SPORTS AND PASTIMES.

Thames Star, Volume LIX, Issue 16643, 13 November 1925, Page 6

SPORTS AND PASTIMES.

BOWLING. The decision to play pennant games at the time of the Dominion tournament in Dunedin is exercising tho minds of many bowlers in Wellington, especially those of the smaller clubs. Those with large membership, like Wellington, Newtown and Hataitai, can spare a couple of strong rinks, and still find good players lor the pennants, but the smaller clubs cannot spare on© strong rink without seiiously imperilling their chances in the pennants. It is a good thing to see this keenness among the smaller clubs and it should he encouraged. Kelburn players have already asked theii delegate, Mr. F. Meadowcroft, to renew the request to tho centre, and to put a little more ginger into it. If the clubs are really interested and desire to postpone play in tho pennants at the time of the Dominion tournament they had better instruct their delegates according. All the members of the centre were stone cold on the subject at'the last meeting, and unless they get definite instructions from their respective clubs the centre is not likely to change its decision.

An Auckland bowler who has played on numerous greens in Great Britain states that the British bowlers will have a good deal of difficulty in accommodating themselves to the different kind of greens which .they will find here, as New Zealand greens are much keener than those at Home. This is partly due to the fact that in New Zealand they are rolled more heavily, and the long grass is left on the green. * * * *

On all the greens he visited in England, the Aucklander never saw the diagonal marks of the lawn-mower, which are so familiar here, nor any sign of the roling which most New Zealand greenkeepers put in about an hour before play begins. Apparently all the attention their greens get is given on the previous day. Consequently there is some curiosity as to how they will fare when they go to such clubs as St. Heliei\s if the green is as fiery as it was last summer, while practically all the Auckland greens will puzzle them. Fortunately, they will have six weeks in Australia before coming to New Zealand, so they will get a fairly good breaking-in to the violent change in green conditions which awaits them here. TENNIS. Professor Wilson stated at the last meeting of the council of the N.Z.L.T.A. that Miss Boyd, one of the Australian ladies who toured Europe, England and .America, said that Suzanne Lenglen had ambitions to come to Australia and he wanted to know if the New Zealand Association could not move in the direction of extending her tour to include New Zealand. Mr. Denniston: Why did not her father reply to my letter? Professor Wilson. Her father has been ill. Mr. Denniston: My letter to him through our representative in London was two years ago. Mr. G. N. Goldie: There is no chance of her coming over unless her father and mother come over also. She will not travel without them. It was further stated that it was unlikely a French team would come over. * * * * On his return to Australia Gerald Patterson said that it was too early for him to say whether he would he retiring from big tennis. He bad yet to see if be would be picked in a Davis Cup team again. The team generally had done fairly well, but opportunities bad slipped away against France when Australia had the upper hand. His win against Lacoste was not duo to good form alone. Lacoste (a player-writer) had made some scathing statements on his (Patterson’s play). On the day of the match Patterson was determined to tench him a lesson. * * * * The exhibition tennis matches played at Wellington last week were a melon choly sight (says a northern writer). The Andersou-Ollivier encounter merely ymvinced that if Ollivicr is at the top of the Dominion tennis we have a long way to go before we reach Davis Cup rank. If Anderson, off form, can dish Ollivicr, in practice, as easily as the Cornstalk did whenever he tried, Australia can still teach us a good deal. But, though the New Zealand champion strove well in the second set and Anderson obviously slowed down, there are men in New Zealand with the strokes and temperament to make a harder match of it. Andrews, too, of whom so much is expected, revealed himself as merely crude alongside tho Davis Cup star. * * * * Tilden is playing better tennis this season than ever before. That is the opinion which J. O. Anderson expressed while in Wellington. “I don’t say that he is a greater player, though,” said Anderson. “We saw the final of the national singles at Forest Hills, and it was one of the finest matches ever played. There was a huge crowd—the biggest they have everhad there—some 13,300. Johnston missed a golden chance when at 2 sets all, he led 2—l and 40—15 on service. The final point of the match was a tremendous service ace by Tilden. He paused for about three seconds, and we could see the determination in his face. Tho whole of the great crowd seemed to realise that an ace was coming. And tho hall iVeiit down the centre line in Tilden’s terrific style.” • * * * “Sandy” Wiener. Tilden’s doubles partner and protege, is not destined to be a champion, says Anderson. The Wienor-Tilden double is more like a mixed, with Tilden poaching all the time. Cranston Holman (Stanford University), the Californian, is a man who is recognised as a coming star. Holman beat Dr. George King (now ranked in the first ten in the United States) at Seabright, the best invitation tournament in America, and was beaten by Anderson in the semi-final by 2 sets to 1. He plays a well-bal-anced game and is not a net-rusher, going in only for a “kill.” * # * * Mel lines, Sehlesigner and others ot Australia’s colts, Anderson says, play a game equivalent to tho best intercollegiate tennis in America. They I have their equals in the university championships played each year.

