SPORT AND PASTIMES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25101, 17 December 1942, Page 3

SPORT AND PASTIMES

The Otago Cricket Eleven The Otago representative cricket eleven to play Canterbury at Christchurch next week is about the strongest available, and the selectors have made use of the services of I. Callaway, T. F. C. Geary, and L. Milnes, who have been playing in Christchurch. Although it is not expected that the team will be up to the present Canterbury strength, it should make a respectable showing. There is a lair variety of bowling, but as none of it is particularly dangerous, it will be necessary for the captain to handle his attack to the very best advantage, A good deal will depend on W. McDougall. He can stand plenty of work, and in the local matches has had to do most of the bowling for Carisbrook at long stretches. McDougall keeps a good length, and though he does not “do ” much, takes watching. Geary or G. J. Robertson will probably be used to open the attack with McDougall. and then the logical choice would be L. J. Groves, with A. R. Knight as a change. Although Knight’s bowling looks innocuous, he has been getting plenty of wickets against the mediocre I opposition locally, and has been the mainstay of the Grange batting and bowling. The side has two good wicket-keepers in G. Mills and Gallaway, but Gallaway will probably fill the position, Mills being equally useful in the outfield. The Kaikorai colt, L. Watt, has earned his selection, and altogether the selectors have chosen a side which seems stronger on paper than it was expected to be a week or two ago. » Six Titles to Family N. Marslin and his sister, Miss Eunice Marslin, who put up some fine performances at the Otago swimming championships last week, accounted for six titles between them. The former won both breaststroke races in the intermediate boys’ class and also the 220 Yards “ Wartime ” Men’s Championship. His sister won the 50 and 100 Yards Junior Girls’ Freestyle events, and it was a coincidence that her times, 34 3-Ssec and 80 3-ssec, should have been identical with those of Miss Kathleen Binney in the same events last season. Miss Marslin swam impressively to add the 50 Yards Junior Girls’ Backstroke to her list of successes, and her time of 41sec was more than a second faster than the winning time last year. Both champions are pupils of Miss G.. Rix, the champion diver, who has enjoyed a good deal of success as a swimming coach. Novel Lawn Tennis Competition

In order to foster interest among its members, the Roslyn Lawn Tennis Club conducts a rather novel competition. Two sets of small silver-crossed rackets, which were presented by one of the vice-presi-dents. are played for by mixed doubles’ pairs. Instead of the usual handicapping system, everyone is given an equal chance of success by a rule which requires the addition of the ladder positions of the partners to total 12 or more. These trophies not 9nly cause keen competition, but give junior members the experience of playing with the seniors.

Well Deserved Win With a win at Christchurch last week the Otago Boys’ High School cricket eleven halted the long run of successes enjoyed by. the Christ's College eleven, which was last defeated by Otago in 1927. Play was confined to one day, as Christ’s College had to travel to Nelson on the following day to meet the Nelson College team. Otago won on the first innings. The highest scorer was P. J. Dowsett, who played a vigorous innings for 54, including two sixes and six fours. W. P. Finnegan (25) and B. • Welsh consolidated Otago’s position by taking the score from 125 to 164 for the eighth wicket. D. Herron, who was one of Otago’s opening batsmen, shaped nicely for 28. Christ’s College appeared on the way to another victory when Purdie (59) and Ussher (20) put on 85 runs for • the first wicket before Finnegan, a right-hand slow bowler, coming on late, brought about a separation. The mainstay of the Otago attack was R. C. Barnes, a left-hand slow-medium-paced bowler, who took five wickets for 40 off 20 overs. Barnes captained the side, whose outcricket was very praiseworthy. Winning Sequence Broken

When she was defeated by Miss Marie Pasalich, a former Auckland swimmer, in the 220 Yards Women’s Breaststroke at the Otago Championship meeting last week. Miss Winnie Dunn suffered her first reverse in provincial competition in the last seven years, either as an intermediate or as a senior. During that time, too, she has been beaten only once in a New Zealand Championship race. Miss Pasalich, who is a powerful exponent of breaststroke. has been coached by Miss Dunn since she came to Dunedin early in the present year. Miss Dunn showed a glimpse of her old form when she won the 100 Yards in time that was only two seconds outside her own national record, and she would have recompense for her defeat in the success of her young pupils. These included Miss M. Hughes, who won both intermediate girls’ breaststroke races, with a Dominion record for 100 yards; Miss S. Payne, winner of both junior girls’ breaststroke titles; and R. J. Isaacs, who won the two breaststroke races in the junior boys’ division, missing his own New Zealand record for 100 yards by one-fifth of a second. Tennif at Maadi

