THE SPORTING SPHERE

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXXI, Issue 46, 25 February 1936, Page 6

THE SPORTING SPHERE

PHASES AND PERSONALITIES OF SPECIAL MOMENT

Lack of players who are able to fulfil the strict Olympic rules concerning amateurism is likely to prevent Belgium entering a Soccer team for the Olympic Games. U A. M. Matheson, who has been selected to play for New Zealand at Auckland in place of A. W. Roberts, has taken six wickets for 206 runs in Plunket Shield matches this season.

To assist in the selection of the Australian Rugby team which is to visit New Zealand in August, it has been decided to hold an inter-State carnival between Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria in Sydney in June and July.

According to various members of the All Black team who are now back in New Zealand, the 1935 winter in England was much more severe than that of 1924. In several cases straw and hay had to be spread on the frozen ground to prevent accidents, but this did not extend beyond the goal-lines, and when players reached, in-goal they often met with a nasty fall.

Praise for C. J. Oliver.

Coining Events. ■

Important sports events include the following:—February 2 8 and 29, New Zealand track and field athletic Championships at Dunedin; February 28, 29 and March 2, English New Zealand at

cricket team v.

Auckland

Without Bradman and Ponsford.

I Without their two famous batsmen, Bradman and Ponsford, Australia have decisively beaten South I Africa in the tests. “We may well have occasion to reflect,’’ comments an English critic, “that, if the South Africans could beat us in the test rubber last year .and if the Australians without Bradman and Ponsford can beat them, either Australian cricket must be astonishingly good or English cricket unusually poor. Our pride will favour the first explanation.”

Curious Incident.

There was a curious incident during a twenty-eight-hole mixed medal foursome competition held by the Essex Professional Golf Union at the *Wanstead links a few weeks ago. On this course there is a lake between the fifteenth and sixteenth holes, nearer to the latter. W. Hughes, Clacton professional. dro-\e the ball safely over the laae, but a crow picked up the ball and, carrying it back, dropped it into the water. The fact that the crov, r was an “outside agency’ ’permitted Hughes to drop a ball as near as possible to the original spot, on the far side of the lake, without penalty.

“In a Hat Like That.

Player for Christchurch

L. K. Heazlewood, the wellknown Rugby full-back, left Auckland recently on transfer to the Addington railway workshops. Heazlewood has had a distinguished football career, having represented the South Island (at centre in 1927) and fielded as custodian for Otago, Wellington, Auckland and North Island (1929). During his stay in Auckland of nearly four years, he played for the Manukau Rugby Club and has also been a useful all-round member of the Manukau cricket team, which won the 1934-1935 senior championship of the Auckland City and Suburban Cricket Association, and is in the lead this sum-

mer, too.

Crocket Reform

In Australia, as in New Zealand, an agitation has grown up in recent years aiming at the playing of one innings only in matches, instead of two. It is claimed that too many representative matches are long drawn out and that public interest is thereby stifled. Gates have certainly fallen off - in recent years. Th Ta season’s Sheffield Shield matches drew moderate attendances except when Bradman was batting. He was virtually the sole drawing card. M. A. Noble, commenting on the : plan, said he would not favour its i application to representative 'matches. It must be remembered ithat in the long history of the game j the second innings in big cricket has j been responsible for many of the best batting and bowling feats.

In view of the heavy programme of matches through the visit of an Australian team this winter, the Otago Rugby Union proposes to open its grade competitions as early as April 18.

D. J. Tarr, the Welsh Rugby international hooker, who had a vertebral neck-bone displaced in the match with New Zealand, is making satisfactory but slow progress. Of course, he will not ‘be able to play again in the current season at Home. The Championship Committee of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews has invited the South African Union to send four players to Britain in 1937. A similar invitation has been sent to the Australian Union in respect of 1938. «¥■ Jack Petersen and Len Harvey have now met three times for the British heavy-weight championship.. Harvey won the first on points in 193 3, and Petersen the second by-a knock-out in twelve rounds in 1934. Last week, Petersen won again on points. Petersen stands 6ft ISin and is 25.

According to a Dunedin paper the All Black J. Hore states that Oliver ■was easily the outstanding back on the side. He always played fine football. Mitchell was the most improved back on the tour. Sadler -was without doubt the better half-back. Caughey played his best games against Ireland and Scotland, but against England he did noi show up, the inside backs lacking penetration and the passing going straight across the field. Griffiths was a solid allround five-eighth, and Gilbert developed into a class full-back. n Those English Referees. The 193 5 All Blacks found English referees very severe on fumbling. Unless the ball -was taken absolutely cleanly, the player was penalised for a knock-on. Even if a player, in a passing rush, knocked the ball from one hand to the other he was pulled up. According to C. J. Oliver, vice-captain of the New Zealand team, they found some difficulty in getting accustomed to the different interpretations of the rules. In England, referees permitted the scrumrnagers to push over the mark and gain ground before the ball was put in. There was no bringing the scrum back. After a time, the NevZealand players became just as good as the English players at these rus>>tactics.

Whenever Mr Hughie Trumble begins to tell a cricket story everyone within hearing is all attention, for nobody in the world is more entertaining on the subject (says a writer in the “Australasian”). The other day at luncheon he showed me a letter which he had received from the Hon. C. J. Lyttelton, of the Marylebone cricket team which played matches in Australia before going on to New Zealand. The letter from Lyttelton was an amusing sequel to an amusing story. When the Englishmen were in Melbourne there was a dinner party. While the guests were reaching for the nuts and wine Lyttelton noticed Mr. Trumble’s hat ,and he asked whether he might try it on. Mr. Trumble agreed readily. Lyttelton, gazing at himself in a mirror, declared that he had never worn a hat which so suited him. Mr. Trumble, always a sportsman, thereupon asked Lyttelton whether he would like the hat, which was comparatively new, and Lyttelton accepted promptly. Dr. Rowley Pope, one of the party, offered to have the hat cleaned and blocked by the time the Englishmen reached Sydney. The gift was duly delivered at the Englishmen’s hotel in Sydney, and Lyttelton .straightaway discarded his former headgear in favour of Air. Trumble’s hat. Now for the sequel. When the Alarylebone team was in Brisbane Lyttelton walked into a bank to cash a cheque. Lyttelton—need if be stated?—was wearing his new hat. As he walked to the counter the teller could not conceal his surprise. He greeted Lyttelton with the remark: “I have seen only one man wear a hat like that, and that is Hughie Trumble in» Melbourne.” Then Lyttelton surpris-

ed the teller by replying, “Well, this is Trumble’s hat.”