ITEMS OF INTEREST

Southland Times, Issue 22293, 7 April 1934, Page 15

ITEMS OF INTEREST

There was an uncommon incident in a cricket match in Cape Town recently, when a batsman scored 28 runs with one hit. He drove the ball into the outfield, and it could not be found. The batsmen ran 6, and then as “lost ball” had not been called, they started off again. Altogether they ran twenty-two times at speed and then walked 6 more runs before the ball was found. The ball managed to conceal itself in a tuft of grass. » » * » Alec Hillhouse, the Australian Olympic distance runner, has returned to form (says an exchange). At Melbourne recently he won the mile in 4min 25 3-10 sec from Hannah and Begg. ♦ ♦ * * Norma Planck won the 50yds under 13 years in 0.32 1-5 —the fastest time ever recorded in Australia by a twelve-year-old girl, at the Brunswick Baths recently. At Auckland last week, another twelve-year-old girl, Miss Marjorie Black, swam 50yds in 29 4-ssec, lowering the New Zealand junior record, established by Miss D. Symon, the Dominion champion, by 2-ssec. This is • what the New Zealand Herald swimming writer had to say of Miss Black last week:—“lf wisely coached, Miss Marjorie Black should eventually become the finest lady sprinter developed in New Zealand. Although only twelve years of age, she was an easy winner in the 50 metre and 100 metres junior girls’ events, her times being 33 4-ssec and 77sec. The latter time was merely 3 4-5 slower than that made by Misses Lewin and Rainey. Miss Black is perhaps the best junior girl in New Zealand, and her future performances will be watched with interest.” * * * * That it is useful to have an understudy for a champion in the champion’s family was shown in the New South Wales heavyweight professional sculling championship, on the Parramatta River recently (says an exchange). Illness prevented the holder of the title, A. J. Fisher, from competing, but a brother of his sculled a fine race and won the championship. ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ A new athlete of the same name as the Victorian broad jump champion. J. Lobban, visited the secretary of Eastern Suburbs Club recently, and asked to be given a trial at the javelin throw (says a Melbourne writer). He had never before thrown the javelin, but he had played water polo. His good throwing placed him in the team and on Saturday in Melbourne his throw of 142 ft Gin was the best of the clay. It may be mentioned that until shortly before last year’s Otago championships Vai Newall had never thrown a javelin, but he was the outstanding water polo player in Otago. It is well known now how this year he won the Otago javelin throwing championship, and was second in the New Zealand championship. * * * * A New Zealand University Rugby team will probably be invited io tour Japan, leaving New Zealand at the end of this year, Mr J. K. Moloney told a Christchurch Press reporter. He said that the manager of the Australian team which recently toured Japan reported on his return that an invitation would probably be sent to New Zealand. Mr Moloney thought that if the tour were made, the team would probably leave about next Christmas and have approximately twelve weeks in Japan. It would be undertaken under the same conditions as the Australian tour. The Australians were the guests of the Japanese Rugby Union, backed by the Japanese Government, and he understood that this would

