SHORT PASSES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18339, 16 December 1927, Page 9

SHORT PASSES.

Betty Nuthall has contracted to appear in a British film in the character cf “a happy sports-loving English girl,” as the cable neatly puts it. The Nuthalls have one characteristic which seems to be inseparable from film stars: the capacity to value one’s services when it comes to signing contracts. No one who recalls the despairing efforts of C. B. Cochran to get the guardians of the infant phenomenon to fix a price for her engagement as, a professional will doubt that for a minute. Cochran, is hardened in the game, but he confessed himself beaten, and staggered away a dispirited man. Now that new swimming baths have been erected in Nelson, swimming is coming into its own again in that town, and already the Nelson Club has been revived. An application for affiliation has been made to the Wellington centre, and when the formalities have been complied with, this will be granted. It isa far cry to the time when the national championsh : ns were held there—l9o6 to be exact- and that occasion will be remembered by the great performances of Tiny Freyberg, who won all the freestyle events with the exception of the 220 yards. vx a Much ‘has been heard lately about the prowess of Jim Carlton, the wonderful New South Wales schoolbo}' sprinter. Experts declare that he is a great find for the coming Olympic Games. Frank Schultz, all-round professional champion of Australia, said: “His power is getting him there at present, but. when he gets style, he will be much better. Now he is all tensed up. and sitting back on himself at the finish. Yet he can run even time! It’s marvellous. He is a champion almost ready made. Australia should not lose him.” The Waratahs have had their share of casualties. Malcolm, the Newcastle half, has been out of the team since the Oxford match, a dislocated shoulder being the trouble, and Wallace, Jack Ford, Blackwood and others have had to stand down through injury. But Bowers has suffered most; he was so badly knocked about in the game against Ulster that he is returning to Australia. Bowers, a fast and powerful wing threequarter, made a great impression in the early games, and was level with Eric Ford in the scoring list (eight tries) at the time of his retirement. O. M. Deloitte, “the Father of Australian Rowing,” celebrated his Sstb birthday last week, to the tune of congratulations from watermen in every quarter of the continent. A native of New South Wales, he learned to handle an oar on that famous nursery of oars men the Parramatta River, winning his first sculling race thereon when he was 16. From then until his retirement from the active side of the game in 1870 he won many rowing events; one of these was as a member of a crew that defeated a crew from the U.S.A warship Kearsage, which a few years previously had sunk the Alabama in the historic duel in the English Channel. k Efforts to control the retail prices of radio equipment in England are being exerted by manufacturers in the industry with a view toward combating the price-cutting competition that has been rampant throughout the British Isles in the past year. This same problem has been prevalent in the United States for several years, and to date no satisfactory solution has been evolved. In fact, in many portions of the country the situation has become so acute as to force the legitimate dealer out of business. The council of the Wireless Retailers’ Association of Great Britain has appointed a committee to erect some sort of a barrier that would force a standardisation of prices of radio sets, valves and accessories. Strudwick, England’s* wicket-keeper, who is retiring after over twentyseven of active play, is to become scorer for Surrey. He first appeared in the Surrey County eleven in 1900. and has been the regtilar wicketkeeper of the team since 1903. lie visited Australia in 1903, 1911, 1921 and 1924, and South Africa in 1909 and 1913 He represented England against the Australians in the Old Country in 1921 at Nottingham and Lord's, and last year in the whole five tests. As a wic-ket-keeper he is remarkable for his agility, having brought off many catches after running yards from the wicket. Strudwick is now forty-seven years old Harvey Malcolm, secretary of the Australian Lawn Tennis Association, which now has its headquarters iiiir Melbourne, has come back from watching the Davis Cup contests in America full of enthusiasm for Australian tennis players. All the same, he seems a trifle contradictory; while rating Hawkes and Gerald Patterson as the equal of any pair in the world, he predicts that France will keep the Davis Cup for years. English players, according to 11. M., are a poor lot; they play a much softer game than Americans and Australians, while the French are all for steadiness and good length as opposed to sheer pace. Betty Nuthall. whom we have been taught to regard as a combination of Venus Anadyomene and the young Diana, with a touch of Suzanne Lenglen and Helen Wills thrown in. did not so impress the returned wanderer, who mentions that her underhand service from a dozen feet behind the line is the most notable thing in her play, and that she is “heavy on her feet.” Another fond illusion shattered! Of the Frenchmen, Boussus, who will be here shortly, is a left-handed player, and quite fit to be ranked with Borotra, although not yet. nineteen. He should trouble some Australian champions, for high-class lefthanders are as rare in Australia as leading amateurs who are not in the tennis goods business (says the “Bulletin”).

“ How do you Like That, Peate?” E. Peate, the Yorkshire left-hand bowler, was one of the best who ever played, his performances against the early Australian teams being outstanding (says a Melbourne writer). For one Victorian batsman he had real terror. Peate had clean bowled him with a leg break in one match, and the batsman was determined not to be beaten again. That night, in his hotel, the Australian took his bat into his bedroom, and, standing in front of his mirror, visualised Peate bowling at him, and made the correct strokes to oppose the bowling. Playing back to one imaginary ball, he said. “ That’s the way to play you, Peate,” Then, forward to another, he remarked. “ Not this time. Peate. ray boy:” Others of the team were listening, and they heard him say.

