SCRAP BOOK JOTTINGS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 84, Issue 5, 6 January 1940, Page 5

SCRAP BOOK JOTTINGS

ITEMS FROM VARIOUS FORMS OF SPORT OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS BY WELL KNOWN SHORTS PARTICIPANTS

| Japan to Conquer in Sport. | The impression gained by the mar | ager and coach of the team of fou Australian wrestlers who returned re I cently from a tour of Japan, w her | they won 15 out of 18 contest.' , >•. a that Japan was out for world cor quest in every form of sport. He sai there was tremendous enthusiasm Io sport of all kinds in Japan, parlicu larly for baseball and wrestling. II was sure that lhe ffiapwnese also in tended to perfect themsoives al Rugb\ .League and cricket. i Davis ( up in War Time. The Australian Lawn !>..ini. A.sociation’s representative in Londor I Mr. Roy Youdale, has la . I clear up the position regaining ill I Davis Cup competition in vv aitimt I He stated recently that the luios im [plied that, lhe tournament should b [held annually, and. accordingly, it wa i necessary for some authoritative bod; to decide whether to continue in - ( »il I of lhe war or suspend the competitioi ] He had already started a movement t< i clarify the point, and it would pion.ih j ly involve a meeting of tie' Intern. tional Federation or the Dav is C’ii| nations. | Left Handed Golf er s T’.ucrrss, Harry Williams uphold the honou (of the left-handers by winning hi filth Victorian amateur golf chain pionship recently. He won his firs title in 19.>1. when quite a lad. an. from 1934 to 1936, inclusive, held lln championship. In the qualifying roun* he tied for - eighth place with Ale - . Russell, with whom, by the v\f;v, hwon the foursomes championship. 11< always does bettor in match plav that ’in stroke plav, and he lakes Hum al |on when it. comes to a hand-to-ham ! encounter. Promising Young Swimmer. Colin Sell, 11-year-old Otago youth is the most promising swimmer ih« southern province has had since the days of Sydney and Waltei Jarvis Sell, with the exception of the liiiyd.s event, annexed every title at the recent Otago intermediate championships, and it was only an error oi judgment that lost him the decision in the quarter-mile race. His times, considering he was never extended in any of his free-siyle w ere good, am with several weeks ahead before th* national championships he has ample time to bring his figures down to within striking distance of New Zealand records. Great Cycling Track. Italy possesses one of lhe greatest board cycling tracks in the world Built, in Milan at a cost of 1127.000, it is almost indoors, as the stands overhang lhe board surface with just the roof sliced away in the centre, thu. being completely .sheltered There is accommodation for 30,000. with seating accommodation for 12,000 on condole terraces. 11 is known as the Vol, Vigoselli track, named after a deceased rider. It was on this track that the recent world c ? cling championships were decided, although the concludim. 1 . events were inleriupted owing to the outbreak of lhe war. Henry Cotton Married. Henry Colton. England's outstanding professional golfer, was married recently Io Mrs. Maria Isabel Moss. Cotton, twice winner of the British open championship, is the highest-paid professional in the world. Mrs. Moss, formerly the wife of Enrique Moss, an Argentinian, from whom she obtained a divorce, has two daughteis. She won lhe last Austrian championship before lhe absorption of that country by Germany.

\ ines’ Swan Song. Ellsworth Vine.-, forrn- i Wimbledon champion, sang his swan song to pro- i fessional tennis in Los Angeles by ; winning lhe national open crown from i Fred J. Perry, the defending champion, in one of the longest and one of | the most, brilliant matches ever played ' anywhere, states a San Francisco J writer. For three hours and a-halt these two great players held a capacity | crowd spellbound, with a variety of shots that included everything in the ! book from skimming backhands, I pounding forehands, dazzling cross-1 court volleys and slashing overheads, ! to a cannonball service that finally de- ! cided the issue in Vines’ favour. The i score was 8-6, 6-8, 6-1, 29-18.

