A SPORTSMAN'S NOTEBOOK

Evening Star, Issue 21013, 29 January 1932, Page 6

A SPORTSMAN'S NOTEBOOK

GLEANINGS FROM SPORT

[By H.P.S.]

County cricket in England is an expensive affair for amateur players, and to New Zealanders who take part merely in the' week-end games it is often a matter for wonder how so many of the amateur cricketers are able to afford the time from business that is entailed by a heavy season’s programme in county matches. Now a gloomy prophecy has been made by A. E. Gilligau, who captained the 1924-25 English eleven in Australia, that unless things change the amateur will disappear from county cricket within ten years. Other prominent cricket authorities support the view that many good school and ’varsity players are unable to afford the time for fhree-day matches, and will disappear from the game. The president of the Middlesex Club is of the opinion that the only remedy is fewer matches, and Lord Tennyson, a former England captain, says that county players are likely to become wholly professional unless the cost of living drops. H. M. Morris, captain of Essex, says that although he would not like to see all professionals he believes that amateurs will have to •be paid for matches in which they play if it is desired to keep them. The line of demarcation between amateurs and professionals is not so widely drawn in cricket as once Used to be the case, and it will be interesting to see if the present discussion will mean eventually that',English players receive somewhat similar consideration to Australians who take part in interstate games. In view of the prevailing conditions it does seem as if the position of the county amateur at Home will have to be reviewed before another season is commenced. * • * * Christchurch has so long been the home of the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Council that the Auckland Centre’s remit to the annual conference of delegates at Timaru next . month, that the headquarters of the association be transferred to Wellington, is not likely to be passed without a good deal of discussion. Canterbury might well be said to be the home of swimming in the dominion, and though 'Auckland has made remarkable advances in the last few years Canterbury’s position in the swimming world has not previously been challenged so far as the administrative side of the sport is concerned. Both Wellington and Christchurch are centrally situated for headquarters, but viewing the matter dispassionately, apart from any minor dissatisfaction that arises occasionally in any branch of sport, it may fairly he said that Canterbury is possessed probably of more mem experienced in swimming administration than any other centre in the dominion, and it would be a grave mistake to change the headquarters without much more filature consideration than is likely to be gjlven to the subject at .a conference held during the course of a championship meeting! at which "every centre is not likely to be represented. So far ■as Otago is concerned, it is immaterial whether the headquarters are Wellington or Canterbury, but such good service has been rendered by the Christchurch officials that it would seem a pity if they were debarred from carrying" on the gbod work merely because of some misunderstanding which might easily he rectified. • * « . » The little graceful acts of sportsmanship that, so frequently crop up in cricket tiro what help to make the king of summer gam'es so worth while. An incident that is worth recording occurred in the match between Dunedin and Christian Brothers, and it was fitting that the player who adopted a most sporting attitude should have been the association’s coach, F. T. Badcock. The coach rattled his runs on at a merry rate, and had his share in Christian Brothers’ victory. He hit a ball from Coupland to the boundary, but just as Cavanagh was going to field the ball the ball from the next wicket came across him and prevented him from saving the 4. Without hesitation Badcock turned to the umpire and said: “I will not take^ 4 for it.” The umpire agreed that the boundary would have been saved, but considered that the shot was worth one, with which Badcock was credited. * # » * In the two years that Bert Lowe won the amateur welter-weight championsh‘. of New Zealand, he won convincingly, and on one disputed his right to inclusion in ho list of boxers who have been nominated for selection in the New Zealand team to participate at the Olympic Games. However, Lowe has had difficulty in finding men who are willing to stand up against his devastating punching, and it is some months since he last had a fight. He is a boy who always keeps in condition, but the fact remains that there has been some comment in the north that Lowe should be further tried out to see if he has retained his form sufficiently to retain his place in the New Zealand team. Lowe has never sidestopped a challenge in his life, but his name has been forwarded for consideration when the selections are being made, and if there is any dispute as to his right to be in the team, then the challenge should be settled in his home town. Those who vied with him for selection had their chance of gaining recognition when the New Zealand championships were decided at Ashburton last year, and if they did not take it Lowe should not be penalised by being called upon to travel from home at the present time. Mr Jack Kilmartin, of Dunedin, was one of the New Zealand selectors, and if there is any objection to his acting as referee it should not bo a difficult matter for those concerned to see that an outside official is appointed. While in Wellington recently I ran up against “ Twist ” daggers, who was runner-up in the New Zealand welter-weight championship at Invercargill in 1927, and, though he docs not dispute Lowe’s claims for selections, he stated that he was anxious to have a chance with Lowe at Dunedin at any time provided he was given a mouth’s notice to get ready. The Otago Boxing Association should bo on the alert, and see to it that Lowe receives fair treatment if his inclusion in the New Zealand team is to be challenged. * * * « The remarks of Mr P. Coira, one of New Zealand’s most experienced diving judges, at Wellington last week that ho was satisfied that New Zealand could produce divers fit to rank with the world’s.best provided the facilities wore available should direct tho attention of tho swimming authorities to tho need for action in the way of making some move towards tho establishment of

rigid platform diving in the dominion. Admittedly, the iime may not be opportune for corporations and such like to branch out in this direction, but it is always wise to make such a move in the direction of obtaining greater facilities as soon as possible, and this is a matter that might well be discussed at Timaru during,the national championship meeting when a conference in regard to diving competition is likely to bo held. Mr Coira has given it as his opinion that Roy Calder, of Otago, is lit to rank with any field of international divers, and if Calder is able to reach that class with the limited opportunities at the disposal of New Zealand divers at the present time there is no saying how far many of the promising young divers coming forward would go with tho provision of greater facilities. This has always been a drawback to diving progress in the dominion, and it is a matter that should have tho serious consideration of the New Zealand swimming authorities.