“ How do you like that, Peate, old man?” and instantly there was a crash. The batsman had tried to hit a leg ball, and as he swung round he struck the washhand-stand, smashing the jug and basin. His comrades, rushing in, saw him standing amidst the debris. The laughter to which he had to submit was

Though the British Olympic Council has reluctantly decided to send a team to Amsterdam rather than back out over the part-payment-to-amateurs question, it intends to fight the innovation to a standstill, and will insist on the cessation of “broken-time” payments after this oyer. The two best Australian captains I have seen were Harry Trott and M. A. Noble. These men never gave a run to the opposing side, unless it was to get a certain batsman to face a certain bowler, who carried menace to him. — ■'“Not Out” in the Sydney “Referee.” W. H. Ponsford, the famous Victorian batsman, has the wonderful record of having made twelve centuries in seventeen matches for the Sheffield Shield. Appended is a list of his performances in. these matches:— In. N.O. H.S. Runs Avge. N.S.W. 11 2 352 3069 118.77 S.A 16 0 214 1236 77.28 Queensland . 4 0 248 527 131.75 Tasmania . . 2 0 429 591 295.50 W. Australia 1 0 15S 158 158.00 34 2 429 3581 111.59 w vi Every cricketer has a horror of a “pair of spectacles,” or to vary the figure, a “duck egg” in each innings. When the Australian Eleven was in England in 1899, Bill Howell clean bowled W. Troup, the Gloucester amateur, in a match at Eastbourne. Just as Troup was going for his second innings. Howell was bowling at his top, and Troup had to face him. Behind the pavilion was a croquet ball, and Troup commandeered it. As he walked to the wicket he handed the ball to “old Bill” as a present. Howell was highly amused, and the presentation put him off his bowling, with the result that his first ball to Troup was a full toss, which the batsman promptly hit for four. An Australian writer says that Charlie Purdy (9.9£) boxed and fought better than ever before in Sydney when he met Bob Miller, of Ireland (9.10). No matter what the Irish champion attempted, Purdy always thought quickly enough to beat Bob’s attack, and Charlie was so far in front on points at the finish that the decision for him was the only one possible. Miller evidently was advised that the best way to beat Purdy was to crowd him all the time, but the New' Zealander repeatedly rammed his opponent in the face with a quick fire left. :: vi Interest is working up in the contest for the Hawke Cup. In preliminary games, Hawke’s Bay has beaten Wairoa, Manawatu has defeated Rangitikei, and Marlborough has eliminated Nelson; Wanganui are to have a tilt at the holders (Taranaki) this week, but are not expected to lift the trophy. The best Manawatu has defeated Rangitikei, and Ilawke’s Bay, and it is quite on the cards that the trophy will cross the island before the season is over. On the other hand, Wilson’s coaching may have greatly improved the play of the cup holders. :: In an article headed “ Cardiff—One of the ‘Big Four’ of Welsh Rugby”— the other three being Swansea, Newport and Llanelly, a London “ Sporting Life ” writer pays the following tribute to Gwyn Nicholls, whose fame is known throughout the Rugby world:—lf it were possible or desirable to make an individual choice, E. Gwyn Nicholls might be said to occupy the leading place in the memories and affections of a great Rugby centre. At an} r rate, it would not be too much to say that Gwyn Nicholls will go down in the history of the game as possibly the greatest centre we have ever seen—and in taking this view one does not forget Arthur Gould or Ronald PoultonPalmer. For ten years, from 1896 to 1906, Gwyn Nicholls was the idol of Wales, for he was not only a brilliant individual player, but he possessed the inestimable gift of being able to inspire others to great deeds. A delightful player, an ideal sportsman and a very gallant gentleman, Gwyn Nicholls still retains the keenest interest in the game, and is a valued member of the Welsh International Selection Committee.

An Australian Pressman writes: I once saw a greyhound-and-horse race under practically Head-level conditions. It was to have been a four-furlongs match between two gee-gees in training —both fast over a short course, though not in Gloaming's class—but as they moved up to the starting-post three fit greyhounds in leash, owned by a man at the winning-post, joined in on the grass just inside the rails. At the word “go” the five quadrupeds broke away even and went went for their lives. At 150 yards or so one dog was leading slightly, with the rest almost in line and all doing their best. From then on the hounds were out of it. Mr J. J. Miller, a well-known Scottish sportsman, has published a delightful little book, “ Sporting Jingles,” which treats largely of Highland meetings, but not entirely, for there is this little story of Corbett, the boxer, included. Corbett once went into a restaurant in New York with a pet dog. He ordered a steak, but the proprietor, a very big, burly fellow, growled: “ You can't hev a dawg in here.” “ I don’t want a dog.” drawled Corbett. “ I want a steak.’ “ I’ll tell you what you want,” threatened the proprietor. “ You want your clothes made dirty. Now, are you going out, or. am I going to throw you out?” He was advancing on the boxer when a friend of Corbett’s walked in and hailed him by name. “Corbett—the prize fighter!” gasped the proprietor. Instantly, all servility, he stammered: “ A I think you said. Certainly, sir, certainly. And what will the dear little dawg have, sir?"

galling enough, but when next day Peate' bowled him first ball, just as he had done the day before, his humiliation was complete. vz W. Desmond, the Canterbury and New Zealand representative Rugby League player who left at the end of last season to join up with the Leeds club, is mentioned in a paragraph in the Leeds “ Sports Post ” in October as follows:—Huddersfield folk have been somewhat concerned about the cases of Harris and Carr, the Australians, who are now on their way to Far town. These men are due in London on October 28, and, as things stand, they will be eligible to represent the Fartowners in the later stages of the. competition, provided, of course, that Huddersfield advance so far. There has been talk of Huddersfield making formal application for these men to be registered as. Huddersfield players. Except that they have not signed the all-important form, they are Huddersfield players now; and, for that matter, so is Desmond, the New Zealand wing threequarter, who is coming to Leeds.