Short Runs And Byes.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19267, 2 January 1931, Page 14

Short Runs And Byes.

A. C. Stedman, tennis champion of New Zealand, is the hardest hitter ever seen at Wilding Park. Against Angas, he almost belted the cover off the ball. One of the unluckiest players at the New Zealand tennis championships this week was Miss Dulcie Nicholls, of Auckland, former women’s champion. Had she not been so badly affected by the heat on Saturday the final would certainly have seen her again on the centre court. South African cricketers will tour Australia next year, and there will be five tests. Nupen, who scattered England’s wickets on Saturday, may be able to show Bradman something. In their second innings against Auckland the Canterbury batsmen sent thirty-eight shots to the pickets and four well and truly over them. If the cables are correct, the International Olympic Committee has come to a sensible decision. Athletes competing at the Olympiad will be permitted to draw their wages—provided, of course, the boss is agreeable—during their absence from work. Hitherto this was regarded as savouring of professionalism, like the acceptance of presents. The value of catching them young in golf has been again stressed by the victory of fifteen-year-old Pauline Doran in the girls’ open championship of England. It was no fluke either, for the final was a tough struggle with Doris Wilkins, three years older, and ended in a tie at the eighteenth. Playing an extra hole for a championship tries the stoutest of male nerves, but Pauline was more than equal to the occasion, winning after a drive from the tee of over 200 yards. FI. J. Pollock, the young Otago tennis player, who had the misfortune to be drawn against the New Zealand champion. C. Angas. in the first round of the New Zealand tennis championships, is almost as well known a track runner, as he is a tennis player. Pollock was one of Otago's best middle distance men a couple of seasons ago, but never lived up to his earlier promise because of the fact that he was playing tennis in the summer as well as running. He was the Otago three-mile fiat champion prior to devoting himself to the middle distances, and was also a useful crosscountry runner. Otago has selected two divers to contest the intermediate boys’ New Zealand diving championship at Ashburton, these being the holder, R. M’Lav, and P. E. Mathieson. Two others will make the trip at their own expense, C. Elliott and A. Eckhold. Both are promising lads, and the latter is a son of Alf Eckhold, the well known Rugby referee and former New Zealand Rugby representative play'er. Two ladies were standing in Cathedral Square. They' had nothing to do for the next hour or so. “ Let us.” said one, “ go and have a round of this premature golf.” Come to think of it, tobogganning is very much like Life. You go downhill at a deuce of a rate, but getting back is the trouble. In spite of a spin of wet weather, which threatened to spoil his testimonial match, Jack Ryder, of Victoria, gets a decent cheque. Close on £3OOO came in and, deducting exes., John will collect £24oo—less, of course, what the taxation people will do with him. Perhaps it was with this gloomy aspect of the situation in view that the V.C.A. turned down a suggestion that a benefit match should be accorded those capable ancients Blackie and Ironmonger. A curious point of cricket law cropped up in a Sydney grade match the other day. The Waverly club, fielding against Marrickville, indulged in throwing and catching practice between the fall of wickets. For this they used a practice ball, which had been taken on to the field by one of the team, the idea being to keep the ball which was being used for actual play' as new and glossy as possible for the benefit of the swing bowlers. To this the umpire objected, basing his decision on law 43, which say's among other things that he shall be the sole judge of fair or unfair play*. In his opinion a point was being worked, and he acted accordingly. When the British Rugby Union team was out to New Zealand and Australia a little while back, their big policeman full-back. Jack Bassett, suffered from a bad leg, which came against him in the Sydney matches. He is the Welsh full-back and captain of Panarth. and has now recovered from the leg injury. There are two strong challengers to Bassett for the Welsh full-back position this season, T. Scourfield (Torquay) and G. Ba3 r liss (Ponty'pool). It is probable, however, that Bassett will again be first choice for the Principality'. On his form here he was a staunch full-back, a hummer to bump into. If they have a better in Wales, he must be a Nepia.

Cricket in New Zealand wiTl probably not be affected to any extent, even if the strike among the employees of the Amalgamated Society of Cricket Ball Makers, Tonbridge, is continued for some time. The empk>3-ers will not be able to recruit new workmen from other occupations, as the making of a cricket ball is essentially a job for an expert. The first-class, British-made cricket balT consists of but three materials —worsted, cork and ox-hide. It is the expert craftsmanship applied to these simple things which produces the perfect ball. The latter begins with a foundation of a small, cork core. On this, with damp worsted, thin and care-fully'-cut strips of best cork are skiliTilly bound until a sphere of the proper weight and size has been built up. This is hammered and pressed into perfect shape, and then baked—to dry and strengthen the worsted. The covers of a ball require many operations. The ox-hide must be flawless and come from an animal four years old. The “ dressing ” involves nine or ten baths—lime, bran, oats, alum and so on—and ultimately the skin emerges almost white. It is then cut into strips and dy r ed the familiar red. From these strips sections are cut into patterns, four going to one ball. Expert stretching and delicate “ shaving ” —to obtain a uniform thickness—follow. A firstclass cricket ball, when made, is as “ true ” as a billiard ball. On the sections a toothed wheel marks the stitch holes, and an expert, with a fiat awl, makes the holes. The sections are then sewn together in pairs by' hand, on the inside. The leather is reversed and the halves of the ball coyer have been made. Brass moulds bring these to perfect shape; the cork-and-worsted core is fitted, and then, held in a vice, the halves are sewn together. A final shaping and stitch levelling, and the ball is complete and read> r for service.

