SPORTS TOPICS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 57, Issue 252, 5 August 1937, Page 3

SPORTS TOPICS

ITEMS OF GENERAL INTEREST. CALENDAR OF COMING EVENTS (“By Flagpole.”) Saturday. Ashburton v. South Canterbury, Rugby, at Timaru. Ashburton v. Canterbury, basketball, at Ashburton. Ashburton v. South Canterbury, women’s liockoy, at Timaru. Men’s hockey trial games. August 14. Final, Rugby knock-out competition. Women’s hockey, Ashburton v. Malvern, at Greendale. Basketball, Ashburton v. South Canterbury, at Timaru. Tlie Council of the New Zealand Golf Association has forwarded to the acting-Prime Minister a cheque for £57 2s sd, making a total of £557 2s 5d collected for the King George V. National Memorial Fund by the ladies’ 'and men’s golf clubs throughout tlie Dominion. Cochet, the famous French lawn-ten-nis professional, has been criticising Perry’s decision not to compete in the French professional championships held recently, but to continue solely with his matches with Ellsworth Vines. “Doesn’t Perry realise what he owes to the game?” asks Cochet. ' An innovation at the New Zealand golf championship meeting to start at St. Andrews links, Hamilton, on September 30, will be a display of golfing requisites, clubs and apparel by well-known traders and firms. An exhibition such as this is invariably held in conjunction with the British open championship but, in spite of the interest it usually arouses, has never before been arranged at a championship meeting in New Zealand. Queensland cricketers are reported to be wrathful over the hint that impoverished English counties may, at the Imperial cricket conference, object to test matches in Brisbane on account of the alleged smaller takings. If such a suggestion is made Australia’s representatives may point out that tests at Nottingham and Leeds are notoriously small moneytakers, and for that reason should be cut out and two matches each played at Lord’s and the Oval. When the New Zealand cricketers played their first test match with England at Lord’s on June 26, they were entitled to a sigh of regret that C. S. Dempster was not with them, states an English writer. Dempster has qualified for Leicestershire, of which county he is now secretary-cap-tain, and the position is that if he turned out for his country lie would lose liis county qualification. As it has taken him two years to get it, he can hardly be expected to make such a sacrifice. The recent final of the British women’s golf championship was the first all-Scottish one on record. Miss Jessie Anderson defeated Miss Doris Park, 6 and 4. Each is the daughter of a professional. Miss Anderson had her first success iii the British girls’ championship in 1933. In the following year she visited Australia and New Zealand with the British women’s team and she won the New Zealand championship. She has won tlie French women’s title and twice had reached tlie semi-finals of the British championship. Jesse Owens, the great negro athlete, has done well for himself since becoming a professional. He is said already to have netted about £IO,OOO. He is to go to Japan with Ralph Metcalfe, twice runner-up in the Olympic 100 metres and also a professional, to stage a number of exhibition races. Owens has signed contracts for two films, one of which is to be called “Charlie Chan Goes to the Olympics,” and a thirteen-week radio contract. In the meantime he i§ touring the United (States with liis orchestra of sixteen players. J. H. Opie, the New Zealand pole vault champion, is nothing if not versatile, and liis recent performance in the annual Training Colleges’ tournament between Christchurch and Dunedin >vas a little short of amazing. He began by representing Dunedin in the swimming events in the morning; turned out for the athletic events in the afternoon —incidentally winning the shot putt with 35ft 9in. scoring second place in the high jump and javelin throwing and running the last furlong for the winning mile relay team; and at night took part in the light-heavy-weight boxing, scoring a knock-out iu the first round of his match. The week before, he won the novice light-heavy-weight class at tho Otago Boxing Association’s tournament. Tolerance in sport is developing says an Australian writer. It is not so long since tho amateurs and professionals in an English cricket team visiting Australia stayed at different hotels. Now they live together. Rowing has been, perhaps, the most conservative ot all sports in its adherence to the old amateuf definition, and it is a sign ol the time to read in a cable message from London that the committee of the Rowing Association and the stewards of the Royal Henley regatta have agreed to eliminate from the definition of a.n amateur oarsman- the clause which sets forth that “no person shall be considered an. amateur oarsman, sculler or coxswain who is or has been by trade or employment for wages a mechanic, artisan or labourer, or engaged in any menial duty.” During the 11 years it has boon held, the Middlesex County seven-arsido Rugby Union competition has been the means of raising over £14,000 for charities.