Bright Prospects for Men's Basketball

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27079, 13 May 1949, Page 4

Bright Prospects for Men's Basketball

Men's basketball in Otago promises to have the most successful season in the history of the game. The thriving Mercantile League, has begun its competition matches, which are being played in the YMCA on Moriday and Wednesday nights, and the Otago Men's Basketball Association will commence its championship games in the Garrison Hail next Monday, and thereafter will play games every Monday and Wednesday. The acquisition of the Garrison Hall, with its much larger floor space, will prove invaluable as a means of opening qp the game and making .it faster. The representative teams will benefit greatly in this direction, since all national championship games are played on a full-sized court, which is 94 feet long and 150 feet wide. The local competition should be full of interest, an additional spice being provided by a team of American Mormon missionaries at present residing in the city. Some 13 or 14 years ago a previous Mormon team took part in the'Dunedin competition, and it left behind the model on which presentday players have modelled their style. This type of play has been used extensively by previous representative teams in national competitions, and until the last New Zealand championships Otago had always attained a very high placing on the championship ladder, winning the competition two or three times. The over-all interest in the game is revealed by the larger number of teams competing this year, and the Grading Committee has had such difficulty in sorting out the, teams that it has now arranged for the competition to be run in five grades. , Because of the interest created by the holding of the men’s national championships in the Town Hall during centennial year, the association is assured of a large public following for the coming season. Promising Rugby Side The Taieri Third Grade B Rugby team might well be mistaken for a cricket side, if scores are any indication. In three matches this season the team, which is young for its grade—the average age being about 18—has amassed 118 points, with only three against. It defeated Zingari-Richmond 44—nil, University 20—nil, and Union 54—3.

The team is practically the same as that which easily won the Fourth Grade B Competition last year, there being only two new players. In winning the competition the team ran up the huge tally of 339, with only 18 against. Only once did an opposing team cross its line, the other points being made up of goals from penalties. Dry Grounds

Once again, as has been the case for the last few seasons, women hockey playei's in Dunedin have had the pleasant expei’ience of playing on dry, fast grounds for the opening matches of the season. Hockey is a game that requires these conditions more than any other winter game played on grass, as it is only when the ball travels fast and evenly that positional play and stick work can be seen at their best. The Atxstralian women’s team last year demonstrated the constructive type of play that can be achieved by short, accurate passing and very rarely did one see them indulging in hard hitting. Even the fullbacks were able to clear the ball from the attacking forwards by their neat ball control and superior footwork without relying on wild indiscriminate hitting. It is a pity, therefore, to ,see in local women’s hockey so many clearing hits or passes go astray through too strong, and often entirely misdirected, hitting. pood footwork comes from perfect bodily balance, which can be attained only by constant practice and concenti'ation and alertness throughout the game. Handicap for Canadian Athletes Canadian athletes accustomed to cinder tracks will face their first major competition on tui'f when they reach Auckland for the British Empire Games next February. This was disclosed recently when Mr J. W. Davies, honoi'ary secretary of the British Empire. Games Association of Canada, announced that the events at the Games would be held on. turf. The Canadian championships at Toronto in July will be held on cinders.. This Game of Golf Over the years many famous golfers and students of a popular game have written authoritative works on the subject. One of the latest to go on record is Jack Davey. Writing in an Australian newspaper, Davey says: “As a class golfer 1 wish to set down a few hints for beginners, particularly regarding equipment. The first essential is a body with two arms. A head is not necessary unless you wear a hat, but you .must have at least one leg, otherwise you will find yourself too close to the ball. ' " You need three woods. The most widely used, in every sense of the word, is the number two, or brassie. This club is specially weighted with a retractable head, that pulls itself in at the top of your swing, tnus assuring that you cannot miss making an ass of youi’self. The number three wood, or spoon, is somewhat similar in shape, but has a sharpened edge to enable you. to cut cleanly into the ground two inches behind your ball. This isvan excellent club for getting distance.... I have reached depths of up to a foot with Inine. “ The number one wood, or driver, is only for use on a hot day, to stir the surrounding air. It has no value as a club, as it only tops the ball and docs it untold harm. There is also a .number four wood for hitting the ball behind you. These are practically obsolete these days, although I have had quite a bit of success with this club, especially when playing with my back to the hole. “ Next come the irons. They range from number two to nine. The two, three and four are for hitting the ball straight along the ground, the five and six for hitting the ball straight into the ground, and the seven ahd eight are for digging it straight out again. “ The number nine iron is known as the sandblaster,” he continues. “ This club is used a lot, which possibly accounts for the immense quantity of blasted sand on all our golf courses. It is a very flat-faced club, which, if used properly, makes sui'e the sand follows through into your face at the completion of your swing. Some players suggest that for strokes on the fairway, you should play the ball off your left foot. I have found this not only incorrect, but also excrutiatingiy painful. “ Remember, you must have patience. You cannot expect to be a good golfer in an hour. Sometimes it takes two or three days.” For Half-backs and Coaches A correspondent writes: “ Spare me a line to speak of a type of self-im-portant half-back who needs to be taught a lesson. A sample could be seen at Carisbrook last Saturday. While most half-backs move smartly to pick up the ball when a scrum is formed so that they may put it into the scrum as quickly as possible, the type I am referring to moves in a leisurely, lordly fashion to retrieve the ball and poses importantly before putting it into the scrum, as who should say: ‘Let all men await my pleasure.’ Meanwhile, 16 forwards wastefully expend their energies milling until he is ready. I cannot understand why club cOaches and captains, as well as the players themselves, put up with the strain this type of halfback subjects them to throughout the whole game. Another type of halfback who has practised the art of edging the ball to the feet of his own forwards, beating the referee repeatedly, demands more attention. He is a plain cheat, and the referee should show him absolutely no mercy.”