SCRAP BOOK JOTTINGS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 60, 27 March 1937, Page 14

SCRAP BOOK JOTTINGS

INTERESTING NEWS ITEMS

Bombardier Wells' Son. A son of Bombardier Billy Wells, who once held the British heavyj weight title is to make his ring debut in the Wembley Stadium novice heavy-weight competition. He weighs 13st. 21b:, and has been tutored by his f ather . 4& 41 Few Boys Under Six Stone. The fact that some secondary schools were not able to enter teams in the lightest grade, under six stone, Iwas mentioned in the report, of the Auckland Rugby Union, presented at I the annual meeting. This was attrijbuted to the better physical development possible after .the lean years of the depression.- * ♦ * I Lou Ambers Lucky. I Lou Ambers, the world's lightweight boxing champion was lucky to Ishare the. decision when he met EnI rico Venturi, the Italian holder of the European title, in a ten* rounds bout. The contest was a non-title one. AmLbers throughout the bout was most unhappy against the agile, balletIdancing Italian, who had an unbrbken I record of 12 victories during his present appearance in the United States.

. ap Sr Bees Worry Tennis Players. The encouragement of the honey lnIdustry is not favoured by everybody in South Australia— particularly tennis players. Residents of the southern suburbs who grow blossoming trees and shrubs and flowers are sometimes "afraid to go into their btickyards on sunny days. The other day at Unley Park a swarm followed a queen bee on to a tennis court and tried to swarm near the net posts. It was very disconcerting for the barelegged, bare-armed, bare-hacked players. 4. ik

r -r . -r British Footbali Finance. The drain on the British Footbali League funds in compensation to injured piayers is oausing expenditure to outrun its income by about £2000 a year, hence the suggestion pUt for!ward that the Footbali Association come to the rescue. Instead of covering the liability of League clubs under the Workmen's Compensation Act through insuranee companies, the League formed its own Capital Mutual Insuranee Federation .as being more economical.

* & ' ❖ Sydney Rugby League. In the coming Rugby League season in Sydney, the clubs are to open their membership lists to the public. Season tickets to cost very little, .considering the entertainment provided, will be issued. These are to carry the privilege of membership with the pight to vote at the general meetings, including the annual meeting when the officials are chosen each seasoa The idea is taken from the Melbourne clubs. It will be a drastic chance, as hitherto club memherships in most cases have been very close. * *■ * Wants British Golf Title. MacDonald Smith, at the age of 47 still one of the most active of Ametfcan golf professionals, will make another attempt this year on the British open championship, in which he has finished second, third and fourth. The event is to be played on his favourite Carnoustie links, where he learned the game as a boy before emigrating to America more than 30 years ago. "It will be my best opportunity of winning the title," he said. "I am not going to retire until I have won either the British or American open championships." sfc 41 41 • > Four Ball Billiards. Walter Lindrum's suggestion of four-ball billiards has been given a reception, even in his native Australia, which has sent Lindrum looking for hide-outs, states an English paper. But one suggested reform always leads to another; and ' an Australian now advocates tahles with extra pockets, with, I suppose, the additional ones at the sides. Imagine Lindrum in form at work on an eightpocket table. He would keep his opponent sitting out for a week, like [poor Joe Chapman was kept sitting [by Tom Reece, while Reece made his famous anchor-cannon break of 499,135, unfinished. It sounds incredible, but its true. Day after day Chapman turned up and had to sit through the sessions. ^ 4* *

Rugby In Victoria. In Melbourne this year club games are likely to begin a week earlier tnan usual. With several Saturdays reserved for trials and State fixtures a start at the usual time would mean that the season would go to the end of October. D. Cowper, R. F. Dodds and F. W. Russel are Victorian selectors for the season. After announcI ing his retirement last year, everj green, Jessep, has been persuaded to don the All .Black guernsey for Kiwi. Hutchinson, who captained the Scotch College last season will also turn out with Kiwi.

