GENERAL SPORTS NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21144, 30 March 1932, Page 14

GENERAL SPORTS NEWS.

MASSEUR FOR ALL BLACKS. FAST MILE RUN IN AMERICA. SCRUM FORWARDS' OBSTRUCTION Tho King lias presented the mast formerly in tho Royal yacht. Britannia Jo tho Kovril Alfred -Aged Merchant Seamen's institution. The mast, will lie used at Ihe Institution's home for old merchant. sailors at Belvedere, Kent, as a ilagstafl'. J. K. Lovelock, (lie New Zealand Rhodes scholar, won two events at tho ijUcr-college meeting of tho Oxford University Athletic. I'lull last montli. His fi -st sV.eeess was in a half-mile race. which Id won by two yards, in 2m 4 4-. r >s. Ho a won the'mile by a. foot in 4m 46 3-ss. L. Daerc, formerly a prominent Auckli ud cricketer, and a. brother of C. CL acre, is at present living at. Mangonui. 1.,0 is still playing cricket and was recently chosen to plav for North Auckland iri a representative fixture with South Auckland. The. amazing popularity attained by water polo overseas is alforded by tliu fact that a. recent, international match at Berlin attracted 31.000 spectators. There are 215 recognised toams actively playing the game in Germany, 185 in Hungary and 165 in France, while tho last championship of Holland received more than 100 entries. B. Eastman is (he sensation of tho track in America this season, and Americans claim that ho can win either the 400 metres of the 800 metres at the Olympic games. It just depends what lace ho chooses to contest. Recently ho equalled Meredith's 440 yards world's record of 47 2-5s The 220 yds. women's swimming championship of New South Wales was won on March 14 by Miss Mollie Mitchell in 2m 48s. It was generally agreed that poor judgment was the cause, of the New Zealander Miss Ena, Stocklry, who was»a"close second, losing the title. She swam too slowly for the first 180 yards and just failed to make up the leeway in her sprint. B. Bellinger, the American star allround athlete who recently toured South Africa, has been awarded the 1931 James E. Sullivan medal for the competing athlete who by his or her performances, and by his or her influence, has done most during the year to advance the cause of sportsmanship. The final voting was:Barney Bellinger, 424, 1 ; Helena Madison, 422, 2; Mrs. Helen Wills Moody, 352, 3. Arc cricketing authorities throughout the world going daft? asks a Sydney writer. The Australian Board of Control placidly agrees to eight-balls over for inter-State cricket and six-balls over for tests. It placidly looks on while wickets are, uncovered, rightly, in tests, and covered, illegally, in the Sheffield Shield. These are Australian anomalies making a farce of cricket history in scrambling for the monoy. Australia, is not the, only country to boast of youth being at the helm cf golf. Davo Martin, 22 years of age, has just won the amateur championship of California. Martin is of immense proportions, so stout, iufjeed, that he rivals in stature the youngsters who are shown in tents at. agricultural shows at 3d 3, peep. But then, his father and two of his uncles are golf professionals—so, what else can you expect ? In the Victoria Golf Club's mixed foursomes recently Sloan Morpeth, former New Zealand amateur champion, and Miss Susio Tolhurst reeled off a superb 77, notwithstanding two successive sixes on the outward run. Their combined handicaps worked out at one stroke, one of the lowest ratings recorded in this class of event. 'But they had no chance with the winners, G. A. Caro and Mrs. .Tolm West, whose gross 96 was reduced by handicap to a net 70. Tho next world chess champion will be an American, in the opinion of Dr. Alexander AleUhine, present holder of the title. "I havo watched tho younger players of every nation in Europe," ho said, "but I do not see among them the promise of "a really great player. My choice is the young American, Isaac Kashdan. Kashdan plays a great game. His style is similar to that of Capablanca —safety first, ff ho keeps on as ho has started, lie will one day be the world champion player." A Wellington paper states that Mr. S, R. Murray, treasurer of the Poneke Rugby flub, has been appointed masseur to the Now Zealand team which will tour Australia (his season. Murray has had a long career in fitting athletes and footballers and is to bo congratulated on his selection, lie was asked to accompany an earlier team but could not get, away. Among his athletic and football friends Murray has earned a reputation that places him in a position that stands unchallenged. The representative cricket mutch between ladies' teams from Canterbury and Otago, played at Dun oil in during the Easter holidays, was stated to bo the first of its kind to be played in New Zealand. Such is not tho case, however, as a match was played at Ilaglev Park, Christ church, over 20 years ago between ladies' tennis representing Canterbury and Wellington. Canterbury won by an innings, dismissing Wellington in its first strike, for 19 runs. Canterbury's total was nearly 300. Mr. Walter Pearce, president, of the English Rugby Union, has slated that the back-row forwards in the British t hree-two-t hree scrum have become almost purely obstructionist in their intentions, and consequently halfback and three-quarter play has declined. Mr. T. B. Pienaar, Springboks' manager, has complained about the ofi'-sido play of British forwards and their stifling of back play. And some British critics have said the. same thing about the South African forwards and halfbacks. So after all, is tho abolition of the New Zealand wingforward going to be a stop in the desired direction '! The fastest lime for a mile race in Amerii an athletic- history was recorded recently by (lone Ven/.ke, a. Swedish-Ameri-can athlete, at, the MiHrose. Athletic Association's annual indoor, meeting in Madison Square. Garden, New York. Yenzke. defeated four outstanding rivals to do the distance in 4m 11 l-ss. Leading from the beginning, the Swedish American gave an exhibition which electrified an enthusiastic attendance of 12,000. Ven/.ke, won the, race by 10 yards from Leo Lermorid, the New York slar who has touted New Zealand. Tho former world's record for the distance* was 4m J2s, held jointly by J. Ray and P. Nurmi. Tho remarkable, growth of (in hare racing in England was referred to in a speech by Lord Askwith, president, of the English National Greyhound Racing Society. He stated that although the actual figures were nof available, it was probable that the total number of people who had attended greyhound racing meetings in 1931 would e\eeed 17,000,000, and on May 1 of this year his society would have to consider at least 20 applications for licences from tracks which have, come into existence all over the country. Many of the racing tracks have also installed an up-to-date totalisator in their grounds. Ireland has also a large number of racing tracks throughout the. country.