Punts and Passes.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 144, 19 June 1931, Page 9

Punts and Passes.

“ I thought you said you took private j lessons from a bridge expert.” “ Yes, but I never get the hands I have studied.” R. 11. Pearce, the Australian sculler, won the senior sculls of one mile at the Walton regatta. A benevolent old gentleman said to a Rugby player after a willing match: " oU ) shouldn't kick a man when he’s down.” The player was indignant That’s all . you know about it,” he said. “ I tried to kick him when he was running and he grabbed my foot.” When a man in a defending side makes an honest attempt to kick a ball up the field and it is blown back over his line and forced the game should be resumed from the twentjrfive. A five-yard scrum in a case of this sort is incorrect. The 1927 New Zealand cricket team had a nerve-racking experience on the homeward journey from England, for its were aboard the Tahiti when that ill-fated steamer cut the Sydney ferry Greycliffe in two, nearly fifty lives being lost. At the Ohio Stadium on May 2. Eddie Tolan, the coon, won the hundred yards in 9 3-ssec, and Jack Keller cleared the 120 yards high hurdles in 14 3-10sec—1-lQth second faster than Earle Thomson’s world time. Mrs Larcombe, Mrs Lambert Chambers and Mrs Bundy, formerly Miss May Sutton, all previous winners of the British women’s lawn tennis championship at Wimbledon, have become professional coaches. lan Harvey, the well-known All Black forward, turns- out every week for Whakataki, away out at Castlepoint, and is reported to be showing all his old form. Whakataki, unfortunately, is so far out of the way that it is not worth its while affiliating with the Wairarapa union, and Harvey, therefore, is unavailable for selection in the representative team. Grant the lawn tennis player youth, an iron constitution, the will to win, the time, and the money—can he, or she, become great? The answer is a vigorous negative, says an English writer. The great player must have the tennis brain, which in this case means “ ball sense,” and that again, in the championship degree, one cannot learn; one must be born with it. Advice has been received that Ray Nichol, of Invercargill, the former New Zealand amateur middle-weight champion, and runner-up in the heavyweight championship last year, had his first fight in Sydney last Saturday night, winning a four-round preliminary against a boxer named Williams.

© is m © © © © © no © © © © © ® © © © © © § N.Z.’s Googlie Expert. llow does Merritt’s bowling appeal to the English critics? Commenting in the “ Daily Mail ” on the Essex match, Mr H. J. Henley says: “ W. E. Merritt’s slow bowling made the Essex batting look very meek and mild, and the New Zealanders won their first match with ease and quickness. . . The wicket was a long way from being of that sticky nature which provides a slow bowler’s paradise. Yet no one played Merritt well for long. Even those who reached double figures died many deaths before the fatal ball came to end their painful innings. . . He tosses the ball high in the air—higher than Grimmett and Mailey—and he has a curious floating flight. The ball looks as if it hangs in mid-distance. He mixes the leg-break with the off-break, delivered with little apparent change of action. . . The batsmen often mistimed him. They seemed more deceived by his flight than by his break. . . A lack of variety in bowling threatens to be a handicap, but they have made a good start that should give them confidence.” “ Happy as Larry.” The -world's hardest cycle race, the Tour de France, begins on June 30, and four Australians, including Hubert Opperman and J. Nicholson, will compete. Opgerman was interviewed the other day by a French newspaper man. “ I am as happy as Larry and as fit as a fiddle,” he said. French sporting writers are vying with each other in superlatives in praise of Opperman’s victory in the Circuit Bourbonnais, a four days’ race, as a newcomer to the district, against unknown opponents and ignorant of the language. When the interviewer translated this, Opperman warmly protested that he knew enough French to understand any reference to cycling. The stages are shorter in the Tour de France this year, but there are only two days’ rest, against six in 1928! All the riders leave the mark together dail\ T . “ I am training on vegetables, milk, eggs, and a little meat,” said Opperman. “ No beer.? ” asked the, interviewer. “Non! Jamais!” said Opperman. “ Come, get your dinner. Hughie,” said Mrs Opperman, who had been waiting nearby lor the interview to end. {

