THE PLAYGROUND

Southland Times, Issue 19248, 11 June 1921, Page 9

THE PLAYGROUND

Sports and Pastimes

Mr Peter Watson, of Manchester, England, well-known in North Country theatrical circles, who died recently at the age of 73, introduced Hackenschmidt, the wrestler, and many other “stars” io modern audiences. The season just concluded in England seems to have been remarkable for big scoring in school football There is a boy in a school rugby team ac Crumlin who claims a ‘'bag” of 105 tries, while, turning to the Association game, in a match at Hales Owen on Saturday the local Grammar School side defeated St. Philip’s oy 23 goals to nil, Cox, the centre forward, who has signed for Aston Villa, scoring 15 of the goals. A motorist was recently fined 40b for being drunk while in charge of a motor vehicle. When the police constable informed him that his lights were out, he tried to relight them with a match. Unfortunately, the lamps were electric. This regrettable act on his part (says the Autocar) i/as taken as conclusive evidence of his condition. W’ildfowlers on the out marshes of Friakney, on the Lincolnshire (England) coast, have recently been troubled by the daring of foxes, which have visited the district. The marauders have hidden in the long grass until the tide has receded, and then have made havoc among the birds in the nets. Two foxes—a dog and a vixen—were caught in the act and were shot by the wildfowlers, who were waiting for them. It is very rare that foxes are seen on these perilous mud flats, while life still remains much as it was before the Fens were enclosed. Unless baseball players in New York State play a straight game they may be sent to prison for a felony (says the Central News correspondent at Albany, U.SjL). Gamblers, too, who try to profit by offering bribes to influence players t<r “throw a game” will be liable to face a similar charge. This was decided when the Assembly passed the Bill introduced by Senator Kavanagh, of Saratoga. The measure has passed the Upper House, and will be approved by the Governor.

It is stated that during the Easter golf competition at Wellingborough, England, a carrion crow, after two attempts, succeeded in carrying off a competitor’s ball to its nest. The incident is by no means without precedent (says the London Sportsman), but the marauder was more likely to have been a rook than a crow, which is a comparatively rare bird. The Dick Kerr’s women’s Association football team, in England, collected up to the end of March, over £31,000 in its matches for charitable purposes. The team, which has an undefeated record, and has scored 240 goals to 9, is at present on tour in South Wales.

Rat pits are being revived in Sheffield, England (says the Independent) to train terriers as watch dogs against the rodent plague. The pit is about sft deep and sft square, and the practice is to turn a terrier into the pit v .th from one to half a dozen rats, according to his prowea. From 40 to 50 big fat rata from the slaughter-houses are captured alive and turned into the pit at intervals to provide a short afternoon's rport. If the dog won’t fight the rats will, tut sometimes the rats become very cowed It the presence of a ferocious terrier. The race for the world's mulling championship, Arnst v Hannan (challenger) will take place to-day. The death is announced of Mr W. Everest, treasurer of the National Coursing Association of New Zealand. Several Hastings owners are now training their dogs to stay in motor ears and mount guard against thieves and joy-riders. The British Football Association has decided to ask Maoriland to receive a combined N.S.W. team in 1922 in lieu of a N.S.W. team in 1921, as requested by New Zealand. Mr George Wareham, of Blenheim, who is acting as trainer to the world’s sculling championship candidate, P. Hannan, was at one time a well known athlete himself. In his day Mr Wareham was one of the best professional pedestrians in New Zealand and was a rival of the late L. C. McLoughlin. When the last mail to hand left America a professional soccer football circuit was being set up to include the cities of Philadelphia, New York, Brooklyn. Harrison, Jersey City, Fall River and Pawtucket. A number of leading British players are being imported to stiffen the ranks of native talent Last year 714 nimrods competed in the trapshooterri Grand American Handicap, but it is expected that all previous records will be broken this year as gunning officials an. ticipate that at least 1,000 shootists will bang away at the clay birds this season. Polo players the world over will centre their attention on Hurlingham. Eng., on Saturday next when the representatives of America will endeavour to lift the international trophy from its English possessors. A aeries of games will be played for which the reserve seat booking has been of record proportions. Never before in the history of polo has there been such a widespread interest in the international clashes as there is this year. The American representatives and ponies have been in training in England since April last. Quite a number of bowlers met with in northern centres of late have expressed the opinion that steps should be taken in the near future to arrange for a really representative team of New Zealand cracks of the green to visit Great Britain to avenge the defeats sustained by the Maoriland tourist ride now travelling in the Old Country. They rightly point out that the team at present carrying out club, county and international engagements in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales is not representative of the full strength of New Zealand and they express various opinions as to how and when an attempt should be made to recover the "ashes.” At the same time, the combination now in action in the Old World should have a powerful influence in inducing a team from the other ride of the world to visit the Dominion and this in itself would assist the progress of a rivalry in connection with one of the most popular pastimes in the British Empire, h game common to old and young men, not forgetting the ladies who indulge in rolling the wood in various centres.

Will Englishmen suffer in stature during the next few years, as the result of war losses, as the French did after the Napoleonic wars? “Undoubtedly we shall be affected temporarily, owing to many of our best men having been killed, but we ought to make it up,” said a prominent London scientist recently. “Unfortuniately, we have no scientific data to go upon, in the absence of any organised examination of the nation, such as has been repeatedly advocated. Even with a systematic examination of 2 per cent of the population one gets an idea of changes that are taking place and we could settle the question much more easily if we knew how the average height was rising or falling in different parts of the country. However, only one generation has suffered, which is vastly different from having two or three wiped out. Height is one of the physical characteristics most easily affected. Good feeding will very quickly raise the stature of a nation. The Japanese are said to have put on another two or three inches since thev started feeding their soldiers on meat.” The Rugby game is flourishing in Switzerland. There are four clubs there—two Swiss and two English. Notwithstanding the unfavourable condition of the grounds in March, a new club was formed at Neuchatel. On Sunday, February 27, the two British teams, “Who-La” Club of Neuchatel and “Penguins” of Lusanne, played on the latter’s ground. On a hard and fart ground, Who-La won by 25 points to nil,