Cricket followers will generally approve of the decision of the Marylebone Club to cut out appeals against the light in the first-class matches. This is a result of the Leeds test, when England, in a tight corner, got out of it with a successful appeal against light conditions. The practice is quite a modern one, and has gradually grown into an abuse, the trick of appealing not being considered infra dig. for even the most sporting captain.

B\' all accounts, Britain is getting on its toes over a new game known as “ nonette,” which is seriously threatening midget golf. That seems to be its principal merit, for it is described as a game played with a battledore, and shuttlecock, on the lines of Badminton, but without a net, while the shuttle has a rubber instead of a cork base. It can be play-ed in or out of doors, and the star stunt is to catch the lively shuttle in a cup on the back of the wooden battle. France does not look like hanging on to the Davis Cup much longer if the just-published ranking list of French players is correct.- Leaving out Lacoste, since he has temporarily retired from big tennis, the three leaders of the men are Cochet, Borotra and Boussus. Borotra is definitely a back number, and Boussus, of whom so much was ex- 1 pected a couple of seasons ago, has made little improvement. Duncan Gray', who was recently disqualified by the status committee. of the New South Wales Cyclists’ Union for allegedly trafficking in open orders won in cycling races, has had his appeal upheld. The Goulburn y-outh will now be able to figure in the Australian championships held in Sydney in February. Gray is in a class by himself at all distances up to 10 miles, and is practically certain of selection for the cycling events at the Los Angeles Oly'mpaid. Many examples of heredity in sport have been provided by Cambridge (Eng.) University. The Swanns (father and two sons) all gained rowing blues. Two other families to provide noted sportsmen at Cambridge are the M’Kennas and the Sy'monds. Reginald M’Kenna (famous Liberal statesman) rowed bow for Cambridge in 1887. He has two sons at the University. One shines in rowing and the other in Rugby*. The feature of the cycling events at the Central Otago meetings was the defeat of the Otago star, J. C. Fogarty, in several events by a much improved rider in Gibson Smith, who was off the same mark as Fogarty*. Smith rode with rare dash throughout the Waipiata and Ranfurly meetings, and his record was five firsts and two‘seconds. Fogarty did not ride with his usual determination, and there is now every hope of some thrilling struggles being witnessed at the Otago championships on February 7 next. Though he has play'ed in only four matches, C. V. Grimmett has already taken thirty wickets in first-class matches—five for 89, none for 32, four for 71, five for 45, seven for 87, four for 96, and five for 180. In two matches against the West Indies he gathered in twenty wickets at an average of less than 15 runs apiece. A useful cricketer must be Joe Richardson, of Toowoomba. Playing for the Darling Downs city against Ipswich the other day, he banged up two centuries (110 run out and 100 n. 0.) in the one afternoon. The second century was made against time, and enabled Toowoomba to get home by two runs; Richardson hit it up in 37 minutes, I taking 32 off one over. Both sides are powerful country combinations, and included several State representatives. It seems that till Jack Dempsey reaches the age of grey hair, discussions will be carried on whether he will make the promoters’ hearts glad and stage a come-back. Jack still retains that tremendous driving energy that makes him a restless creature. He weighs about lost 81b, isn’t fat, is bursting with rude health and condition, and enjoy's life more than he ever did when he was training. Just now he is busy with his hotel at Ensenada, California, and this is what he says of life: “ 1 like it down here below the Mexican line. No formality'—wear your old clothes if you want to. Fine ocean fishing and unlimited hunting. An3' time you can’t find me at my home at Hollywood, you’ll find me down here. Say, I’ve got the finest pack of hunting dogs, and I can roll out any morning and shoot duck, quail, deer or mountain lions—or gather my rod and go after tuna. Fight! Why should I want to fight again?” And yet it’s 10 to 1 that within a month some enterprising scribe will publish the report that Jack is training again to bring the world’s title back to U.S.A. One of the American golf journals has been holding a census of golfers in the land of the machine-gun and bootleg, with rather paralysing results. There are ,5800 registered clubs with one and a half million members, not taking into account 750,000 regular play-ers on public links and 850.000 “ other golfers,” these being the sort that play the game at the nineteenth, apparently*. Money invested in club houses and property is rated at four hundred million pounds, and to that add £170,000,000 for “ members’ expenditure.” Balls cost a mere £4,000,000 and clubs £2,350,000 —in all about £600,000,000. Bradman continues to make runs in the Sheffield Shield at the rate of 191 runs per innings. The 25S is his first 200 against South Australia. In all his Shield games he has made 2643 runs in a very brief period at an average of 101 per innings. He averages 141 against Queensland, and 130 against Victoria, but is content with 72 against South Australia. Victor Trumper scored over 200 in an innings for New South Wales against Victoria. South Australia, Queensland, Tasmania, and New Zealand, so Don Bradman has a few things to achieve yet before he has wiped away all the records held by* men of his own State.

The life of a cricket ball depends, of course, on the quality of the product, but the state of the pitch and the weather play an important, part. Dampness is the greatest enemy of a ball, the water soaking into the seams and destroying them. To guard against rough wear the best quality ball is stitched three ways, each two quarters being sewn together and then two treble seams holding the two halves together. The cheaper balls have only double seams, while for hard pitches, such as concrete and cla3’, there is made a special cable-sewn ball, with a copper strand running in the main threads.