ATHLETIC SPOUTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13202, 13 June 1906, Page 9

ATHLETIC SPOUTS.

FOOTBALL.

The Auckland Rugby Union cup matches will be continued on Saturday next at the Epsom and North Shore grounds. The second round will be commenced, and in the first grade fixtures an interesting game should be witnessed between City and North Shore. Newton meet Grafton, and Ponsonby play Parnell. The Wednesday Trade Union matches, put off last week owing to the change in the weekly holiday, will be resumed this afternoon at Alexandra Park. Prior to his return to New Zealand Dr. Nolan Fell, whose doings in the Rugby field in Scotland have earned iivni an enviable ■ reputation, will go from the Edinburgh University to the Rotunda Hospital in Dub- : lin. '

Of the four Otago members of the late New Zealand team McDonald (forward) is; said to be the one playei; who is standing out most conspicuously. ._ The. council of the New South Wales . Rugby Union has decided that inter-State players must produce a medical certificate, if so called upon, that they are fit to play, » According to a Dune din football scribe, there is. a dearth of good fullbacks in the first grade fixtures being played under the auspices of he •" Otago Rugby Union this season. The writer thinks it probable that when a selection, comes to be made Booth, of the late New Zealand team, who is at present playing five-eighths for Kaikorai, will bo found guarding Otago's goal. A recent message from New York states that the suppression of American football has resulted in Englishmen teaching : their game to Americans. On April 7 there were over 40 games of Rugby played in or near Now York, : the:-Englishmen teaching their opponents .while playing. At the restaurants at- night-, there: were many informal British banquets at. which ' the Union Jack and > tho Stars and Stripes wore displayed >411(1 toasted. It is thus clear that Rugby Union football is spreading in America.

The , Waihou football - team met the Te Aroha reps, at the latter* ground on Saturday. The game resulted in a draw. '

AUCKLAND WEDNESDAY UNION. To-day will see the club comootitions resumed, when the Bakers meet the Post, Telegraph, and Railway, on No. 1 ground, and the Butchers , play the Grocers and Milkmen, on No. 2 ground. An additional attraction will be furnished in the match, Drapers -No. 1 team v. Bultimore, which will be played on No. 1 ground prior to the start of the club competition. The Drapers No. 2 team will subsequently play Sargood, Son, and Ewen's. Play in the Baltimore match. commences at a-qiiarter past two o'clock sharp.

I. ' ' CANTERBURY RUGBY UNION. [BY TELEGRAPH.L'RKSri ASSOCIATION.] r CHmstchurch, Tuesday. ' The Canterbury Ruby Union lias decided to fine the Kaiapoi Football Club £5 for "ringing-in" a player. A disqualification imposed on one of the club's players at the previous meeting > was removed, as the player had not been playing: on the day in question. ' , ■ ■■*.'.

GOLF.

The match by members of the Auckland Ladies' " Golf Club, for the monthly medal,' which had to be postponed on Thursday last, owing to the , weather, will be played tomorrow (Thursday), at the same time as the third round 'fori the captain's prize. Entries will be received up to the time of commencing of play. ,

The winners of the . prizes presented to the ladies' 'club by .Mrs. R. A. Carr. were Miss Ruth-Bucklancl (in the : senior division), with a score of five down on bogey, and Mrs. J. R. Bloomfi-skt (ju the juniors), eight down. A match, will be played by members of the ladies' club on Thursdays, the 21st and 28th, for a prize presented. by Mrs. Guy Williams. The conditions provide for two rounds of medal play over 18 holes. Entries close on Mon4a<v June. 18, : , . The latest .golf book to bo announced is th-o Reminiscences'' of Mr. Hilton. It is now in preparation, and will practically be a history of British golf since 1837.

