GENERAL SPORTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23615, 27 March 1940, Page 16

GENERAL SPORTS

CRICKET CtJPS WON v_ DON BRADMAN'S FIRST TEST EVEN FOURS IN GOLF ROUND Tlic next Dominion croquet tournament will he hold in Christchurch in January, 1941, according to a decision of a meeting of the Canterbury Croquet Association, over which Jlr. A. Ross presided. The Canterbury open tournament will take place on January .'3O. By defeating the Pongakawa Cricket Club, the Te Puke Club lias now won all trophies competed for under the control of the Pongakawa Cricket Association, the Steele Cup, Dawson Cup, Ringer Cup, as well as the Williams Clip, a challenge cup for competition between clubs in the Bay of Plenty Cricket Association. "Argument," Ponsonby, inquires:— Would you kindly answer through your columns the following question? When did Don Braduian play in his first test match and what age was he at the time? —Dradmnn's first appearance ill test cricket was at Brisbane in the 1928-29 season. He was then 20 years of age.—Athletics Editor. A short time ago it was announced that P. G. Pilling, the Otago University athlete, was definitely out of the sport this slimmer because of cartilege trouble. Ignoring medical advice, however, he turned out at the recent Otago University inlerfaculty sports and won no fewer than four titles as well' as gaining numerous minor placing?). J. T. Mayson succeeded in evening his score with J. Roach, who defeated him in the final of the Auckland championship, when they met again in the final of the Cambridge tourney during Easter. This time Mayson emerged the winner after three close sets. The question remains, however, would tlio result have been the same had the j match been one of five sets, as in Auckland ? The Otago Caledonian Society's 77th anniversary sports gathering will be held at the Caledonian Grounds, Dunedin, on Saturday next, and will mark the close of a very successful sports season. A special marathon race of 20 miles will be commenced at 12 o'clock, when G. I;. Austin, the New Zealand champion. C. G. Gibbons, ex-champion, and 11. Wilson, of Gore, will compete in an attempt to break the present , record of two hours dead time. An event which is followed with keen interest by tennis players who play at hard-court clubs is the champion of champions competition conducted by the Auckland Lawn Tennis Association. 'Phis season M. Solomon, Campbell Park, won the men's event by defeating H. H. Potter, Mount Eden, 6—l. o—3, and the ladies' champion of champions for 1910 is Miss B. Warren, of Mount Eilen, who won the final against the Ngatira lady champion, Mrs. G. Penned, o—l, 6—0.. Former Christchurch footballers have their names among the records of last season's Rugby football in Great Britain. I. E. Parsons, formerly of the Old Boys Club, gained the highest honours by playing full-back for England against Scotland, D. G. Cobden, also of Old Boys, and a former Canterbury and New Zealand representative, represented the Air Force, and J. D. Carmichael (University and Canterbury) distinguished himself in club football for Blactheath. The fact that Athletic Park costs the Wellington Rugby Union about £.'3000 a year was mentioned by Mr. J. X. Millard at the annual meeting of delegates to the union. That meant that all the club gates in a season were spent in that direction. However, it had to be agreed that the ground was never in better order, but quite a lot more would have to he spent on the. upkeep of the ground and stand. Some needed work on the stand alone would mean considerable expenditure. Anyone who has attended the New Zealand Gol| Championships of the past few years will know R. G. ("Ike") Holland, the cheery Wellington suburban champion. His delightfully lighthearted attitude toward the game makes him an outstanding personality in golf as it has in cricket —he is a Hutt Valley representative player. Wellington sport will be the poorer by his departure with the third echelon. Another prominent figure in New Zealand golf, A. E. Guy, the powerful Gisborne professional, has also enlisted.

The Invercargill Cricket Club will celebrate its 75th anniversary this week. It is easily the oldest cricket club in lnvercnrgiil, and it is claimed for it that it> is the oldest club in New Zealand with a continuous playing life. Several other clubs came into existence before it was founded, but its statisticians claim that they all had breaks in their careers. The Invercargill Club can trace definitely from its records an uninterrupted playing life back to 1801. The club committee is making everv effort to get in touch with old members, and celebrations, including matches and a dinner, are planned to begin next Saturday,

Tlio Rugby Football Annual. 1930-40, regarded as'tlio Wisden of the game, lias come to hand from the publishers, Sporting Handbooks, Limited, London. It contains full records of all international contests, together with lists of players who have represented England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. In addition to a review of the British tour of South Africa in 1938 there are .complete records of all international and niter-Dominion tours. In the list of obituary notices there are paragraphs concerning the late Mr. J. Arneil, of Auckland, and the late Mr. F. T. Glasgow, of Wellington. The book is a valuable addition to the Rugby library and is moderately priced.

There were some notable features in the matches played by the Eden cricket team against the Rodney representatives at Leigh during Easter. The Rodney veteran, W. Dunning, brought his total number of wickets for the season to 100. He has therefore performed the coveted cricketer's double of 1000 runs and 100 wickets. 10. Wyatt, the Rodney wicket-keeper, had three sons playing —K. and N. Wyatt for Rodney, and L. Wyatt for Eden. W. Dunning and his son, R. Dunning, were members of the Rodney eleven. The Eden team visited the grave of Jack Dunning, one of Auckland's most promising young plavers, who was drowned at Murray's Bay.

•"'Rabbit." Point Chevalier, writes: I have frequently beard tin? expression oil tiie golf 1 illl<s that, so rand so is "even fours" or "two under tours" to the 14th or IHtli. or whatever the hole may be. I am practically only a beginner at the game, so you will pardon my lack of knowledge. I realise that to go round a golf course in "even fours" means that a player has equalled the scratch score of the course-. However, T think the term "even fours" could more appropriately he applied to a player who does each and every hole on a course in four. Could you enlighten mo as to whether this has ever actually happened ?—Yes. Hobby Locke, who visited New Zealand in 10M8, returned a score of 72 —every hole being done in four—in one round of the Royal Ashdown Forest (England) open amateur tournament, which ho won in 1930.—Athletics Editor.