BUSY SUMMER FOR N.Z. SPORTSMEN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18887, 11 October 1929, Page 14

BUSY SUMMER FOR N.Z. SPORTSMEN.

CANADIAN SPRINTER WILL MAKE A TOUR. (Written for the “ Star ” by W.R.K.) WELLINGTON, October 11. Mew Zealand is going to have a particularly busy summer so far as sport is concerned this year. First there is the tour of the English cricket eleven, and while that tour is in progress, the spiked shoe brigade will be busy preparing the way for for Canadian athletic visit—one of the most important the country has had for many years. From an athletic point of view New Zealand has grown out of her swaddling clothes. Last season was the first that this country has had on its own, New Zealand having been created a separate national entity by her severance from the Australian Amateur Athletic Union banner the previous year. The severance, of course, will give New Zealand more athletic prestige, but our relations with the athletes across the Tasman will always be as cordial as usual. The importance of the Canadian visit, of course, revolves round the visit of the world’s amateur sprinter, Percy Williams, whose remarkable running at Amsterdam astonished the world. Williams was an unheard of sprinter before the Games, but to-day his name is a household one and is likely to remain so in the sprinting world for some time to come. The fact that New Zealand is now a national athletic entity in her own right does not mean that we have severed our connection with Australia altogether. During a conversation with Mr Harold Austad, the Canterbury delegate on the New Zealand Athletic Council, the writer was given some interesting information with regard to the future policy of this country with relation to Australia. When the last Australian and New Zealand championships were held in Wellington nearly two years ago, New Zealand was created a separate body with power to control in every way her athletic affairs. This naturally brought to an end the official Australian and New Zealand championship meetings. The New Zealand Council realised that as the Olympic Games were held only one in each four years there would not be the incentive for young athletes to achieve to the highest honours owing to the lack of opportunity to travel overseas occasionally. When Mr Austad made a recent visit to Australia he was deputed to approach the Australian Amateur Athletic Union with a view to an inter change of visits.

Healthy Rivalry. Mr Austad received a very sympathetic reception from the Australian authorities, and ways and means were gone into with a view to keeping the healthy rivalry of the athletic field alive between the two countries. It was agreed tb**t if New Zealand would bear the brunt of the financial backing something concrete could be accomplished. Mr Austad pointed out, in enlarging on Australia’s attitude with regard to finance, that conditions were altogether different in the two countries. Although the standard was high in Australia the financial backing of the sport by the public was very poor. Even for a big international meeting the attendance was poor whether the meeting was held on the Sydney Cricket Ground or otherwise. He had attended meetings at which overseas athletes were competing on the Sydney Cricket Ground and had found that the attendances were not as good as at aq ordinary club meeting in either Wellington or Christchurch. The whole matter was embodied in an extensive report which Mr Austad placed before the New Zealand Athletic Council and the general principle of a fairly frequent inter-change of visits was anoroved. It was shown to delegates +l ~~ i the average of the international meetings held in Npw Zealand from time to time, the financial returns of meetings would more than compensate for losses incurred on the other side.

In the meantime organisation is going on steadily for the holding of the first meeting in New Zealand during the 1930-31 season. In 1931 the next Olympic Games will be held in Los Angeles, and the present proposal is that Australia should send a team, of athletes across immediate 1 -- after the Australian championships in Sydney to rori t-*ete against the best in this country prior to leaving to compete at the Olympic Games. Of course, the time is a l ong way off, but no doubt the arrangements, if definitely finalised, will give a decided fillip to amateur athletics in New Zealand.

Keen Men Needed For New Zealand Tour.

The preliminary selection of players to make up the British Rugby football team for the visit to New Zealand and Australia next season is likely to be altered a good deal before the tour is commenced. Some information to this effect has already been published in the “ Star,” and this is supported by a writer in England, who expects to see a number of players new to international honours in the side. “ The names of some of the players who have already been invited were announced at the end of last season,” writes D. R. Gent in the “ Sunday Times.” “ For all sorts of reasons, many of these will probably be unable to accept the invitation, and when the party is completed it will be found to contain for certain many players whose names up till this season have been practically unknown.”

Pointing out that the team is to leave in the second week of April, returning in the middle of October, the writer states: “ This tour will no doubt have a great influence on the selectors in their choice of players for the home trials and internationals, I should think they would be very thankful for it. Selection Committees are terribly conservative, and, as a rule, feel that they must play for safety. Translated into hard facts, this means that they will prefer the experienced player to the one who is inexperienced, and there is a decided temptation to hold on to the former too long at the expense of the latter. Now, with a very strenuous tour to follow, it is obvious that it is the younger men who must be encouraged, not the older ones, and so 1 fully expect to see the younger men have their chance this year, even though matches are lost in the process. True, the quality of the younger men available has not been such as to give selectors much encouragement, but we cannot afford to send to such a hotbed of Rugby football as New Zealand' a side that doesn't consist largely of youngish men, who are physically fit to ' stay the course,’ and who will most

jiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiininniiiiiiiiiMiiiiiimiM certainly improve as time goes on. . . . So here’s a splendid chance for the keen young player—a chance to represent his country here and 4 down under.’ ” HOW TO CATCH FISH WHEN USING THE WORM. (Contributed.) Although the worm fisherman is somewhat despised by his brother anglers who fish with the spoon and fly, this is not to say that the former are less skilful than the fly-fisherman. In fact, worm fishing must be brought to a fine art before the angler can be sure of always returning with a basket of fish. There are days when the water is so discoloured by rains that to fish with the fly is useless, and when even the most avowed fly-fisher-man must resort to the worm if he would catch fish. In discoloured water this is a comparatively easy matter, but he who can catch fish with the worm on a bright day in clear, shallow water is truly an angler. For worm fishing iq clear water, the angler must be able tq make a long cast, the secret of success lying in the ability to present the bait from a distance, so that even in shallow water the fisherman cannot be seen by the fish. A well-dressed line is essential to make a good cast, and a six-foot cast is about the best. Worms that have been kept for two or three days in damp moss are - tougher and should be used, as the fresh worms often break off the hook when the cast is being made. The angler should always keep as much out of sight of the fish as possible, and should cast up above the fish, and allow the worm to drift down naturally. If the fish is feeding on a sandy patch, the cast should be made so that the worm will drag along the bottom to- , wards him- Sometimes a fish that will not take the proffered bait this way will snap it up if it comes to rest on the mud near him. All the eddies and ! pools should be carefully fished, as such places sometimes yield some good fish. In the slow-running reaches, the angler should swing his worm up-, stream, using only the length of line he can easily manage, and then allow the bait to drift gently downstream, ; while he shortens the line w-ith his left hand in order to keep any slackness one of it. When thq bait is within a short distance of where he is standing, J the bait should be lifted and another ; cast made. In striking a fish from : downstream, the hook is much more • likely to hold, as the strike is made in ; a line with the axis of his body. When the fish is hooked it should be brought downstream and played out, in order that the fish higher up might not be disturbed. If a single hook is being used it is just as well to wait for a few seconds before the strike is made, while if a worm tackle is being used the strike may be made almost instantly. Before the professional fight at Ashburton last night Mr 11. I). Johnston introduced Art Collins, of Australia, and Bill Carey, lightweight amateur champion, of New Zealand, who, he said, had issued challenges to fight the winner. Carey has recently turned profestional.