In the Open Gossip from the Sporting Field

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 364, 4 March 1932, Page 10

In the Open Gossip from the Sporting Field

Swimming Notes . i fixtures. Fendalton Club carnival, Fendalton e School baths, to-morrow. t Elmwood Club carnival, Elmwood School \ baths, next Saturday. 55 a The Fendalton inter-club carnival to- , morrow promises to be a successful * affair as entries have come in well for ( both the 60yds handicap and the relay handicap. One of the chief attractions, c however, will be the 440yds Canterbury men’s championship, in which D. P. s Lindsay and A. T. F. Stokes (East Christchurch), D. H. Syraes and K. j Armour (Elmwood), and M. Rattray and L. J. Moorhouse (United) have entered. < 55 55 55 *■ The Sydenham Club will also be 1 active to-morrow afternoon, when a club e carnival will be held. This will be purely a local affair and it is rather unfortunate that it conflicts with an inter- 1 club fixture. l 55 55 55 Lindsay, of course, will be a hot fav- j ourite in the 440yds to-morrow, but he ! will be closely trailed by “Alec Stokes, j who swam a great race in the quarter i at the Dominion championships. If conditions are favourable Lindsay will j probably make an attempt on Gordon Bridson’s record of smin 13 3-ssec. There should be a good go for third place between Symes, Rattray and Moorhouse, while Armour may finish the course. The matter of whether the Canterbury Centre will hold another carnival in the Tepid Baths will be decided at Tuesday’s meeting. The Duncan Memorial Shield competition for allround club proficiency has not been run off yet and It is likely that if the centre ] does not promote a carnival the East , Christchurch Club, holders of the trophy, will. This contest produces wrie fine races among the leading swimmers in the various clubs. In South Canterbury they certainly know how to run swimming carnivals. gumper houses were the rule at the aminion championships and a very useful profit of £79 12s 6d has result- i ed. At the meeting of the South Canterbury Centre, the president, Mr H. H. Fraser, who played no small part in the success of the big meeting, spoke in glowing terms of the great work done by the secretary, Mr W. Carlton. Mr Carlton proved himself a model of efficiency, so that everything went off without a hitch. Another feature of the meeting was the handicapping of Mr Morrison, who also received a pat on the back at the centre meeting. Some great finishes resulted and no swimmer was absolutely out of it, as is too often the case locally. A unique tribute to Mr Morrison’s work was the presentation which was made to him after the prizes had been given away on the final night of the meeting. Such a function is one of which handicappers may dream but seldom experience. 55 55 55 H. A. Barnett — Goalie. Arthur Barnett, the young Canterbury College tennis player, who at two New Zealand tennis tournaments has surprised and delighted critics, will be seen in action in a different sphere of sport during the coming winter season. Barnett played hockey for Training College on one or two occasions last year, and showed such promise that this year he has been chosen as a permanent member of the team. He will probably also play hockey for the Varsity team. Barnett plays in goal, and his quick eye, which serves him so well at the racquet game, also proves very useful to him there. Champions to Run. (Special to the “Star.”) MELBOURNE, February 23. Regarded as the greatest professional foot-running race in the world, the Stawell Gift (130 yards), which will be the principal event at the Stawell Athletic. Club’s 55th annual carnival to be held on Easter Saturday and Easter Monday (March 26 and 28), has attracted 145 nominations—slightly below last year’s entry. The middle distance and distance races have also attracted good fields, and the appearances of several former amateur champions—notably W. M. Whyte, former Olympian; L. P. Shanahan, former Victorian three mile champion; Russell M’Dougall, who represented Australia at the British Empire Games in Canada; and Herb. A. Bascombe, ex-440 yards amateur champion of Australia—are arousing great interest. Fender to be Displaced. LONDON, February 19. The “ Evening News ” states that the Surrey County Cricket Club will displace P. G. H. Fender in the captaincy in the coming season. Maurice Allom, the vice-captain, or D. R. Jardine may succeed him. Fender, when interviewed, said that he had been informed that the committee was making a change, but “ that is all I know.’’ Hobbs said that he would be very sorry if Fender went, as next season would probably be his own last season with Sur- “ I would have liked to finish under my old skipper,” he said. Fender, who is thirty-nine, has been captain of Surrey for eleven seasons, having been appointed in 1921. He was a member of the English team in Australia in 1920-21, when he and E. R. Wilson raised a storm by their cabled criticism of Australian barracking. Meteoric M'Grath. (Special to the •"Star.") MELBOURNE, February 12. Not since the meteoric rise to tennis fame of Jack Crawford in 1926, when as a boy of eighteen he reached the final of the Victorian Singles Championship, has Australia had a young player of such promise as the sixteen--rear-old Vivian M’Grath, whose play the National championships in Adeput him in line for Davis Cup selection. M’Grath’s two-handed backhand 2fas caused a lot of discussion, but after seeing him in action in Sydney, experts think that he should be allowed to continue on the present lines. He has control and power in his backhand, and there seems to be no reason why he remould attempt to alter this method, jptis two-handed shot does not appear affect his reach to any great extent, *nd he can play a backhand shot in the orthodox manner, with the racquet in one hand, if the ball is a fcaag' way from him.

