In the Open-Gośip from the Sporting Field

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 192, 14 August 1931, Page 5

In the Open-Gośip from the Sporting Field

Has Weight and Dash. The North Island will have to produce some very good forwards if Purdue (Southland) is not included in the New Zealand team this year. This

side-row man has the weight and dash necessary for a first-rate forward, and he uses his height to advantage in the line-out. Purdue played in the trial game for selection of last season’s All/ Blacks, but failed to find a place in the final choice. Though his display was of a high order, h e

could not gain the verdict against such men as Hazlett, M’Williams and Finlayson. These three men have retired from football, leaving the way open for several vosunger men. It should be no surprise if Purdue finds a place alongside MTean (Wellington) in the New Zealand team. Rules ace Mixed. Are New Zealand and Australia adopting a “ shandygaff ” Rugby policy? At any rate, great haziness seems to obtain on the rules question. According to a Sydney correspondent, Australian Rugby Union followers who have been under the impression that Australian players have returned to the international rules are wondering whether this is the case. When the New Zealand Universities side was here some weeks ago injured players were replaced in -nearly every match. In the Queens-land-Newcastle match last week a replacement was allowed. This is in direct variance with the international rules. In Sydney there is another infraction practised every Saturday, when the players leave the field for the dressing-rooms at half-time. Under the rules which are now supposed to govern play in Australia, as elsewhere, this is forbidden. Players must stay on the field for a short rest interval and then carry on with the game. Why the shandygaff policy? ♦.* jj Wingers of Class. Who will be the New Zealand wingers against the Australians? There seems to be little doubt that G. F. Hart (Canterbury) will again guard one of the flanks, though an exceptionally good game by two of the other men in the North v South Island match may put him out. Geddes (Southland) is in good form this season, as was shown when he marked Hart in the Canterbury-Southland game. X. Fookes and D. Watson are the other wingers in the inter-island game, and unless Fookes can strike his best form it looks as if the two southern men will be chosen. There 'is no guarantee, however, that the selectors’ choice will be confind to these four men, as there are also Ruru and Mackay to be considered. Minns (Auckland), who has represented New Zealand, is now in Eng iaifd. Vis Mistake. De Tomkiennes is the blue-blooded nd haughty secretary of the Royal 'cllan Park Golf Club, an institution whose exclusiveness and ton need no tressing, (says a writer in the Sydney Bulletin”). On a tour of inspection r ound his precious links the other day he was stricken to the heart by the 'pectacle of a ragged deadbeat sitting on a frowsy swag by the side of the fairway and boiling his billy. When his breath came back De T. swooped on the offender, bidding him depart to Gehenna or Rose Bay, as was most convenient. Unperturbed, the intruder asked who his self-introduced acquaintance was. “ Ai,” said De T., drawing himself to his full height of five feet two, “Ai have the honah to be secre-tar-ay of this club.” “ That’s orl right, ole man,” replied the other; “but, blime, that ain’t no way to get new members.” In Top Form.

If H. F. M’Lean, the Wellington siderow man, plays up to his form in the North v. South Island game at Wellington to-morrow, he will prove that he is among the

best forwards, i f not the best forward, in the Dominion. M’Lean gave a good account of himself in tests against the British team last season, and this year he is playing at the top of his form. Tall, strong and weighty, he is a power to be reckoned with in any pack. Cameron

(Waikato) will be on, the other side of the North Island scrum, and opposite these two men will be< G. Purdue (Southland) and W. M’Neight (Buller). A Great Winger. The football career of George Smith, me of the greatest of All Black wing hree-quarters, is recalled by “ Makiri.” Smith graduated from an Ellerslie team to the Auckland City in 1895. He immediately attracted attention by his wonderful pace. He was an Auckland representative in the following season, and a New Zealand representative the following year when, in Australia, he earned the sobriquet of “ greyhound of the New Zealand team.” There have been several champion sprinters in New Zealand who did not make great footballers. Smith was a notable exception. Of medium weight and symmetrically built, he was different from the herculean Good, but his rare speed, sense of positional play and ability to swerve deceptively with accelerated speed made him one of the greatest try-getters that the game has known.

