SPORTS AND PASTIMES.

Thames Star, Volume LVII, Issue 16425, 24 February 1925, Page 7

SPORTS AND PASTIMES.

NOTES. Tennis enthusiasts at a recent Nnnli Island championship coinplained that one or two child-like exuibitions ot [tool' sportsman-hip threw into hip;!' relief the weaknesses of certain players. One youth not unknown in Napier was repeatedly a sinner, disregarding even the plainest ot the simple ethics that the fellowship <>! | tennis demands. Another instance [ concerned a prominent “importation, not unknown in the ton flights ol New Zealand tennis. This artist wore the colours of a famous L Diversity yet made himself most woefully dislikod. The Rev. E. 0. Blamires captained the Otago eleven that won the Plunket Shield this season. He is a good hat and also a very fair change bowler. Against Wellington this season he made 117, and against Canterbury in the first innings he took three wickets for 14 runs. His batting average in Plunket Shield matches this season is .‘51.40, and his bowling 10.75. * * » * Calgary, the Canadian town where the “All Blacks met the cowboys, is the home of Tommy Burns, ex-world s boxing champion. ❖ * * In Sydney they call Marieoheu Wehselau “the girl with the laughing eyes.” She is Hawaii’s champion lady -swimmer. * * * * “Football will be so fast and hard in Christchurch this year that the referees will need scooters, says a sßugby player. “I know of two teams that are training already, not just a few of them, but the whole crowd, spare parts and all.” * * 111 * Usually great feats of scoring in cricket in New Zealand have arisen out of some massacre of the natives by visiting champions, as when IV. W. Armstrong 17 years ago made .500 at the expense of Southland, and Trumper made 2915 about 11 years ago, also i list tin* Soutlu'rn most province •. Even earlier- than that, S. P. Jones and G. E. Palmer, of the 1886 Australian Eleven, smacked up 202 for their side’s first wicket against a Wellington “22." There have been distinctly encouraging signs on the part of native cricket since then.

Take a map of New Zealand and draw across it the routes to be followed by the Victorian cricketers on their coming tour. The result will be something like a jig-saw puzzle. The visitors, for instance, oro-s over to the South island twice instead of once, and make a couple of separate trips to Auckland, the first for a match and the second to catch the rut uni boat. It looks like a waste of time and money—and probably baggage (as before).

\Y. Sergison, who left Christchurch last week en route to Australia, where he will row in the New Zealand eight, has for years been prominent and popular in the athletic field. As a member of the Merivale Football Club, his form in the forward division fie(piontly impressed the inter-provincial selectors. Bugbyitcs, therefore, kin in wishing him a good passage and no bumps on the Parramatta.

An English lady visitor. Hiss V . Howett. has been having a great run in the various North Island tennis tournaments since Christmas. In all the tournament-: she has shown very good form, and she wound up by taking the singles cliampionsliip at W’aipawa. Miss Howett s form would sooiu to bear out the view expressed I.y Mr. J. C. Peacock on bis return from England, that while New Zealand men players on the whole compared very favourably with English players, our lady players wore not in the -ame class as English lady players, tor Miss Howett does not figure among the first (lighters in the Old Country.

An application from a professional cyclist. 10 years of age, for reinstatement as an amateur, came before ihe Canterbury Centre of the N..A.A.A. The applicant gave as bis past performances “21 years’ continuous riding." A wag on the Centro suggested that a cyclist who had ridden continuously for 21 years must have established something of a record, the Centre decided to forward the application on to the council for favourable consideration.

Alter looking at Australian tomus championships. J. O. Anderson wrote:

“Watching the form gonerally in (he -ingles of our leading player.-, it : : particularly noticeable ilia! md one I flic'll) uos-r-scs an oilonsivo backhand stroke, which i- absolutely e.-.-ont in ■ m bring -ncccss against leading Amer a-an players, such as Tilden. Joliu-ioue ami Richards. A number of our liio-t

promising young [(layers conocni rate too much on their ser ice and 'olleying, which, although ollcctive against (lie average player, is pracf.icailv of little value, unless augmented 1 " a

lording i 11 (orll nt i(» u;»! r >f n\ ■ (i roll I 111 si Pikes ;t IV 1 lie I •»111MI:»i i: > of the gnine. tnul whilst ;t phiyvr with ; i week M'rviee hut good ground strokes

