SPOTLIGHT ON SPORT

Evening Star, Issue 25563, 15 August 1945, Page 7

SPOTLIGHT ON SPORT

Seven Out of Eight. Otago and Southland between them have had seven of their eight nominations for the South Rland team to meet North Island oh August 25 accepted, A. Saul, the Otago wing-three-quarter, being the only one to miss. Saul showed himself to be a fast and “ battling ” type of winger, but lie has yet to handle better, and to manifest that finish which experience will give him. The other Otago men chosen have well earned their places. J. Haig is- widely acclaimed as a “ find,” and it will be interesting to see how he compares with the ex-Otago half, M. N. Paewai, who will officiate behind the scrum !for the North. The methods of the two men are, of course, entirely different, which will make the, comparison all the more interesting. It. Elvidge, at centre, is always a dangerous man. He possesses pace, initiative, and strength, though at times is prone to use strength in preference to strategy in his- attacks. The two Otago forwards are workers. C. Willocks has impressed the critics on each occasion he has played in “ big ’’ matches. His 15 stone does not slow him down, and if there is a slight weakness in his play ’it is in the line-outs. B. Barnes has improved almost with every match this season, and is a tiger in the loose. The three Southlauders have shown strikingly good form this year. M. P. Grace (five-eighth) and A. Sutherland (wing), although they were South Island representatives as far back _as six vears ago. are still outstanding Maroons. J. Mcßae earned, his place on his. demonstrated ability as a hooker. To date, North has won on 30 occasions, South on 15, while three matches have been drawn.

The Otago Team. Three changes in the forwards have been made in the Otago side to meet Canterbury next Saturday. G. Gordon. who,' it is understood, was not available, has been replaced by the South Otago hooker. A. Storer. J. McNab (on Army duty) and A. D. Macallister (injured in the Southland match) were also not available, and in their places are A. Foster and_ R. Nieper. Nieper has been appointed captain, and his shrewd leadership, in addition to his usefulness as a player in a gruelling game, will no doubt be beneficial.

Getting a Move On. > The Otago Cricket Association is getting on with the scheme _ for preliminary practice and coaching. Already the use of the Brydone Hall has been secured for a period of at least six weeks, and a working party at the week-end fixed nets and laid down a matting wicket there; so that, as soon as the lighting has been satisfactorily arranged, everything will be ready to start. The Coaching Committee is drawing up a‘list of players, and they will be communicated with very shortly with a view to arranging suitable nights for their attendance. A special effort will be made to have representative and prospective representative players along to practice as early as possible, and it has been suggested that secondary school players might attend on certain afternoons after school’ hours. It is good to see that some definite plan is being laid down. In; the past Otago has been handicapped because of the delay—largely occasioned by adverse weather condi-; •tions and non-availability of grounds—in..getting the programme properly started, so that it has usually been the middle of the season before players 1 have really run into form. With the indoor facilities available this handicap/will be removed or considerably reduced.

Mosgiel Again. Once more Mosgiel is the Otago finalist for the Chatham Cup play-off with Canterbury to decide the South Island representative. • There was some confusion as to whether the match between Mosgiel and Roslyn-Wakari last Saturday week was or was not a Chatham Cup fixture. Officially, however, it was not, but the two teams met last Saturday to settle the right to meet Western (the Canterbury finalists) at the Caledonian ground next Saturday. TJiis should prove an attractive game of soccer, and the winner will meet the North Island winner in the grand final foi; the Cup. Three In a Row.

Saturday’s Rugby matches completed the first round, of the senior competition, which is in a highly interesting position, three teams—University A, Kaikorai, and Southern—being on equal terms at the top of the list. Next in order are Pirates and Dunedin, but although these two are capable of creating an upset against the big three, their handicap of six and eight points respectively is enough to keep them from the top of the ladder. Oil form, Varsity looks the best pick, with Southern next best. Just Pulled It Off.

