PLAYERS and the GAME

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12211, 8 August 1925, Page 17

PLAYERS and the GAME

RUGBY ! If Canterbury couldn't do it. Southland can't. Hawke's Bay 'hare had a j lot of easy matches, but after last Satur- t day they will hare been lhinklna I ly. The Southland forwards will make t the Brownlies and tbeir followers play ] hard—but not harder than they can play, f And the Southland backs (judged bj f their Wellington form) won’t turn tho c scale ' . 1 • • !•■• * * * . 1 It’s just possible that George Nan*a 1 will not play against Wellington. After j the interflaland match the dcwtot- sa'd: i “Three Weeks on the .bank. Nepiaj lny- J ed last .Saturday, defying the doctor, ■ and was injured again. . # I ( The match against Southland showed ] that the Wellington backs were not a haj>py combination. . There was very , lime wrong with the defence, but when • it came to attacking they were all at . eea. Johnson, at first five-eighths, and ] Nicbolls. at second, did not combine well, and . Tilyard. at centre,, was negligible, ! Johnson tnes to do too much on his own. and allows the opposing backs to < vmt too close nn to the mew outside him; The rearrangement, with Johnson at centre, should make the difference that is needed. ••, • • • They do it much better in thejffventh grade. Poneke and 'Varsity oodld not goals on Saturday, but J. Hewitt, of the Wellington seventh grade team, converted five tries out of eight, pome of the kicks were from difficult angles and would have done credit to a wnior nlayer. Hewitt is only 12 years of age. He has kicked no fewer.than 13 goals in the six games he has played this season. - N , Canterbury has umde several strong bids for the -Banfnrly Shield. In 1?J0. when the shield was quartered ip Auckland. they were beaten 6 —1.. In-1914 they were beaten by Taranaki ft—s, and in 1923 Hawke’s Bay won out by 9-^B- - half-caste Zulu named Pickraag js playing Rugby in Ashburton.’ He is feet, weighs 19st, and has already represented the sub-union. Lest season he played his first-game. It was in a recond-grade side, and he opened by grabbing the ball and running'the wrong way ! It took two of his team_to drag him down. We have a lot to be thankful for in Irvine. The, Hawke's Bay hooker hw done a sreat deal to remove the reproach that wibh’ Ned Hughes there died put from All Black football that great raoe off rout rank forwards which made Otago and Southland a happy hunting ground for this tyro of forward in days gone by,—"Southland Times. mw . • Tke-Smithland tourney team shouldn't kick over *he traces. In addition to its manager* it has & management committee—Richardson , Bell, and Rice—to cooperate with the managers. *.♦ * * ' Pirates are the , Dunedin champions tide season- It was almost decided when TV 3 y.< LI J TT J .. A lsef