1 can often succeed, a player with a good service but weak ground strokecan never hone to do so in the be-t company." Two correspondents to a Southern eoiHunuuran forward their idea of the New Zealand cricket team, in each case the team is given in the suggested batting order: —Worker. Blunt, Hkidle-ton, Collins, Patrick, Smith. Badeock. McGirr. Boon, Dickinson. Mcßetli. manures (12th man); Hiddleston. Worker, Blunt, Dempster. Patrick. McGirr, Badeock, Boon, Alleott. l.)ickiu-on, Mcßeth, A. W. Allow (12th man). * * * * In Plunket Shield matches this season. 227 wickets fell. The dismissals were made up as follows: —Caught out 112, howled 84, lbw 21, run out 7, -tumped 2, hit wicket 1. The greatest number of players caught out in any one match was in the Wellington v. Auckland game, in which there were 2:5 dismissals in this way. * * * * The Miramar golf links has struck a misfortune that may cost a considerably .-urn to remedy (says “Baffy,” in the Post). The last heavy storm in Wellington apparently proved the “straw that broke the back" of an underground spring in the hills near the fifth hole, the result being that it burst from the ground, and has .siucy provided a young river flowing past the tee at Hillside. The result of the bursting of the spring has been that the fifth hole has been put out of action. The area near the green where the drive finishes has become unplayable. No. 4 hale has also been abandoned in the meantime, though it is in excellent order, and players have been playing across the ninth and tenth fairways from the fourth tee to Potiki. the sixth hole. What will he done to remedy the disaster will probably lie left to the new committee to decide, ft may be necessary to put in a. vyry big drain to clear the area, or to fill in the two hollows short of the fifth green altogether. In any case, the committee has a serious and costly problem before it. w * * * Though millions rush to see a Soccer eup final at Home, only a few hundreds cross the road to watch a clash with a touring side. As a result, the South African Football Association has to stand a loss of £2OOO over its recent excursion to England. * * * * The New Zealand Rugby Un'icm has issued an invitation for a British team to tour the Dominion—probably in ,1296. WELLINGTON'S TRIBUTE. Much of Otago's success this season has been due to the work of their fastbowler. G. R. Dickinson, who is the one and only really fast bowler in the game in this country to-day. His trundling has played a big part in winning the Shield for Otago, and it will be interesting to see how he will shape against the Victorians. Otago has a well-balanced team this season, and it was due to their good team work that they carried off the premier honours.

“ALL BLACK" AND THE HEIFER. Brian McCleary, the-big All Black boxer —he was amateur heavyweight champion of Australasia for two years • —tells an amusing story about Cos. Badeley. a follow All Black, when the pair were entertained by the Beaufort Hunt recently (says an English paper). Cattle sales were on in Gloucester, and the two New Zealanders were invited to see the fun. When Badeley finally readied the rails surrounding the enclosure where the cattle were being sold .the auctioneer had just taken a bid of £IS for a heifer. Badeley, looking across towards the ms-

ti'um, noticed one of his hosts standing near the auctioneer, and nodded pleasantly. At once he heard the auctioneer saying, “£lB os J.’m bid—that gentleman wearing a silver fern on his hat—£lß ss!” “Ces. would certainly have been landed with that heifer," said McCleary, ‘‘if someone hadn't hid another half-crown! golf talk. “You ought to be ashamed, Said the golf ball to the brassie, “You ought to be ashamed to hit A little thing like me. Upon the day when first we met You found me pert and sassy, While now I am. you must admit, As battered as can be." “Well .why don't you behave? Said the brassie to the pellet. “In spite of all .1 try to do, You mingle with the rough. You'd think that you were amiable, You would to hear you tell it. Although, of course, it isn't true. As you know well enough." “Suppose that .1 reform," Said the golf ball to the brassie. “Why, then," the kindly club replied, “I’ll help you on your way And we will stick to country where The land is smooth and grassy. And hang up Colonel Bogie’s hide When we go out to play. —Metropolitan Golfer.