is better than that of Millard, but instances of secondary school boys doing over 21ft are few and far between. Jolly’s 21ft Him is good chough to win many a New Zealand championship, and the purpose of this short article is to stress the desirability of boys who show such proficiency specialising in long jumping. 0. H. Taylor, jun., that keen Canterbury amateur athletic enthusiast and former Australasian middle-distance champion, is one of the recognised coaches of the dominion, and he has remarked that the long jump is one of the easiest events to win on a New Zealand championship programme, simply because there are so few who will take the

trouble to specialise,. If Jolly centrate on his jumping the time should, not be far distance when he will win high honours for Otago at this branch of amateur athletics, «• * * * Tho Otago Cricket Association was to deal fully with the question of appointing' a sole selector at its meeting last night, but at the time of writing there seems to be some difficulty in inducing anyone to take the position. It. will be a sad commentary on Otago cnokeU if there is not one capable man bold enough to act as a selector on his own or willing to give the necessary time for tho task. The writer can only hope that by the time these 1 notes have appeared in print a sole selector will have been appointed. , However, if a. sola selector cannot hq found, and it is necessary to revert to the old system os three selectors, it is ■to he hoped that when the Otago team is being selected for the first Plunket Shield match this season it will be chosen strictly on merit alone, and not because some, ofi those contending for places have had a reputation in past games. There is much promising young material m Otago, and under Coach Badcock it is expected that many young players will greatly strengthen, their 'claims for inclusion in the provincial side during tha course of the next few games. _ . Let it be hoped that thejr will bo given their chance in bigger cricket ifi they show themselves to die'worthy oS it I Players who are getting past their, best, but who seem to nave mortgages on places in the Otago side should be discarded if the province’s cricket future is to be assured. The young players are here, and they must bo given their chance. That is one ofi the reasons why this writer has advocated a sole selector. The right man, one possessed of keen judgment and fearless of criticism, would'have been afforded the opportunity of moulding a team comprising the right .blend ot youth and experience. which should, place Otago prominently on the cricket map during the nest few years. Too often in the past young players have been selected in the Otago team, and failure to rise to the heights espeeted have led to their being dropped in the very next match- The policy should be to nurse these youngsters along for a match or two. The results will prove the wisdom of so doing. * * * • Comparatively speaking, amateur athletics are in a sound position financially to-day, though officials of the local organisation will state quite truly probably that the demands on the funds are such that they have very little to come and go on when all is said and done. Still, there is not the difficulty, in securing trophies to-day that was once the case, and in this connection a well-known old-time champion tells an amusing story. It was in the eayly, days of the Dunedin Amateur Athletic Club, and it so happened that during the course of a season m,ost of tha members managed to win at least one race, which was sufficient to ensure their keenness and enthusiasm Tor another season. There was one runner, however, who consistently failed to gain a place, no matter how he tried or how. he was let put in the handicapsMembers showed an earnset desire for his success, as he was one of the most liberal donors of prizes the club possessed The last meeting of the sedson happened along, and he was given a mark which looked like making certain the desired victory. . However, halfway through the race it. could .ha seen tnat the. scratch man was going to get up. .He was one of the .club s officials, and knowing the, position of affairs, was in a .quandary when lie was on the heels of the long-marker entering the straight. The chances were that the limit man would give up, but tbe back-marker started. to gasp for all he was worth “ Go on, I’m dotie —■ it’s your race.” The limit man went on to win, and the trophy was assured, but no subsequent meeting of steward* is recorded. «.. * * The death of two boxers in San Francisco recently has directed attention to ring fatalities, but it is pointed out by an American writer, that tragedy is an infrequent visitor in the boxing ring. Records reveal only two deaths from fists of men who. held the heavyweight championship in modern pugilism. Con Riordan died after hm bout with Bob Fitzsimmons, and Bull Young never recovered from his khock-ottt by Jess Willard in California in 1913. . Before gaining the light-weight championship of the world, .George Lavigno fought Andy Bowen in N<nv Orleans, the former winning by a; knock-out in the fourteenth round, Bowen dying next day; It was nearly five months before Lavigne. could be persuaded to enter the ring again. Perhaps the beat -remembered ring fatality among the heavy-weights was that which resulted in the-death ‘ot Luther M’Carty in 1913. Ho was one of the, leading “Whit© Hopes,” and died eight minutes after being struck an apparently light blow in a clinch by Arthur Pelky. The verdict of the coroner was that M'Carty died not from the effects of a blow,- but from a “ haemorrhage of the .brain,-.probably, due to some previous injury.” . As far as the records of pugilism go, .only one fighter ever killed a man in a bout and later was killed himself under similar circumstances. , The.man was .Simon Byrnes, a British heavy-weight of a century ago. Byrnes knocked out Alexander M’Key in the forty-seventh round of a bloody fight .at bekey, Forest, England, with bare knuckles m 1830, and M‘Kay died. Three years afterwards Byrnes ‘ died • from the knock-out he sustained at the hands of Deaf Burke. _ ■ ' There have been few fatalities. associated with the New Zealand .ring,and those that have taken place m recent years have been the results ofi pure mischance. Cyril Whittaker, gallant sportsman that he was, died following a bout with, Tom Heeney at Auckland, and, although it was thought he' was merely suffering,from the effects of a knock-out when he collapsed* it was, so far .as raemojy. serves me, from hemorrhage of the brain that ha died. Rev Overend died after .a bout with Tommy Griffiths a few years backy but here, again, it was nothing but misfortune that brought. about the passing of a game little boxer. Boxifag has the record of fewer fatalities attached to it than many, other sports which occasion less criticism than the manly art of self-defence.