Sports and Pastimes.

Southland Times, Issue 19099, 17 November 1923, Page 12 (Supplement)

Sports and Pastimes.

If it were to be judged only by the annual sports gathering it has inaugurated, the Invercargill and Suburban Schools’ Sports’ Association would have accomplished something well worth while. But this splendidly organised sports meeting is only a part of the splendid work it is doing in the schools. The British tandem cycle record for 50 miles was broken by the two brothers Stott in September, who covered the distance on the Great North road in 1 hour 51 min utes 42 seconds. Golf under difficulties:—A south African Club found the course covered with locusts ane day and after going to trouble and expense to get rid of them was next visited ay a plague of rats. This was combated by blasting, poisoning and trapping, one day’s bag yielding 271 well-conditioned rodents. Then when things seemed all right again, came the last straw. A number of high school boys found the course a tempting short cut to school. The unemployed in Middlesborough (England- were recently gathered together foi a four-mile walking competition, prize including sheep, pigs, ducks, sides of bacon, hams, clothes, groceries and other useful articles, of a value of £l5O. Some 230 men started, but many found the pace too hot and pulled out. Ten thousand people turned out to see the competition. Vic Richardson, South Australian cricketer and tootbailer, turned down a lucrative coaching engagement the other day. Western Australia, which had seen him play, offered him £l2 a week to coach a foot- 1 ball team in winter and a cricket eleven in : summer. It may be remembered that ; Richardson has captained S.A. at both i sports. The ridiculous lengths to which amateur- j ism of the variety referred to in last week’s i sporting notes will go is illustrative by the ’ action of the Scotland Rugby Union in suspending a Welsh club and Scottish represen- I tative player bcause he was one of 22 members of a Welsh club who were presented I with gold watches to mark the brilliant re- I cord of the club in last season’s games, I If the S.R.U. is going to carry on in this j wooden-headed fashion, it will no doubt • give the N.Z.R.F.U. food for thought as to whether, tor instance, it can take any of the Hawke’s Bay representative side which was recently presented with similar mementoes, on tour to the Old Country or any player who, in his time, has in any way had his playing ability recognised in such » a mariner. The “Hon.” F. M. B. Fisher, the erst while Enzeder now quartered in England, is probably better served in the matter of publicity than most ex-politicians. He de pends largely on tennis to secure the best results and from the way his name has spread, somebody ought to give the tip to the portly WFJf. to take up some similar enjoyable little pastime instead of lumbering along with two publicists in tow. The “Honourable’s” latest capture is none less than "lawn tennis,” the staid and official organ of the English Lawn Tennis Association, which alludes to a match plated by "the ex-Premier of New Zealand'.” Maorilanders will be interested in F.M.B’s. next. An old man living on the far South Coast of N.SIW., has solved the problem of fishing. He has tamed three cormorants, and they do his fishing. The fisherman secures each bird with a strong string and fastens a small ring round its neck, for although he has had the birds for some years, he cannot teach them not to swallow their catch. The ring prevents them from swallowing any but the smallest fish. The commorants seem to know what is expected of them, and work eagerly and successfully. The Rugby season in Auckland during the year was a successful one financially as well as otherwise, and the Auckland Rugby Union has been enabled to recover leeway incurred by last year’s tour, and finish up with a credit balance of £474. Altogether the gate takings for the season have amounted to £7739, but £llB4 of this has been at matches controlled by the New Zealand Rugby Union and £1306 at the spe cial war memorial game. The surplus from the last-mentioned is about £lO4O, which goes to the memorial fund. In club mat- • ches throughout the season 2107 was taken. The takings at the various representative matches were:—v. Southland, £332; v. Taranaki. £588; v. Thames (Whiteside benefit!, £173; v. Wanganui, £398; v. Otago, £558; v. Wellington, £452; v. Hawke’s Bay (w’ar memorial match', £1306. A case of enthusiasm in the game of bowls, which is probably without parallel in the Dominion, was mentioned at the Picton Hospital Board's meeting (records an exchangel. It was stated that a local gentleman, who was handicapped by a contracted finger, recently went to his medical adviser, and asked that the offending finger be amputated, as it interfered with his game of bowls. The operation was accordingly successfully performed, and the patient is now progressing favourably. Members of the board were highly amused at such a sportsmanlike action being undertaken, and one said “it showed what some sports would undergo for the sake of bowls.” Another suggested that the amputation would interfere with the bowler’s bias.