Sport And Sportsmen.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18786, 15 June 1929, Page 5

Sport And Sportsmen.

As predicted in Thursday's “ Star* J. Tuck, formerly of Hamilton and now of Wellington, gets the spare half-back position with the 1929 All Blacks. Tuck, who weighs list 91b and is stockily built, learned his Rugby at Wanganui College. He was nominated for the South African tour last year.

A young Englishman serving with the British Royal Horse Artillery in Risalpur, India, holds a remarkable athletic record. In the battery field sports (dismounted) he won everything from the 100yds to the mile, and in the mounted two seconds. This was followed by winning the middle-weight boxing contest, carrying with it a handsome trophy. A month previous he won the three miles across country (Army). He was a Broughton Harrier, and as he is only twenty-three years old, should gain further honours up to ten miles, which is believed to be his best distance.

E. A. M’Donald, the ex-Australian international fast bowler, now resident in Lancashire, is not in favour of any alteration to the laws of the game of cricket. Neither does he favour the scheme at present being given a trial, in England of using larger wickets. This is what he told an English interviewer :—“ My solution of the problem is that the use of liquid manure be prohibited. I think this would do more than all the alterations suggested. It ■would give bowlers a much better chance of ‘ turning ’ the ball, and so stop a great deal of the excessively cautious tactics adopted at present by many batsmen. They would have to make their runs quicker, for they would

know* that the bowler had a better opportunity of sending down that extra difficult ball. Batsmen would have to seize all their opportunities of scoring, instead of remaining content to tire the bowler out, as har. been their policy during the past few seasons." Walter Hagen was asked in England what he considered to be the most important golf shot under present conditions. “ The second," answered Hagen, without hesitation. “ The tee shot is, of course, the one that gives the most satisfaction, but the one of greatest value is unquestionably the second." In illustration of the fact that brute strength counts for little in driving a golf ball, it was recently mentioned that an English girl of fifteen (and about 7st) could drive more than 200 1 yards. Miss Glenna Collett (American national champion) astonished the British followers of the game by the great length of her drives from the tees. In an interview she said she had often driven a ball more than 300 yards. There is no game so popular in Scotland as Soccer football. Recently the attendance at one of the big matches was officially given as 114,000. It was stated that if the grounds were large enough the attendances at the principal matches would reach 200,000. Cricket enthusiasts who were afraid that the South African Test match team might adopt as dreary a rate of scoring as that of the Australians will be relieved to learn that there is no question of this, writes the “Daily Mail.” At the luncheon given on April 20 in honour of the South African team by the British Sportsmen’s Club, Mr 11. G. Deane, the captain of the visitors, said, “ No member of my team, whatever the circumstances, will receive instructions from me to play ‘ doggo * cricket.” This was received with loud cheers. A few moments before Lord Harris had been referring to the team as the dark horse of cricket. Most of them are totally unknown to English cricket. Their average age is twentyfive. The two youngest are twenty and eight of them are teetotal.