“She’s a Norman Brookes 1 ’ '’U' esc wore the words which the New * 0,1 ’ Wales champion used of Su/.anne Lenglen. She has anticipation second to none in the world, she has a head better than any, she is alwajs on he toes, her footwork is perlect, and she has a good stroke. In six rounds in the Wimbledon championship she lost only 7 games. Yet our first lady Hiss Bovd. won almost asjnsiny fiom her in Paris, being beaten '---a, ts— l. ATHLETICS. \y G. George, ex-champion miler, writes to the Daily Mail: “Sit. A Medical Correspondent’ says: A common length of step in running is one yard and when a 100yds race is run in lOsec the steps are at the average rate of 10 a second.’ No tall or shoit man or woman could possibly run at speed without covering considerably more than one yard each stride. Ana to make 10 strides a second in any race is equally impossible. Ihe average runner’s stride would be between six and eight feet. When I was at my best some 40 years ago—say when J established the world’s record tor the mile in 1886—my two strides measured 15 feet thorughout a mile or 10-mile race, and never varied an inch throughout. In taking measurements it is not advisable to measure on stride onlv, because everyone strides a little bit" farther with one foot than with the other.”

“Last year two famous American baseball teams, the New York Giants and the Chicago White Sox, toured England and Europe on a missionary series of exhibition games, it cannot be said that the contests caused a furore ,and if it had not been for tho fact that the players looked upon the whole affair as a holiday and were paying their own expenses, the financial side of the venture would have been a disastrous one. It is said that an attempt is being made to nvrange smother tour for this autumn by two leading students’ clubs,’ says a London writer. “ r llie point is by no means settled yet, because if they do go, tho younger men will need to follow the example of their predecessors and cover their own expenses. At the same time-, a preliminary list of suggested fixtures lias been sent from America. It allows for three matches in London and others at Cardiff. Manchester, Birmingham, Bradford, Newcastle, Edinburgh, and Glasgow. RUGBY. “Old Blue” has some interesting remarks in the Dominion regarding Rugby in South Africa, where he has taken up his abode. “Old Blue ’ is the pen-name of an ex-Otago University and Otago representative player, who also played for the New Zealand Divisional team during and after the war, so lie knows something about his subject. He holds that, generally speaking, New Zealand football is on a slightly higher plane than South African, but believes that the best South African side would make things exceedingly interesting for a new Zealand team. In view of the talk of a New Zealand team visiting Africa, he makes the illuminating suggestion that the team should comprise at least forty players. The hard grounds in Africa play “Old Harry” with a touring side. The last English team to tour there had hard work to rake up a side long before tho end of the tour, and had to rope* in substitutes from all over tho shop. Football over there must he rather a fearsome performance, only to be entered on with prayer and fasting. CRICKET. An English writer urges that five dates should be reserved every cricket season for Test 'match trials. Ho says:—“Unless there is a complete change of programme, we shall place 11 units in tho field against the Australians for the first Test match next season that have ever previously played together as a team. We shall once more have to depend upon past reputations or current form as revealed in the early championship games, overlooking once more the important point that there is a vast difference in Testmatch atmsphere from that of intercountry cricket. There should bo opportunities for trying out our men under conditions that obtain in Testmatches. The present haphazard methods of selection have brought only disapointments and disillusion.” * * * * Very nice! The King’s secretary to Jack liobhs: Balmoral Castel, August 20, 1925. Dear Mr. Hobbs.—The King lias, heard with much pleasure and interest of vour unique cricket achievement In scoring 127 centuries, thus exceeding the number made by the late Dr. W. G. Grace, and also attaining a further record of 14 centures in the course of one season. His Majesty warmly congratulates you upon this remarkable success, whereby you have established a new and greater record in the history of our National Game.—Yours verv truly STAMFOR DHAM. ’ Ja.sk Hobbs to the King’s secretary : J Kcnnington Oval, London, S.E. August 21, 1925. The Right Hon Lord Stamfordliam, P. C., G.C.8., G.C.1.E., G.C.V.0., Balmoral Castle. My lord.—J have the honour to acknowledge your communication dated the 25th of August, conveying his Majesty’s congratulations. Would you, my lord, kindly express to his Majesty my intense pleasure and gratification at his Majesty-s gracious recognition of illy efforts in the cricket field? I beg you, my lord, to assure his Majesty that his recognition of my success in setting up a new cricket record adds greatly to the satisfaction over its achievement. I have the honour to, my lord, Your lordship’s obedient and humble servant, (Signed) J. B. HOBBS. * * * * ( J. W. H. T Douglas, of FelstedSchool. Essex and England cricket amateur and Olympic boxing ex-cham-pion and Essev and Casuals soccer halfback was 43 last month. Johnny lias scored over 20,000-rims, including 24 centuries, in his first-class cricket career, which began in 1901.