She Is Now The Bobbie Jones Of Women’s Golf.”

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18804, 5 July 1929, Page 14

She Is Now The Bobbie Jones Of Women’s Golf.”

SPORTING NOTES FROM LONDON.

(Special to the 44 Star.”) LONDON, May 23 44 Never again! ” After having won the ladies’ golf championship for the fourth time, Miss Joyce Wethered was emphatic that she would not compete for the title again. There were no untoward incidents during the play at St Andrew’s, but the event was obviously an ordeal for Miss Wethered. Before a ball was struck, she was declared to be the certain winner, and all the time she knew that it would be so easy for her to fail. She might go out in one round, and find the game for no real reason going against her, and the strain of trying to play up to her reputation was almost unbearable She got through to the final easily enough, and with out any misadventure. Indeed, she won all her games a long way from home. In the deciding match her opponent was America’s crack, Miss Glenna Collett, and, to make matters worse, it was persistently pointed out that the women’s cup was the only one that had not been captured for America. Imagine Miss Wethered’s feelings when she found herself five down at the turn in the first round! She had never been in such a position before. It was startling to those who looked on, and, needless to say, most disconcerting to the player. But, whatever her feelings, Miss Wethered went on calmly, probably realising that Miss Collett was not likely to maintain the devastating golf which she had shown during the play on the first nine holes. These nine holes Miss Collett had accomplished in thirty-four, figures which even Hagen would have thought extraordinarily good. Playing steadily, Miss Wethered found her opponent coming back to her on the homeward half, and at the eighteenth she was only two down. The play in the afternoon, which was witnessed by 10,000 people, was just as sensational. Miss Wethered not only quickly wiped off her arrears, but, by the time the twenty-seventh hole had been played, she was four up. It looked all over then. But Miss Collett made a magnificent fight, and took the game to the seventeenth green, where she was beaten by three and one. Miss Wethered now intends to go into retirement, and not in our time are we likely to see her equal. She is the Bobbie Jones of women’s golf. Indeed, on her form at St Andrew’s, it is no exaggeration to say that she would beat many of the men who regularly play in the amateur championship, and, if she w ~e to enter the open championship, she would return scores better than those of half the professionals. It is really the supreme mastery which she holds which has driven her out of competitive golf. It was Miss Collett’s third attempt to win the prize, and she declares that she will come back again next year. Hagen and the other American pro fessionals have gone to Paris to compete for the French championship, after taking part in a £IOOO tournament at Leeds. This was won by one of the vi«= itors, Joe Turnesa, who defeated Her bert Jolly in the final of thirty-six holes. It was an amazing match The better golfer, Jolly was usually in a strong position. Eventually he became dormy three—that is three up, with three to play; and he should have set tied the result at the thirty-fourth hole, but missed a putt of under 2ft Still fighting, Turnesa holed a putt of twelve yards for a three at the next, and he squared the mat:h at the last hole, where Jolly was bunkered. The players thus had to go out again. Once more Jolly seemed certain to win, when he played a great second shot to within four yards of the flag. His American opponent, meanwhile, had pulled his ball to the very edge of the green. Tur nesa holed this, however, and Jolly, missing from four yards, was defeated Before going to Paris, Walter Hagen had the honour of being invited with Aubrey Boomer to play with the Prince of Wales. It was a four-ball match, which was played in private on the Swinley course, which belongs to Lord Derby. Batsmen Fight for Runs. Though the bigger wicket is declared to have made no difference to cricket — batsmen say they do not notice it, and bowlers that it has not brought them any more victims than they would otherwise have expected—there has been a remarkable change for the bet-

How They Stand. The following list shows how the various senior Rugby senior teams stand in the other main centres:— Dunedin.

Major Segrave, holder of the perilous land speed record and winner of the world's hydroplane championship, has put up some new figures for motor-boat speeding in European waters. In a trial spin over a twenty-five-miles run with a two and a half-miles lap, Segrave hit up 85 m.p.h. The best his Continental rivals have done over the same course has been 66.8 m.p.h. Turning the corners is a feature of game, and Segrave, with rudders fitted fore and aft to his craft, has a big advantage.

