THE PLAYGROUND.

Southland Times, Issue 19395, 8 November 1924, Page 14 (Supplement)

THE PLAYGROUND.

Sports and Pastimes.

No fewer than ®x members of the Llaoheris (Wetah National League! football team bear the surname Roberts. There are only two Joneses in the side. When Scranton baseball fans turn out (says the New York Herald >, they get tbeir money's worth in the way of thrills. Umpire Hoey wm knocked down in a free-for-all fight over a decision in the third innings of a game between Scranton and Oneonta, and had to be earned off the field. Two innrag» later, Agnew, Oneonta outfielder, broke his leg sliding into second base. The writer takes an especial interest in the cabled news item that Parker was possibly the most brilliant player of ail in the International match between New Zealand and Ireland. It has all along been contended in these columns that Parker was the ideal rover, and a better man than Porter, who is too much of an obstructionist.

When the Vic. “Pigeon Derby” was flown recently, there were only a couple of seconds between the first and second birds, and it was thought that a record had been established by the winner, which flew the 300 miles at the rate of 1810 yards a minute, says a Sydney Bulletin paragraphic. A hunt among the archives showed, however, that 1962 yards pun. was put up over 396 miles (Morgan, SA-, to Melbourne) in 1917. E. G. Staples was the breeder and owner of the bird which achieved that feat, as well as of this year's “Derby” winner. Machine guns are being used by poachers in the Pyrenees for hunting chamois (says the Central News), and the French Federation of Hunters in the district have appealed to the Minister of Agriculture to put an end to this practice. Shepherds are forced to take shelter among the rocks when the firing is in progress, while the sheep, frightened by the noise, scatter far and wide among the mountains. By dropping 18 out of 20 swifts, the fastest bird known to the sporting world, V. Grant established his claim to rank as the champion shot of the South Coast, New South Wales.

Warwick Armstrong, one of the greatest cricketers of all time, stepped on to the scales the other day, and the big fellow had to hide his blushes while the indicator trembled round the 22-st. mark. At the head of the Southland lawn tennis ladder is Ernie Gilmour, the well-known Rugby player, who missed being an All Black three-quarter by fractions and a weak shoulder (says Christchurch Star). Of course one may laugh at this, but anyone is Hable to make the same kind of miatake (says the Christchurch Sun). A big burly AU Black forward was the victan. At Newton Abbot the team was taken to a garden party, where the ladies assisting were in fancy dress. There, the forward concerned chatted awhile with a young lady in pierrette costume. She was most attractive, and before long the player proposed that she should accompany him to a citizens’ ball that evening. The young lady was charmed, but it would be necessary to obtain mother's consent. Bowing to whax the AU Black accepted as a fine old English custom, he interviewed mother, who was agreeable. That evening he attended at th house to escort the young lady. But the young lady in pierrette costume in “straight” evening dress was a girl of 13. Of course, he accepted the inevitable, and went through with it. But what a time he was given by his team mates. A city cricketer of some fame promised io play in a very rural cricket match, and when he went in to bat he was amared to find himself bowled first ball by the village blacksmith, whose forte was strength rather than skiß “What a magnificent ball,” mattered the county man as he wended his way' back to the pavilion. ‘Course it b,” said the opposing captain, who overheard the remark. What d'ye think us cowntry chaps play with—turnips?” The Afl Blacks got any amount of space in the English papers on their appearance in Eng) an H, even the personal appearance of some of the players coming in for com ment. Thus Porter is described as of “medium height, dark-eyed and thoughtful expression, and of undoubted personality. ’ The same scribe also says of Porter: “He is as quick as Young, .‘he Cambridge Blue, and is a very brainy p’ayer. He bears a strong facial resemblance to the Italian statesman, Mussolini, and like that individual, seems to possess a marked authoritive spirit of control.” Lucas, the Auckland wing three-quarter, gets the following: “He is the very alter ego of Considine, the Bath player, even to his funny upturned nose.” The healthy young Nepia must have appreciated his Wednesday half-holiday last week (says Christchurch Star). He had played thirteen games on end, improving all the time. Gillett played no fewer than thirteen consecutive games for the 1905 team, and of these five were played at wing-forward. Captain Badcock, the new English coach, pleased everyone on his first appearance at the bowling crease in Wellington. Like Australian bowlers, he relies upon variations in flight and pace to trap batsmen into making mistakes. He is lithe and active and can keep going untiringly. One particularly good delivery he has in his quiver is the one which he sends along from the palm of the hand. There is no turn on it, but it drops suddenly at the end of its flight, and makes pace from the pitch. This was the ball which led to D. 8. Collin's undoing. Badcock kept fine command over the ball and imparted body action into a few of them, while also flighting them from leg at times. He will pass muster as a trundkr, says the Dominion.

