TOPICAL TATTLE

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 4330, 7 September 1937, Page 2

TOPICAL TATTLE

{ NEWSY NOTES OK SPORT Soccer Team’s Record, The English amateur Association football team’s record for its New Zealand and Australian tour is as follows: —Played 19, won 17, lost 2, goals for 128. against 26. Naval Footballers. Included in the complement of the new cruiser Leander is one English international Rugby football representative and four members of the Deyonport Services Rugby team. When these players have practised with a number of New Zealand ratings on board, it is hoped the ship will be able to produce the best team on the New Zealand station, and if they are able to attend regular practice, the English players should prove welcome additions to Auckland Rugby (says an exchange) . Smartest of all. Freddie Welsh was probably the smartest ring man of them all (says an American writer. When he fought Rivers and Leach Cross——he manceuvered and kept the sun in their eyes during the entire fight. When he fought Charley White they took moving pictures of that fight and Welsh saw to it that White’s face i never showed once in the pictureshe kept White out of the film entirely for 10 rounds —quite a feat. Sporting Offer Sanctioned. The ex-New Zealander, Fred Tottey, is now a fully accredited member of the touring Australian League side, the Australian Board of Control having sanctioned the sporting offer of his team mates in agreeing to pay his expenses (says the ‘ New Zealand übserver ’). Incidentally, he has been commissioned by a leading Austi alian newspaper to cover the entire tour, so he will be able to assist in paying Ris way. When he heard of Ins selection he sent his wife and daughter over to New Zealand for a holiday, and it must have been a blow to find that the doctor would not pass him. Hit Straight Through the Ball. Charlie Conners, who won the Victorian professional golf championship recently, attributes his success to a change of methods. A year or so ago he used to swing his clubs on the “ inside out arc, but he found that when the strain was' on this method often caused hooking and slicing. After watching Gene Sarazen, who swings straight hack and straight through with his shots, Conners decided to adopt this method (says a Melbourne writer). He altered his grip, bringing his left hand slightly more on top of the shaft, to secure a correct wrist cock at the top of the swing, and then concentrated on hitting straight through the balL _ This is the most simple method of hitting a golf ball, and it is surprising that so few good players use it. After all, a straight ball is the one that pays the most reguar dividends. Ambassadors for Japan. | Australia’s promise to send a lawn tennis team to Japan is to be fulfilled fiu October. Harry Hopman and Len I Schwartz, our fifth and sixth national ranking players, have been chosen for the tour to’play in exhibition matches and the Japanese championships, which are also attracting the Germans, von Cramm and Henkel (says the ‘ Australasian ’). Two more worthy representatives than Hopman and Schwartz could not have been chosen. They will uphold all the best qualities of Australian lawn tennis and sportsmanship, and will be splendid ambassadors. Hopman has retained his skill remarkably despite the lack of bracing practice, while Schwartz was the reserve for the 1937 Davis Cup team. Both play their strokes crisply, and favour the net game, which never fails in its appeal to galleries. Except for their slightness, they will bear a remarkable likeness in build to their Japanese opponents. They will return to Australia in December with von Cramm and Henkel. Progress at Golf. H. M'lnnally, a 25-year-old coal miner, developed his golf skill without any tuition, and recently won the Scottish amateur championship at Stirling, beating K. G. Patrick in the final by G and 5. M'lnnally, who was given a week’s holiday to compete in the event, defeated Hector Thomson, a previous winner, and Hamilton, the title holder, in the early rounds. Team from Trinidad. Trinidad will be represented at the Empire Games in Sydney in February next. In a letter received by Mr J. S. W. Eve from the lion, secretary of the I Trinidad Committee of the British Empire Games Association, he states: j “ The committee is hard at work rais- j ing funds to supplement Australia’s generous allotment. It is expected that I the team will consist of at least six athletes, swimmers, and a trainermanager.” The Trinidad committee has paid the Australian committee a graceful compliment by adopting as their official letterhead a photographic copy of the Australian B.E.G. letterhead. . ! Paynter’s Fine Innings. E. Paynter, the Lancashire left-hand batsman, who was a member of the England eleven which toured Australia and New Zealand in 1932-33 tinder D. R. Jardine, covered himself with glory when he scored 322 for his county against Sussex this mouth. Paynter scored his runs in 300 minutes. He hit three 6’s and 39 4’s. For the second time this summer he scored 100 before luncheon. It was the highest score ever made by a Lancashire professional, but was more than 100 fewer than A. C. MacLaren’s splendid score of 424 for Lancashire against Somerset at Taunton in 1895, which was the world’s record until W. H. Ponsford made 429 for Victoria against Tasmania in 1923. I Advertising Empire Games. British Empire Games 1938 “ Stickers ” will be issued at an early date. The Games Publicity Committee has ■ recommended that 750,000 be circulated I ; throughout the world. Typically Aus- 1 tralian in design, the stickers depict a discus thrower’”poised for his effort. It { . it not generally known that the much- i admired athletic figure is that of popu- '

far Bronte Surf Club standard bearer, Bill Pugh. After over 50 designs had been considered by the committee without finality being arrived at, the Minister in Charge of Celebrations (the Hon. J. M. Dunningham, M.L.A.) was asked to make a selection, and he unhesitatingly chose the discus thrower. Past v. Present. Many old members of the Dunedin Football Club donned their jerseys in the Past v. Present match recently. A feature was the fine handling of the past members, both backs and forwards, who combined in some spectacular movements. Clem Beck, who represented Otago as far back as 1885 and was a very fine player, was among those present. He still takes a keen interest in the Dunedin Club’s welfare. The president (Mr A. Haynes) welcomed the past members, and expressed pleasure at their keenness in coming to the Caledonian Ground to play when there were so many counter-attractions. The past members inculded H. D. Fitzgerald (players over 15 years ago), T., E., and J. O’Connor, J. M'Kewen, C. M'Keweu, J. Parsons, J. Delahunty, J. Toomey (players over 10 years ago), Brosnan, Stevenson, Dawkins, Jones, and Montague. Tries for the Past were scored by H. Eaton and J. Delahunty, both being converted by Montague. For the Present players P. Treacy potted a good field goal.