It Annoyed Parkin.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19239, 28 November 1930, Page 9

It Annoyed Parkin.

ii x ui n. ill. An interesting sidelight on professional football in England is afforded by the case of Jonathan Parkin, one of the stalwarts of the Rugby League, who is well known in New Zealand.

Parkin has dropped his form, and, consequently, his club has no further use for him. It put him on the “ transfer ” list, and rubbed it in by asking the paltry price of £IOO for the one-time player-without-price. Much annoyed. Parkin countered by buying himself, and is now busy trying

to find a purchaser for his latest acquisition. He is free to negotiate under the circumstances, but can claim no signing-on bonus under the rules of the Northern Union, as he could have done had he been disposed of by a club instead of by himself. French Rugby Split. A split has occurred in the French Rugby Union, easily the largest in the world, counting its auxiliaries outside France. The big Parisian club, the Stade Francais, has broken away and been followed by a dozen of the leading South of France clubs. The secessionists contend that the game needs reforming' in the direction of brighter and better football. This was one of the claims made by the Northern Union in the North of England when it seceded from the Rugby Union in the 1880’s, but the alteration resulted in no appreciable change. In any case, if France alters the rules without the consent of the International Board she will automatically cut herself out of international Rugby. Records “Broken." The New * South Wales amateur athletic authorities have discovered that two grounds on which they have been holding their big events for years have such a slope that records made on them are not legitimate under the recognised rules. ■ Dozens of important records have been put up on Sydney Cricket Ground and the Sports Ground, and all these will have to be wiped out. Some of them, like Nigel Barker's times up to 300 yards, rank with the best in the world, though they were put up twenty-five years ago. " Shot T o Pieces." (Special to the “ Star.”) LONDON, October 15. Bobby Jones, the wonder golfer, s:t up a world record on Saturday, when he won the United States amatetir championship at Ardmore, Pennsylvania. He now holds four national championships—British open and amateur, American open and amateur—all won in the same year, and within a space of five months. The historj* of golf can show no parallel. Jones began his great attack on the record at St Andrews on May 26 in the British amateur championship He drew a bye in the first round, and defeated S. Roper, a Nottingham artisan golfer, by 3 and 2 in the second. He faced the second part of Lie task in the British open championsVp a: Hoy lake in June. Jones played only moderately, for him, in the qualifying competition, but produced the full strength of his game in the four rounds of stroke play for the championship proper. The British half of the quadruple record was now completed in triumph, and Jones proceeded to tackle the American “ open,” which began at the Interlachen Country Club, Minneapolis, on July 10. Only the American amateur championship problem remained . to be tackled, and Jones tackled it thoroughly at Ardmore. Jones, in the course of conqu *ring the Old World and the New. conquered himself (says a well-known player). He felt acutely the strain of ch tm pionship golf in 1930. I remember how, a few minutes after he had finished his fourth round at Ilovlake, he said in a broken voice:— “I feel all shot to pieces, and I don’t care if I never play in another championship. ” But he “ perked up,” and went on to sweep America as he had swept Britain. Will Sell Bats Now. (Special to the “ Star.”) SYDNEY, November 19. Australian cricketer Stan M’Cabe bag been appointed representative in Australia for the big English sporting firm of Stuart Sumdge. This information will be received with great pleasure by the thousands of admirers of the young Mosman player, whose posi-

tion has been the subject of much interest. Before M'Cabe left with the team last March, he found himself out of emp 1 o yment, owing to the insurance firm with which he was connected going into liquidation. His guide, philosopher and friend throughout the ne-

gotiations that led to his new position was Alan Kippax, who placed Archie Jackson on his feet in the sporting business. M’Cabe’s position, it is estimated, will be worth at least £IOOO a year to him, for as the manager of one sporting firm remarked yesterday, “ Stuart Surridge bats have the largest sale out here.” During the past few years, Warwick Armstrong has held the agency, but the genial ex-international finds his hands are heavily laden with other business. How Willard Won. American boxingyjournals have been rehashing the story of how Jess Willard won his “ world’s championship ” from Jack Johnson. Jack agreed to take £30,000 to lie down, but stipulated that it was to be handed to his wife at the ringside by the end of the first ten rounds. If it wasn’t, John said, something was coming to Willard. No signal came from Mrs Jack up to the eighth round and the negro proceeded to give \\ illard such a lacing that he refused to go up for the ninth, one of his seconds getting him on his feet by the simple expedient of sticking a knife blade into him from behind. As Willard bounded wildly into mid-ring, Mrs Jack made the agreed-on signal. John thereupon carried his opponent to the 25th round, and then, after handing him one final wallop which nearly outed him on his feet, slid to the canvas himself and was counted out.

Good Bowlers.