S ® @ll 11ES mmismSimm® Si is mHi HI! G England’s Test Team. Don Bradman contributes an interesting article to a Melbourne paper on the subject of English cricket test team possibilities. In the last series of Tests held there against the New Zealanders the English selectors tried out some new blood (says Bradman). Among the players were Bakewell, of Northampton, and Arnold, of Hampshire. The former payed against Australia in 1930. His contribution on that occasion was 84. It was a fine innings, but the manner in which he made the runs impressed me more than anything else. In England one is accustomed to meeting players who have been coached

>d. They play correctly, with style such as one reads about in copy books, but it is seldom that one finds a player who immediately gives the impression of being a natural cricketer. Bakewell seems to be in the latter class. He appears to be a natural player with a style of his

own. Of athletic build, a right-handed player who hits hard, Bakewell treats each ball on its merits. A tour of Australia and we wou,ld probably find in Bakewell one of England’s best batsmen. It has not been my good fortune to see Arnold play, but in English cricketing circles he is rated very highly indeed. In the matches last season neither he nor Bakewell were successful against New' Zealand. The experience, though, will benefit both of them. We shall probably see the result of it when they start in action next May. Two players whose names are seldom mentioned as possibilities, but whose play impressed me considerably In 1930, are J. Parks and T. Cook, both of Sussex. Their performances against Australia were 84 and 39, not out, for Parks, and 67, not out, and 26, not out, for Cook. I am bracketing them together in that I consider them both in the same light. Neither player was afraid to hit the ball. They both used their feet wonderfully well to Grimmett, going wel,l down the pitch to drive him or going back to pull the short ball when necessary. ♦.» ♦.* ♦.* When They Slumped. Though against New Zealand at Lancaster Park, the South Africans fielded with amazing accuracy, it was a different tale in Australia. Their slip catching there was erratic. Bradman owes at least two of his mammoth scores to the fact of being badly missed in the slips early in his innings —it 1/appened twice in one match. On the other hand, the bowling was distinctly better than expected. Bell stands out in a class by himself (says a Sydney paper). He is one of the best fast-medium bowlers we have seen here since Tate, and he was always dangerous with the new ball, even Bradman treating him with respect. After him left-hander Quinn showed distinct class, and on his day slowbowler M’Millan did some good things. Vincent, another left-hander, also bowled well in the minor matches, though he was more successful as a batsman in the tests. 55 3 3 Had Merritt Played.

