SCRAP BOOK JOTTINGS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 290, 8 December 1939, Page 11

SCRAP BOOK JOTTINGS

ITEMS FROM VARIOUS FORMS OF SPORT

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS BY WELL KNOWN SPORTS PARTICIPANTS

W. Dailey in Batting Form. W. Dailey, former Canterbury and New Zealand Rugby half-back, has been scoring very consistently in Canterbury senior club cricket this season, and he followed up a series of solid innings with an excellent 86 for St. Albans against Sydenham recently. He has been playing senior cricket for years, but his preformances have not warranted his selection in the Plunket Shield side. Saxton at Cricket. Selected to captain Southland in its first representative cricket matefh of the season is C. K. Saxton, 1938 All Black half-back and captain of the South Island team which played North Island this year. A sound batsman, he has played for Otago in Plunket Shield cricket on several occasions, and, if he produces anything like his best form, he will again be a strong candidate.

N.Z. Tennis Player in London. Word received at Morrinsville last week is to the effect that Dr. J. T. Laurenson, former Auckland and New Zealand singles and doubles tennis champion, had arrived in London from Scotland at the beginning of November and was looking for a “job of work” for the duration of the war. The doctor and his wife had earlier booked their passages back to New Zealand, but cancelled them later. Armstrong’s Title. A move is afoot to match Henry Armstrong, welter champion, with Marcel Cerdan, French champion. Cerdan recently won the Europeon title by defeating Saverio Turiello, Italy, at Paris. It was a great fight and the critics immediately selected Marcel as the man to beat the American coloured star. Cerdan’s manager challenged Armstrong for a title match, and failing a trip to Europe by Armstrong, it is just possible that Marcel would make the trip to Now York. Critics say that the French lad is a much better fighter than Ernie Roderick.

Two Cricketers Wilson. There are two players by the name of Wilson in Wellington senior cricket, states a southern writer. They are not related and play for different clubs. Both are well known —one, D.S., of Kilbirnie, has represented Wellington, and the other, P.D., of University, has been a country representative and is the primary schools’ representative on the Wellington Cricket Association’s management committee. Each this season had had three innings when the third series of championship matches ended. Each, too, had made exactly the same number of runs for the same average—--113 at 37.66. The coincidence is made more remarkable by the fact that each had 68 as his highest score. Hagen “Fading Out.” Walter Hagen, one of the most famous golfers the world has ever seen, is about to begin fading out of the golfing picture, at least as far as regular competition in major contests is concerned, says a writer in an English paper. “I'm all washed up,” he declares, “I’m going to play for fun in a tournament or two occasionally, but it is too hard to keep in playing shape any more. Anyway, 1 have had my share of championships. I figure that I have averaged about two a year for 25 years, and I am ready to call it a day. But it is a great game, is it not?” Hagen, four times winner of the British open title, is generally recognised as the biggest money-maker professional golf has ever known. He has earned about £200,000 in a quarter of a century from the game, and received £1360 for a single match with Bobby Jones.

Second Vacancy. Brother of R. (“Bob”) Hatchwell holder of the New Zealand 100 yards free-style swimming title, Jack Hatchwell, a member of the Maranui Surf Life-saving team, which won the New Zealand surf championship last season, may be among the “non-start-ers” at the championships this year. There is a possibility of his being ; called up for war service (he is a ' member of the Royal Naval Volunteei 1 Reserve) in which case Maranui will ■ have to fill two vacancies. H. C. i Downs, another New Zealand repre- I sentative, is already in camp. In the' meantime, Hatchwell is training conscientiously, and is also doing fine work coaching young swimmers for their surf medallions. He and his I brother are former members of the i Taylor’s Mistake Surf Club in Christ- i church. They have been in Wellington for three or four years.