A new ball to lie placed on the market is to be filled With liquid— water or glycerine. •

Mr. Douglas. Robinson, playing at Weston-super-Mare (England), drove, the sixteenth green in one, carrying the bunker directly, in front of the green. That required a " carry"' of 305 yds to clear. . One of the peculiarities oi: the "Vardon grip"—the left thumb down the shaft—was, according to Tom Vardon, -evolved by l'rim-' self and his brother because they could only get rough thorn shafts to play with : as small boys in Jersey,' and to put their thumbs round bruised the thumb. ? He holds, however, that, though the habit was thus acquired bf ; force of circumstances, and not for golf :|easons, there'is virtue in it. The Vardons wore born of a French mother and an English father. The Vardons once looked like revolutionising golf. Certainly they have done much to introduce the short, hard hitting swing. Their latest word on the subject is from Tom Vardon, who writes:—"As the result of my experience I have strong views about the* advice that is given to golfers about the different pressure they should exert with their bands, the loose way in which they should hold their body, and so forth. They are told to hold tightly with the left hand and loosely with the right, that the left hand hits and the right hand guides. I say that the left- hand guides and the right, hand strikes; and whether he knows it or not I think that every golfer's hand divide the work between them in this way. Golf beginners and others are told also to hold their bodies loosely while they pivot during the upward and downward swings. I don't agree with all this talk about looseness, and I- am sure that it is the cause of the undoing of many a young player who may perhaps take the' advice ft little-more literally than those who gave it intended. I believe in the body and arms and everything else being fairly firm,, but bending easily and freely at the joints. That, I think, is everything—the quick and easy bend of the joint that is responsive to the changing necessities of i the swing- All the bends must follow each other in order as quick as lightning, and that without any pause or' conscious effort on the part of the player. He must go through the lot like a flash and finish his drive like the crack of a whip."

, , HOCKEY.

Tho draw far the Auckland Hockoy Association championship matches to be flayed next Saturday afternoon is as under:— " Soniers: Auckland A v. United (on Domain); University v. Auctland B (No.' 1 ground. Remuers.). -Juniors: St. George's A v. United (No. 1 ground, Remuera); College A. v. Auckland (No. 2 ground, Remuera); St. George's B' .v. University (No. 3 ground, Remuera); College B a bye.

ALTERATION 01' RULES. The English Hockey Association has recently made several important alterations in the rules .of the game, and ns the Eng- . lish rules are used in this colony our players should at once acquaint themselves with the changes. Hero they are: — The rule which deals with the offside question has been amended -I>t the addition of the following words: "No .player, shall bo offside in his own half of the ground." The alteration has probably been made for the purpose of preventing what are known as the "four halves" and" "five-eighths" games, which systems of play have been generally condemned by English followers of the .gamp. . As an aid to the referee it will be necessary always to have a line down across the contra of the field. The rui* dealing with the " catch" says thfijt "the bad may be caught, but must be immediately released to fall perpendicularly to the ground." The rule about sticks" ha 3 lv>en altered to read " shoulders" tor " shoulder.." This . will give a man a chance to hit when lean ing well over without giving "sticks." The alteration to the . rule relating to the "penalty bully" . quit© settle? the vexed question of where to stand during a " penal-. ty bully." The amended rule says, "At the timo of the penalty bully both the defender.?. • and the. attackers shall he outside the striking circle in the field of play." .This make, ■a" "penalty bully" very ;severe, and referees /■should bo careful about giving one, , A note to the plan of the ground expressly says that the 25. yards line must not be fully drawn, but bnlv its extremities (seven yards only to be marked at caeh ; end).

ATHLETICS.

\*..e famous English amateur walker G. E. Larner, whose.retirement from the path was recently announced, is referred to by London Sporting Life as the " greatest walker the world has ever known." Although lie only came out in 1903, in his brief career he won four' English championships and set up new world's records from one mile to an hour's walking. His time, for the mile is 6m. 265.; for three milgs,: 20m. 25 4-55.; one hour, 8 miles 439 yds lft Sin. ; ■

The following ''amusing' letter was received in Melbourne a few days ago from George 'Blake, the Victorian amateur longdistance runner, who was at Athens at the time of writing—" I had the honour of being presented to. His Majesty the King of England yesterday. With King Edward were Queen Alexandra, the King of Greece, the- Queen of Greece, the Prince pf Wales, the Princess of Wales, the Crown Prince, and other Princes of .Greece. King Edward shook hands with me, and asked me what races I was in ' for. I told him that the Marathon race was the principal one. He asked me what form I was in. I said I would be all right as soon as I got a bit more fat off. I have not much to spare. He looked at me and burst out' laughing. I then left. King Edward is a grand sort, and very jolly. Queen Alexandra and the Princess of Wales looked grand. Before being presented I was speaking to» the Prince of Wales. He is a very nice fellow and very chatty. T was also speaking to the King of Greece. He is a very fine fellow."