While the South Africans were piling up their big score in the first test match, several of the spectators wondered whether the presence of “ Bill ” Merritt in the New Zealand side would have made any difference. Of course, no satisfactory answer could be given. Blunt was handicapped with an injured foot, and did not bowl as much, or as well as he is able, and it was apparent that the presence of a class slow bowler would have made a tremendous difference. Merritt does not generally do superlatively well on a fast wicket, but M’Millan, the South African slow bowler, was getting a lot of turn on the ball, and met with great success. It is just possible that the African score would have been less formidable had Merritt been in the New Zealand side. Some Looked Stale. It is hard to explain such a batting collapse as attended the New Zealanders in their second innings in the first test match against South Africa, except to emphasise, sagely but tritely, the “ glorious uncertainty of cricket.” In this case, the uncertainty was not so glorious. However, one thing should be remembered by those who are inclined to heap coals of fire on the heads of Page and company. All those who travelled throughout the English tour are at the end of their third season of cricket without a spell. Staleness will affect a side in any game. Dempster, in particular, looked as though too much play without rest had had an adverse effect. Perhaps, too, his coaching might have affected his own play. Taylor Stands Down. One of the notable omissions from the South African side for the second test match is “ Herbie ” Taylor, the veteran of South African cricket, whose style and performances have ranked him amongst the great batsmen of the world for many years. Taylor has the habit of scoring centuries in every country he plays in, and in New Zealand he conformed to precedent with a sparkling innings for 113 against Auckland. In the test match at Christchurch he was disappointing. He was settling down quietly and had reached nine when he was clean bowled with a beauty from Badcock.

“ Making it quite a girls’ game,” said a Linwood Club member last evening when a referee was explaining the new rules under which Rugby football will be played this season.

A story of Jean Borotra. Once during the interval in an important tie between himself and Cochet he wns seen to shake his opponent in friendly fashion by the shoulder and say reprovingly, “You know you can beat me if you want to. Come on, buck up and win.”

■ I*l !•*-) I-WI |-*T| I-WII-W-I |if| liri pr| r*r| pr| m pr| |-7ri |-7C| p A Golfing Menace. Few realise the dangers lurking in jolf. There was a notable instance in England recently when a Birmingham Tian was sued by a lady acquaintance, who asked that he be bound over to cease annoying her. It appears the pair first met on the golf links, and the acquaintance ripened into a passion on the part of the gentleman that the lady did not reciprocate. The swain pursued her everywhere, and flooded her home with presents of golfbags and other oddments, which were steadfastly returned without effect, with the result that the law had to be appealed to. The court accepted defendant’s undertaking to pack up, and cease his persecutions, without making a court order. It would seem that the lady would have been better advised to marry the man. Then she would never have seen him again. Wife Must Go Too. It was revealed at a meeting of the Australian Lawn Tennis Council last week that J. C. Crawford, of the Davis Cup team, has refused to make the trip abroad without his wife, and had not been able to make the necessary arrangements to take her at his own expense. As Mrs Crawford will go as a nominated Australian player, the president (Mr Norman Brookes) made the trip possible for Mrs Crawford by guaranteeing her £l5O, on the understanding that the A.L.T.A. receives all guarantees for her appearance in overseas tournaments. By a majority decision the council supported Mr Brookes’s action. Some members claimed that a dangerous precedent was being set, and that it was wrong to contribute toward the expenses of a player’s wife. At Wimbledon, Crawford and his wife should have an excellent chance of winning the mixed doubles championship, which Crawford won with Miss Ryan (U.S.A.) in 1930. Davis Cup Team. The selection of Cliff Sproule, of New South Wales, as third player in the Australian Davis

• Cup team is of interest to New Zealanders, as Sproule played in the Dominion while on a | visit two seasons I ago. iHe defeated | Angas in Christchurch, but was I beaten in turn later | at Dunedin. |f With the excep- & tion of Crawford and Hopman, the other two members of the team, and,

possibly, young Vivian M’Grath, no player has had a better record in Australian tennis this season than Sproule. Sproule is twenty-six. Of the three players who were third men in the test matches against Japan, Sproule obtained the best results. In the third test in Sydney he beat Harada and Nunoi, and took a set from Satoh. In the Australian championships, Sproule was a semi-finalist, beating Turnbull. 7-5, 1-6, 6-0, 6-1; and in the quarter finals he defeated Jim Willard in straight sets. He went down to Crawford in the semi-final in four sets. M’Grath, the 154-year-old player, was the only other whose record was on a par with Sproule’s, but the selectors decided that he was too young yet for a strenuous overseas tour.

