SCRAP BOOK JOTTINGS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 305, 24 December 1937, Page 9 (Supplement)

SCRAP BOOK JOTTINGS

INTERESTING NEWS ITEMS Girls’ Swimming Record Goes. Swimming records appear to be “in the air” at the moment. Another wont by the board when Miss Kathleen Grey, Otahuhu Club, broke the 220yds. free-style Dominion intermediate girls' time by one second. She accomplished this feat at the Auckland intermediate and junior championships, her time being 2mia. 49 2-ssec., and she won by five yards. The existing record is held by Miss Islay Purdie, of Dunedin.

Morpeth as Manager. “His host of New Zealand friends and admirers were delighted (says New Zealand Golf illustrated) to read of Sloan Morpeth’s appointment as manager of the Australian team of amateurs which has been selected to tour Great Britain at the invitation of St. Andrews. The team has been chosen with ambassadorial duties as the first consideration, and there is not a shadow of doubt as to its fitness in that respect, besides which they arc all fine golfers. Sloan will mane an ideal manager, and we wish him and his team the very best luck ”

Highly Rated Boxers. Two highly-rated boxers, Amelio Megana and Frankie Covelli, left America last Friday by the Mariposa for Australia, and will arrive in Sydney at the end of the month, under engagement to Stadiums, Ltd. Megana, a junior lightweight, who will also fight as a feather-weight, has never been defeated. The other, Covelli, is ranked among the first ten featherweights in the world. Two eighi-round bouts have been arranged as supports to the fight between Jack Carroll and Izzy Janazzo at the Sydney Sports Ground on December 2i. Mickey Miller, feather-weight champion of Australia, will meet “Young” Gildo, and Johnny Foster, Canadian welter-weight, will fight Jack McNamee, of Victoria.

Great Riding Feat. One of the most amazing riding feats in Australian racing history was established by the late Tom Hales at the autumn meeting at Flemington in 1888, the year that Carlyon won the Australian Cup. Hales, on the first day of the meeting, rode the winners of the first four races —the Essendon Stakes on Carlyon, the Ascotvale Stakes on Volley, the Newmarket Handicap on Cranbrook and the Lcgcr on Abercorn. They were all ownea by Mr. James White and all trained by Tom Payton. On the second day Hales won the Australian Cup on Carlyon and the Sires’ Produce Stakes on Volley. On the third day Hales won the Nursery Handicap on Lady Betty and the Champion Stakes on Abercorn, while on the final day of the meeting he won the All-Aged Stakes on Cranbrook and the Loch Plate on Carlyon. Cricket Hospitality. It is well known that when an English cricket team goes to Australia it is almost invariably overwhelmed with hospitality and invitations to this, that and the other function. Gratifying as this welcome is, it has often affected the concentration of the players on the game itself, states The Field. Years ago Australian teams visiting this country decided that the acceptance of too much hospitality did not go well with the task of winning matches, and they have always put the game first. G. O. Allen, captain of the last English team to Australia, has testified to the strain now thrown upon a captain by social engagements, and the M.C.C. is apparently at last making a friendly plea to the Australian Board of Control to curtail official receptions on future tours. Cricket tours, like all international sport, are now undertaken less light-heartedly than they once wore.

Forgot to Start His Watch. A new timekeeper had been appointed. After the race the judge called, the three numbers, and, turning to the timekeeper, said: "The time, please.” “Sixteen and twofifths,” came the reply. It was a sixfurlong race. During the interval before the second race whether there was a long sojourn to the bar is not known —but from the line-up till the finish of the race the timekeeper was watching his field very intently and forgot to start the watch. As they passed the post the judge called the numbers and asked the time. Now the timekeeper was a very quick thinker, and thinking to himself “that took longer to run than the first,” he promptly replied: “Seventeen and four-fifths.” There was a never-to-be-forgotten look on the judge’s face as he looked over his glasses and said: “I’l put it in if you like, but it’s a world's record.” The second race was over seven furlongs.

A Question of Nerves. Eddie Phillips’ victory over the German holder of the European | heavy-weight championship—a title, by the way, which means just about nothing—was none too convincing, says an English exchange. Phillips can box as well as any man in the world. He is always fit. He has a winning punch in his right hand. He might, judging by his form in some of his lights and by his form in some rounds of all his fights, be champion of the world. He might, but he is not —and one is inclined to doubt whether he ever will be. He has beaten Farr three times, and one thinks he would beat Warr again if they ever meet again. But he is a bundle of nerves, and just when he has a fight well won he goes to pieces and his hopeless fur h round or more. He is, indeed, very similar to Billy Wells, whose nerves alone prevented him from reaching the highest rung of the ladder. However, Phillips is young yet; he is putting on weight; he may conquer his nerves; and American heavy.-weights arc just about as poor as they could be. Optimism is a groat thing, particularly in boxin?.