mean that practically all expenses would be paid. There was also a P°s~ sibility that a Japanese team would tour New Zealand after the New Zealand trip to Japan. The*highest life-saving award in the British Empire is the diploma of the Royal Life-saving Society, and successful in securing this distinction recently was Miss A. Holdgate, of Timaru, who was presented with the diploma at Christchurch recently by Mr M. E. Lyons, chairman, of the Canterbury Head Centre of the Royal Life-saving Society. Mr Lyons referred to Miss Holdgate’s work in life-saving in Timaru. He said she was the founder of the Timaru Ladies’ Life-saving Club, and was responsible for a large number of awards in Timaru every year. She had extended her work into varl " ous schools there, and the centre owed a big debt of gratitude to her. * * * * The English Waterloo Cup is nearing its centenary—it was founded in 1836. As is the case of so many other outstanding sporting events, the “Dogs’ Derby” has grown in importance from a modest origin. A simple eight-dog stake at only £2 each, run at Altcar over the Earl of Seiwn s land, the first contest was won by Melanie owned by his lordship s eldest son, Lord Molyneux, who was also presented with a silver snuff box to commemorate the victory. Since then the value of the winning stake has grown to £5OO, with the addition of a cup presented by Lord Sefton. ♦ * * * The Auckland Centre of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association passed a resolution at its last meeting regretting the retirement from amateur athletics of Mr Richard Coombes (the “Grand Old Man” o£ amateur athletics in Australia), owing to advancing years and ill-health, Mr Coombes for many years was president of the Amateur Athletic Union of Australia and New Zealand. ♦ * * Vivian McGrath, Australia s youthful prodigy in lawn tennis, will pair with Australia’s star girl player Joan Hartigan, in the combined doubles at the Wimbledon championships this year. They played together in and won the City of Sydney combined doubles in that year. • * * * The fact that nineteen new players had gained representative honours during the past season was drawn attention to by the president, Mr J. Arneil, when commenting on the report presented at the annual meeting of the delegates to the Auckland Rugby Union last week. The representative selector for last year, Mr F. E. Sutherland, rose to explain why there was such a large number of new representatives. He said it was due to the fact that two major representative matches had been played on the one day during the past season. He deprecated such a procedure on the grounds that two matches on the same day called for a large number of players, and this tended to cheapen representative honours. * * * ♦ “The team that beats Australia should win the Davis Cup,” writes Mercer Beasley, noted American coach of lawn tennis. He observes that the American “fetish” of speed is too often a shield for a weakness. Leading American players all had their weaknesses last year, and these were exploited unerringly by J. B. Crawford, F. J. Perry, and H. W. Austin. Beasley advises sound defence, steadiness, and elimination of error, rather than wild hitting, although speed is essential. He says beating Australia and beating England will require different tactics.

Gilbert Porter, hero of many Southland Rugby representative matches, has since the end of last season been in very bad health as the result of injuries received on the field. There should be excellent support for the seven-a-side benefit tournament at Tuatapere next Saturday. ♦ » ♦ ♦ “All my life I have wanted a gold, trophy on the family sideboard. Although I won the Derby, I didn’t get 'it,” said Tom Walls, the well-known actor-racehorse owner. “Now young Tom has realized my ambition.” Mr Walls was referring to his son, a lieutenant in the Inniskilling Dragoon Guards, having won the grand military gold cup on Crafty Alice, which his father selected and trained. Lieut. Walls secured a stake of £4OO and a gold plate valued at £lOO. ♦ * « » Writing of incidents on the train journey from Adelaide to Perth Arthur Mailey, who is accompanying the Australian Test cricketers related that at one stopping place Oldfield and Kippax were amused at a golf notice on the station asking all members to bring : their own rakes and picks to open a new hole near the piggery. “The geographical conditions here are against golf, but the Cook Golf Club can show Sydney clubs a lesson in high finance, for the membership fee is 1/-,” he added. * * * * Alex James, a great figure in soccer football, whom the Arsenal (London) Club acquired for £9OOO in 1929, has been omitted from the team, in consequence of loss of form. The Derby County Club, . of whose team his father-in-law is manager, offers £2OOO for him. Arsenal is agreeable, but James refuses the exchange. ♦ ♦ ♦ * The great Jaipur team, which had signal triumphs over Britain’s star teams in England last, year, proved too strong for the Kashmir combination in the Indian Polo Association’s championship. Kashmir must be a stiong side, too, for their was only a margin of 1 goal between them at the finish — 5 to 4. It is understood that the Maharaja of Kashmir’s team will visit England next season. The Jaipur team won the Indian, championship for the fourth year in succession. * * * * Miss Hazel Johnston, a prominent Otago sports girl, is certainly versatile. She covered herself with glory by her goalkeeping foi' the victorious Otago team in the New Zealand women’s hockey tournament last year, and kept her goal intact throughout the tournament. By her brilliant displays over a period of years, many good judges have expressed the opinion that she is New Zealand’s best “goalie”, in women’s hockey, and on her showing for Otago in the recent ladies’ representative cricket match she is one of the finest all-rounders in the game here. Top-scoring with 29 in Otago’s first innings, she was unlucky to be given out lbw in the second innings. Miss Johnston revealed a pleasing variety of strokes, which were well and cleanly made, her fielding also being first class. « * # * A proposal for the New Zealand Hockey Association to extend an invitation to an Indian team was suggested at last week’s meeting in a letter from the Australian Hockey Association, which expressed a desire to cooperate with New Zealand in securing a visit of a team from India. The chairman (Mr H. S. J. Goodman) expressed the idea that the tour would eventuate but not in the near future, and a subcommittee was appointed to formulate proposals for submission to the Australian authorities.