SPORT AND SPORTSMEN.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 78, 1 April 1931, Page 3

SPORT AND SPORTSMEN.

“League is booming on the West Coast,” said Mr J. Anderson, secretary of the West Coast Centre, speaking at the annual meeting of the Canterbury Rugby Football League last evening. There were prospects of a very good year, he said. The West Coast League had its own ground and it was probable that there would be a new senior team playing in Greymouth this season. Though considerable pressure had been felt owing to the Christchurch club# action, the West Coast Marist Club were continuing in the League game. Mr J. Amos explained that the Christchurch Marist Club had not left League. It had merely disbanded, and there was a chance that the club here would be re-formed. “There were many points in the game played by the English team that were of benefit from the referees’ point of view, but on the other hand there were a number that I am satisfied would not be for the good of the game in New' Zealand,” said Mr J. Moffitt, speaking at the annual meeting of the Wellington Referees’ Association, on Monday. “There was an enormous amount of shepherding in the .games we saw in Wellington,” Mr Moffitt said. “That is a big obstacle we have in Wellington, but I was surprised to see it in a team coming from a country where the rules were framed.” Jack Crawford continued the fine form shown in the N.S.W. lawn tennis championships by taking the Australian singles from Harry Hopman m Sydney by 3 sets to 1, scoring 20« games to 13 and annexing his third championship for the season. The surprise of the meeting was the defeat of the former champion, Moon, by the South Australian colt, Turnbull. The latter has been selected, with another colt, Thompson, of N.S.W., to visit Hawaii. :: s Jim Carlton easily won the 220 at the N.S.\V r . athletic championships on Sydney Sports Ground. His time was 22 l-ssec, good going for the heavy ground, but 3-oths of a second outside the record by himself and Grehan, of Queensland. Some enthusiast has recently summoned up energy enough to inquire into the means by which batsmen contrive to get out Catches are responsible for most of the trips to the pavilion. In the long series of the tests between Australia and England 1592 men have been caught as against 1360 bowled. Lbw fills a sinister third p ace with 279, and then come c and b 3 76, run out 171, stumped 140, and hit wicket 13. Malcolm Campbell is preparing for a- tour of the world in the interests of the British motor industry. • He will take withmm the car -in which he .put up the speed record at Daytona, and has kicked off by shipping it from New York to Buenos Aires, where it will be- on show at the great exhibition. Later Campbell is to bring the big car to Australia and New Zealand. Three English racing drivers recently had an exciting experience when trying to put up a new twenty-four-hour record for the 1500 c.c. class in a Delage car at Montlhery. The car was travelling at 100 m.p.h. when the steering wheel came off the column driver’s hand. By some miracle nothing else happened and the car came safely to roost without any casualties.

Cycling followers saw a novel match at Sydney Velodrome the other day. Keith Oliver, the well-known professional rider, backed himself to cut through a 12in log before Leo Appo, the Australia wood-chopping champion, could ride three times round the track. Though Appo has never starred as a cyclist, he won hands down, Oliver having to find solace later in winning the five miles’ scratch event. It is worth noting that at least one prominent professional cyclist was also a top-notch axeman. This was the Tasmanian crack, A. F. Grenda, who used to sandwich the two, Balmain Rugby League Club, Sydney. are to make a big effort this year to regain their former glory, when their teams were almost invincible. With that object, State selector and former New Zealand and New South Wales international, W. Kelly, will almost certainly accept the position of coach, and resign his State selectorship. Balmain will appear in new jerseys this year. While retaining the old black*and gold, the jersey will be all black, with a gold # “V” # on the chest. The date of the final for the Greyhound Derby in England has been fixed for Saturday, June 27, the venue again being the White City. The race, distance 525 yards on the flat, is open to any registered greyhound, but changes have been made in the conditions of entry which are calculated to eliminate the greyhounds which have no prospect of beating the crack performers. > Greyhounds may be entered before noon on April 1 for £lO each, and before noon on May 1 for £2O each. After that it will cost £3O to enter. There will be an additional fee of £5 for all entrants that run. A cup will go to the owner of the winner, and £ISOO is guaranteed for division among the finalists, in addition to prizes for heat winners.