Kaikorai defeated University A, and last c Saturday Pirates made it a certainty by t trouncing the students. Wise and Mor- i gan both, play for Pirates, t • * * * £ South Island High Schools—Otago, i Southland. Tiroaru, and Christchurch— e play their annual 'tournament next c Thursday and Saturday.’ 1 *.* - * You’ll see it open. 'Varsity and Old Boys try conclusions on Saturday next, > ana the game ‘should ' be ' a fast ona j There have been many arguments as to i which is the better team since Old Boys 1 found their-feet. Next week will show. < • • •’ • • ’ ! Even the most Christian of men can’t t resist the temptation to say "I told you j so." It is many weeks since a paaragraph on this page directed the Wellington selectors to keep their eyes on Kells . as the best > attacking centre in senior ; football. He wse always sound—when in , the other fellow's territory, though somewhat feeble in. defence.; But he seems to ‘ have grown'faster and to have improved his taefcliMif and gathering. With a reaUjMgoo&din* new fias-pdhdh, but not direotion) ,he will be in the first flight. ' Hie tiro tries against suoh a team of tacklers as Poneke mark him out for a blacky "Wo haven’t, had a scrum down yet,” said a Wellington player on the moaning of the match against Southland. What were the team and their trainer doing on practice nighte? e . , 0’ ’ • Who is going to fight out the contest for the National Mutual Cup? If Poneke win the championship, as seems prob- ‘ able, there will be three teams in the running—Petone, who may be up, 'varsity: and Old Boys, On their second round showing Old Boya .cannot he left ont. Petone are a team, fast and fit, and the Poneke forwards are showing signs of hard wear. ’Varsity, after mo6t consistent first round displays,' have overcome their lapse from form., • • '"■#, • • An all-rounder of unbounded promise. Mackenzie, the young ’Varsity wing-for-ward. made a brilliant debut into representative football on ■ Wednesday. All sports apparmitly are easy to him. He is one of the most promising colts in Wellington, and a fine tennis player, swim--mer, and boxer. * • • » Tilyard, the yonnger, has pace enough to .develop info the star of the Poneke backs; He made a beautiful opening for Hickey last Saturday and scored Poneke’s first try by heady play soon after the match began. - » * * • If lack Steel gains a place in the New Zealand team this year he - Will break W. J. Wallace’s record. Wallace Represented New Zealand for five years. Steel also has worm, an All Black jersey tor five years,; 19199-34. And he has played in every Inter-Island match' since the war., But there are many' fine wingers in New Zealand this season- - « • * ■■ v; ■ *■ Somebody conjured up Steel’s two tries in his Athletic Park debut aa 'the parallel for the two Kelle, the 'Varsity centre, scored on-Saturday) Steel embraced the ball in his own twenty-five and sped down the line telegraphing hie famous fend. Kells received at half-way, hut beat far more men in his efforts than the South Island hope. * * * * ’ It may eound a revolutionary suggestion—but why not put C. G. Porter behind the Wellington scrum? He has weight, speed, and strength. Warwick does amazingly well, but there are hard

games ahead, and the heavy forwards, sooner or later, will injure him^seriously. "What a change in Halfroy. A few . seasons ago he couldn't take a ball, now * he can’t miss one." An old Rugby judge's opinion: Malfroy's gathering on Saturday was more than brilliant, it was astonishing. Some of his catches took tho spectators’ breath away. They were like slip fielding. •-* • a Where were the goal kickers? Poneke and 'Varsity failedrto behij, one another loot Saturday because their trusted place kicks could not shoot straight. Shearer commenced pntting them on one side and then switched on to the other. O’Regan conld not find the range at all when conversions came along. Yet hs sent over as good a penalty goal as anyone would wish to see. • * • a Poneke s desperate defence of their line against 'Varsity last Saturday seems to have won them the championship. The draw gave them a 3-point lead on Potone and two matches to play. Petone, an improved team, may be expected to' leave the field with the score vastly different from their first round total, when they meet tho championship leaders; but can Bsrhamopre expect to do the necessary? • • • ■■ • • love, the ’Varsity five-eight, is a •lek man nowadays. It must be fully six matches since ho was seen at his best. Against Athletic, Marist, Petone and . Oriental he was missing or nursing injuries. Against Poneke it was thought ho wnuld not play. But he played a reasonably good game, though lacking his old dash in attack and passing poorly. His bad passes hampered his fellojvs immensely. and it was amazing that the backs did so welL