Ambers Lucky. Lou Ambers, the world's light-welgbt boxing champion, was lucky to share the decision when he met Enrico Venturi, the Italian holder of the European title, in a ten round bout. The contest was a non-title ailair. Ambers throughout the bout was most unhappy against the agile, balletdanmng italian, who had an unbrokea record of 12 victories during his present appearance in the United States. * * * Noted Tennis Flayer Dead. R. V. Thomas, one of the best doubles players Australian tennis has produced, died at Adelaide recently at the age of50. He entered international tennis with the Australian Iraperlal Forces team. His finest performance was to win the doubles championship, partnered by P. O'Hara Wood, In 1919 and 1920. He also played in the Frencll mixed doubles championshiD with Subanne Lenglen. * 4 * Most Wickets in the Season. Three Australian bowlers are to the running for the greatest number of wickets in first-class cricket of the season. F. Ward has taken the greatest number, viz., 53, at an avejcage cost of 27. Fleetwood-Smith has 47, and C. V. Grimmett 45. These three are to appear in the last Sheffield Shield match in Adelaide this week. Ward looks like topping the poll. W. J. O'Reilly's hag is 47. Ward's wickets cost three runs each less than Grim- . mett's. jfe ± a

Victorian Athletes. Howard Yates (Eastem Suburtoi) broke the Victorian 100 yards record when he defeated E. Best (Kew) by? one yard in,9 8-10s at the track and field championship meeting on Olympic Park, Melbourne, on February 13. - Yates' winning effort in the final was a genuine event-time effort. The cross - wind was of no assistance. Best, who showed up dangerously over the middle section of the race, gave a flne performance. The excellence of the company and the importance of the - occasion probably unsettled him a little, hut there is no doubt that he will go a long way if he fulfils his jbresent promise. Another fine performance was that of Gerald Bankhouse (St. Stephen's), who, in ooe of the greatest runs of his career, won . the mile in the championship. record time of 4.19 9-10. rfi ,jlL. ■

A Freak Collislon. A small problem of mathematla was provided by a freak collision between two golf balls on a Christchurch course recently. One player was driving and hit a lusty ball that promised to travel at least 200 yards, but coming down a parallel fairway and some 300 yards away was another player, who hit his second at about - the same time as the other man's drive moved off. The fairway shot was sliced and swerved over into the wrong fairway for the . almost Impossible to happen. A collision occurred and a good drive came to an untirnely end. Bewailing his lot, the driver, a true golfer, indulged in a minute of reminiscence, recalling that on an- • other course he hit a "daisy-ciipping" tee shot, for the ball to hit an artesian bore cistern 50 yards distant and iebound five yards behind, its starting point. j , * * * ♦ Who Goes First? When Australia's Davis Cup. team was chosen its troubles began immediately, writes Harry Hopman. With*. Quist, McGrath and ^ Crawford, the team .selection committee — Sproule, t Quist, and Crawford — were faced with a problem. Quist appeared certain of gaining No. 1 place in the singles, but what of Crawford and McGrath? McGrath won our national title, but he had never beaten Crawford, ■ and Crawford had extended Budge to five sets, and beaten Allison in the American tie last year. McGrath made the first move in solving this tangle by defeating Crawford — for the first time — in the final of the Killara Northern ^ Suburbs championship, 6 — 3, 7— 5, on February 26. When the team was selected the selectors had Quist and McGrath in mind for singles, and Quist-Crawford for doubles. The physical exercises in which the team !s todulging may have upset Crawford*! tennis, as he is not accustomect to such training. Last year, in an exhibition in Sydney, after the month's compulsory training, Crawford gave a pitiable display of tennis, although feeling better than ever physically.

4: & & Relaxing the Muscles. When Ellsworth Vines played iri Australia in the 1932-33 season his slow, relaxed movements about the court between rallies, and when changlng ends on the odd games, was unfavourably commented on by many of the officials. Vines' answer was - that he found this manner of relaxing the muscles dfd a\yay with much of the nervous strain. Fred Cady, world--famous swimming and diving coach, says, "But with Australian swJmmers generally there is not enough relaxation; they swim with the head and shoulders too sqt." Now Gerald Backhouse, Victorian mile runner, after studying the methods of the most famous Olympic athletes with wnom he competed in Berlin, is endeavouring to emulate the easy, retaxation that was so noticeable about men like Owens, Woodruff, and Lovelock. Backhouse says that the negroes are the crowning examples of this theory. They relax to such a degree that when waiting for events they almost totter about, and even when on the mark there is none of the tenseness no noticeable among Australian athletes. They appear to get dynamic speed with a minimum of effort. Their relaxing does not spoil their poise and balanee. They husband their resources ^ with this saving of nervous energy.