Up to three minutes of full time in the main match at Carisbrook on Saturday Kaikorai looked certain to drop a point in the premiership table. Dunedin’s forwards had, all through the game, much the better of the tussle

with the Kaikorai pack, and the latter’s backs failed time after time' to finish off promising attacks. Off-side play cost Dunedin a large number of free kicks, and it was from one of these that D. Murdoch landed a really good goal and snatched the game out of the fire for the hill team. A Thorough Drubbing.

The only chance Zingari-Riclimond had of defeating University A on Saturday would have been for the students to have absent-mindedly gone off to their classes at half-time, instead of going on with the game. Even then Zingari would have had to have shaken themselves up and stopped talking. Varsity backs fairly scintillated, but then, as the Yankee remarked when his attention was drawn to the enormous volume of water flowing over the Niagara Falls, “ That’s all right, but what’s to stop it?” Zingari backs particularly were powerless to stop the flying students, who scored 11 times (mostly behind the posts), eight of which were converted, and a penalty goal. Zingari’s response was a solitary converted try. E. J. Peterson, on the wing, had quite a good time, scoring' four tries and getting a lot of sprinting practice. T. Kawe converted six of the tries, but most of them were easy shots. About the best scoring kick of the day was that with which T. Buckley landed the penalty goal'. The “ diehards ” on this occasion (which was the second_ upon which 52 points had been registered against them this season) expired very early and very easily. So far the team has had 204 points scored against it by its various opponents. On the other hand, University A has 220 points to its credit After Fourteen Years. Auckland, which held the New Zealand Hockey Challenge Shield for 14. years, after having won it from Canterbury at Christchurch in 1931 by 3 goals to 2, lost it last Saturday, when Canterbury defeated the holders by the odd goal in seven. This was the first match played lor the shield since 1939.

Cross-country Probabilities. Everything is set for a big day at Wingatui next Saturday. For the national cross-country championship entries have been received from Auckland, West Coast’(North Island), Wellington, Canterbury, and Otago, so that the field will consist of. practically all the leading cross-country runners in the Dominion.

Otago has a great record in the senior race. Of the 26 contests for the teams championship, it has won on 15 occasions and been runner-up in the other 11. It is the present holder, but on Saturday will miss- B. Stanley and R. Hunt, who will be competing in the University event. Auckland, with runners of the calibre of Ambler and Potter, should be hard to beat, while both Wellington and- Canterbury are confident of success. Of the West Coast team little is known, but in the past it has produced some great distance men. The race for individual honours should be keenly contested, with N. Ambler (Auckland) the likely favourite, though keen competition may be expected from his team mate, W. Potter, the present New Zealand three-mile champion, J. Clarke, the Canterbury champion, G. Nelson, the Otago champion, and A. Pay, the Wellington champion, who last season was runner-up in the New Zealand junior championship. In the junior championship Wellington is the holder of the teams title, and has a strong representation again this year, while Auckland, Canterbury, and Otago also are reported to be very strong in this section, so an exceptionally keen contest can be anticipated. Otagp will have the advantage of being on its home course, and this may prove the decisive factor. At the time of writing it is not known if the present champion, P. Tullock, will be competing, but the brilliant Otago boy, D. Hutton, is expected to run well, with strong opposition coming from P. Rennell (Canterbury), B. White (Auckland), and R. Reid (Wellington); but. as most of the competitors will be in the event for the first time, the contest is extremely open. Aussies in Tight Corner, The Australians had rather the worst of a drawn game in the fourth “ Victory ” test cricket match, even though they had reached the respectable total of 388 in their first innings, in which Keith Miller (118) made his second century for the series, and Pepper, the big hitter, got another half-century (57). England got going in reply, and knocked! up 468 for the loss of seven wickets (Washbrook 11*2) and declared. Then, when four Aussie wickets fell cheaply, it looked as though.they might lose, but Miller (35 not out) again came to light, and, with Stanford (33 not out), saved the situation, the total at the finish being 140 for four. There was nothing in the bowling on either side to boast about. Record attendances were a healthy sign that, despite those gloomy prophets who saw cricket displaced by “ more lively games ” after the war, public interest was still keen.