SOCCER. * To-day a, great trial of strength takes place at Auckland, The full Wellington representative team went up by the Limited on Thursday night; and should ' be well rested for the game at Blandford Park. • Wellington will be waiting for the result to-night, and it should arrive shortly after 5 o'clock... , Amongst the older players there is a feeling of confidence that Wellington's representatives will for once assert its superiority. If the shield comes south it; is going to give' Soccer - a freeh lease of life. * * * Go in and win, Wellington! The secretary of H.M.S. Dunedin's, team, just come down from Auckland, says Wellington never had a better chance of winning. Of course Auckland will field some of tho men who have made good in Soccer in years gone by and hayC represented New Zealand, but our informant insists that the years are tolling their tale, and these men are not so fast nor so tricky as they wore. This applies to Dacre, Bell, 4 ones > Inncs, Palmer and one of two others. The Wellington team 1 is a fairly young pack on the whole, -with one or two older ones to steady thorn. ' . '*♦ * ' * . * ! A true lover of tho game! In the course of the Johnson ville-Hutt match last Saturday, a-member of the Hutt team severely injured one of his thighs. After receiving medical attention he took his place in the team in the second spell and had hardly been on the field, two minutes wlien he again injured the 'same thigh and was carried off. . Another Hutt player was carried off with an injured leg. Hutt surely had a bad day out. The score did not indicate the play. There* will he no senior A game in Wellington .to-day as a Wellington representative team from senior B will be playing a team from H.M.S." Dunedin. The naval men are a good side, and With a little time ashore for practice would be hard to beat. As it is the-sailers should be the favourites, hut Wellington representative teams are always keen to come out on top, hence the game, probably at the Basin, is going to be worth seeing. In the *ourse of the Ifatt-Johnsonville junior match', a JohntonVille/player was pushed from behind by a Hutt player, with "both hands in the penalty area. In such case what would be, the referees ruling? Mr Robinson, who substituted for Mr Kelly, awarded, a penalty to Johnsonvilie, his decision causing much comment from the line. There is only one penalty for such an offence in the penalty area, and the decision was a correct one. The Navy team to-day to meet’ Wellington will be Brightwell, Anstey Lawrence; Beaton,, Bud and Chapman, Teale, Campbell, Kerwick (captain), Milberry' and Mcßae. ’, * * • * To-day’a Brown Shield match at Auckland will be. played at Blandford Park, just below Grafton bridge. It is a'splendid ground in good weather, but the very rln-nian. In fltA Wat: A WMkV fIT fIK) fifftl-

deuce in the wet. A week or two soothe players were up to their ankles in water, not mud. They started playing two games on it at the beginning of the season," but the ground would’ not stand it. >New drains have been , put in and some fresh turf, and the ground is recovering • well. One Aucklander says Wellington will win, 3—2. / -.* • * * .A team must give -its reason for defaulting, but why , should not the same rule apply, to the referee ? Mr O. Kelly failed to fulfil his engagement in the i Hutt-Johnsonville - junior match on Saturday* Mr W. - Robinson, the veteran Johnsonville coach, filling the vacancy. Mr Robinson, who is a gentleman well on in years, refereed to the utmost satisfaction of both teams. . .; *. • • There is a nice little job before the ’New Zealand Council in allocating various trophies they have for competition. The Wellington championships »iul cup competitions are also in need of

revision, and to avoid confusion let the first 16-weeks be : devoted to local championship games only. The winners will have shown consistent form and should represent the province in the Chatham Cup. : Let ; the four main associations compete for the premier place in New Zealand Soccer by sending 'their chain* pions to meet the other champions. Devote the new trophy to another important fixture,;, say North; V; Sodth, tho Brown Shield for .a North < Island competition and the Davrsob ,Cpp' to the south, letting the winners of these trophies rep re- | sent the respective Islands to compete for tho new trophy presented by the English t F.A. - There are also the Charity Cup ! and) the Victory Cut>, but the champions should stand aside from these and devote themselves to the bigger games. 1 Give the first three months to the local games and wind op the season with the big games, when there should be some i decent gates going. * *- • a i What is wrong with the Soccer game ; in Wellington? Probably some will be up in arms at once on seeing this query, ? but it is justified. The standard or play ; is not so good as in the last two years, and to do what the ostrich did is not going to alter the fact. Is the control *to blame P Is it lack of coaching amongst the seniors and juniors, particularly juniors Who is nursing the, youngsters and : teaching thorn how to develop the game? All honour to the teachers in the priI roary schools, who have been furthering . the code, but have any of the old players or members of either bodv been giving ■ . them a helping hand? It would be i a pleasure to wntch a game where tho . members of keep their places and the piny develop by the combined ' efforts of the. tenm. Kick and rush is j not real Soccer.