They still talk in Wellington of the occasion when, in the dying minutes of a match between Auckland and Wellington, he ran clean through the Wellington side twice in succession. He pulled the game out of the fire. He did it again when the occasion was really big—the historic match between the All Blacks and Scotland, when a bewildered Scottish full-back clutched at the substance and only got the shadow.

Hm®®lD®®®Sl®lS ® ® ® ® ® ® ® ® ® n N.Z. and the Cup. Here is news for the tennis authorities of New Zealand to ponder over:— Norman Brookes, who has been on a world tour, has forwarded an account to Melbourne of a talk with the donor of the Davis Cup, now Governor of the Philippines. Brookes suggested that two new zones should be created in the interests of economy, and Davis was favourably impressed. The suggested new zones are Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, and China, Java, Japan, the Philippines, Siam, Honolulu, India and Papua, Lord Howe Island having been unaccountabl> r omitted. Two Good Men. One of the reasons for the remarkable recovery of Queensland Rugby this year is the breezy vigour of the men at the head of affairs. One is Mr Keith Horsley and another Mr Dave Williams, both well-known to many New Zealanders who visited Australia. Horsley was formerly a dashing centre three-quarter. He was selected as a reserve for the State against New Zealand in 1929, and since then has been prominent in Union official circles. Williams, who is Queensland’s representative on the Australian selection committee, is a hardy veteran who has been capped sixteen times for the State against New South Wales, New Zealand and the Maoris, while he also played for Australia against the All Blacks in 1913 and 1914. A Rugby Story. Mark Sugden, Ireland’s famous halfback, is noted for his tricky moves on the field. A good story was told in Dublin a year or two ago after that player had given a characteristic exhibition. Said one Irishman to another, “Did yez hear that Sugden has bought that big vacant shop in Grafton Street?” “No,” replied the other, “I did not. And what’s he taken it for?” —“ Sure, man, to sell ‘ dummies ’ to the English.” May Succeed Porter. With the retirement of Cliff Porter after a great Rugby career, the way is open for a younger man to take his place as an All Black wing-forward. In

inter-island games Porter has always been preferred to H. Solomon, the versatile rover from Auckland, but tomorrow’s game gives Solomon his big chance. I t opens up possibilities also for A. H. Andrews,, the young Canterbury wingforward, who will be opposing Solomon. Canterbury supporters will no

doubt wish Andrews every piece of luck that can come his way, but the general opinion of those who have followed I Solomon’s play this season is that the man who will beat him to All Black honours ■will have to be in the first , flight of wing-forwards. Solomon is | fast and weighty and has a fine sense of anticipation of the run of play. Municipal Golf. Extensive improvements are being carried out at the Municipal Golf Links at New Brighton. The ill wind of unemployment has made plenty of labour available and a big squad of men is working there consistently. A new fairway and a green are being laid down at the second hole and the third whole is being lengthened. This will be a decided improvement on present conditions, which are rather too close for comfort. No. 5 is being turfed and has been lengthened by seventy feet, while No. 16 is being entirely relaid. Things have been most promising on the financial side, the green fees being beyond the expectations even of the promoters. Every fine day the links are well patronised. a a a A Chance Delayed. For years it has been claimed that country players have never had a real opportunity of proving their worth until they managed to get into a city representative side. So far as the merits of this contention are concerned it certainly has some support through the selection of Gordon Day to the South Island side, telegraphs the Wellington correspondent of the “ Star.” Day was brought up in the Ashburton district and, ■with his brother, C. Day, was educated at the famous Hampstead School, now known as Ashburton East. The Day brothers came under the tutelage of Harry Chapman, a former Merivale player and a wellknown coach, and both proved brilliant school players. In later years C. Day suffered an illness that compelled him to give the game up and, as he was the more brilliant of the pair, his loss was a serious one to the Ashburton representative side. But Gordon carried on the good work, unheralded and unsung. First as a club player for Ashburton and subsequently for Hampstead, Gordon has been a consistent representative of his union since 1922 and on some occasions he has played for the Country side against Canterbury Town. Eventually he removed his abode to Christchurch and in his first year secured places in both the provincial representative side and the South Island team. Surely the inference can be drawn that the light of a good player has been hidden in a shuttered house for at least the past three years. Gordon Day’s performance will be watched with interest at Wellington on Saturday. Sport Spreads East. The Chinese are repeating sporting history, as the French and other European nations did. A generation ago every Briton held as an article of faith that no foreigner could possibly be a sportsman. Until recently the yellow man held the opinion that the only method of raising a perspiration compatible with the profession of a gentleman was drinking wine and writing verses. Now the country is covered with sporting organisations. Chinese crews tug outriggers furiously along the Whangpoo, footballers have become national heroes, and there are numerous journals exclusively devoted to sport, in which almond-eyed flappers whose mother’s feet were bound grin at the reader in bathing togs or running costume.

