SPORTING PARS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 3, Issue 281, 10 March 1941, Page 8

SPORTING PARS

J. Purdue, the Southland Rugby and cricket representative, just failed to obtain all ten wickets in a club cricket match in Invercargill recently. He took nine for 51, the tenth man being bowled from the opposite end. Purdue, who lias taken 47 wickets for his team this season, Avas not available for Southland representative honours. G. Hart, the former Canterbury and New Zealand Rugby representative, who spent several weeks in Papakura military camp, is now attending the Officers' Training School; at. Trcntham. Apart from a few appearances with the Barbarians m Auckland and some of its provincial centres. Hart has not played since his retirement at the end of the 1939 season. Aucklanders still retain, vivid recollections of the-bril-liant try scored by Hart for the Barbarians against Auckland at Eden Park at the end of the 1939 season. Clarrie Grimmett. \ "I am afraid I am getting too old] for this game; my feet get very tired." This remark was made by Clarrie Grimmett to friend who congratulated him on his remarkable bowling performance for South Australia against Victoria. In the first innings he took seven for 114 off 38 overs, beginning on the Sat* urday and ending on the Mondaj r . Jokingly, a friend asked how he spent the Sunday. "I played golf all the morning and spent the aftei noon playing tennis," said Grimme'tt so there w r as probably an excuse if he felt tired on "Monday. Grimmett was 48 on Christmas Day, yet is one of the best slow bowlers in the world. Incidentally, he is not usually very successful on the Mel-j Jbourne ground. /

The "gate" at the recent New South Wales v Victoria match on the final day al the Sydney Cricket Ground was £8 17s 6d. Expenses for the day amounted to approximately £42. It costs £5 to operate the score board. Total takings for the match were £428 13s 6d.

Second-Lieutenant V. P. Boot, New Zealand's champion middledistance runnev, has just recovered from an operation for appendicitis, according to advice received in Welln| f ,ton by friends. Boot is stationed with the New Zealand Forces in Fiji, and he was compelled to undergo the operation at short notice. His recovery, however, was quick and complete, and after a period of convalescence he will take, up his full round of duties again.

In an effort to keep interest in lawn tennis alive in the south, the four major associations —Otago.. Southland, South Canterbury and North Otago—-have decided upon a rather unusual plan, which makes Dunedin a rendezvous for representative matches. It has been decided to play inter-association matches at Dunedin next Saturday, wlten four strong teams will be seen in action. Many well known representative palyers in all four associations are overseas or in camp; but it is possible that some of the men in the Dominion camps will be avail able for the games. These representative matches will be held throughout the war years, and should be successful and popular.

Four golfing masters, winners of a total of national titles, and each a winner of the British open championship, recently agreed to play in a match sponsored by the Duke of Windsor at Nassau for the benefit of the Red Cross. Fred Corcoran, Professional Golf Association, tournament bureau manager, announced that Bobby Jones, one of the greatest of all amateurs, Gene Sarazen, Walter Hagen and Tommy Armour had accepted invitations for the exhibitions on March 15 and 16. Corcoran, who helped the Duke arrange the exhibition, said the quartet would play an informal round, with the Duke making it a fivesome, on March 15. The following day the masters will play a four-ball ma£ph, with the Duke as referee.