“A young cricketer,” said M. A. Noble, m a lecture in Sydney, “needs aU the help be can get to make him confident. I can remember when I was about ten years of age, and I and my brothers were playing in a paddock, I hit the ball, and one of my brothers helped it along with his foot, and I ran nine. That niner has always lived in my memory,” he said, “and I realise what it is to be given a little help.” The following calculation by an Australian paper is enough to turn one’s head dizzy. “It wiU interest the curious to know that, with his party of 17, the English captain, Gilligan, can select no fewer than 12,376 different sides. If, however, the party had consisted of only 16 players, he would have had only a restricted choice of 4368 teams. The inclusion of Hobbs in the touring party, therefore, at the last minute, meant even more than appeared at first sight.” Ab Summer has set in with its usual severity (says the Christchurch Star), the chief pastime of cricketers these days is swapping yarns in the pavilion, what time the ground is getting in condition for a water-polo game. Here’s one I beard the other day, while the rain pattered steadily on the pavilion roof. An ultra-conscien-tious umpire went out to inspect the wicket during a severe rainstorm. Unfortunately, he was no swimmer, and he fell in at the deep end. While be was sinking for the third time he recollected his duty, and bawled out in despairing accents: “No play before lunch-time, boys.” Referring to Clem Hill’s reappearance in the Howdl Benefit in Sydney a week or two ago, “Not Out,” in Sydney Referee writes:—Oem Hill met with a great reception, the crowd applauding him all die way to the wicket, and then again and again, before he took strike. It was a compliment to his imperishable record in Australian cricket, and to his sportsmanship in coming out of his retirement to assist at the benefit to an old comrade. Mailey sent him ft long-hop outside his

legs first ball, but Clem missed it. The bowler served up another, and Clem cracked it to the fence. Thence the feeding finished. The two left-hand batsmen scored freely, and at 169 Ratcliffe reached the century; Hill 22. The partnership put on 98, and then Mailey bowled Hill for 40, the batsman jumping in to a slow which he missed. Clem batted with surprising soundness,, pulling crisply and scoring, as usual, more freely to the on than the off side. Considering that it is 28 years since he first visited England as a member of an Australian Eleven, thirty years since he first played against English bowling, and that he has not played for some years, his form was remarkable.

We learn (says the London Sportsman) that a well-known Birmingham bookmaker has promised Howell £5 for every wicket he takes against Australia during the M.C.C. tour.

J. S. Hazlett, who manages to combine rugby, boxing and cross country riding during the winter season, had his first public race at the Birchwood Hunt on Wednesday. the Southland Rugby representative and middle weight boxer riding Frenchman in the Hunters’ Flat.

Rugby does not draw such huge crowds which follow professional football, but the game is increasing in popularity (says the Daily Mirror). The Rugby Union ground at Twickenham has not proved large enough to accommodate all who want to see the international games, and extensive improvements have been carried out by which the ground capacity has been increased to 50,000. A new double-decker stand with accommodation for 3000. sitting and 6000 standing, has been erected at the northern end of the ground.