BUDGET OF SPORTS NEWS

Southland Times, Issue 24575, 25 October 1941, Page 4

BUDGET OF SPORTS NEWS

CRICKET MATCH WITH OTAGO SWIMMING BATHS FOR GORE The first representative cricket match this season between Southland and Otago is to be played at Invercargill at the New Year. Recently the Southland Cricket Association wrote to the Otago association suggesting either Christmas or New Year dates for the match. The management committee of the Otago association at a meeting this week decided to accept an invitation from Canterbury to send a team to Christchurch at Christmas time and to accept the New Year dates for the game with Southland. The committee decided to defer making any arrangements for a junior representative match until it is known what players will be available. Baths at Gore

Swimming enthusiasts are very pleased that the Gore public swimming baths are as good as established. Tenders are now being called for the construction of the pool. The Gore High School is also building a pool, and it should not be long before Gore swimmers are taking part in the programmes. Southland is gradually gaining more good swimming pools, and already Bluff, Limehills and Nightcaps have suitable facilities for outside districts, but there is room for more pools in the province before any real decrease in drowning accidents may be looked for. Labour Day Angling

Anglers are reminded that the Southland Anglers’ Club’s Labour Day competition will be held on Monday. Conditions of the competition are as follows:

Time of fishing, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. To be held on any lake or stream in Southland district. Weigh-in at H. and H. Garage, Yarrow street, 9 p.m. on Monday or by certificate from any station master, postmaster, or Justice of the Peace in Southland. Certificates to be lodged with the secretary (Mr G. Friend) not later than Tuesday. Any legal bait. First prize, trophy valued at £l/1/- donated by A. and W. McCarthy; second prize, trophy valued at 10/6 donated by Mr N. Checketts. Tennis Tournaments ,

Many city and country tennis players will travel to Winton and Otautau on Labour day. Both clubs are conducting tournaments and these should attract good entries. The tournaments have proved very popular in the past. The Winton tournament caters for men’s, women’s and mixed doubles.

Good Fishing Conditions Last week-end overhead conditions were favourable and the streams were in good order for fishing, writes “Matuku.” However, trout proved difficult to catch and the easterly wind was blamed for this.

On the Orawia on Sunday there was pleasant sunshine in the afternoon and the aquatic flies were hatching out freely or floating on the water. The trout were to be seen feeding on these flies but for some unexplained reason they carefully discriminated against the anglers’ artificials in favour of the natural insects. Flies could be cast repeatedly over a rising fish, but the fish would continue to select natural insects and ignore the anglers’ artificial. One angler claimed that he changed his fly 14 times and gave the fish the choice of 14 artificials but without success. Anglers had to be satisfied with three or four fish fox - the day. A fprtnight previously when conditions seemed exactly similar, limit bags were obtained without any difficulty. Promising Batsman

M. Potts, who scored 60 for the Old Boys senior eleven against Invercargill on Saturday, is a young batsman who shows much promise. He has had a good grounding; he was a member for a couple of years of the Colts team organized by Mr W. R. Patrick, the former Canterbury, Otago and New Zealand representative. Potts uses his feet well and has a good variety of scoring shots. One of his chief faults is a tendency to recklessness, especially after he has made a few runs. If he could restrain the desire to hit out he should make some big scores this season. Team of School Boys

The Invercargill third grade, which had an easy win by eight wickets over Georgetown B on Saturday, is composed of school boys several of whom show considerable promise. One of the team’s bowlers, Lawrence performed the “hat trick,” taking four wickets in the first innings and five in the second. Unfortunately his averages are not available as a proper bowling analysis was not kept, but they must have been pretty good judging from the Georgetown scores of 76 and 48. Valuable Players

The Invercargill Cricket Club’s senior team seems to have secured a decided acquisition to its batting strength in K. Cottier, who made 57 not out against Old Boys on Saturday. Cottier, who comes from Taranaki, played last season for the Georgetown junior A team and was one of its most successfxxl batsman. As he wanted to play in the senior grade he transferred this year to Invercargill, and judging from his display on Saturday (he was the only Invercargill batsman to make anything like a stand), he is well up to senior standard. He batted with ease and confidence and never seemed like getting out.

Cup Swimming Races The Southland Swimming Centre will start with the new series of Woolworth and Haynco Cup races on Tuesday at the third race and polo night of the season. These events cover three races, the placegetters in each heat gaining 5, 3 and 1 points for the first, second and third respectively. The winner of the cup, which becomes his or her property, is the swimmer with most points for the series. The Centre hopes that all competitors will see whether they are entered for the events by reading carefully the lists on the notice board at the baths. An effort is being made to get the maximum number of entries. A Sporting Chance In declaring its first innings closed at 4.15 p.m. on Saturday the Old Boys senior team gave Invercargill a sporting chance of winning the game or playing out time for a draw, and once again demonstrated that a time limit for innings in one-day cricket is not necessary. The division of time can safely be left to sportsmanship. Invercargill would, of course, have had to go hard to make 195 runs for a win in the two hours available. The wicket and outfield were against fast scoring. But Invercargill had a good chance of forcing a draw and might have accomplished this had not A. Sharp been called away unexpectedly. No Change in Tennis Teams No change is to be made in the strength of the inter-club competition tennis teams this season. That is to say, the teams will consist of four women and four men as in the past. The city clubs were almost unanimous that the teams should consist of eight players and at a meeting of the management committee of the Southland Association it was decided that no

change should be made. The committee also decided that in the event of a club being short of one or more players it may, to fulfil its fixture, play a member of any affiliated club of the same or lower grade. However, the consent of the opposing team must be obtained.