A Scoring Wing. Bert Geddes is well in the lead as the points scorer for the Southland team in the representative Rugby matches played

this season. In all, Southland have scored 109 points. Of that total, Geddes’s score is 33, all made up of tries. Porter, the full-back, has 15 points, six conversions and one penalty goal; M’Kay 14, all conversions; and Metcalfe and Grant, nine apiece, all tries. Southland have played

seven matches, winning three and losing four. A total of 115 points have been scored against them. Two matches have still to be played, one against the Australians on August 26 and a return match with Otago on September 19. Their record is:—v. Otago, won 11 to 3; v. Taranaki, lost 15 to 22; v. Wanganui, won 21 to 8; v. Auckland, lost 5 to 6; v. Wellington, lost 13 to 36; v. Canterbury, lost 21 to 24; v. Wairarapa, won 23 to 16. What a Blunder. An extraordinary incident occurred in the llutt-Marist match in Wellington on Saturday. At the end of a fine passing rush the Marist wing, Eville, went across the line near the corner. Instead of touching down he kept on with the idea of getting round behind the posts. The Hutt men blocked him, and before Eville knew where he was he ran over the dead ball line before touching down. The crowd was absolutely staggered by the episode, the natural chagrin of the Marist supporters being balanced by the joy of the Hut cites, who could scarcely be lieve their good fortune. Eville must have felt a very sick man after his mistake, but as he is a really good footballer he will be forgiven. The Marists have a very lively and bright team, and play the most spectacular football of all the clubs in the Windy City. The Hutt forwards kept the game tight, and Lilburne, as usual, was a tower of strength to his side. He is a great player, strong as a khorse, and the inspiring genius of his side. Hutt bagged the championship—thanks to the ex-Canterbury man. A Golf Machine. Hitherto about the only method of judging the distances driven by the ordinary golfer is to take his word fo* them, for obvious reasons an unsatisfactory method. A machine for this purpose has now come on the market, it is designed on the lines of the old sideshow “ try-your-strength ” gadgets which registered the power of a wallop on an upright scale. The ball is teed on a metal arm, and when the golfer drives off the impulse is mechanically conveyed to a pointer which indicates the distance probably driven. A system of lights also shows whether the shot has been sliced or hooked. All that seems necessary for perfection is a phonograph attachment which remarks: “A topping shot, eh?” “In the blanky rough again! ” or other conventional golf comments.

A Good Come-Back. A sensational come-back was staged in the Caversham Harrier Club’s fivemile cross-country championship last Saturday. This club is without a doubt the strongest harrier organisation in the Dominion, and is the present holder of the Otago inter-club crosscountry championship. In Saturday’s race, C. W. Frye, who is forty-one 3 r ears of age, made a reappearance after an absence of some years from the track and finished sixth in a field of thirtyfour, beating several well-known crosscountry men, including one or two who have represented Otago. He gained a place in the Caversham No. 1 team to defend the championship, and it is worth mentioning that as far back as 1909 he competed in the New Zealand cross-country championship and that he won the title some ten or eleven years ago. Max is Mighty. The South Island team to play against the North at Wellington tomorrow will have a

sturdy man as lock. D. Max, the Nelson player, is fifteen stone in weighs and over six feet in height. He knows how to lock a scrum securely and has played consistently well in his ; province. Despite his weight Max is not of the lumbering kind, but possesses fair pace and

a determined tackle. He will be opposed to-morrow by E. R. Steere, the stocky Hawke’s Bay man who locked the New Zealand team in its four matches against the British team last year. If Max shows good form Steere will have to look to his laurels, as his displays in big football last year, while being fair to good, did not stamp him as a real first-rater.