Y.M.C.A. won against Manawatu quite easily, but it was rather a pity that the local left wing players made such hacks of the visiting defence in the second spell, for it was carried to extremes and had the effect of making the visitors look ridiculous. The day may come when a visiting team will make rings round the Wellington players, and they will then appreciate what it is like to he made to look "small beer/’ • * « • Marist jdniors will have to be in tiptop form if they desire to lower Swifts’ colours. The form displayed by Swifts on Saturday tras of the highest! standard so far as junior Soccer is concerned. • • • • _ • .In Snooks, the Canterbury -goalie, New Zealand will have a wonderfully sound custodian in to-day’s hookey Test, match versus Australia. Throughout this week’s provincial tournament the little Canterbury man hae shown consistently fine form, some of his saves, particularly in the_ Nelson match, bordering on the sensational. It's a great shot that catches 'Snooks- napping. BOXING ‘‘Ted’’ Scott, the well-known boxing writer and amateur boxer, is at present acting as sparring partner ' to Jack Josephs, one of Europe’s best welters, who iB now in Australia. Josephs is the man who is still rightly claiming a match with the Aussie idol, Harry Collins, hut through being under a cloud through having a dispute with the Stadium authorities, his challenges have fallen on deaf ears. Jessops considers that Scott would lick any second-rater in Australia. * * • • If Beg Trowern is to be a champion ho must eradicate.some very noticeable faults,, and if Murray wants to go much further in the game he will have to do the same. Trowern has an awkward

crouch to one side that makes him an easy target for a boxer who is moving in fast and adept in the lipe of the left hook, which, of. course, Opens the way for a solid right. A crouch is quite all right if it shields a boxer, and he is able to Unwind in la flash; hut when it impedes him and lays him» open to the mercy of his opponent; then he should at once forget it, Murray has speed, punching power and oleverness; but he has an ineffective block to a straight, left. Trowern caught him napping time . and again last Monday night, and as this ip the 'greatest scoring punch, and also the most effective known to lestherpUßherp, he will have to alter his defenoe if* he is going to' continue to wear the lightweight crown; ? *-. * * Billy Grime, (writes Ted Scott to a member of the. "Times" .staff) is remarkably clever in hie own little way, but he is .a terribly ugly little scrappermost ouilandishly unorthodox. However; his style, to . say the least of it, is effec-

tive; and the proof of the pudding lies m the fact that he is the holder of both the feather-weight and lights weight; titleff. • * * .* What about a belt for New Zealand's boxing champion? In England and Australia, if a man proves a- worthy premier of his class, he'is awarded a belt, which is a symbol of his position, and which adds further to the distinction he has gained. Right back to the time when the Greeks had their laurel wreaths I it has been the custom for champions to • be presented with something more laat- ' ing than the monetary reward, and here ' is a chance for the New Zealand boxing authorities to fall into . line. * * - * * There are several boxers on this side vrtio would like to try their luck in New Zealand (writes Ted Scott). Mew Williams (middle-weight) and Hector McDonald are leaving for Maoriland shortly. Williams is a good fighter who islikely to make a mess of Eddie Parker, but from what I can gather, McDonald, a light-weight, is nothing to rave about. Then there is Leo Wax, a welter-weight, who stopped Harry Young the other night. It was a strenuous fight, scheduled for 20 rounds; but Wax finished his man in the eighth. He is not a bad sort of a hoy, but he has a lot to learn. They have matched him with Pelkey, but I don’t think he has the ghost of a show. He seems very keen to go to New Zealand, but I suppose he will wait til] after two or three good men have ; punched him silly. I think he would do : well in New Zealand against such boys i as Blackburn, McKnight, and company, i He is ft good, aggressive fighter, with n ; punch in either hand: but he is tiot what one would call "rpmnrknbly clever.'’ One fighter, named Johnny Mnync,