A C grade tournament will be held as usual this season, play to be conducted every night of the week, beginning on Decembex - 15. The town men’s and women’s singles and doubles ladders will be conducted on the same lines as last year and entries will be called for. These ladders are intended as a guide to the selectors of representative teams.

Swimming in Egypt Corporal Bolam, Canterbury representative swimmer, surfer and polo player, who competed in recent swimming events in Egypt, writing home, states that there are a large number of New Zealand swimmers in the Middle East. He missed seeing the Cairo championships, but managed to see some of the Egyptian championship finals. The price of admission was 4/- and Bolam, with some Maori lads going to see Ratema swim, was shut out, as the building was crowded to capacity. Their patience was rewarded, and after - a long wait they were admitted by representing themselves as members of the New Zealand film unit. At the conclusion of each event the placed competitors were introduced to King Farouk, who presented the trophies. The chief event was the relay which went to the National Sporting Club. Four Maori boys swam fox - the winners including Ratema, Aratema (Ratema’s cousin), Pene and another. Colin Martin, the Southland swimmer was an easy winner in the backstroke, and Wally Johnston, another Southlander, put up a grand performance to win the 220yds. Useful All-Rounder

A cricketer - of more than average ability and of much experience is D. C. Morgan, who made his appearance in Eastern Southland cricket fox - the first time last season playing for the Celtic No. 1 team. In club matches Morgan gave some outstanding performances and he compiled a total of 656 runs for 13 innings, an average of 72.9, while he took 51 wickets for 591 runs. He scored two centuries during the season. He also represented Eastern Southland against Central-Western and scored a useful 48. Before going to Gore Morgan played in several northern centres. In Wellington he was a member of the Midland and Wellington clubs and he played for Wellington Colts. In the South Island Morgan played fox - the Brightwater Club in the Waimea Association, Nelson province, and he was selected to play for Nelson in Hawke Cup matclxes on two occasions. He later played for South Auckland and Waikato in Hawke Cup matches. He went to Gore from Te Awamutu. Morgan’s record is a creditable one and the Celtic Club is fortunate in having the services of a player of his ability.

Popular- Swimmer Miss Kathleen Bradshaw, of the ExPupils’ Swimming Club, is one of those figures no sport can do without. Although she has not reached speed comparable with New Zealand standards, she has proved herself a consistent competitor—always a starter in the carnivals and always a trier. She swims both freestyle and backstroke in a very good manner, hex - freestyle being a good gliding stroke. Only one thing stops Miss Bradshaw from making the top grade and that is that she does not appear to have the physical strength to force hex - stroke. Last season she made noticeable progress in hex - swimming and was getting nearex - the back-markers in every start. Success fox - hex - in the Haynco Cup would be a very popular one.

Geese Oxi Orawia One disciple of Isaak Walton who frequently fishes the Orawia has a personal grudge against a flock of geese which frequent and nest on a reach of the river above Feldwick. These geese are apparently wild ox - semi-wild and fly as freely as wild geese. On the approach of an anglex - to theix - particular stretch of rivex - they take to the wing and disturb all the pools in the vicinity. As is well known a flying bird will result in every fish promptly ceasing to feed and taking cover. These pools no doubt serve as a sanctuary for the trout as no anglex - has been known to catch a trout there aftex - the geese have disturbed them.

Angling Prospects Anglers preparing to take advantage of the Labour Day week-end will be wise to inquire as to river conditions before going far afield, writes “Matuku.” Reports yesterday indicated cold and stormy weather up country with snow and sleet. The rivers will mostly be on the high side and may be unfishable. If the high winds continue the tidal waters may give good sport on the natural or artificial minnow or on the Matuku or smaller lure.

The Oreti at Otatara and the Ferry bridge and the lower Waikiwi and Makarewa offer good prospects of spox-t under these conditions.

Maori Swimxner It will be of interest to swimmers to know that Ratema, the Maori soldiexwho startled the spectators at the recent Cairo swimming meeting by breaking the minute fox - 100 yards in the slow water there and establishing a new record, is the young Rotorua speedster, Jimmy Whiti (pronounced Fee-tee) who won his way to fame undex - the care of Jack Perrin, the well-known Rotorua coach. The name Ratema intrigued many people, especially as its owner was x-eputed to have covered 100 yards in 56sec in New Zealand. The time is so outstanding that it was incredible that a more or less unknown individual could have accomplished it. Whiti twice was 100 yards intermediate champion of New Zealand, winning at Nelson in 1938, in Imin 0 3-5 sec, and at Rotorua in 1939 he won in 57 l-ssec. His only swim in New Zealand senioi - ranks took place in 1940 at Wellington when he finished third to Hanan and Hatchwell in a fast race won in 55 l-ssec Northern Official

Southland can pride itself upon being about the fix-st centre in New Zealand to get its racing season undex - way. At the second race and polo night an interested spectator was Mx- R. HarkerBrown, who is a membex - of the Canterbury Centre. He was agreeably surprised both by the number of entrants and the quality of swimming for so early in the season. Canterbury, he said, considered the middle of November as early for carnivals.

Another thing which interested him was the diversity of styles displayed by the younger swimmers, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle all being swum. Also the events for tiny tots won his approval. Mr Harker-Brown has a long association with swimming, Ills experience going back nearly 30 years.