Rowing Championships. Otago oarsmen are making a bid for the.. New Zealand championships to be held at Dunedin during the next-season. So far the proposal has not been approved by the Dominion Council, but in expectation of the event the various local clubs are now undertaking : a campaign to raise the necessary finance. It was during the South Seas Exhibition season that the championships were last held on this harbour, and the championship programme should serve to give a deserved boost to the sport. During the last few months several wel-known harbour oarsmen have returned from overseas service, and, with the opening of the 1945-46 season, competition among . the five local clubs should be the best since the outbreak of war. Prisoners of War Return.

Now turning out to practices is the ex-Pirates player, W. H: Reid, who returned last month after four years as a prisoner of war. A bustling forward, who turns the scales between 13st and 14st, Reid proved his worth during his 1939 debut_ iu the Pirates Club senior fifteen, while he played for the Army team while at Burnham O.C.T.U. As a p.o.w. he maintained his acquaintance with the game, and l , on practice form, earned a - place in the Pirates team which defeated Alhambra on Saturday. G. Phillips, another prisoner of war, who returned home only a few days previously, played in the forwards for Zingari-Richmond against University A oh Saturday. Unfortunately he was ‘slightly iuiured during the game, and had to retire. Table Tennis. The revival of the New Zealand championships, to be held next month in Wellington, has stimulated interest in the past few weeks, and, with the chance of getting into top form, Otago’s leading players are venturing to Invercargill next Friday in quest of the South Island titles. Among the players who will be travelling down are Misses R. Thomas (Otago champion), J. Holt, M. Duckworth, and Mrs Riach, and R. A. Algie (New Zealand and Otago champion), A. Scott, V. Harvey, and A. Kwok. With this strong contingent, x Otago has every reason to feel confident th§ major titles will come to the province. Hit Them Every Time.

There are a number 6f instances of a bowler taking all 10 wickets in an innings, though, in relation to the thousands of matches that have been noted, the feat is really a rare one. 'Still more rare is it when the 10 wickets have all been clean bowled. A recent cable tells us that H. J. Read, the Essex fast bowler, hit the stumps every time in taking all 10 wickets for 28 runs in a club match. Only one bowler is recorded in Wisden ns having performed this smashing feat, and, wonderful to relate, he actually did it twice. This was the Rev. F. 11. Winch, of the Oundln Club, and his victims were the Gentlemen of Northamptonshire in 1579 ami the Kettering eleven in 1881. Obviously. Mr. Winch was fairly wound up on each occasion. A Close Finish. The finish for the Otago 25-mile cycle road championship could not have heen much closer, for a sheet from a single bed would have covered the first three men as they passed the post. These were R. Wilson-Pyue, of Dunedin. who won bv a bare length from A. Dewey, of Invercargill, after a brilliant sprint along the last stretch, while the third man, O. Flowers,, of Dunedin, was but a few inches away. When the sealed handicaps wore opened up and adjusted it was found that none of these three riders was among the first five, Wilson-Pyne. a scratch man, being placed sixth. L. Grossi. whom the handicaps placed first, also registered fastest time for a juiuor.

University at Soccer. The Otago University Soccer team has compiled a good record in its first season. So far the team lias not lost a match, and on the form shown in the recent game against Northern, then one point behind Varsity, which

the latter won 6-1, it should be a hard contender for the championship. In this game, Gerondis, centre-forward, scored four goals, each one reflecting on the good combination between the forwards—Weaver, Hodge, Gerondis. and Gordon. The whole team is evenly balanced, and the backs have not let many opposing , players through. Mishra, Swinburn, and Regan form a solid bloc in front of Richards, the goalie, who has shown great promise when called upon. First Varsity Soccer Tourney. / For the first time in the history of Association football in New Zealand, teams from Auckland, Victoria, and Canterbury University Colleges _ and Otago University will take part in .a tournament in Dunedin from August 17 (Friday next) to August 21. As a finale, a North v. South Island match will be played. ‘ 1

