SEARCHLIGHT ON SPORT

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19915, 18 April 1939, Page 10

SEARCHLIGHT ON SPORT

BY "FOUR-FORTY”

Boxing- Season’s Opening

The 19.°,9 boxing season'has started in a promising manner and within the next few days two of the champions will be called upon to defend their titles. On April 22 in Blenheim Clarrie Rayner will defend his lightweight title against C. Craib, while on April 24 in Dunedin Cliff Hanham will endeavour to regain the middleweight crown that he lost last season to Stan Jenkin.

Darcy Heeney Injured Elected this year to lead the Marist first fifteen, A. J. (“Darcy”) Heeney

started off well by leading them to victory in the Brennan Cup final at the annual Spillane Cup tournament held during Easter in Wanganui. Heeney, according to southern critics, played" outstanding games, with defence being his strongest forte, but in going down to stop dribbling rushes he suffered an injury to his leg which may cause him to miss some of the earlier games this season.

Good Things Miss

A novel charge was preferred against an American racing tipster recently. He was formerly a jockey and went from house to house selling “inside information.” But investors said the “good things” did not succeed. The lipster was charged with having embezzled public money.

Holiday Deserved Mr. “Toby” Le Bas. the popular custodian at the Macrae Bath, is spending his annual holidays looking up his old school friends in Napier and Hastings. While he has been at the baths he has taught many people, both young and old, to swim and Ins many' friends'will wish him a successful vacation from swimming work, which over a number of years has been more of a hobby with him.

Old Boys’ Loss

With the transfer of Jack Cave to Wellington recently the Old Boys' senior fifteen lost a good, hard-work-ing forward. Short in build, he was a "tiger” for work. Cave lias several years of football yet in front of him and should do well in Wellington. * * * * Bill Steel Plays Again When the Poverty Bay representative team played in Wairoa early last season Bill. Steel, the hard rucking forward of the Celtic team, suffered an injury which kept him out of action for the rest of the season. However, he made a complete recovery and his form at Wanganui was exceptionally good and he should gain representative honours this year. * * t- fComiskey Shows Promise The latest sensation in the heavyweight ranks is Pat Comiskey, an 18-year-old Irish-Amcrican. He is one of the best natural hitters since Joe Louis first flashed across the horizon. He has had six professional fights, and it took him a little over 17J minutes to polish off his opponents. He stands 6ft. and weighs 1851 b. Was a Marathon Runner Running is one of Henry Armstrong’s success secrets. When he was “discovered” Henry was training for the Piles Bunyan Derby, marathon race between Los Angeles and New York. That’s 2800 miles. /> * * » All Black at Home The former Canterbury and All Black wing-threequarter, D. G. Cobden, was prominent in the recent Air Force-Civil Service match played in England. One report of the game said: “D. G. Cobden, playing on the wing for the Air Force instead of D. M. H. Craven, did all that Craven could have done and possibly more, in scoring three tries, but his success would have been more impressive in the face of sounder tackling.” It will be

remembered that Cobden played against South Africa in Wellington in 1937 for the first test match, but suffered an injury that forced him to leave the field.

R. Rogers in Form

One of llie outstanding forwards at the Spillane Cup tournament was R. (“Lofty”) Rogers, the big Celtic forward who Jias been a Poverty Bay

representative tor a number ol' years and. who, it lie maintains his early form, should wear the scarlet jersey again. Rogers usually does his best work in the line-outs and his reach is of great use to any team wishing to secure possession of the ball then. * * * * He Remembers! “Spider” Kelly, Irish holder of the British and Empire featherweight championship, remembers one fight more vividly than any of the other 512 lie has fought. It took place m his native Londonderry when he was 15. His opponent, like Kelly, an errand-boy, was two years older, and the bout was in a disused cellar. They fought for an hour, and when the fight was thickest there came a thundering on the cellar door. “Who’s there?” demanded the boy nearest the door. “I'll give you ‘who’s there,’ you young scamp," came the voice of Kelly’s mother “Open this door immediately!” Mrs. Kelly, having smacked every face within striking distance, caught her son by the scruff of the neck and hustled him home, where a “con'test” took place which young “Spider” did not win.

* * * * Good Wishes

Over a number of years R. (Bob) Johnson, Napier, and Len Grey, Gisborne, have had many an encounter at various sports meetings in Hawke’s Bay and Poverty Bay in the pole vault, with the honours being in favour of the Gisborne athlete.

On Easter Monday Len Grey was married to Miss D. Cumming, Ormond, and the Napier athlete acted as best man to his old athletic rival All followers of athletics here and in other parts of New Zealand will wish Grey every success in his married life, but'will hope that it will not cause his retirement from the athletic world.

Middle Aged Player Grey-haired Miss Eleonora Sears, aged SG, is a playing member of the American squash racquets team in England. She played tennis at Wimbledon in 1907, and introduced American women to the squash racquets game. Younger members of the team say that Miss Sears is still able to make them go all out to beat her. Football Injuries During the football season the acromio-clavicular joint (front of the shoulder) is a frequent site of injury. The ligaments, being strong are seldom torn, but are usually over-stretched. Thus the injury is more of a strain than a sprain. Injury may result either from a diree* blow or from a heavy fall, and it is often very difficult to be sure there is no fracture. A fall upon the shoulder often means a sprain, whilo a direct blow is usually followed by a fracture. An exact diagnosis, following an X-ray, is of much importance. Many unrecognised sprainfractures have been made worse by early movement and unskilled treatment. ft * * * Will Hockey Supplant Rugby? "It will only be a matter ol' time before you get as many playing hockey as you get playing football, said Mr. H. Lidgard, of Wellington College, at a meeting of the Wellington Hockey Association, referring to the rapid progress made by hockey among pupils of the college. Already he said, there were 100 boys playing hockey and 300 playing Rugby. Mr. Lidgard referred to the difficulty iu obtaining men to coach the boys at hockey practice, and it was decided to endeavour to obtain the services of Training College students for this purpose. $ & O A World Record /> world record cricket ball throw was made by R. Percival on the Durham Sands racecourse in 1884, when he threw 140yds 2ft; this week a Wanganui Collegiate School pupil, R F. Mackie, threw a ball 111yds 7in, breaking the 32-year-old school record set by E. E. H. Gilbertson in 1907, which was 110yds 6in. - Mackie in a son of Mr. W. N. Mackie, a former Mayor of Waipukurau. His performance was well up to world standard and was better than many figures by famous cricketers of the past. Gilbertson’s throw was assisted by a strong wind, but Mackie’s efTort was unaided by conditions.

• * * * Max Next Max Schmeling, the German heavyweight, having failed to peraiade Mike Jacobs to give him another title fight with Joe Louis, mainly, it is said, because of strong anti-German propaganda in the United States—may get a fight with Tommy Farr in England.