TRIBUTE TO A CAPABLE ADMINISTRATOR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24715, 18 September 1941, Page 4

TRIBUTE TO A CAPABLE ADMINISTRATOR

r PHE decision of the Otago Swimming Centre to nominate its president, Mr W. A. Jenkins, for the office, of president of the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association is a wellearned tribute to a fine sportsman who for more than 10 has given unselfish and continuous service to swimming and swimmers. This year Mr Jenkins will complete his tenth consecutiv? term as president of the Otago Centre; but his association with that body goes back to 1900, and the knowledge he has gained in that period, on the executive as well as on the practical side, should fit him admirably for the most important administrative office that swimming in New Zealand has to offer. The success achieved by the Otago Centre's annual " Learn To Swim" campaign has been due largely to Mr Jenkins's administrative ability, experience and enthusiasm. As a starter too, his admirable control of the competitors has resulted in his being recognised as one of the most capable officers in this position in the Dominion. Throughout the many years he has been coneected with swimming Mr Jenkins's one aim has been the furtherance of the sport, and if he is elected as president of the association, centres can rest assured that no individual district will receive his support at the expense of others. He will work for the good of swimmers as a body.

Relaxation in Cairo Certainly it is not all beer and skittles in the Middle East; but apparently the life of a New Zealand soldier has its moments. To quote from a letter received in Dunedin this week from Lieutenant W. H. Carson: " I am writing this seated on the balcony of the Gezira Sporting Club. The weather is glorious, there is some iced refreshment at my elbow, and out in the 'middle* W. R. Hammond, now with the R.A.F., is putting together a century It is bliss." Lieutenant Carson s legai cronies might feel just a pang of jealousy. A Doubtful Argument The main reason given for the abandonment of the Interisland Universities Rugby football match this season was a statement that the North Island side would be much too weak for the southern team. This belief appears to have been somewhat shaken by the performances of the individual colleges in the r matches. Canterbury College travelled to Dunedin with a much-weakened team and beat Otago University decisively by 18 points to 13. Last Saturday Victoria College (Wellington) played Canterbury College at Christchurch and had a comfortable win by 9 points to 3. If these results can be taken as a guide, it will not be surprising to see a number of North Island players included in the New Zealand Universities side to play the Wellington representatives. Included in the Victoria College side this year are R. Skelley. the. former Otago player, and A. Mummery, a member of last year's unbeaten Christchurch Boys' High School team and second string in the Victoria athletic team to J. Sutherland, the national. 100 yards champion. A Golden Opportunity

A golden opportunity for the promotion of yachting by the training of junior yachtsmen has been offered to clubs on the Otago harbour as one result of the war. In recent years, the problem has been not to find yachtsmen to fill the boats, but to find enough boats to accommodate the senior yachtsmen desiring to take active part in the sport. As a result, the younger yachtsmen have had to stand aside in many cases. Now. however, with so many senior yachtsmen overseas, it has been the experience of most clubs that they)cannot find enough to make crews for all the boats available. The opportunity has therefore been offered to younger yachtsmen to fill the vacancies. They will thus build up a practical interest in the sport, which will be invaluable in its future promotion, and assist also in keeping up the membership of clubs during the lean war years. In Short Supply

Lawn tennis balls are likely to be in very short supply this season, and players will find that they have increased somewhat in price. Bails, are being made available from Australia and England, but only in limited quantities. It is not yet known whether New Zealand balls will be produced this season. It is said that some shipments of balls from England have been lost in transit. The Itago Lawn Tennis Association is to be congratulated on its foresight in holding a stock of balls valued at £l2 10s. It is of interest to note that during the Great War tennis balls rose to the price oi 5s 6d a pair. Football in the Mud Lancaster Park. Christchurch, the ground on which the representative Rugby football fixture between Wellington and Canterbury was played on Saturday, was in the worst state it has been in for many years, and the players found great difficulty in keeping their feet. Heavy rain fell on the night before and on the morning of the match, and on top of this no fewer than three curtain-raisers were played Canterbury was five ooints to the good at half time, but Wellington recovered well to win by 14 ooints to 8.