who weighs something like 9st 3lb, has been pestering,Bill Lawless to send him to New Zealand: but I think George Curran would kill and eat him in a round. He might have been able to light before he met. Digger ■Evans, but marbles is his game now. A boy named Ken. Deasey, substituted in the eleventh hour for A 1 King the other night, and gave him a few pounds and a thrashing over 12 rounds. He comes from Tasmania, and I reckon it was bad, business on his part when he left home. . Lee Murray doesn't waste hi® time when wating for challengers for his lightweight title. He has, a well-equipped gymnasium in Dunedin, has a ’host of pupils, and is coach to Otago ; University ana Waitaki Boys' High School. TENNIS It looks like an early tennis ee&snn-j. If the fine weather 1 holds' next montn you will see the flanneL out sooner t-uar. usual. The Wellington L.T.A. has definitely stated that Miramar will be ready this year, and the 82 courts provided will help considerably. Given good grass courts, Miramar is to become New Zealand's Wimbledon; there seems . littie doubt about that. January will fhow how the sowing Jitts prospered. * t Day by day Australia's ohanoes of making the challenge round of the Davis Cup grow more, slender. The latest jar has been young Vincent Richards s avalanche, which overwhelmed J. O. Anderson at Seabright. Richards won 12 games in a row in the final two sets, and lost only 5 pamee altogether. Richards simply can't beat, W. M. Johnston: but it his record is better than -"Little Bill's otherwise he may be a defender again this year. * • /• Hefe is a fact you may not-know. New Zealand has won the all-England championship at Wimbledon as often as any other country outside England. ‘

The list of champions from 1907, up to which time no one outside of the British Isles had been successful, is as follows 1907, Norman Brookes (Australia); 1908, Arthur Gore (England); 1909, Arthur Gore (England); 1910-11-12-13, Anthohy Wilding (New Zealand); '1914, Norman Brookes (Australia); 1919, Gerald Patterson (Australia); 1920-21, W. T. Tilden (XT.S.A.); 1922, Gerald' Patterson (Australia); 1923, William Johnson (U.-S. A.); i 1924, Jean Borotra (Frence);. 1925, Bene Bacoste (Prance). a a .a...* 1 In the United States any tennis player can become a champion if, he ; has the ability. Of Australia almost the same can be saitj. Country players now hare the chance to show their form in the “Country Week” tournaments, In England (says the “Daily News") the Dawn ’ Tennis Association ignores , the'existence of 80 per cent, of promising players., ,And still they wonder why the all-England ; championships are won by almost any- - one but the English! ■— -—• -T~r—>

HARRIERS Almost perfect conditions favoured the Wellington provincial cross* I country championship last week, The Whyto-Mackay Shield once, again Changed hands, and for. tho next twelve months will be resident in Masterton. The result came as a bit of a surprise to the town clubs, but the Wairarapa Supporters were quite confident. * * The performance of Rooe, the Australian and New Zealand champion, was * remarkable. There seems to be no limit to his capabilities,, and the man who will make a race of it with him does not appear to be in sight. .The further, ne went the bigger was the gap between himiself and the next man. * • • • • • Next to Rose tho best performance was that registered by Doug. Todd, who is • running better flow that at any time in his career. Although he finished up about 800 yards behind Rose, his run was good enough to win tho New Zealand championship three times out of four, •-•• • • • The surprise packet of the race <as fanas the Wellington runners are concerned, was E. J. Heffel', of Masterton. He Ist 38 years of age, and after having been out of the game for many years, he did a most remarkable "oome back." In all races in Masterton this season he has been a close second to . Rose, and on Saturday mado a determined effort to foot it with Todd over the last half mile. When Heffer goes to Dunedin he will meet another veteran in Charlie Vtye, who is 37. Frye is different from Heffer in that he 1 has nover t -*r\>»e;l running, summer ami winter, for the last 18 years, whereas

