SPORTS BUDGET

Southland Times, Issue 25835, 21 November 1945, Page 8

SPORTS BUDGET

Rugby Law Has Been Changed HUGE ENTRY FEES FOR N.Z. BOWLS

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In future, Rugby football teams with heavy packs will not be able to take scrums instead of lineouts. An important piece of legislation recently adopted by the English Rugby Union, abolishes that part of ■ the law which hitherto made it possible to have the option of taking a scrum for a lineout. It is almost certain the new ruling will be adopted in New Zealand Rugby. Abolition of "the option of taking a scrum means a return to a state of affairs which existed 20 years or so ago. A line-out is a line-out, and why a side should be allowed to say “We’ll have a scrum instead” is one of those things I have never been able to understand, comments our correspondent. This ruling by the English Union applies to all games played under overseas unions connected with the parent body. The outbreak of war prevented the holding of a conference to discuss variations in the rules, but efforts are being made to arrange for such a conference in the near future.

Big Money In Bowls Once again the big money associated with the game of bowls has been brought to light by the entries for the New Zealand championship tournament which opens at Christchurch on January 7. The 1856 entries will produce £2552/10/- in fees! Of that amount the 370 rinks will find £1480; the pairs will produce £659 and the singles another £'4l3/10/-. Last season at Auckland the entry money totalled £2408 for 1724 entries. The trophy money this year has been increased and will be nearer £2OO than the £lOO or less it has been foi' many years. Softball Dispensation

The New Zealand Softball Association has granted a local dispensation by allowing a team to take the field with eight instead of 10 players. This will be welcomed by many clubs. In the past it was very disheartening for a side to lose a player at the last moment and then be unable to play as the result of being one short. Rink Of Brothers

Four brothers who reached the last eight when the Dominion bowls contest was played at Dunedin intend to try conclusions at the .New Zealand tournament in Christchurch in January. Skipping the team will be Jim Martin, of Carlton Club, a former New Zealand singles champion. As his lead will be Dave Martin, from Hamilton, Harry Martin, of Haitaitai, formerly of Southland Club, is to play second, and Percy Martin, from Edgeware, will fill No. 3 position. Cricket At Gore

The interest taken in cricket in Eastern Southland after four years in recess indicates that the game will scion again be strongly supported in the district. Five teams have entered in the senior copipetition and four teams will take part in friendly junior matches. Several players are still serving in the forces and their return will add considerably to the strength of the competing teams. The remarks made at the annual meeting of the Eastern Southland Cricket Association suggest that all the clubs are keen to get the game back on a pre-war footing. Wrongly-Marked Cards

Although the inter-club bowling season in Invercargill is only two weeks old several wrongly-marked score cards have been handed in to The Southland Times. Skips are requested to note what they are signing when they put their signatures to results. Otherwise results of games must be wrongly recorded and much unnecessary inconvenience caused. Smart Swimming

The other day 19-year-old Frank O’Neill swam 55 yards in 25 4-ssec at the Manly Baths, Sydney, the fastest ever officially returned by an Australian. There is no New Zealand record for the distance. The closest to it is 50 yards, the figures for which stand at 23 l-ssec made by Walter Jarvis at Dunedin in 1934, when he was 17. Actually, the slickest 50 ever swum in the Dominion, though it was not recognized, was that by the famous Hawaiian, Duke Kahanamoku, at Auckland in 1915. He recorded 22 3-ssec. Golf At £5 A Round

Golf on some courses tends to become as costly in Britain as it is on some of the millionaire courses in the United States. One club has just issued a revised list of charges. £5 is to be charged for a round of the links with its famous professional. If your ambitions do not soar quite as high as that, you can take out his chief assistant for £3 a round and his second assistant for £2 a round. It is all an odd contract to what the game used to cost half a century ago. One old Scot-

tish player recalls that in the old days he got his game on what is one of Scotland’s famous links for next to nothing. The annual subscription amounted to a few shillings, the clubhouse was a converted barn, and everyone brought along with him for lunch a bottle of beer and a packet of sandwiches.

“Deliberately Losing The attention of bowlers is drawn to one of the new rules recently introduced by the New Zealand Bowling Association. It concerns the penalty for deliberately losing games and reads as follows: “It shall be unfair play within the meaning of the constitution punishable by suspension for a period of two years for any player or players deliberately to lose or attempt to lose any game which may facilitate the qualifying for post-section play of his or their opponents with intent to predetermine the winner or, winners of any such game.”

Evening Sports The first of the new season’s eveningsports meetings, conducted by the Invercargill Cycling Club at the South Invercargill Domain, will be held tonight. An excellent programme has been arranged, and provision has also been made for amateur runners to take part. Two running events have been included in the programme, one for sprinters and one for distance men, either half mile or a mile event. Entries for the running events will be taken on the ground.