SPORTING ITEMS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 75, Issue 280, 26 November 1932, Page 5

SPORTING ITEMS

RANDOM JOTTINGS CRICKET, LAWN TENNIS. RUGBY. A Christchurch critic states that J. L. Kerr seems to have returned to something like form with the bat, but he does not yet show the certainty of past seasons. He still displays the tendency to cover up to straight balls, a failing that has cost, him a large number of lbw dismissals. F. R. Brown, the “baby’’ of the English cricket team, is similar in build to A. P. F. Chapman. This 21-year-vld plaver is 6ft. tall and weighs nearly lost. W. E. Henley, former Otago University and Hawke’s Bay representative Rugby forward, and Oxford University blue, is now studying medicine at Bt. Mary’s Hospital, London, and is playing Rugby for St. Alary’s in the Hospitals Cup competition. James Sullivan, the famous full-back who captured the English Rugby League team in its tour of Australia and New Zealand last season, has accepted an offer from his club, Wigan, of the position of player-coach. Now 28 years of age, Sullivan-has been with Wigan since he left the Cardiff Club, in Union Rugby, in 1921. Christian Boussus, who was the “baby” of the French lawn tennis team which made a world tour, including a visit to New Zealand, in 1927-28, recently won the singles championship of Paris. In the final ho beat Paul Feret, winner last year, 2—6, 6—3, 6—l, G—2. * * • » It seems strange that, after all these years, the committee of the Rugby Union of England has only just approved of a proposal that an English international Rugby player shall be entitled to wear a special blazer. The blazer is to be of a plum colour, with a silver rose on the pocket and “R.F.U, ” and “England XV” respectively above and below the rose. The winner of the Trans-Mississippi amateur golf championship, Gus Moreland, declined to accept the gift of a £750 motor-car by the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club, for his victory. The temptation was all the greater because Moreland is only a boy to whom the possession of a motor-car means a lot. Moreland, who was brought into the United States for the Walker Cup match, at tho last moment, beat Rex Hartley, one of the strongest of the British players. W. C. Plummer, a Sydney policeman, who recently tossed the 121 b. shot, in a practice throw, over 50 feet, had a special attempt on the New South Wales record arranged for him at a sports meeting in Sydney, a few days ago. Plummer then threw the weight 52ft. 9 7-Bin., thus smashing the State’s old record, set by E. R. Caughey (U.S.A.) in 1914, by nearly three feet.

It should be noted particularly, that the weight was of 121 b-, not IGlb. Then* is a new professional lawn tennis champion of the world. He is Martin plaa, who, like Jean Borotra, is a Basque. Plaa won t he title at a tournament, bold in Berlin recently, in which every competitor played every other competitor. In the course of it he beat W. T. Tilden, who held the title, 6 —o, 7—5, B—6.8 —6. For several years Plaa has helped the French players to prepare for their Davis Cup challenge round, and evidently he has profited from this experience. He said himself, after his victory in Berlin, that he used Henri Cochet's style and Rene Lacoste's advice. He was emphatic that Tilden had lost his old fire. This is not surprising, for Tilden is close on 40 years of age. Plaa is now making a tour from which h e should make a good deal of money, but he says that he will occasionally give his services voluntarily to coaching promising French amateurs. Clem Hill, the finest left-hand batsman Australia has produced, who has Deen commenting on the fielding and bowling of D. R. Jardine’s team, has a record for South Australia against English teams that will not be beaten for many a long day. From 1894 to 1911 he played in 12 matches for his State against English teams, and had 22 innings, in which he made six centuries—his best score was 200—and aggregated 1396 runs, which, as two of his innings were unfinished, gave him an average of 69.80. For Australia against England he played in 41 Tests—2s in Australia and J 6 in England—and had 76 innings, with one not out, for 26G0 runs and an average of 35.46; his highest score in these Tests was 188. So for his State and for Australia against England he played 98 innings, three beginning not out, for an aggregate of 4056 runs and an average of 42.69. The Newport Rugby Club, once one of tho greatest of Welsh Rugby clubs, is going through ono of the poorest periods it ever had. Indeed, there has been a great change, of late years, in [the game in Wales, in that several clubs which were deemed second-class a few years ago have made great strides and are now definitely first-class. Melbourne papers describe the accident to W. T. Ponsford that kept him out of last week’s match against England. Fielding for Victoria against New South Wales on November 5, he fell and sprained his ankle. Earlier, Ponsford had compiled a brilliant. 200 for his side. He had to be carried off the field. In tho same match, Don Bradman scored a characteristic century for New South Wales. It was hurricane play—so in 30 minutes and 100 in 73 minutes. Two full tosses went over the fence and 14 came off Fleetwood-Smith in one over. “If England’s bowlers would bowl further up to Bradman, in place of erring on the short side—which is feeding his strength—our results would probably be found to be better.” —A. C. MacLaren, the former English captain. J. B. Hobbs, who is travelling with the M.C.C. team in Australia as a newspaper correspondent, has been practising at the nets with the touring teamThis has led to some discussion as to I