It is extremely pleasing to know thus early that the New Zealand team, on its second trip to England, will be much stronger in bowling than when the initial tour was made in 1927 (says a cricket writer in the “ Dominion ”). It is sincrely to be hoped that Dennis Blundell, the ex-Cambridge University player, will he available for the tour next year. This bowler shows promise of developing into the best trundler the Dominion has ever produced, and this is saying a very great deal. The youthful Wellington man is in rare form this season. Against Petone last Saturday h»? fired out seven batsmen for 70 runs, clean bowling Senior, Rotherham, Hope and Edwards, trapping Roberts and Brice Ibw, and having M. Nicholls caught off his deliveries. Though Wellington had fallen for 144, Petone had to scratch hard against Blundell’s deadly deliveries to head this modest total by 32 runs. In the first match against Midland, Blundell secured three wickets for 79 in the first innings, and four for 27 in the second, so that in two matches this season he has already taken fourteen wickets for 176 runs, which gives him the distinctly good average of 12.57 runs per wicket. Blundell should go far in the game, as he has the physique to stand any amount of work, keeps his bowling arm well up, and can not only flight them in the air, but make them turn both ways after pitching. While at Cambridge University, he was wise enough to seek learning outside the varsity walls, and, with a view to improving his cricket, he attended the coaching school conducted by the late Aubrey Faulkner, and learned not a little about how to manipulate the ball from the old South African international player. If Blundell accompanies the New Zealand team to England, the Dominion side will possess at least one bowler of distinct class. A Great ’Keeper. In Ken James, captain of Old Boys, Wellington, New Zealand possesses a wicketkeeper fit

to rank with Oldfield, Duckworth or Ames. It was a treat to watch the ease and grace with which James took the ball behind the sticks on Saturday, particularly the fast ones on the leg side, and gathered in wild returns from the field (comments a Welling-

ton paper). ‘‘James came here with the reputation of being a middling to good wicketkeeper,” wrote Mr J. N. Penlelow, editor of the “Cricket Companion”, in reviewing the New Zealand team s English tour in 1927. “He left with that of being a great one; better than any one of the present day, but Oldfield, said some critics. That is to rate him very high, but his rating is in the top class, and one hopes he will stay there. He stands hard work well; it was seldom Lowry had to go behind the stumps.” Tennis Incidents. (Special to the “Star”) LONDON, October 15. In the match between the Austra lian player, J. F. G. Lysaght, and the veteran M. J. G. Ritchie, at Queen’s Club, yesterday, where the first rounds of the covered courts championships were played, Ritchie, who put up a wonderfully good fight against his much younger opponent, was leading in the second set by four games to one and he made a fine cross shot stroke, which the umpire called “ out.” The ball was palpably in and Ritchie, who has been suffering badly from rheuhatism, demanded a new umpire; the request was granted. Lysaght eventually won at 6-2, 6-4, 9-7. The feature of the day’s play was the defeat of E. Higgs, the old British Davis Cup international, by A. C. Crossley, who won at 8-10, 6-2, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4. There was an unusual incident in this match. Crossley asked for new balls in the final set, but Higgs desired to continue with those used in the fourth set, and the umpire had to appeal to the referee of the meeting for a ruling. No new balls were supplied. Hornibrook’s Hobby. Carrying a long parcel resembling a billiards cue, the Australian cricketer, P. M. Homibrook, on the Oronsay at Sydney on Novem-

fcer 6, was stopped by a friend, who promptly said: “ Taking up billiards, now, Perce?” Ilornibrook smiled and replied: “ No, it’s a fishing rod I picked up over the other side.” “ You won’t have much time to fish, as there is a big season ahead?”

laughed his friend, and back came the reply: “ I won’t be available for any matches outside of Brisbane. I cannot spare the time.” This indicated that Australia will be without the left-hand bowler in the tests against the West Indies, while Queensland will have him for Sheffield Shield matches only when the games are played at Brisbane. Invented Midget Golf. Although there are no reliable records on the subject, it is believed that the late James Barber, a veteran American golfer, was the originator of the present-day craze of midget golf. Some years ago he had a small course laid out in the ground of his winter home at Pinehurst, the designer of which was Mr E. H. Whiswell, a wellknown Philadelphia golfer. When he had finished the work, Mr Whiswell admitted that it was * not quite all he had desired, but added, This 11 do.” A Scottish wag twisted the observation into “ Thistle Dhu,” and as such the miniature course is now known. Two of the best miniature courses in England are those at North Foreland and at Stoke Poges. The late Lord Xorthcliffe spent several thousands of pounds on the one at Broadstairs, which calls for pitching shots oi fifty yards and over. The course has a bogey of 54, and it has never been accomplished in under 50. The one at Stoke Poges, which cost £2OOO, is a most intriguing and beautiful!}’- laid out short course. Only a putter is used, and many of the shots arc quite fascinating in character.