ATHLETICS.

Keen Struggles Expected at Championships.

Lancaster Park should witness some stirring - racing to-morrow afternoon, when the postponed championship meeting of the Amateur Athletic Association will take place. It is likely to be the best seen for many years. The preliminary heats of the 220yds and the quarter-mile championship, also the quarter-mile hurdles, were held on February 18. A keen struggle is expected in the furlong final when Hart, Carmichael, M’Farlape, Cox and Manchester will face the starter.

The interest in the quarter-mile final is keen. The treats disclosed some wonder/ul running, and the meeting of Broadway, Harley, Anderson and Blackmore should see one of the tensest struggles on record for this title.

Another interesting event should be the quarter-mile hurdles final, in which B. Anderson. Willis, Lunn and Barwell will be seen in an exciting struggle.

There will be a varied programme of running, field events and cycling.

PUBLIC SERVANTS MEET.

A sports gathering was held on the evening of March 2 at the sports ground at Sunnyside Mental Hospital, teams representing the New Government Buildings, Old Government Buildings, Mental Hospitals Department and Other Departments competing. The competition was keen, the shield being retained by the holders (Old Government Buildings) by a margin of two points from the Mental Hospitals Department. Some fine performances were put up, outstanding competitors being E. R. Simpson (N.G.8.), who won the 100yds and 440yds fiat events, R. S. Freeman (0.D.), who won the 220yds and ran second in the 100yds and 440yds, arid S. T. Barnett (0.G.8.), half-mile walk. W. Oliver was prominent for Mental Hospitals; Miss N. Keetley (0.G.8.), a fine natural runner, won the women’s 100yds flat in good style. Points for the shield were: Old Government Buildings 42J, Mental Hospitals Department 404, Other Departments 19, New Government Buildings 11. Results:—

100yds—E. R. Simpson (N.G.8.) 1, R. S. Freeman (0.D.) 2, W. Oliver (M.U.D.) 3.

220yds—R. S. Freeman (0.D.) 1, W. Oliver (M.11.D.) 2, E. R. Simpson (N.G.8.) 3.

440yds—-E. R. Simpson (N.G.8.) 1, R Freeman (0.D.) 2, Hirst (M.H.D.) 3.

880yds—E. J. Lynskey (0.G.8.) 1, R S. Freeman (0.D.) 2, Hirst (M.H.D.) 3

880yds walk—S. T. Barnett (0.G.8.) 1, Willis (M.H.D.) 2, C. Holdsworth (0.G.8.) 3.

One mile cycle—L. M. Hartigan (0.G.8.) 1, I. J- Scully (0.G.8.) 2, H. F. Mills (0.G.8.) 3.

Long jump—Willis (M.H.D.) 1. W. Oliver (M.H.D.) 2. E. Lynskey (0.G.8.) and R. Chfnnery (M.H.D.) (equal) 3.

High jump—E. Lynskey (0.G.8.) 1, Bisphan (M.H.D.) 2. Hawthorne (M.H.D.) 3.

Cricket ball—W. Oliver (M.H.D.) 1 Cox (M.H.D.) 2, A. T. Bell (0.G.8.) 3.

Women’s relay—Old Government Buildings (Misses N. Keetley, D. Dickinson, M. Stewart) 1, Other Departments 2, Mental Hospitals Department 3.

Men’s relay—Mental Hospitals Department 1, Old Government Buildings 2 Other Departments 3. ‘Women’s 100yds—N. Keetley (0.G.8.) 1. M. Stewart (0.G.8.) 2, D. Bishop (0.D.) 3. Tug-of-war—Mental Hospitals Department 1.