i Will Fly to Fight. Aircraftman Tommy Farr is so keen for a fight with Joe Louis that he is prepared to fly the Atlantic for it. Mike Jacobs, the promoter, has offered him a fight with Louis, for the world's heavyweight championship, in New York on March 15. It all depends on whether Farr can get the necessary leave. "I wouldn’t want much time off,” he said, “because I might fly each way. You can take it that I shall go all out for that title.” In accepting Mike Jacobs’ offer, Farr asked for 20 per cent, of the gate. Billy Conn Ready. Billy Conn, who this year won the world light-heavyweight, boxing championship when he beat Melio Bettina at New York City, is ready to defend his title against any logical contender, states an American writer. Conn is looking for bouts with heavyweight fighters, and many American critics claim that he should be capable of annexing the heavyweight title in two or three years’ time. Conn scored a convincing victory over Gus Dorazie recently’, defeating him by a technical knock-out in the eighth round of a 15 rounds bout. Previous to this Dorazio had defeated Bob Pastor on points.

Souvenir Hunters, Pest No. 1. Members of the Davis Cup team know all about souvenir hunters, says a Melbourne writer. They were relieved of everything that was not screwed down on the American trip. Racquets,, trousers, shirts, ties, shoes and socks disappeared alarmingly. A rumour went the rounds that Quist was giving away racquets. Bell-hops, chambermaids, chauffeurs, taxidrivers and goodness knows who approached Quist. Jack Crawford left Sydney with a dozen racquets. He returned with six, and reckoned he was lucky. He does not remember giving any away! Sportsman Goes North. The former Waikato Rugby representative, H. A. Parsons, has recently been transferred to North Auckland. He was probably one of the keenest all-round sportsmen in Hamilton being a member of the Old Boys’ Rugby fifteen and a prominent member of the Hamilton Amateur Athletic and Cycling Club. Possessing speed considerably above that of the average back, he was a capable player both at live-eighths and wing-three-quarter. In the long jump and hop, step and jump he was one of the most competent men in the district, and he has also registered creditable performances in the sprint event and the 220 yards low hurdles.

Bowling Is Uncertain. Ihe uncertainty of the game of bowls was well demonstrated in the four-rink championship game played recently between the St. Kilda and Dunedin Clubs. The game was started on the Monday, and, when about half-completed, heavy rain caused a postponement to be made until the following Thursday evening. When play ceased on the Monday evening Dunedin had a lead of 22 points and it appeared to be only a matter of how many points it would win by. When play was resumed on Thursday St. Kilda set about its big task in no uncertain manner and, gradually overhauling its opponent, won the game in an exciting finish by a margin of two points. Rugby Gives Place te Soccer. Alter enjoying a lengthy term ot popularity in Samoa, Rugby football nas given place to Soccer, writes the New Zealand Herald's Apia correspondent. 'The 1939 season opened on November 4, when six teams met on the park and the Administrator, Mr. A. C. Turnbull, kicked off and declared the season open. Three valuable trophies are to be played for—the Neptune Cup, presented by Captain McCiymont, tor the championship; the Challenge Cup, presented by Mr. W. Links; and the Knock-out Cup, presented by the Gold Star Company. The competing teams are Defence Force, A and B Morris, Hedstrom, Public Works, Ifi Hi High School and Marist Brothers’ School. Girl's Outstanding Performance An outstanding effoit was registered by iheima Saunders, a pupil of the Wairarapa Giris College al the college's annual sports held recently, when she won me junior championship. In winning each of her events, she broke the existing record and returned figures and times better than those of the seniors, in the junior long jump she leaped 14£t. 61in. (tne senior record being 14H. 4in.), and she won the 50 yards in 6 4-ssec. (senior time 7sec.), the 75 yards in 9 3-jsec., and the 100 yards in 12 4-ssec. (senior time 13sec). She was also successlul in five other events. 150yds. British Backstroke. lan Tirrell, the 17-year-old Durban swimmer, established a new British 150yds. backstroke record recently oy | covering Hie distance in imin. 41sec. |at the South Norwood Baths, London, beating the previous recora of imin. 41 2-ssec. Tirrell's performance will be recognised by the English swimmaij Association, as the record was maue in a special time test arrangeu by the Southern Counties' Swimming Association. Mr. W. J. Howcrott, the wellknown English coach, stated that Tirrell was an exceptionally promising swimmer, and before the war he considered the Union bov a real hope for the Olympic backstroke at Helsinki.