Goal Kicking. Some folk, it would appear, are hyper-critical. A correspondent, signing himself “ Fair Play,” admonishes us for stating in these columns last week that L. Haig made too many misses when trying for .goals in the Southland match. True it is that others missed also, but Haig was . a first-, choice kicker, and for a player who had already scorpd sojne, 50 points from goals this season, his four misses on' that day were—well, too many. Yes, we criticised his method of approaching the ball before , kicking it, and, in our opinion, an opinion supported by experts who have had greater experience tlian Haig, this approach is not as conducive to accuracy as a straight approach. To walk up to the ball from an angle before kicking is equivalent to a batsman at cricket making a stroke at a straight ball with a cross-bat. If be times it perfectly he probably scores from it; if lie does not, he loses his wicket and his side suffers because of his incorrect stroke-making. But L. Haig is not the only player seen in Dunedin whose place kicks go astray; not by a long way. But that is all the more reason why a player who is climbing to big things should try 'to perfect his technique. Who Will Win?

In addition to the Dixon Trophy for the teams race at the University crosscountry championship next Saturday, there is a trophy for the individual winner. This prize has gone to Wellington four times, and to Auckland three times, usually by a clear-cut win. For the South Island, it has been won in two of the closest finishes on record, and only once by a safe margin. In 1934, at Lyall Bay (Wellington), in blinding rain and a strong wind, Stewart (OriJ.) had led most of the way, but Bagnall (V.U.C.), during the last quarter-mile, closed in rapidly and there was a thrilling fight for the filial 100 yards. Bagnall at one time just passed Stewart, but could not hold himself during the last 10 yards. Again, at Wellington in 1937, Scrymgeour (V.U.C.) passed the leader in a determined sprint 75 yards from home, but was repassed by Rogers (C.U.C.) in another final dash. In 1943, Kirkwood (0.U.) won from Orange (A.U.C.), by half a minute.

This year there are several likely winners in the field. Otago’s leading men are Stanley and Hunt, who, after keeping up a hot pace in their club trials, finished with three seconds between them, and in the provincial championships, came second and third, with five seconds’ separation. They may be expected to trail each other again on Saturday next. Stanley was third in this event last year, and neither the first or second place-takers will be here to accept his challenge for the 1945 title. However',' P. Fraser, who came fourth on that occasion in one of his first harrier runs, and after losing a shoe jearly in the race, has gained a lot of experience this year, and will captain the Auckland Varsity team. He was fifth in a very fast provincial junior championship ’last week, and thirteenth in the open Onehunva Road Race, of se)/en miles. Victoria College is pinning its faith to Hawke, fifth in Wellington provincial seniors. His time over six and a-lialf miles, with no hills, was the same as Stanley’s over six and a-quarter miles, including hill work. The Christchurch captain, Taylor, was sixth on the Wingatui course in 1938; since then lie has been representing the New Zealand Army in the Middle East over the same distance.

Next Saturday promises to be a most interesting afternoon at Wingatui. The University Tournament Band is parading, and the harrier club has a good repertoire of hakas and Varsity songs to fill in any idle moments. Labour Day Sports. An imposing programme has already been put out for a sports meeting at the Caledonian Ground on Labour Day, October 22. The meeting is under the auspices of the Otago Centre of the N.Z.A.A.A., and the programme includes track and field events for men and women, schoolboys, cycle races, and piping and dancing. Entries close on October 13. Polo For the Rich.

A writer in a British journal has been describing the game of polo; h6\v men on ponies rush around at 30 miles per hour on a ground 300yds by 200yds; how touchness is required, and skill, and daring, and a razor-like judgment. “ But,” he adds, “ here’s the rub. Give an ordinary person all these virtues, let him be a veritable Goliath in the use of them, and he stands as much chance of breaking into the game aS a firefly has of floodlighting the Empire State Building. The ordinary person works for a living. He has omitted to take the elementary precaution of having many people working for him. He has neither the money nor the time to partake of the game. And the game needs money, real money, big money. Cost of a pony is big enough, but one needs not just one pony, but a string of ponies, ’as several have to be used in the one game. Even if the wave of a_ magic wand gave a working-class lad in England a string of ponies, he would still find it hard to brealk into the charmed circle of captains, colonels, knights, lords, rajahs, dukes, and other devotees of the game.” 1