Sport And Sportsmen.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19241, 1 December 1930, Page 7

Sport And Sportsmen.

Bradman was not available for the Sheffield Shield match, N.S.W. v. Queensland, which commenced at Brisbane on Friday. Having no further fights in view, Norman Gillespie left for Sydney by the Ulimaroa on Friday. The Australian lightweight champion travelled alone, his trainer, Sammy Chapman, staying behind to look after the interests of the youthful Lew Edwards. Gillespie had three fights while in the Dominion, losing to Leckie and Donovan and beating Hector Leckie on a technical knock-out. The larger stumps, used for the first time in Sheffield Shield cricket in the Queensland-South Australian match at Brisbane, did not seem to affect either batsman or bowler. Up to date the only unusual happening to be attributed to them occurred in one of the Melbourne pennant matches. The manufacturers of the new stumps had forgotten to make them thicker in proportion to the increased width of the wicket, with the result that a ball from a fast bowler went between two of the sticks without disturbing the bails. The Australian tennis heads have had another perplexing problem set before them. Some of the Sydney clubs asked that Crawford, Hopman and Co. should be allowed to give public talks on tennis, demonstrating strokes the while. Though there seems to be no cash consideration involved, the request has been refused on the ground that anything of the sort would be a breach of the amateur regulations. An English golfing journal has been investigating the matter of the highest stake ever played for in golf, and has decided that the £IOOO put up by Walter Hagen and Abe Mitchell in England two or three years ago fills the bill. It may do so as far as the professional players are concerned, but some of the amateurs have gone much higher. Perhaps the record is the match between Lord Kennedy and plain Mr Cruickshank at St Andrews in IS6S. The match was over only three holes, but a £SOO stake depended on each hole. Cruickshank won all three. Sydney bowling circles have for months been watching with feverish anxiety a case which ended disastrously —from a bowler’s point of view—in the State Full Court the other day. It concerned a bowling club’s right to sell alcoholic drinks to a member on the Sabbath. The club was convicted in the first instance, but this was upset in the higher court. Another prosecution also ended in a conviction, and this, time the Full Court upheld the finding. There still remain the High Court of Australia and the Privy Council to go to, but whether their offices will be sought is not known. The latest swimmipg flapper to catch publicity is an eight-year-old Hindu girl, named Anupama Sil. The young person took part in a race across the Hugli at Calcutta, and though she did not win the event, which went to K. P. Rakshi, the Indian long-distance champion, her performance was thought worthy of a special prize. The incident has its interest as showing how the increasing vogue of sport in India is breaking down the barriers of caste and convention. A few years ago, no female, even of the lowest caste, would have been permitted to exhibit herself in this fashion.

In Ashburton cricket matches on Saturday, Tinwald defeated Ashburton A by 100 runs on the first innings. Tinwald made 265 (C. Brady 77, IT. Elvy 42) and Ashburton A 165 and five for 45. Ashburton B defeated Fairfield by seven wickets.

As at November 25, the ranking committee of the Wanganui Lawn Tennis Association has ranked players in the following order:— Men.—M. L. Lampe, N. Z. Barkman, D. W. Earle, H. Cox, A- L. Wheeler (ITunterville), S. Powdrell, J. Powdrell, N. Hay Campbell, L. Udy, J. Shaw, C. Moulder, J. Anderson, J. E. Marshall, Dr IT. Christie, and S. ITawkins. Ladies.—Miss M. Myers, Mrs C. .Smith, Miss M. Purcell, Miss J. Izard, Mrs Richardson, Miss Gaisford (Marton), Airs New, Miss P. Best, Miss T. Cox, Miss Wilkie (Marton), Mrs Marshall (Gonville), and Mrs Dempsey. England’s Rugby Team. What will be the strength of England’s Rugby team this year? A writer in a London paper says:—“The club standard is high, and the outstanding personalities will force themselves out of the ruck. Possibly the tour of the British team in New Zealand and Australia has had its effect. We may find that D. Kendrew will return as a front-row forward of international class, and I think it is certain that J. McD. Hodgson will play for England in the second or back row. “The half-back position is not so good. W. H. Sobey’s knee injury was apparently serious, and he may not play this season. That would be a great loss, though we have in A. Key, of the Old Cranleighans, a scrum half of the highest promise. It is, however, not at scrum half, but at standoff that the real difficulty lies. “R. S. Spong made a great impression in New Zealand, and until we see him in action again over here it would be ungracious to criticise him. lie may have developed into a constructive link between his scrum half and his three-quarters. If that is so, England’s troubles will be greatly lessened. Of his rivals for the position 1 think J. R. Cole is the most likely, for he does at least know how to time his passes and how to make an opening for his centres.” A report from America states that “Bobby” Jones, . the wonderful golfer, has announced his retirement from competitive golf in order to make a series of talking pictures. A cable message a few weeks ago stated that Jones was retiring from golf in order to further his studies in Law. In view of the conflicting nature of the two reports, it will be interesting to see what Jones intends to do, for if he enters the realm of “talkiedom,” his amateur status is likely to be affected. At the annual meeting of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association held recently in Wellington, proposals were put forward for the holding of an annual junior track and field champion|p meeting. The proposals are to be considered by a sul>committee which will report to the next meeting of the association. One member stated that after attending the secondary school meetings he was convinced that “amateur athletics lost at least SO per ceqt of talent which was available through letting it drift away .after boys had left school.” Another member stated that in England and elsewhere it had been proved that junior championships were the best means of finding athletic ability. Canterbury, which seems to have taken on a new lease of life, as far as amateur athletics are concerned, has been fortunate, in that most of the outstanding runners in the past few years from the secondary schools are still going strong on the track. To add 234 for Hie'ninth wicket and

to have the partnership unbroken at stumps was the feat of M. Watson and D. Mitchell, of the Shirley club, in the match with Marist in the suburban senior competition on Saturday. The pair were ninth and tenth in the batting list, and when they went to the wickets the Marist attack was beginning to flag. They hit out merrily and added 234 in 100 minutes. Mitchell got 11.5 and Watson 101. N. Archer, an opening batsman, also got a century, and Shirley totalled 419 for eight wickets. S. D. Mason, the young Celtic (Timaru) batsman, added to his laurels ton Saturday when he made 132 against Timaru, one of the leading teams in the South Canterbury competition. It is only a few weeks since he made 131, and he has probably the highest average so far for this season of any South Canterbury, or even Christchurch, batsmen. Ilis consistency should attract the attention of the selectors at Christchurch. Mason’s performance on Saturday is all the more meritorious when it is recognised that Timaru and Celtic are the strongest teams in the competition .