SCRAP BOOK JOTTINGS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 300, 18 December 1937, Page 4

SCRAP BOOK JOTTINGS

Louis on the Films. World heavyweight champion is to make a film in Hollywood depicting his life story, starting when he was a farmhand in the Albania cotton fields. To Coach South Africans. American swimming coach, J. W. Harte, has been engaged as municipal instructor in Johannesburg. Salary £6OO a year, plus £lO a month travelling expenses. Braddock Not Finished. Former champion indignantly rerefutes story of his retirement. He wants to fight early in the New Year, and hopes it will be with Tommy Farr. “Birdie” Habit. Ten “birdies” and an “eagle” were included in an amazing round of 59, 11 under bogey, by Bill Cox, Wimbledon Park professions over his own course. Beat his own best of 62. • * # * Australia Hopeful. Plans are afoot to persuade negro Olympic stars —Jesse “Corny” Johnson, Ralph Metcalfe, Johnny Woodruffe and Phil Edwards—to compete at professional meetings “down under.” Dark Blues’ Retained List. J. A. Brett, the Oxford University Rugby captain, will be able to call upon nine men who have appeared against Cambridge. The number includes Prince Obolensky, English international in 1936, and H. D. Freakes, who played in trials for England last season. Hagen and Kirkwood Beaten. Two South African golf professionals, G. Childs and K. de Beer, recently defeated Walter Hagen and J. H. Kirkwood in a match at Johannesburg for £lOO a side. The margin was one up, the Americans being unable to gauge the pace of the greens. # * * * Golf Under Difficulties. A remarkable last round of 67, played with an injured right hand and including only 27 putts, brought victory to Arthur Lacey, of Berkshire, at Wentworth, Surrey, in the DunlopMetropolitan £5OO tournament. His other rounds were 72, 63 and 70. P. J. Mahon (Dublin) was second with 282, and T. H. Cotton (British open champion) next, 283 .

Women’s World Tour. Costing each member of the team more than £lOO travelling expenses, the All-England Women’s Hockey Association is planning a world tour in 1938, including Australia and New Zealand. The tour was originally planned to New Zealand only, but now ways and means for its extension are being discussed. Several members of the English and reserve international teams hav already accepted the invitation, so a strong team is certain. It will sail in April, and will spend seven weeks in New Zealand. Girl Athletes Wed. The English Women’s Amateur Athletic Association is worried about one aspect of its team’s visit to Australia for the Empire Games —an “epidemic of marriage” is sweeping through {the ranks of its stars. “Our champions seem to be in great demand as brides,” the secretary of the association (Mrs. M. Cornell) explained. “Since the Olympic Games six of our leading members have married —Eileen Hiscock, Violet Olney and Edyth Cooke (sprinters), Josephine Matthews (long jumper), Mary French (cross-country), and Violet Webb (hurdler). “It is almost impossible to keep track of the weddings. Fortunately, many of the athletes continue to run in championship events after marriage.” The ages of the nine women going to Australia range from 17 to 28, and they are all single, so the association is fearing the worst. ♦ • * ¥ Delaney’s London Debut. All Delaney, the Canadian heavyweight who was recently defeated by Maurice Strickland (New Zealand) is 21 years old. He made his English debut in October under the auspices of the National Sporting Club, when he defeated Harry Staal, of Holland, the referee intervening in the seventh round. Staal early became little more than a human punching-bag, but he did his job in this direction with remarkable thoroughness, says The Sporting Life. In spite of a gashed eye, sustained in the first round, and innumerable punches to head and body, he refused to go down for a count, although his legs from the fifth round onwards, were barely able to support him. Delaney was set a tough task, but he came through it with flying colours, although his reputation as a knock-out specialist was not enhanced. Still Fighting Fit. If the average player lost five stone in two years fie certainly would not feel like any more cricket. But n.»t so the 21-year-old Sid. Blair, ol the, Melbourne second grade team. His is an amazing case. Not only has i.e shed 5.2 stone since 1935. but te is revelling in his game. He has never ueen fitter or in higher spirits. Two years ago he weighed 17.10. l' »-day he weighs 12.8 and is fighting tit. How ■ d’d he perform the seeming miracle? A question of great interest in this slimming age. Let him reveal the sejret in his own words. “1 lidn t do a tiling—didn’t diet, didn’t take niedic‘ne, and didn’t go in for special exer-, else. All that flesh just vanished ot its own accord.” Truly an illuminating explanation. The slimmer Sid. flays a much better game of cricket than the rotund Sid.—drives more crisply; spins a better leg-break; a.;l is moie agile in the outfield.