Writing to a friend in Dunedin, Bombardier Jack Steven, who was formerly a well-known A Grade lawn tennis player and is now. serving in the Middle East, mentions that he took part in a Men’s Doubles match at Maadi. His partner was Lyall Swallow, who was an Otago representative player some years ago. One of the opposing pair was a player who before the war was seventh man for Austria. Having just returned after spending some inonths in the desert, Steven found the standard rather high, but, nevertheless, he thoroughly enjoyed the game.

Athletic Administrators “ Give us an Otago president, and you can have the headquarters at Dunedin,” said a delegate after the election of officebearers had taken place at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association in Wellington recently. Mr H. I. Austad, who is a Canterbury delegate, was re-elected president, and Mr J. W. Holley, one of the Otago "delegates, was appointed secretary. Mr Holley was secretary of the Caversham Harrier and Amateur Athletic Club for several years, and was a member of the Otago Centre for a long period. Mr D. T. Woodfield, who is the other Otago delegate, has been appointed treasurer of the association. Mr Woodfleld, who has a fine record in sport, is a former New Zealand representative hockey player, and was associated with hockey and swimming administration in Dunedin. He is at present chairman of the Wellington Water Polo Match Committee, and is a member of the New Zealand Olympic Association. Rugby in Ceylon

New Zealand soldiers are all over the world to-day. and wherever they may be they appear to be able to have a game of football. The Ceylon Observer tells of a match between a Navy fifteen and a team from the Ceylon Rugby Club. In this game W. H. Fleming, the exUnion centre three-quarter, played a prominent part in the victory of the naval men by 29 points to 3. The Observer says: ” Fleming excelled himself, not only in the three-quarter line, but also in his place-kicking. He converted four tries at all angles and also scored twice. His second try was a beauty, as he ‘ sold a dummy ’ and cut through elusively to touch down by the upright.” The previous week the navy men had beaten the R.A.F. fifteen by 6 points to nil Mr James McFarlane Mr James McFarlane, whose death occurred this week, had been well known in cricket circles for many years. He never lost his interest in the game, and as young players came along he was ready to help them in the art of wielding the' bat and delivering the ball. His advice was offered with kindly insight and a wide knowledge of the game. It was as far back as 1886 that “ Jim ” McFarlane played in his first representative match. He represented Otago, Canterbury, and Nelson, and, apart from playing against the rival provinces, he played against visiting English teams. On all occasions when the Union Fcotball Club was in Christchurch to play its annual match against the Linwood Football Club on Easter Monday a cricket match between the two teams had been arranged for Good Friday on Lancaster Park. McFarlane was at that time residing in Christchurch, but he elected to play with the men from Dunedin and captained the side. Out of courtesy to the Union men, " Jim ” allowed several of them to have a turn with the ball, and the Linwood wickets commenced to fall without too large a score being made till a player named Johnston came in (o bat. He belted the Dunedin bowling all over the place, and ” Jim ” evidently realised that this ferm of attack had to be stopped. He went to the bowling crease himself, and very shortly afterwards Johnston was returning to (he pavilion caught out. ” Jim ” knew his weakness and traded on it. He began his cricket in Dunedin with the old North Dunedin Club, and when that club amalgamated with Albion he continued with the latter. He later played for Dunedin, and up to the last could generally be found every Saturday watching the fortunes of old team. Rugby players of a past generation remember McFarlane as a fine type of forward, with a penchant for dribbling. He played for Union while in Dunedin, and also for Linwood (Christchurch). Ho coached Linwood when that club won the premiership, his tuition also bringing the Star Club (Timaru) into premier position after many lean years. It could be truly said of “ Jim ” McFarlane that he held the esteem and affection of everyone who knew him.