HE WAS MARRIED ON SICK BED.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18643, 21 December 1928, Page 12

HE WAS MARRIED ON SICK BED.

FOOTBALLER GROOM IN PLASTER OF PARIS. (Special to the “ Star.”) LONDON, November 1. A bedroom in Paislev Road, West Glasgow, was this week-end transformed from a casualty ward into a wedding chamber. The bridegroom was John Falconer, the young Cowdenbeath goalkeeper, who in the match against the Heart of Midlothian a fortnight ago sustained a broken knee cap, and who has since been confined to bed. The date of his wedding to Miss Janet White, of Glasgow, had been fixed some time ago, and Falconer decided that in spite of his incapacity, the ceremony should take place as had been arranged. The bridegroom, whose kneecap was badly damaged, was in plaster of Paris from the waist down. Grouped round the bed were the bride, minister, bridesmaid, best man, and the guests. Guests' Banter. Falconer was one of the happiest people in the room, and heartily enjoyed the good-natured banter of his friends. During the ceremony, he was able to carry out all the duties of bridegroom, and put the ring on the bride’s fiinger. When the officiating clergyman had pronounced them man and wife, the bride stooped and kissed her husband. They were then showered with confetti. At one end of the room a table was laid with cake and wine, and the toast of the couple was pledged with enthussiasm. Pluck. The Rev Tohn Swan congratulated Falconer on his pluck in going on with the ceremony, and the bridegroom, in his reply, said: “I find it easier to get married than to keep goal.” The proceedings ended with the singing of “For they are jolly good fellows” and three cheers for the young couple. Falconer, who was capped against the English team last March, will not, it is feared, be able to play football again. XXX A Diligent Student Of Golf Is Young Harry Cotton. (Special to the “Star.”) LONDON, November 1. Few young players have entered golf as professionals, and taken up the game with the same seriousness and keen intent as Harry Cotton. Educated at a London public' school, he has a brother a clergyman, and another a doctor. He was intended for a profession, and it was planned to send him with a younger brother to the university. Both, however, chose the open-air life of the golf professional, and Harry has made wonderful progress. Indeed, within two years he has jumped to the top rank, as was indicated by his performance in reaching the final of the professional match-play championship a month ago. Possessing a natural gift for the game, Cotton set out with the deliberate intention of becoming a champion, and his ambition has acted as a great spur. But he could not have risen so quickly if he had not worked at the game with great perseverance and intelligent application. In this he has been exceptional among professionals. After serving a short apprenticeship as an assistant at Rye, which is the favourite course of the university players, he was appointed professional to the Langley Park Club, Beckenham, when Frank Ball left and went to AmeAt once he became notorious for the many hours he spent each day at practice. After the club was closed he would be out on the course with a dozen balls, and a club or two, until the light failed. He never seemed to tire or lose patience; he was determined to get on, and he did not lose heart though he experienced many difficulties. To-day, as one watches him, one is tempted to say that he is a “made” golfer, and to some extent this is true, but only because he has fashioned a style which he l>elieves best suits him. He has not the full swing of the young man: indeed, he stops the club before the horizontal, and it looks a little stiff and unenterprising. But it is only because he has tried this method out that he has adopted it. Again, he has been a diligent student of the game. He entered it at a time when the Americans had begun to establish their superiority, and one of his first efforts was to try and find out the secret of their success. In these circumstances he has concentrated on the short game, on “the stroke which saves a stroke”. Cotton has taken Hagen as his model, and in a remarkable way has captured the latter’s wonderful ability to turn a most unpromising situation into a profitable one. But Cotton, who has a most receptive mind, is still far from satisfied with his progress. He realises that there is still much for him to learn, and he is off to America in the hope that the experience will improve his game. His is not an arranged tour. He has no plans at all, except that he hopes to stay three months, and take part in some of the winter competitions in California. He will bear the whole expense of the trip himself. As he says, he is taking a gamble, and investing his savings in himself. There is not the slightest doubt that he will get on, and there is a very bright prospect of his realising his ambition, and becoming a champion. “M.C.C. Calling.” English listeners-in on Saturday evening heard Major Toone, manager of the M.C.C. team in Australia, and at least one member of the team—apparently Sutcliffe—broadcasting in Australia (says the London “Daily Chronicle” of November 11). Sydney broadcasting station experimented on a dual wave-length, a short wave of 28.5 metres being used to send the messages to the 8.8. C. in London, where they were relayed on the normal English wave. Atmospherics, unfortunately, interfered with reception, but one heard Major Toone shouting, “Hello! dear old England,” with obvious enjoyment. “It’s a lovely Sabbath morning here,” he said. “I suppose you are all sitting before blazing fires trying to keep warm. All the players send greetings to the Homeland.” Special mention was made of the wonderful reception which Jardine was given by Australian spectators when he set up his sequence of centuries. Later one heard Sutcliffe complaining that he had been aroused out of bed by a cry, “Come on, you fellows. England’s calling.”

The Genius of Duleep. Speaking about the matches he saw in England last season, Mr Hugh Trumble,, the famous ex-Australian cricketer, referred to the wonderful batting of Duleepsinhji. “I think he is the most brilliant batsman in the world to-day—even more brilliant than Hammond, and what a variety of scoring strokes he has! I saw him make some amazing shots that no one else since W-G. has made, except Trumper. Duleep is one of the very few men who can worry the best bowler, and put him off his length. I think he is even better than Ranji was at that age. iniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii(iiiiiiiiiiiiiii.. r .ii!iiiiiii;iiiiiiiniinii!iiiii:itiii

“Duleep would have been a great draw in Australia, and a big success, too, had he gone out. But I think he developed his best form very late last season, after the bulk of the team had been picked. I am told that Ranji has an intention of sending his nephew to America to study agriculture there. This would be a calamity to cricket, and I hope it is not true, for batsmen like Duleep are extremely rare, and the game cannot afford to lose them.” Mr Trumble’s views of Duleepsinhji are practically the same as those one formed when seeing him play a few times in 1926. He is also a glorious field, with the eye of a hawk. Will Tunney Return? Gene Tunney’s retirement from the ring may only be temporary, according to Herman 'Timberg, playwright and vaudeville star. Timberg is an ardent devotee of boxing, and the author ol several boxing sketches produced in the “I have it from good authority that Tunney will eventually return to the ring,” Timberg stated. Just before 1 left New York two weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending a little informal confab with several boxing chieftains present, and from the gist of their conversations I gathered that Mr Tunney hasn’t reached a final decis--IG>This does not fit in with what Tunney himself has so emphatically said on the subject. Links Sacred. In America soon after * golf had caught on with the public, a man named Picard was arrested and charged with “giving golfers the razz” as they were driving at the first tee in Lincoln Park, Boston. In defence, Picard said, “Thev are really humorous, I only laughed out loud at some of them.” But the judge knew what even a sneeze could do while a difficult shot is being played. In discharging Picard he gave him some advice: “A golfer, of all people, must have conditions conducive to concentration. Laughing aloud as they are about to drive upsets them. To lessen chances of profanity, they must not be undulv disturbed; let the links be sacred.”—Chicago “Tribune.”