INTERESTING NEWS ITEMS

Bobby Locke’s Record. Playing over Bethlehem, Orange Free State, course, A. D. (“Bobby”! Locke won South African golf title with record score of 274. • • • • France Needs Him. Having beaten world and European , breast-stroke swimming records, Jacques Cartonnet is devoting future x energies to long jumping. Has already got near 23ft. Robins’ Hard Luck. Middlesex and England captain missed the “double” by one wicket Re-checking the season's averages showed that he took 99 wickets, not 97. He scored 1076 runs. • • • • Australian Tourists. Sixteen players, same as in 1934, will be picked for the Australian tour in England next summer. Selectors are Don Bradman, E. A. Dwyer, and K. O. E. Johnson. * • • ♦ Kent’s New Skipper. It is officially confirmed .hat F. G. H. Chalk will captain Kent next season. In his few appearances for the county last summer he made 560 runs, with an average of 33.73, best innings being 107 against Middlesex at Lord’s. Danish Swimming Wonder. 1 Holder of nearly a dozen world records, Miss Ragnhild Hweger, Danish 16-year-old swimmer, added the 100 yards backstroke to her list at Marshall Street baths on September 25, covering the distance in 1.49 4-5. She also set new English 440 yards freestyle record of 5.23. F.A. Tour Presentations. Presentations to officials and members of the F.A. party which recently toured Australasia were made at a dinner in London. Messrs. Wreford Brown and T. Thorne, the joint managers, were given an address on vellum in addition to a gold medal, while the players received a gold medal and an international cap. Likely to Turn Pro. There are insistent reports In America that Mrs. Helen Wills Moody, seven times Wimbledon lawn tennis champion, is to turn professional within the next few months. It is also freely stated that Miss Alice Marble, the former American champion, and Frank Parker, who was in the American Davis Cup team which regained the cup, will also make professional appearances this year. Mrs. Wills Moody, who won the Wimbledon singles as Miss Helen Wills in 1927, 1928 and 1929, and as Mrs. Wills Moody in 1930, 1932, 1933 and 1935, has not played serious competitive singles for more than a season as a result of a strained back. With Mrs. Lambert Chambers she holds the record for the number of Wimbledon wins, and is probably America’s greatest woman player.

Tennis Players in Commonwealth. Lawn tennis including those who v play on hard courts—numbers about a quarter of the population in Australia. It cannot bo far short of two million players. Numbers who take part in cricket and kindred games on Saturday arc tennis players on Sundays. The average cost for outfit, racquets, clothing, balls, court fees, etc., is about £6 a year. Thus the spending value of lawn tennis players in the Commonwealth would be over £IO,OOO,OUU, possibly £12,000,000.

“Character” in Sport. One ot the administrative pillars of Rugby football in Wellington, and in his youth an outstanding athlete, Mr. J. M. Millard, principal of the Hutt Valley District High School, is a man who knows his sport. In the course of an address at the Wellington intercollegiate sports he said he hoped, if they had “character,” that many of the lads would remain in athletics. His allusion was to courage. The courage to persevere—a trait which unluckily appears to be all too foreign to many youngsters to-day. There is a marked distinclination to stick at any sport where the path to glory is likely to be i lanjx ond rocky. 4