TOPICAL TATTLE

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 4372, 5 July 1938, Page 7

TOPICAL TATTLE

NEWSY NOTES ON SPORT Olympic Games. Feeling against Sweden’s taking part in the Olympic Games at Tokio in 1940 has become so strong that the Swedish ! Olympic Committee is likely to decide ■ against it. Sporting organisations in several nations have decided not to be represented at the Tokio Olympiad : because of Japan’s campaign against I China. I Aristocrat of Cricket. ! Many cricket enthusiasts are under j the impression that the aristocracy of British cricket is to be found in the j M.C.C. Not so. The aristocrat of British cricket is the groundsman. “ It , takes three generations to know any- | thing about grass,” is the general be- ' lief in England. Hence the importance of the groundsman (says an exchange). | Middle-weight Terror. Ossie Stewart, a young Pittsburgh ! negro, is the latest terror in middle- i weight boxing competitions in America. [ His last 16 opponents have been j knocked out, his latest victim being the i well-performed Eddie Macguire. Stewart’s progress, in the immediate future at least, may be retarded. Managers of leading performers have placed him on the “ highly dangerous ” list—the | fate of many good prospects with the wrong managerial ties in the United States. Noted Cricketer’s Estate. Formerly a Middlesex cricketer. Mr George William Beldam, of Lower Bourne, Farnham, Surrey, who died last November, aged 68, left gross estate valued at £42,234, with net personalty nil. An autographed bat given to him by W. G. Grace he gave to his son, Alexander Roy Asplan. Water colours of W. G. Grace and F. R. Spofforth he left to the M.C.C. Trevathan’s “ Boot.” Dave Trevathan is still the champion point-getter in Dunedin Rugby, mainly with his accurate boot. In the eight \ games played up till last Saturday his total was 68 points, comprising three tries, seven conversions, seven penalty goals, and six potted goals. Egan comes next on the list with 40 points—eight conversions and eight penalty goals Interest In Basketball. Because of the interest country' centres in the visit of the New Zealand women’s basketball team in August, efforts are being made by the Victorian Women’s Basketball Association to arrange a tour of the Western District (Geelong, Warrnambool, Colac, and Camperdown) for five days before the start of the all-Australian basketball carnival here on August 15. Table Tennis Ranking. The Hon. Ivor Montagu, who has i been termed the “ dictator of English j table tennis,” has compiled a world’s ranking list—unofficial, of course (says an English writer). Vana, the Czechoslovakian, champion of the world, naturally is placed first, Barna is second, Bergmann third, and Beliak fourth. From this ranking it will therefore be seen that last year’s visitors to New Zealand were not even in the first four, and that this year’s visitors, Barna and Beliak, are placed second and fourth respectively.

To Play the Maoris. The announcement that the New Zealand Rugby League team is likely to play an all New Zealand Maori team in Auckland after the tourists complete their Australian tour is welcome news to followers of the code. Keen and friendly rivalry exists between the two races, and the matches against Auckland, played only twice, have proved very interesting. The Maori players with the New Zealand side will play for the Native team, and it is the intention of the New Zealand Council to play the fixture at Carlaw Park on Saturday, July 16. Cross-Country Running.

There is a movement in England to hava cross-country running included in future Olympic Games programmes. Those in favour are confident that all objections can be met. It is pointed out that coss-country running is one of the oldest of amateur sports and is considerably older than the majority of sports scheduled at the_ Emnire Games. Cross-country running nad Olympic status up to 1924. The decision to discontinue it in future Olympic Games was said to be on account of the runners being affected by intense heat, and that, being a winter sport, it should not be included in summer athletics. Famous Pitcher. Dizzy Dean, famous pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, was bought by Chicago Cubs for 185,000 dollars (about £46,000), the highest price ever paid for a baseballer. Mr P. K. Wrigley, chewing gum king, is sole owner of the Cubs, and paid out the record price. Altogether he paid £67,500 fpr three players. Dean, who was paid £3,750 salary by the Cardinals last year, gets no share of his purchase price, but already he has asked his new club for a rise. Baseball is an industry in the United States.

Tennis Form. The defeat of D. C. Coombe, of Wellington, in the first round of the London lawn tennis championships at Queen’s Club by Choy, of China, does not augur w T eIl for the New Zealander’s chances of surviving many rounds at Wimbledon. The New Zealand championship tourney at the Stanley street courts early this year demonstrated that Coombe had lost form which won him the Dominion singles title two years ago. In two sets against the Chinese representative he won only one game, the score being 6-0, 6-1.

Fine Hockey Display. The display given by the All-Eng-land ladies’ hockey team which defeated an Auckland provincial side at Eden Park, was one of the best performances seen in New Zealand by

women players (says the Auckland ‘ Herald ’). Although the members of the team had not played together until they arrived in New Zealand, except for a game against the Rest of England on the day before the team embarked, combination was a feature of their play. The fine stick-work and positional play shown under the very sodden conditions leaves little doubt that the score would have been larger had the ground been firmer.

“ Mystery ” Golfer. John Montague, the American “ mystery ” golfer, who has been out of the public eye ever since his sensational trials, is again cutting capers on Californian fairways. At the Bobby Jones trophy tournament at Cataline Island he did nine holes in 32 in a practice round with Richard Arlen and Johnny Weismuller, film stars. At the fifteenth he picked up his ball and walked off, saying he had had enough golf for the day. A few weeks again in the Californian Open, he did a 68, four strokes under par. He complained of an injured finger, which, he said, interfered with his putting. In all he scored five birdies. At the 333yard ninth he was forced to touch his second shot over a group of trees and to sink a loft putt for his birdie three. Three and a-half Miles. One of the original founders of the Calliope Harrier Club presented a trophy for a teams’ race before he left Auckland some years ago, and recently the annual race was held on the Lake course of three and a-half miles. A fine contest resulted in R. Burgess, off the limit, winning by a few yards from Hardman and Short. Fastest time was made by N. Ambler, who, with Burgess, Hardman, and Sharpe, comprised the C team in the teams’ contest, and was easily successful with 26 points. Retiring. Miss Barbara Burke, South Africa, holder of the Empire 80 metres women’s hurdles title, has decided to retire from serious athletics. Miss Burke, who is only 21 years old, has won eight South African championhips, three English championships and one Empire championship. In addition, she is joint holder of the world’s 80 metres hurdles record of 11.6 sec. She represented South Africa at the 1934 and 1938 Empire Games and England at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. Fine Taranaki Forward. Ray Clarke, the Taranaki lock forward who toured Australia with Billy Wallace’s 1932 All Black team, is approaching Melba standards. At the beginning of the season, it was understood that, for the second or third time, he had definitely decided to turn the game in. Latest reports mention that he is now turning out for Te Awamutu football and playing pretty well. A fine forward at his best, Clarke played many times for Taranaki, and his bustling play, as well as his accurate punting and goal-kicking, made him consistently useful. He turned out against the Springboks last season and worked manfully in a pack which gave the Springboks more trouble than 90 per cent, of the other forward sides met by the tourists in the country.