GENERAL NEWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23082, 6 July 1938, Page 23

GENERAL NEWS

GOOD RUGBY SCORING BOXING OFFICIAL'S ILLNESS WINNING CRICKET "ASHES" CURING SLICE IN GOLF An American idea for a freak competition is known as "dumb golf." Each word spoken by a player during the round counts as a stroke —even if it is tho same word over and over again.

Harry Cooper drove a golf ball 2(>5 yards with a polo mallet in Hollywood, California. Bob Sweeney, 1937 British amateur, once killed a seagull with a shot at a short hole. The dead bird and the ball were within a foot of the hole.

The outstanding player in the lower grades of Uugbv football in Hamilton is M. ('rump of the City fourth grade team. So far this season Crump lias scored 23 tries, converted 27, and kicked three penalty goals, making a total of 132 points.

The popular treasurer of the Auckland Boxing Association, Mr. E. Dean, took ill suddenly on Monday afternoon and had to undergo an operation for acute appendicitis. His condition was satisfactory yesterday, and he will have the best wishes of all boxing enthusiasts for a speedy recovery.

F. French, fullback for Barrow, which was beaten by Salford in tho English Northern Rugby League filial, was formerly a Canterbury Rugby representative and is to-day one of the most improved players in England. He is a fine place-kick, and put up a club record for Barrow with 87 goajs.

The management committee of the New Zealand Rugby Union has before it at practically every meeting some applications for reinstatement. It is rarely, however, that it is called upon to consider so many as 38 at a time. This was the number received at last week's meeting and no fewer than 25 came from the King Country alone. All were granted.

The 1038 All Black, W. J. Phillips, was made various presentations at the Kawhia Rugby Union's social held in his honour last Saturday. The president of the union, Mr. N. S. Beatson, presided. Presentations were made on behalf of the Kawhia. Rugby Union, Otorohanga supporters and admirers and Maori well-wishers of the Awaroa district.

A fine scoring record has been made this season by Kingstone. a second fiveeighths in the Mount Albert Grammar School's first fifteen. He has taken part in four of the five matches played by tho team, and has accounted for 47 of the 70 points it has scored in all five matches. He has gained six tries, has converted six, and has kicked three penalty and two field goals.

Bv defeating Cambridge on Saturday Old Boys retained its position at the head of the Waikato Stag Trophy competition table, and is now one point in the lead. Considering the wetness of the ball and the heaviness of the ground on Saturday, Old Boys threw it about in remarkable fashion, resulting in two spectacular tries being scored by the speedy winger, A. J. Savers.

Reference was made by the chairman. Mr. S. S. Dean, at last week's meeting of the management committee of the New Zealand Rugby Union, to the deaths of Mr. G. T. Bayly, Taranaki, who was president of the New Zealand Union in 189S and 1899, and Mr. C. A. Mathieson, Hawke's Bay, who was a member of the executive in 1919. Votes of sympathy with the relatives were passed.

A sensational ride by F. Nelson, the Sydney professional cyclist, resulted in his breaking the world's unpaced road record for 50 miles. P. Southall held the record of lh 46m 31s, which Nelson improved by 4m 275, his time being lh 42m 4s. Nelson rode an Australian-built bicycle with three-speed gears. Nelson, whose highest speed was about 40 miles an hour, has been tutored by Hubert Opperman, the famous Australian distance cyclist.

The English and Empire Games champion sprint runner, C. Holmes, who recently returned to England after his visit to Australia for the Empiad, while not yet at top form, had an easy win in the annual British Games at London, when he ran 100 yards in 10s equalling his own record made last year. Another outstanding performer was D. O. Finlay, who won the 120 yards hurdles championship in 14 9-10s, improving his own record for the meeting by l-os.

"Wager," Te Papapa, writes: Would you settle the following argument concerning the test cricket matches between England and Australia? With Australia two tests up on England on the aggregate, 1 bet a friend that Eng land would have to win the remaining three tests to win the "ashes." My friend maintains that the team who wins the rubber during the present series wins the "ashes, even allowing that Australia is two up. —The winner of the present series will take the "ashes," while, in the event of the teams being equal at the end of the fifth test, Australia, the present holder, will retain them.—Athletics Editor.

People in the outback of Queensland take their football seriously. Recently Mount Isa sent a Rugby team on a 100-iniles car journey to play one match against a Longreach team. Mount Isa won the fixture by 35 —15. The result upset the local referee who, at halftime, had asked the visitors "to break it down," as Longreach had to meet a New South Wales railway team next month, and a bad score bv Longreach would be taken to heart locally. The match was broadcast and a gramophone disc of the whole match was made. The visitors were given a civic reception, and a champagne dinner by a local hotelkeeper.

An unusual feature of the final match in the Sydney A grade interclub competition recently, between L. Cohen and J. Ferrier was that a section of the gallery was openly hostile to the reigning champion. They went to the length of applauding when he missed a putt. Happily, there is not much of this in Australia, but it is not unknown in Britain, where partisanship runs high, says a Sydney writer. Ferrier had a somewhat similar experience when playing in Britain, particularly when in Scotland, but rather than being upset by these outbursts he is merely amused. Cohen won the match in question, 2 and J.

Tho only sure euro for slicing is to allow the left hand to control both back swing and down swing, states J. McI,ean, the prominent Scottish golf professional. There is no need for the grip with the left hand to be so powerful that all four knuckles are visible in the address. Two knuckles, three at tlie most, are amnio evidence of a sound grip, and, provided tho left hand retains a firm grip throughout the swing, half the danger of a slice is eliminated. The vital moment in the swing is the start of the forward movement. If this is made in a downward direction toward the right hip the clubhead will meet the bail from the inside, and if this is achieved then a dice becomes almost impossible.