ter. Matches, it is properly said, must be finished. The percentage this season has been far higher than lastr—over 70, which is a gain of 20 as compared with last year. It is notable, too, that fewer games are being decided on the first innings, 22 per cent, as compared with 40 per cent in 1928 For the moment the domination of the bat appears to have been broken. The variable weather has been in favour of the bowlers. There has been rain and sunshine to alter the pace and make the ball turn But last season rain did not seriously affect the highly prepared pitches, or at least they quickly recovered. In the twenty-two games played in the championship to date, only four innings have produced over 400 runs, and in twenty-five innings there have been fewer than 150. Indeed, in ten cases the total was below 100. Lancashire, the champions, have been put out for 85 Hampshire for 53, Surrey foi 0C IS. 1 sex fer 27. Significantly enough, the bowieri who have done best have been those who have relied on spin. The most notable feat so far accomplished is by the veteran Yorkshireman, Wilfred

Rhodes, who wa. c almost unplayable by the Essex side Rhodes has alway. said that it is the other fellows wh get themselve - ou but in this case tht batsmen were help less. The firs test match witl the South African is only a month ofi and there is a goof deal of curiosity a:

to the lines on which the England team will 1* chosen. It is urged that young players should be picked, bu' the M.C.C. are not likely to run an\ risks, even though the tourists may no be quite equal to the full strength o English cricket. At least eight of tht men will be dra\ n from the team sue cessful in Australia, with J. C. Whitt as the probable captain in the absenci of A. P. F. Chapman, who not yet returned from his visit to his wife's home in New Zealand. On form P. G H. Fender should be included. He is a great match-winner, through his ability to force the runs when other batsmen are tied down. He is also a cunning bowler. Another amateur, K. S. D\i leepsinhji, has also strong claims to a place, but he may have to wait until the capabilities of the South Africans are fully tested before getting hi' chance. Spanish Footballers Beal England. For the first time, an official Football Association team have been beat en on the Continent. This was in a match in Madrid against Spain, and the result can be taken as definite proof of the improvement the game has made on the Continent. Ten min utes from the end the English player: led by three goals to two. Then the Spaniards made a great spurt, and pull ed the game out of the fire Excusefor the defeat are unnecessary. Spai: played first-class football But the coi ditions under which the game was pined imposed a handicap on the Englb sid.e In the first place, it was th last match of three, the others bein against France and Belgium, and ti men were in the train for twenty-foi hours before going on the field in Ma drid. Moreover, the turf was as haras a turnpike road, and the tempera ture was up in the eighties. Placet along the side lines were buckets ol water, from which the men sprayet themselves with sponges when the op portunity occurred, and it was obviou that the F.A. men wilted in the hea before the end. It was unfortunate too, that the team had to take the fie!, without a regular centre forward Cam sell, who had scored two goals agains France and three against Belgium, waunfit to play, and his place was takei by Carter, the West Bromwich Albion inside right. As a matter of fact, thi party were under strength. They' com prised only thirteen players, and was not enough ior three games. s>e. eral other English League teams are a. present on the Continent, and in every case they report improvement on thi part of the opposition. Indeed, there i little doubt that there will soon be ; movement on the part of Europeacountries to join in the internation: championship.

Flag p. W. L. D. For. Ag. Pts. University A 9 7 1 1 258 56 15 Kaikorai .. 9 7 1 1 156 36 15 Pirates .... 9 6 2 1 137 58 13 University B 9 5 3 1 131 149 11 Taieri .... 9 5 4 97 80 10 Alhambra .. 9 5 4 119 71 10 Southern .. 9 4 5 75 105 8 Dunedin .. 9 3 6 84 169 6 Zingari —. 9 0 8 1 26 203 1 Union .... 9 0 8 1 57 213 1 Wellington. Flag P. W. L. D. For. Ag Pts. University .. 10 8 1 1 134 77 17 7 3 0 150 111 14 Old Bo3 r s .. 10 6 3 1 153 111 13 6 3 1 146 121 13 6 4 0 163 122 12 Oriental .... 10 4 5 1 107 116 9 Eastbourne . 10 3 7 0 SO 127 6 Berhampore . 10 3 7 0 65 144 6 Marist .... 10 3 7 0 98 129 6 Wellington . 10 2 s 0 64 102 4 Auckland. Flag p. w L. D. For. Ag Pts. Ponsonbv .. 10 s 2 188 99 16 University . 9 7 2 136 71 14 Training Col. 10 6 3 1 155 93 13 6 3 1 136 90 13 5 4 1 110 109 11 City 10 4 5 1 71 96 9 Tech. O.B. . 10 4 6 107 115 8 2 6 1 33 94 5 Col. Rifles .. 10 2 7 1 78 163 5 Grafton .... 10 2 8 S6 170 4 University has yet to play Marist in a first round game.