The next provincial Rugby fixture is the match between Otago and Southland, at Invercargill, on July 1. Frank Wykoff defeated Hec Dyer in the 100 yards at Stanford, U.S.A., on May 2 in 9 4-ssec, but in the furlong event Dyer won from Wykoff in 21 3-10 sec. The outstanding figure in the New Zealand Varsity side was Bush, the former Aucklander, whose kicking was phenomenal. He absolutely overshadowed Ross, the Australian custodian. Here is what is alleged to be the latest Aberdeen story. Recently in the granite city there has been an increase in the popularity of Rugby at the expense somewhat of the * Association game. This is said to be due to the fact that Aberdonians have jiist realised that one football can be made to do thirty men instead of twenty-two. The Sydenham senior Rugby team has a very r useful wing forward in I. Crockett, who played a great game against Christchurch on Saturday. He has of dash, and is a solid tackier. Former Australian triple champion Billy Grime (9.11) failed to give the Newcastle youngster, Wally Maher, years and eleven pounds in weight, and Maher won the referee’s decision after fifteen interesting sessions by a consistent attack. Phil Scott, who has won more fights on fouls than most boxers of any period, still reckons he is good enough to draw big money. Scott’s popularity was not increased when he asked for £2OOO for an appearance in defence of his English heavyweight title. An elderly professor was a keen devotee of the game of billiards. One day, while lecturing a class in mathematics, he said, taking up his pointer and chalk, “ Now gentlemen, we shall start with this formula ” There was a loud outburst of laughter. The professor had chalked the pointer. Jimmy Mill showed excellent form at Masterton last Saturday in the Old Boys team, playing against Carterton. It is almost certain that he will be one of the Wairarapa representative five-eighths in the return match with Hawke’s Bay next month. The Otago Boxing Association has received an offer from Len Edwards, classed as the best feather-weight in Australia. Edwards is anxious to go to Dunedin to take part in two contests, and is prepared to go at short notice. He defeated both Donovan and Leckie on his last visit to the Dominion. The only fighters in sight for Edwards at the present time are Joey Thomas, Donovan and Johns.

tllSiiillSiliilllliilijg Curious Goal-Kick. A remarkable incident occurred in the second grade Rugby Union game • last Saturday between Marist and Marathon (says the Auckland corres- ] pondent of the “Star”). The latter team was a try in hand, and the greens ] were battling hard to get even before < time was called. The five-eighths gave • the hint to the full-back to come up for a pass from a scrum, and though the move did not operate exactly as ! anticipated, the full-back scored near j the corner. “ You seem to be the ■ lucky one, so take the kick,” said the five-eighths. The full-back, from a ' few yards out, and at a very acute angle, had his shot with a greasy ball. . It struck the inside of the far post, bounced on to the inside of the other ' upright and back again to the first i post, just slithered over the bar for one of the most curious oval ball vagaries - that any of the astounded players had ever seen. The full-back was the most surprised of all, but his effort 1 gave his side victory almost on time. No Sale. In the old days before tic-tac men became so numerous as they are now, bookmakers used to employ their own outside runners to keep them informed of the prices on offer in the principal rings. A certain bookmaker had to engage a new man one day—one not very well up in his job. He was sent to find out the price of the favourite. It was not until the race had been run that the man came back, whereupon he was asked by his indignant employer: “Didn’t I send you to get the price of the favourite in that race?” 1 “ Yes,” replied the runner. “ I have seen the trainer and the owner, but they do not want to sell.” Is Coaching Now. Billy Elvy, the well-known ex-Canter-bury' Rugby representative three-quar-ter, who has also played for Wellington and New Zealand, has given up active playing this season, telegraphs the Wellington correspondent of the “ Star.” He has been appointed coach of the Onslow Club, which plays in the senior B championship. Elvy is moulding the suburban side into a good combination, and as it holds fifth place in the grade out of twelve teams its prospects look fairly good. Off slow may not get within Striking distance of St Pat’s, but they will upset some of the | other teams.

i © in © © m u ® is © © © © © © © © © © turn? Modern Noahs. T.Y.S. puts in a polite word about the cricket tour:—■ “When last seen or heard'of, mem-! bers of the New Zealand 1931 cricket j team, carrying sodden boots and stock- j ings under one arm, and bats and pads | under the other, with an utterly dreary j look in their eyes and soaked hats running little rivulets down their backs, I were wading to the accompaniment of i dismal croaks from English rooks over- j head, through a series of flooded paddocks stretching all the way from the South of England to the North of Scotland, searching for a piece of comparatively high ground on which to camp for the night, preparatory to building a raft or something in the morning in the hope of being able to escape to a happier, drier land where the heavens are not always weeping, and the gods of sport are sunburned chaps with freckled noses and not aged and rheumaticky gentlemen suffering - from chronic cold feet and pneumonic gout.”

Getting Fit Again.

