TOPICAL TATTLE

Evening Star, Issue 23325, 22 July 1939, Page 1 (Supplement)

TOPICAL TATTLE

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Budge in Ascendancy. - Of the 34 professional tennis matches played between the American, Donald Budge, and the former amateur British champion, Fred. Perry, Budge has won 26 and Perry 8. Expensive Habit. A. F. Cole, a Hamilton golfer, holed in one from the first tee, 170yds, at St. Andrew’s recently. Cole, who has been playing there since 1923, holed in one at the fourteenth, 110yds, in 1931, and in 1937 holed his tee shot 'at the temporary tenth, of 160yds. Veteran All Black Reappears. “ Snowy ” Svenson, though now well over 40, was to take the field for the Tauranga “ Authentics ” in a match against the Harlequins last Saturday. Snowy is now farming in the neighbourhood of Katikati, and still retains touches of his old skill, according to those who saw him in a recent practice turn-out. Archie Strang, of the 1928 All Blacks, is also living at Tauranga, and has been trying to get his wind back again, and Jack Best, George Hart, and Arthur Bullock-Douglas are other international players who will , take the field for the Authentics. It is proposed that the Barbarians should play the Authentics at Tauranga in October. The “ Baa T baas ” are to be matched against Auckland on September 30, the date previously arranged. September 2, having been claimed for the match against the Fijian team (says the 1 New Zealand Observer ’). For First Time. When Jack Smith, Kiwi full-back, reaches the North of -England he will meet for • the first time his famous unde, George, Smith, one of the greatest wingers ever to play for New Zealand. ■•The-nfii'heW'pifeihises • the same heights. Ohly 20 when he represented New- Zealand last year, Jack Smith won golden Press notices from: Australian criticsj and' his •form' in Auckland this year made him early acclaimed as certain to go to England. Smith is equally at home on the wing and at centre, as he is at full-hack—-altogether, an extremely useful, fellow to have in any side (says an exchange). Flourishing Finances. The finances of the Lawn Tennis Assodation of Australia are very healthy, notwithstanding that the tour of the Australian women.to England jproduced a loss of £2.197. The funds accumulated amount to £14,159. Loans and gifts to State associations are very substantial. These are all in the broader interests of the game. If, as expected, the Davis Cup tour ends with success, the finances must become more and more opulent in the next few years. The Whole Trouble. Mr H. J. (“ Bert”) M'Kenzie, well-known referee, and former Wairarapa selector, had a few pointed remarks to make at the Carterton Rugby Club’s jubilee celebrations the other day. In pay- . ing a tribute to players in the days when the rules were not very well known, he remarked that when the teams arrived on the field they would sort out a spectator to referee. Referees in those days were more considerate than they are I now, and he mentioned a case when t Mr W. Moore had ordered a man j off and allowed him to take the field again after he had apologised. Mr M'Kenzie said that he doubted [ if the same spirit prevailed now as t did years ago. Men who had had the best out of football had abandoned the sport and taken up golf. Refereeing was the next best thing ! to playing. “ The whole trouble i now,” He declared, “is that a I voung player sees a few flappers on the golf links and goes out to play with them.” New English Cricket Star. New batsmen in England appear like mushrooms overnight. C. H. Palmer, a Birmingham University student, is the newest star in the English cricket | firmament. He scored 132 for Wor- I cester against Northants; in his next 1 knock, against Glamorgan, he collected 128, and in his third innings for Worcester he put together 62 against Warwick at Birmingham. Three hundred and twenty-two in three knocks is nice work.” Capable Rugby Referee.. Players and spectators alike expressed appreciation of the manner in which the suh-unions’ trial match at Garkbrook last week was controlled by 1 the referee (Mr C, M. Olsen). His decisions were given promptly, and his interpretations invariably met with approval ,aud it is not surprising that ho was always right up with the game, for physical fitness was always a fetish with Olsen, who a little more than a decade ago ranked as one of the country’s outstanding middle-distance runners. He won Otago titles over nearly every distance from 100yds to 880yds, won the New Zealand half-mile championship at Auckland in Imin 59sec in 1927, and the next season was runnerup in both the New Zealand and Aus-

tralasian championships. With more , time to derotc to training and big i competition Olsen might well have I ranked with the greatest half-milcrs 1 produced by this country. I