this hill, then known as Fretheye Is-, land, and a hill it continued until '05,, when the whole surrounding country was raised some five feetj and the seashore set back over half a mile v •• * V • - Although the Greytown Club, visited Waiwefu, did not succeed in carrying off many of the games, a most ( enjoyable day's sport was enjoyed. The visitors were particularly interested in the fact that they were playing on the f round where New Zealand golf 'had its irth. this 'historic event in the history of the. game in this country taking place in 1892, when the Hutt Club was formed. * * ♦ * Arthur Duucan'e card of 71 at Miramar last week has given still further encouragement to those who -consider that his chances for the open and amateur championships are amongst the Miramar's an easy one, ana to gain seven strokes on this is good golf. The round would have been better, but for an unfortunate slip at the 11th lole. Conway and Duncan bdth laid , their second shote close to the green, Conway being . the... further back. Conway slightly misjudged the distance.' and the ball ran across the green. This made Duncan cautious—too cautious; 'his mashie shot just found the edge of the green, and instead of making a bird of a five for the 'hole, he boldly attempted a four, overran to the extent, of five feet, and missed the return putt, taking' six. His oard read s—Out, 4,4, 4, 8,3, a. 5. 4, 4—84. In, 3,6 i 8,4, 3,4, 4, 5, 5—37. « ■* * ■ v A new, cheap edition of the Wethereds book, "Golf From Two Sides," has been published by, Longman's. The new edition comprises the whole of the text and photographs (with one change) that appeared in the first edition, and there are two new chapters representing what it would not be unfair to call "second thoughts" of these two great players. In the first, Miss Joyce Wethered gives her more advanced opinion on pivoting in wooden club play, and pretty well re-

Heffer has been in retirement for about 15 .years. i • # • • ICent and McKee (Hutt Valley) both, i ran. very well and deserved their places < in the provincial team. 3 [••* • • ' I F. B. Silver (Scottish) was a disap- j ( pointment. He did' not appear to take ( i the race too seriously, and finished up 3 comparatively fresh—a fact which makes one think he was not all out. * * * . * *«* Wilson and Barclay did not produce their best form, which was haTdly surprising in view of the factettoat they were both casualties after the Vosseler Shield J race. 1 Two* of the Wanganui men, Gibbons and Newton, ran exceptionally well, filling 7 f fh and Bth places. With a little more experience they should be a force to be reckoned with. • * • • • . Scatchard and* Porston fought their club championship over again, and Scatchard again won by a few yards. The* Otago *championship was held at , Forbury Park last Saturday oVer a course of five miles. * Sixty-six runners started, being 11 teams representing eight clubs. • • ‘ • • ■ • . Eddie. Brown went, to the front at the start and was never headed. Running with a nice* easy action, he finished up 1 full of running 130 ahead of Frye, who beat Tapp by 150 yards, Cox being about 35 yards further back. •*• * * * Brown's performance was brilliant. His time, 27min 88sec for five miles, speaks for itself, and compares very favourably with Rose's 34min 48sec for Si miles in the Wellington championship. Brown averaged smin 31 3-sseo per mile, against Rose's smin 36*sec. but, of course, Rose ran l{ mile® further, which, with the difference between the two courses, would account for Rose's slower average. It will be a great race when these two clash in the New Zealand championship. • • • * • ‘ Tapp, the third man to finish, is the present New Zealand .champion. He is | not likely to win it this year. ■*’ * The following team has been selected to represent Otago next Saturday:—E. B. ' Brown (Civil Service), C.*W. Frye (Caver- . sham), J. W. Tapp (Cayersham). B. G. Cox ('Varsity), W. H. Hobbs (Pacific), and !». Douglas ('Varsity) He would' make Ike Robin, the giant Maori Wrestler, look small! "Tiny* ; Forrest, the "all-navy" champion wrestler i of the United States Fleet, weighs 21st lib. Talking of him, an athletic' officer said: "I'd match that guy with a tram- . car-Mbut a man. No, sir!" Forrest is t on board the Pennsylvania. i An All-England ladies' hockey team has been touring South Africa- It won s its first match, jn Capetown, s—nil. The ; goalkeeper, Mis® C. J. Gaskell. was in • Australia and New Zealand in 1914.