All followers of Rugby will be pleased to learn that Mr S. F. Wilson, who was seriously ill a week or two ago, is now well on the road to recovery. Mr Wilson,

who has held the position of president, and is an immediate past president of the Canterbury Union, has been closely identified with the administration of the : game in the Dominion since 1905, prior to which he played for many seasons for the Albion Club. The year 1904 saw him captain of the Albion team which at that time contained the wonderful Burns-Gray-Weston combination. Mr Wilson has been a member of the Management Committee of the Canterbury Rugby Union for over a quarter of a century, and has to his credit a forty-year membership of the Canterbury Referees’ Association. He accompanied the 1924 All Blacks to England as the New Zealand official delegate to the Rugby conference in that year, and did valuable work for the Dominion in laying the foundation for a better understanding between the English and New Zealand Unions.

3 ii si ii is ® ® is ® ii is ii ® is ii 11 ii ® a Possible Springboks . Among the South Africans now in England who are likely to play for the touring Springboks this season is B. H. Black, who kicked many fine goals in international matches last season. In Oxford’s last two captains, T. W. Cobb and S.

J. Hoffmeyr, there are two sterling forwards for the tourists. There is also W. P. Rosseau, who got his blue in A 1929. Bennie Osier’s % brother, Stanley Osier, \vho played against the All Blacks in South m Africa, in 1928, PI is a class centre, §§l but as he is up

at Oxford now he may not be available for the side all the time. Unique Record. A record that is probably unique in the history of Soccer football in New Zealand is that held by Bob Innes, the popular Ponsonby and Auckland outside right, who is playing in his tenth season of representative football. He is without doubt one of the finest exponents of the game that New Zealand has produced (says the Auckland correspondent of the “Star”). Bob learned the rudiments of the game in his native city, the Scottish capital and, a lad, played -for Otago High School, migrating to the north when still a youth. His first appearance in rep. football was in 1921—ten years ago—and since then honours have come thick and steadily upon him. He was first given an international “ cap ” when he donned the New Zealand jersey against Australia in 1922. and in the following year he was included in the touring team from the Dominion which held its own in a strenuous itinerary throughout the Commonwealth. Since then Innes has been included in most of the New Zealand teams which have been chosen to play overseas tourists, including the Canadians and the Chinese, while so far as Auckland is concerned he has been chosen in every rep. team that has carried the blue | and white since that date.

3©©©©©®©®®©©©©©©©©©©© THE CAPTAINS WANGLED IT Conspiracy that Became a Farce “Ex-Surrey” writes to the Sporting Editor of the “Star” as follows: “I read your notes on players and events with keen interest and it amused me to see last week’s comment by ‘T.Y.S.’ condemning the freak declarations in English county cricket and saying that these actions were opposed to the spirit of true sportsmanship. The writer particularly mentioned - the match between Gloucestershire and Yorkshire. It is as well, however, to take into consideration all the circumstances. “Rain prevented play till the last day, and the sides were faced with the prospect of an unsatisfying first innings, merely resulting in the sharing of eight points in the competition table. Instead the captains B. 11. Lyon (Gloucestershire) and A. T. Barber (Yorkshire) hit on a plan of reaching a second innings decision. The Gloucestershire side went in. allowed the first ball to go to the boundary for four byes, and declared at none for four. Yorkshire then did the same. “Tackling their second innings the sides went ‘all out’ for quick runs and a sporting decision. Within three hours Gloucestershire scored 171 runs. They then dismissed the Yorkshiremen for 124 within the remaining two and a-half hours. Gloucestershire thus won by 47 runs and obtained 15 points for the victory, sending them to the top of the championship table. “Was there anything unsporting in that? I think not. It showed enterprise, courage and high spirit and should be admired, instead of castigated.” The topic is an interesting one and the captains’ actions can be viewed from varying angles. What would happen if other county skippers followed' suit and declared at all sorts of unusual times, merely to wangle a second innings decision? Would not the county cricket competition quickly degenerate into a farce?

According to cablegrams sent from London to a Melbourne journal, Mr P. F. Warner, writing in the “Morning Post,” says: The Yorkshirc-Gloucester-shire match will be discussed till the crack of doom. There is something farcical about the captains’ conspiracy that concluded the first innings with one ball each, but it turned an otherwise dull day’s play into an exciting struggle for fifteen points. Still the match leaves me with a feeling that it was not a real match. I am not prepared to sit in judgment, but it seems a pity that the captains conspired to defeat the real intentions of those who framed the county points Scheme. We will leave it at that. ONLOOKER. A Good Forward. Wellington Rugby supporters are pleased with the success of Bob Berry, the ex-Athletic and Wellington representative forward, who is now playing for Merivale. If Berry makes the Canterbury team, and reports say he will justify his inclusion, it will compensate Canterbury in a measure for the loss of Hay or Lilburne. Berry was a firstclass back row forward when playing in club and representative Rugby in the Windy City.