Young Tennis i’layers. The success of young players has r been one of the most satisfactoiy fea- - tures of the Christchurch lawn tennis e season. Many gaps have been left in the last, few years by players retiring, - and, although this weakened the xanki ing lists for a lime, they are now be--1 ing built up again to a standard very -■ cluse to in.H of the best years of the past. Marked advances have been made - . this summer by C. F. Penfold, M. J. . Coricii, S. Watson, and R. T. Dowker. Penfold is tcmarkably steady from lhe back of the court and a sound volleyer but his game needs more aggressive- - ness. Corich has the aggressiveness, ' but lacks ihe confidence to press home ■ an attack from the net. Still, they '■ should both go a long way in the < . Sportsmen For ( amps. ; The war i.s gradually depleting the ? ranks of sports clubs in Auckland and . I New Zealand. The latest well-known > (sportsmen to enter camps in the Auck- - ; land military area include C. S. Pop--(per, F. Solomon, G. A. Bullock- • Douglas and J. Best, New Zealand | Rugby representatives; C Brown, I Auckland representative; H. K. Rrainsby, Auckland and New Zealand 1 i long jump and hop, step and jump '(champion and British Empire Games ( representative; 11. S. Richardson. , ' former 220 yards secondary schools’ 1 splint champion; Lofty Blomfield, New J Zealand professional wrestling champion. Tennis Mu,( (.<> On. i, Aust i alia must not slacken her pf- ' loris to improve her - tennis juniors because we are al war, slates an Au.slia- ' han writer. || there is any slackening we will lessen our chances of holding the Davis Cup when a challenge , 1 omes. The ’ niied States Lav. n i enjnis Association, through its sectional 'and district associations, its clubs, colI leges* and schools, js encouraging I youth to make good. It is providing iiasn lor coaching and, with the aid ol these bodies, lorming classes in various I centres, grading them wii’h extreme care. Professionals and leading ama[teuis are helping these junior Davis (Cup squads. The lads are taught i tactics, court position and court de- ■ meanoui. Great Cricket Recovery. | All out for 38 vet they won h.v an I innings and 16 runs. That was lhe (amazing achievement ol a South I African cricket team recently. They ' dismissed their opponents for 13 in th< first innings and 7 in the second ini nings to w in comfortably. The bow ler who did the damage was a veteran, ,W. Fairbairn, who tn the first innings i took three foi i. and in the second innings went even belter, claiming five j wickets for 1 lun lour of these wickets with four successive ball>. He Was aided in the first, innings by an(other veteran, H. D. ("Duke") MelDall, the former Springbok Rugby lorward, who at an age of over b' l still plays entertaining cricket. He took live lor 7. I tuhtiilx Srrvic «-s and Sport. I Active support for both the Arm. and Air - Foi <e in efforts l o foster and I encourage athletic sports among then (members was wholeheartedly promised ]by members of the Canterbury AmaIteur Athletic Centre at a recent meetI mg- Assistance will he given lowani hiic purcha.-e of equipment, and athlietic sports will be held, resulting probably in lhe formation of an Arm;, ■ team Io compete with Christchurch [athletes in open companv. At Burnnam it was slated, there was a large i number ol men keenly interested m various phases of athletics. Al. WigI ram lhe Air Force intended running evening meetings, and it would weii come comp< - t it ion from other clubs, Mona Leydon as Coach. ! George Sellars. the 19-yeai-oitl I champion of the I’onsonby Swimmir.g |Club, is getting into trim again under the tutelage ol Mona Leydon, w no won New Zealand championships ovei various distances, and who has only [recently returned from America. She | went, to the United States last year ’to make a study ol overseas swimming ‘with lhe idea of possibly being able 'to improve her own style. Her guidance now should be invaluable to the (young Ponsonby champion, and the psoof of whether she can pass on any ’tips she picked up on her lour will i perhaps be reflected in the sprint ano proof of wether she can pass on any [season. Mona Leydon s activities in •the training field are of particular interest in that she is not doing the joo lor financial reasons in a professional | sense, but is retaining her '‘ ■’l ama- ■ leur status. I’ariiirr and Track Kunner. j The usual thing with prominent [athletes is that they travel from lhe i country to the tow n, or from one town j to a larger one, in the hope of winning greater honours. Not so with (Bob McLachlan, Otago half-mile chami pion for lhe past two seasons, and [brother to L. C. McLachlan, former i New Zealand champion over 880yds. and the mile. Bob McLachlan has left Dunedin to take a position on a Marlborough sheepstation. It probably I means the end, at least for the time i being of his appearances at big athletic J meetings. Nevertheless one should [always remember that Randolph Rose i was at his greatest when working ©n a farm.