SPORTS BUDGET

Southland Times, Issue 24533, 6 September 1941, Page 9

SPORTS BUDGET

YOUTHFUL GOLFER’S SUCCESS A youth of 18 years won the patriotic golf tournament, conducted last week by the Rotorua Golf Club. He is J. P. Ralph, whose handicap is three. He defeated J. Sterritt, of Te Awamutu, in the final by 4 and 3. The field included some of the best players in the Auckland province. The winner of the tournament turned 18 only two months ago. A member of the Remuera Golf Club, whose championship he won at the age of 16, Ralph is the son of Mr and Mrs W. S. Ralph, who have performed prominently in golf in Auckland. As a member of the Auckland and Remuera Golf Clubs, Mr Ralph won championship events at both clubs. Mrs Ralph has also won championship contests at Auckland and Remuera. J. P. Ralph’s grandfather, the late Mr W. J. Philson, was a former championship winner of the Waitemata Club. J. P. Ralph won the New Zealand schoolboys’ championship in 1938 and 1939. An elder brother, W. P. Ralph, has also had success at golf. He defeated Pax Smith in the first round of the Rotorua tournament in 1939, but was himself eliminated in the third round.

Some high-class golf was played during the tournament, particularly on the opening day when R. H. Glading, the Hamilton plus 2 player, headed the list of qualifiers with rounds of 71 and 68. His card, compared with the scratch figures, read as follows:—

N.Z. Basketball Tournament The results of the New Zealand basketball tournament, held at Rotorua last week, have come to hand. They show that Hawke’s Bay won the first grade championship and Auckland was second. In the second and third grades ties were registered, Manawatu and Taranaki being joint winners of the second grade and Matamata and Rotorua-Bay of Plenty tieing in the third grade. Of the fifteen teams which took part in the tournament only three were from the South Island. West Coast was entered in the second grade and in the third grade the South Island representation was confined to Hokitika and Canterbury Minor. No South Island team took part in the first grade competition. As a result of the small number- of South Island teams taking part in the tournament it was not possible to hold the usual inter-island match,

Women’s Hockey Women’s hockey in Southland will close for the season today when a match will be played against South Otago at Queen’s Park. The South Otago team is thought to be a strong side and the Southland team, which beat an Otago side at Dunedin a fortnight ago, will need to be at the top of its form. The selectors, Mrs A. P. Peters and Messrs L. Holmes and J. Valentine, have chosen the following team to represent Southland: A. Bateman, N. Richmond, M. Folster, Johnstone, H. Mailey (vice-captain), M. McLeod, E. Sinclair, M. Howie, V. Brewster, M. Sinclair, N. Wyllie (captain). Emergencies: P. Steans and A. Shaw. J. and A. Adam were not available. The match will begin at 3 p.m.

Tabic Tennis Championships Keen interest is being taken in the Southland Table Tennis Association’s championships, the finals of which will be played tonight. In the men’s singles S. Robson is confidently expected again to carry off the honours, but it should be an interesting contest. R. Mainwaring, who will play Robson in the semi-final, is a heavy chop player and he upset J. Loudon on Thursday night, but he is likely to find Robson’s placements a little too much for him. L. Sharmin has reached the semi-finals after three close matches with Hamilton, Roberts and Marriott. He is a young player with a beautiful style and with equally good defence and attack. He is likely to be the toughest opponent for Robson. T. Breayley, the other semi-finalist, has been to the fore in Southland table tennis in the last five years. He has had better results against the forceful type of player. Robson and Breayley are also engaged in the mens doubles final. Robson has been paired with Loudon and Breayley will play with J. Ferguson. All four are experienced players and they should piovide a good exhibition with the former pair likely to have a little the better of it. Robson is also in the mixed doubles and partnered with Mrs Croad he may prove too strong for the opposing pair, D. Hamilton and Miss McGrath, who were lucky to get past Breayley and Miss Henderson in the semi-finals. Miniature Rifle Shooting

More than 200 entries have been received for the fifth Southland miniature rifle championships to be fired at Smith’s rifle range today. In the Times Shield competition, which is fired on handicap, there is a record entry of 25 teams. The holder of the shield is the Regimental team, all members of which are now overseas on active service. . . In the 1.C.1. Cup competition for scratch teams there are 12 entries. Unfortunately the Waiau Club, which is the present holder of the trophy, has been unable to function this year. The A grade championship has drawn an entry of 70, including the present holder, F. P. Norton (Pukerau), and former champions in G. Wilson (Invercargill), W. J. Murray (City Guards) and last season’r B grade winner, L. Wilson (Makarewa). Some of those who should have good chances to win the title are the champions named and B. Broomfield, J. Buttolph (City Guards), A. Pomeroy (Invercargill), P. W Mcßride, the Healy Bros. (Mossburn), J. Doake (R.S.A.), R. Ferris (Gore) and H. Redman (Gore). With so many practically unknown riflemen taking part in B grade matches it is impossible to forecast who will come out on top this year. Many of the young clubs, Collegiate, Gore, Redan, Nightcaps and Power Supply, have quite a number of riflemen taking part who should acquit themselves well. In the women’s championship the present holder, Miss T. James (Collegiate), who is shooting very well this year, will have strong opposition from Mrs Archer, Mrs Doake and Mrs Buddle (Invercargill), Mrs Mcßride (Mossburn), Mrs Philips (Mataura) and Miss McDonald (Tapanui). Shooting will begin at 2 p.m., and competitors are requested to shoot in the afternoon where at all possible. Marist to Play Police Team

A team from the Invercargill Marist Football Club will play against a team of police constables from Dunedin in a special game at Carisbrook (Dunedin) on Saturday, September 13. The game will be played as a curtain-raiser to one of the Dunedin club games. Indoor Basketball

Second only to ice-hockey in speed and thrills, and played in more countries than is any other sport, indoor basketball is now making fast progress in New Zealand. It is played now in Auckland, Hamilton, Morrinsville, Matamata, New Plymouth, Wanganui, Palmerston North, Napier, Masterton, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill, all these places having competitions for men and women. The Physical Welfare and Recreation Branch of the Internal , Affairs Department is lending a hand

with the development of the game, which is now being taken up by men at Trentham, Ohakea and other camps and bases in New Zealand. In Invercargill the ranks of players have been severely depleted by the war and during this season only three clubs, Nomads, Wanderers and Y.M.C.A., have been operating, whereas last year there were about 12 or 14 clubs. The Wanderers played a match against an Otago University team during the season, but apart from this opportunities for outside competition were few. Next Tuesday night there will be a men’s and women’s basketball .tournament in the Georgetown hall.

Champion Sprinter in Navy

The New Zealand 100 yards track champion, J. Sutherland, of Wellington, has joined the Navy. He will do his training in England. Sutherland hopes that when he is abroad some opportunity will present itself to compete on overseas tracks. If there should be at the conclusion of the war an interallied fixture on the lines of that held after the 1914-18 conflict, he will probably be one of the New Zealand representatives. In top gear he would hold his end up in most company. Sutherland is a son of Mr Ben Sutherland, who lived for many years in Invercargill. _

Scratch: Out—4 3 4 4 5 3 5 4 3-35 Glading: Out—4 4 4 5 4 3 4 3 3—34 Scratch: In—5 4 4 4 3 3 4 3 4—34 Glading: In—5 5 4 4 2 4 3 3 4—34