GOLF | The Momington Club to-day plays its 1 annual one-club match, an 18 hole.stroke J competition. The eight players in the i morning returning the be6t cards qualify 1 for the final, which is played on in the» afternoon* still as a stroke competition. The competition last year- wae won by ] T. Campbell, who, playing on -an 18 ; handicap, returned a net score of 71, ±L J J. Shanks being runner-up with a net < 73 from a four handicap. 1 * * i Entries for the Mornington Chib® \ championship, which will be, played at j i

the end of the month, close next Soturday - . . > A tip for the oomin* New . Zealand championships. Competent critics are picking A. D. S. Doncan to be very hard to beat for both the open and amateur championships at * Shirley next month. Duncan has for some yefcrs Jpast, and especially since big return frotfi -hugland, shown a disposition to hook his drives. After the most patient experi-

meets he decided that the fault lay in his hip action, and he has now corrected this. His swing ie*not so hurried, as his performance at Miramar during the week, when he registered a 71 gross* tea tines. * * * * It is to be wondered how many Welw lingtonians are aware that the countrjg which is now used at the Waiwetu 40I" links was, prior to the great earthquake of 1855, covered by the sea at high tide to a depth of several feet. As Mr K* C. Kirk has mentioned, prior to 1855 the only part ofi the links above water at hign-tide was the hill in the which is now being removed. In the a separate Crown grant was given ror tracts her former view in favour of pivoting with the left heel firmly on the ground. The second, by- Mr Ropr Wethered, develops much moTe fully nis theory of the American method of aju proacninp with iron clubs so as to got , "back-spin” without "cut.” ••• • • • A hint for the neers of the municipal links 1 The Town Council of St. Andrews have been held liable for an acet-’ dent to a Glasgow schoolgirl who was hit • , by a golf ball while crossing the old course. Sheriff Dudley Stuart held tpat T the council failed to take sufficient precautions against accident, and assessed damages at .£4O, with costs. ' • • . -2 • • Berhampore Is maintaining its reputation. During the week-end another player was struck by a hall, ana daxea for some time, the victim in this instance being Mr J. D. Sievwright- It \s only fair to state that in this instance the accident was not due to a breach of the rules of the vatne, but rather to the lay-' out of the Mnks —plus the luck Jpf tbe„ game. Mr Sievwright was preparing to <• drive off from the eighth tee when ■ sliced ball, driven from the third, struck him on the forehead. The fairways here are parallel, the two combined. being o£: not more than 50 yards in width. No doubt the best had been done with material available at Berhampore, but? it is beyond question that the third nolo presents a real danger to players. A reasonable drive passes directly oy tne fence around the seventh green, where, there are often as many as half-a down» players, who have either played through the green, or are waiting to drive oft on _ the eighth, standing. When someone is , really in j ured, the wnl awaken to its responsibilities. * * * * -i Miramar's new fifteenth hole is going/ to cause the club some anxiety if some:; thing is not done to fix the snrface be- T fore the summer weather sets in. Given, a dry summer and sustained winds, the' sand which was so laboriously scooped out to form the fairway, will drift back right across the new green. * - \ * * * * It was not purely through, bad lucfe* that Tolley, Wethered, and Holdereesi went out early in the English amateur* championship. "The truth is,” says "The Times,” "that there are in this country an enormous number of players who arej just as good as the Tolleys and HofAerncsses and Wethereds. but who cannot!: afford the time to be playing in competi-’ tions and matches all day and every ? day.” t

Two small lads who scoured _ the Waikaka district, in South- ' land, for rabbits, have now a. ' prestige among their clan which is probably denied even kings in the eyes of their courtiers. The money they got for the. skins of the rabbits took them in Invercargill to see the North-South Rugby match. Two enterprising lads watched every kick, ana tackle with eyes that lost nothing ahd hearts that beat fast. And at half-time they tapped at the door of a To an inquirer after their ..business they requested the presence of Nepia. Wonder of wonders! The far-famed, the great, the gloriouik Nepia himself appeared. •He looked around for the "gentlemen- who wanted to see - him. The lads plucked lip courage. They told him. they were his callers, and would like to have a yarn with him and shake hands with him. • "And do you play football?” asked the Rugby giant. “Yes,” came the eager reply. "And where do you play ?” "Oh, we come' from Waikaka, and play for the Waikaka Bantams.” Nepia proved the good chap the boys expected. He shook hands, ’ gave the lads a couple of rule books containing his signature, . and he got a hold of the famous Maurice Brownlie, and the giant forward had “a yarn” with the lads. It’s terribly hard now-to concentrate on school lessons; those rule-books are much more interesting.