TOPICAL TATTLE

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 4412, 18 April 1939, Page 4

TOPICAL TATTLE

NEWSY NOTES ON SPORT Taylor Early In Action. Jack Taylor, Pirates, Otago, and All Black full-back, who left Dunedin last week for Wellington, lost no time in getting into football again, for on' Saturday he practised with the Wellington Football Club. Australian Boxing. Maitland, the home town of Los Darcy, has another coming champion in Joe Delaney, who is causing a sensation in the boxing game. He recorded five knockouts in seven weeks. Selection of All Blacks. The council of the New Zealand Rugby Union has fixed the latter part of the coming season as the date for the trials as the basis of the selection for the All Blacks to tour South Arfica next year. Going to England. Neither the Air Force Rugby team nor the Canterbury representative side will have the services this year of L. H. Edwards, the former North Island representative player, who has been attached to the Royal Air Force at Wigram, Christchurch. Edwards was expected to prove a valuable acquisition to Canterbury football, but at the end of this month he will go on leave before departing for England to take up duties in the Royal Air Force. All Black Stands Down. J. A. Hooper, the dashing Canterbury and New Zealand five-eighth of 1937 and 1938, will not bo playing for Sunnyside for the first five or six weeks of the present season. _ A leg injuryreceived two years ago is again proving troublesome, and Hooper has been advised to take things easily in the meantime. Keen for Empire Games. If aiiy New Zealand boxer is sent to the Oly-mpic Games at Helsinki next year Jackie Parker, the Newtown star, who has already had a trip to Sydney for the Empire Games, is anxious to be the one (says the Wellington ‘ Sports Post ’). To get himself into the best possible shape he wants as many fights as he can get, and he and Harold Foote were to visit Waipukurau to engage some of the local talent. Back to the Wars, After missing many- matches last season because of injuries. J. J. M'Auliffe, Canterbury and South Island Rugby half-back, will be returning to regular play in his usual position with University in Christchurch this year. M'Aulitfe repped for Canterbury in ’34-35-36-37, and in 1937 he was a leading contender for the half-back position in the All Black team to play South Africa. Failed in Finals. A Hawke’s Bay wing-three-quarter, R. Fox, was one of the competitors in the first New Zealand junior and ladies’ amateur athletic championships held at Carlaw Park. At the Hawke’s Bay- championships at Dannevirke, Fox won the 100 yds in lOsec and took the furlong title in 23sec. Although the winning time for the 100 yds on Saturday was slower than that registered byFox at the Hawke’s Bay meeting, he was unplaced, while be also failed to show form in the 220 yds. He was second in bis heat in both events. Roberts the Best. Finishing top of the batting averages for the second year in succession and fourth in the bowling averages, A. W. Roberts, former New Zealand representative, was easily the outstanding all-rounder in Christchurch club cricket this year. He had 12 innings, two of them unbeaten, for an aggregate.of 678 runs and an average of 67.80, and he took thirty-seven wickets at an average of 12"81. Last year, in one-day matches, his batting average was 84. Know Their Rugby. Selectors of the Tauranga RugbyUnion’s representative team this year at least will know their Rugby. Two of the three are George Hart, All Black of many- years, and Archie Strang, whose potted goal in the second test of the South African tour of 1928 gave the All Blacks victory by 7 points to fi. Hart has a land agent’s business in Tauranga. Strang transferred from the South Island to Hawcra a few years ago, and be left there for Tauranga some months ago. Hart has retired from serious Rugby, but he played fine football for the Barbarians in several matches last season. Half for Christchurch. A capable half-back who will be available for Christchurch seniors this season is R. B. Dawson, now stationed in Canterbury as an officer of the Defence Department. Dawson, educated at the Rotorua High School, later went to the Duntroon Military College, and ho was half-back for Federal territory in the match against the All Blacks at Canberra last year. His form was spoken of highly in telegraphed reports. He has joined the Christchurch Club. Prominent Bowlers Pass Away. The "ame of bowls in Auckland suffered a° loss recently in the deaths ot two old and respected players, Messrs J. Veale, of Ponsonby, and W • Cribble, of Rocky Nook. The late Mr Veale was a player of repute, and he bad mailv successes both in the laianaki district and while playing for Ponsonby. A former president or the i onsonby Club, ho gave valuable services as an executive officer. The late Mr Gribble was a very keen bowler in las dav, and even after lie had ceased to take an active interest he was still to be seen on the bank at major bowling attractions, Whiilans in Auckland. Captain of the North Shore RugbyFootball Club’s senior fifteen last season, D. M. Whiilans, who has been in business in Turakina, Wanganui, is returning to Auckland next week-end. He will again lead the North Shore side in the senior championship. An Auckland representative forward last year, Whiilans played for Canterbury, and against the Springboks in 1937 he scored his side’s only try. Whiilans

was originally an Aucklander, but has spent many years away from his home town.

Good Bowling Averages. Some remarkable bowling averages were registered in Taranaki recently. In a junior match L. Bishop bowled four overs for seven wickets and 1 run. In the second innings Bishop took six wickets for 30 runs. Bowling for* Ratapiko against Bell Block, the leading team in the senior competition, G. Linklater took six wickets for 3 runs. The senior match between Brixton B and Tikorangi B provided a bowling duel between A. Jordan, Brixton, who in 12 overs took seven wickets for 13 runs, performing the hat-track in the