OUTDOOR GAMES

Northern Advocate, 13 August 1927, Page 10

OUTDOOR GAMES

ON FIELD AND TRACK

The highbrows of English rowing’ stopped a nasty one when Thames beat Leander in the Grand Challenge Cup at Henley. Leander Club, composed of University rowing Blues, is strong on the traditional straight back and rigid arms at the catch, with body swing and leg-drive to follow. Thames, coached by Bteve Fairbairn, of Victoria, favours the Victorian heresy of a crouching catch with bent arms, a shorter reach forward and a quicker stroke, with arm power reinforcing the body swing. * * * * A strong English League team will tour Australia next year, but it is not likely to call at New Zealand. • « • • It has been practically decided to send an Australian women’s tennis team to Europe next year, with, perhaps, a return through America, as in 1925. Nearly all the leading Australian nlayerettes are available for selection, including Esna Boyd and Daphne Akhurst. The last tour was an unqualified success. * « ? • The “Star’s” London correspondent, writing on June 10, said: —“A really expert tennis professional might make a good living here. There is a golf instructor in London who is today earning as much as £SOOO a year, and lawn tennis offers far greater scope than golf. Indeed, the popularity of the game is tremendous. It is played in every village, and mistress and maid go out at the same time with their racquets. Still the professional has yet to establish his position, and those who go over today can hardly hope to do more than prepare the ground for those who follow.”

What a web- -vie Australia would give Borot'-a, Coch.'t and Brugrion (says a writer in the Syluey 1 ‘ Sun }> \ Were a choice to ho given ns these French players would receive preference over any others. Brilliant, daring, unorthodox, attempting the most impossible shots time and again, Borotra is the darling of the spectators. Terrific smashers, leaping high into the air to reach the lobs, quick volleying and interceptions, keep /everyone at tension point whenever he plays. And Cochet is said to be almost his equal on the volley, and to be safer off the ground. Brugnon is another brilliant exponent of the game, his back-hand in particular being a glorious stroke. His doubles game somewhat overshadows that shown in singles, though he is one of the world's greatest players in both. Perhaps, if the French authorities realised the immense interest that a from these famous tennis players would T arouse in Australia, they would assist the visit in every way.

Kirkwood, the golf champion, in response to inquiries from Australia regarding a tour, has offered to fill engagements in different parts of the Commonwealth in- conjunction with Walter Hagen, for a fee of 17,500 dollars.

Dr M’Eerizie, the well-known golf architect, .on his 'tour through Australia and New Zealand, remodelled nineteen courses in Australia and several in New Zealand and California. He states that the general construction of Australian courses was too cramped and did not afford sufficient scope for the enterprising player. The fairways were too narrow, which cramped the style of players anxious to reach a high standard in the game. He made drastic alterations on every course he visited, and.lias as far as possible brought them up to the standard .of English courses, , and therefore afforded scope to the match players to further improve their games. • • * • A Wellington Rugby critic chortles: What a great pair of wing three-quar-ters Elvy and Ramson are. At last 4 Wellington can field wingers equal to the best in the Dominion. Both finish- _ ed with great dash against South Can- | terbury, flashing over the line like streaks of light.

Bobby Jones, the world’s greatest golfer, weighs 12st 12ib. Golf plays havoc with his weight, which he loses with incredible speed in big contests. In the last American Amateur Championship he dropped 181 b in a week, ami on another occasion he dropped 121 b in the three days while the clfam- ; pionship was in progress.

Referring to the fact that some of the first-class county earns have not put their >best sides into the Held against the New Zealanders, Mr Frank Mitchell -writes as follows in “The Cricketer”: —“Without winning many matches, our Xew Zealand visitors are doing well enough to justify their presence in England. It is to be noted with regret that in some cases the counties are not turning out their full sides against them. This should not be; it is not fair to our visitors, who are here to learn. When* they return home, without having met some. of, the best bowlers, their friends anlufesupporters will be disappointed. WffßMHp it be too late, I ask, to arrange iHp them to play an Eleven of England at ' Lord’s? This was done in the 1904 trip of the South Africans, and proved a great success, a strong team being well beaten by the visitors. The elevens met in the holiday matches will certainly be of good strength, but it is not quite the same thing as a contest at Lord’s.” ;