whether Hobbs will be seen in the tests, but at present, it is stated, there is no intention of calling upon him for further service as a test player. He is merely taking advantage of opportunities to keep fit, but, should the occasion .arise, the veteran no doubt would respond to an urgent appeal to play. Describing the barracking of England’s captain, D. R. Jardine, at Adelaide on November 5, a Melbourne paper says:—“During the last half hour’s ply each time Jardine played the ball ’ there were ironical cheers from the crowd in the outer ground. As he was about to play the stroke, too, cheering with a satirical note in it swept across the ground. The demonstration, however, could hardly bo called a “dead set” against the English captain, as has been described in The Daily Mail. Cricketers were amused at the suggestion that official action should be taken to prevent demonstrations by the crowd against an English captain. Barracking is one factor in Australian cricket, over which even the Board of Control is powerless. The day’s demonstration was satirical, rather than malicious. It was evident the crowd remembered some of the dismal, batting displays of Jardine on the last tour, when his scoring was painfully slow. The Australian crowd always takes to its heart a fearless hitter who goes to the creases and uses the bat as it should be used. It is clear that the memory of Jardine’s slow batting still rankled in the mind of the crowd.’’ In making 200 runs against New South Wales at Sydney in the recent Shield match Ponsford is credited with seven centuries against the northern State, thus equalling Armstrong’s record. It completed his 40th century in first-class cricket. By going better than the Victorian in compiling a brilliant 238, Bradman has now made sixteen scores of 200 or more in first-class cricket, a number that has been exceeded only by Hendren and equalled by Fry, who experienced ordinary county matches upon which to operate. Bradman nas made 200 or more against England on throe occasions, once against the West Indies, twice against South Africa, once each against South Australia and Queensland, thrice against Victoria, once aaginst South Africa for New South Wales, one for an Australian eleven, and three in England, exclusive of Tests. He has now made 37 centuries in so-called first-class cricket. In view of the English invasion it is pleasing to know that the champion is still on the warpath. • • • « • At a meeting of the executive of the council of the New Zealand Bowling Association the following committees for the Dominion tournament were set up: Tournament Committee.—Officers and members of the council, and Messrs. C. E. Bennett, W. Gilbest, W. E. Jaikson, W. J. Leahy and J. Roberts. Entertainment Committee.—Messrs. W. Gilbert, B. A. Guise, E. J. Hill, W. Perry, and J. Roberts. Disputes and Greens Committee. — of the executive (Messrs. M. J. Hodgins, J. Kershaw, H. G. Mayer, ann S. M. Stone). Accommodation and Transport Committee.—Messrs. M. O. V. Dimock, B. A. Guise, W. E. Jackson, G. A. Jones, and W. J. Leahy.