SCRAP BOOK JOTTINGS

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 31, 6 February 1937, Page 11 (Supplement)

SCRAP BOOK JOTTINGS

U.S.A. Golfers for Japan. An Invitation has been accepted by ] the Professional Golfers’ Association of the United States to send a sixman team to tour Japan in the 1937 season. The Americans were hos.s to a Japanese team two seasons back. A 66 For Jim Ferrier. Playing on his home course at Manly, New South Wales, Jim Ferrier, the well-known Australian amateur golfer, registered another oj. his remarkable scores. He comp.eted a round in 66, this being six strokes under the par for the course. The only bad hole he played was the second, where he was on the edge of the green in two and then took three more shots to hole out, par b;ing four. ❖ ❖ * M.C.C. Manager. Captain R. Howard, manager o' the English cricket team now in Australia, was appointed in March, 1932, secretary to the Lancashire Coaniy Club in succession to the late Mr. Harry Rylance. There were 809 applicants. When station at Fulwood barracks in 1922, Captain Howard played five times for Lancashire and scored 134 runs for an average oJ 44.66, his highest innings being 88 no: out against Worcestershire. He was connected with a firm of athletic outfitters.* * 4* * Two Rugbyiles. Two men prominent in Ilugby circles were in Auckland during the last week of January. They • were Messrs. J. G. Guthrie, of Sydney, and J. T. Wylie, of California. The former is an old Glebe Club player In Sydney and is w’ell-known to New Zealanders who visited Australia over a quarter of a century ago. Mr. Wylie, a former Auckland representative, toured California with the New Zealand team in 1913. He subsequently returned there and is now acting as coach at Stamford University. & 4 1 Helen Jacobs. Miss Helen Jacobs, America’s leading woman tennis player and 1936 Wimbledon champion, denies the recent reports that she is to be married soon. “All this talk of my engagement to Herschel V. Johnson, first secretary of the American Embassy in London, is silly. He and I are great friends, but that is all there is in it. Eventually, I suppose, 1 will get married to somebody,” said Miss Jacobs, “but right now there is some fox hunting, a novel I wish to finish and some sort of training in preparation for 1937 Wimbledon, where I hope to retain my title.” Preparing for Springboks. V. Richards, who played half-back and five-eighths in the Austra ian Rugby team, which toured New Zealand last season, states that there are a few players already indulging in light training in preparation for the visit of the Spr ! ngboks. Cyril Towers has started and is keener than ever this year. Richards says Towers looks tetter and healthier than for years past, and he will he hard to keep out of the Australian team. The letter mentions that J. Miller, who will be a member of the Australian surf team visiting New Zealand, is a first grade footballer and a good one at that. -**=■ * Golfers’ Greetings. Mr. S. Morpeth, formerly of Auckland and winner of the New Zealand open and amateur championships, now secretary of the Australian Gon Union, received the following cabled greetings from Sir John Simon (captain) and Henry Gullen (secretary) of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews:—“Please convey to golfers of,Australia our best wishes at this season, and an assurance or our good will and interest in the progress of golf in Australia.” From Jack McLean, winner of the Melbourne Centenary amateur and run-ner-up in the 1936 American amateur:—“Season’s greetings to all my golfing friends in Australia.” ♦ * * Cricketers Return. J. Scaife and E. Bromley, the Victorian cricketers who went to India to fulfil a two months’ engagemeni with the Maharajah of Patiala, returned to Melbourne last week, looking fit and well. While in India they took part in a number of games, anJ saw much interesting cricket. They were greatly surprised at the tremendous Interest taken in the game there. The Indian youngsters have taken to the game enthusiastiaefiy, and w r ere to be seen playing all over the country wherever there was u block of vacant land. They stated Indian cricketers were anxious to send a team to Australia in the near future. Iron Shots In Golf. Discussing iron play in golf, Abe Mitchell said:—“in iron play one must have not only control by the wrist movement, but direction also. Now to get direction one must have an upright swdng and not go grass mowing round the feet in the backswing. A cricketer with a high delivery can usually bowl straight, the round-arm bowler usually cannot, and the reason is obvious. In iron p.ay, therefore, the hip line should be moie open than usual, so that the back swing must be upright and the through movement after impact unimpeded. In fact, the player gets his left hip out of the way at the outset and is facing square to the hole at the conclusion of the shot. The triumvirate taught us this for 30 years; their iron shot was invariably on the pin, and they took up such a stance that they could ahvays see what they were doing—what they were driving at, one might say. There was no swinging round a projecting left hip —they hit down and up the line ol flight.”

INTERESTING NEWS ITEMS

Sturt Cricket Club. The Sturt CricKet Club in Adelaide recently held a big reunion. This c*ub claims the distinction of being the only one in Australia to have had in its ranks thr»ee Australian lest captains—Joe Darling, C.em Hill and Victor T. Richardson. Davis Cup Dates. Great Britain has fixed the dates for tne 1937 Davis Cup competition as follows:—European zone: T*ie first round to be compieved before May 4; the second before May 16; the third before June 3; the fourth before June 17; and the final to be played before July 12. The Interzone final will be played at W.mbidon on July 17, 19 and 20. The challenge round on July 24, 26 and 27 will also be played at Wimbledon. Cricket Strategy. J. Hardstalf (father of the Test player in Australia, where the former also played five internationals for A. O. Jones’ team in 1907-08) had a curious and lucky experience when playing for Notts against Derbys*iire in 190t>. When he had made 36 Hardstaff fell down between the wickets w'hile making a run. The ball was returned to Olliverre, the wicketkeeper, who w atched the batsman rising and then removed the bails with his left hand. Hardstaff noticed tnat Olliverre had the ball in his right hand and, quietly walking to the crease, asked the umpire, “How's that?” The umpire, grasping the situation, gave Hardstafi not out. Afterwards he ran his score to 92. - Jack Blackham’s Wish. -....There had been., a dinner., party, among those present being Jack Blackham, the prince of wicketkeepers;; ;B;illy Trumble, a fine allrounder; Hughie Trumble, the great bowler; ;and; Clem Hill, the famous left-hander. The question arose which was the best team that ever left Australia. There is a consensus o£ opinion that the three best were Murdoch’s 1882 team, and Darling’s 1899 and 1902 combinations. Jhck Blackham would not commit himself, but he said: “As a believer in an afterlife I trust that every member of every team that left Australia will meet in heaven, and nothing w'ould give me greater joy than the 1882 team to meet all-comers, jn an eliminating series of contests.” Whether it was to be a sticky or good wicket, or whether there would be any covering, was left to the imagination. That side beat England in the famous game at the Oval by seven runs, F. R. Spofforth (seven for 44) and 11. F. Boyle (three for 19) turning England out for 77 in the final innings. 4* Cricketers as Critics. In the Sports Edition of January 2 the following appeared in introduction to a short article under the caption of “The Press Box Eleven”:— “When Australia’s batsmen were hurrying the Test match to a close at Brisbane (all out 58 in the second innings), Don Bradman, it is rumoured, cast envious eyes towards the Press box. Take a glance at the imposing list of former Test men who occupied it and imagine them as a team in their palmy day’s: J. B. Hobbs, A. E. R. Gilligan, C. B. Fry, M. A. Noble, C. G. Macartney, W. M. Woodfull, W. 11. Ponsford, A. A. Mailey, V. Y. Richardson and H. L. Hendry.” This recalls a similar notice after the Adelaide Test of 1932-33: "An interesting feature of the Test match in Adelaide was the sight of so many international players in tho Press seats. P. G. H. Fender represented England;; M. A. Noble, W. W. Armstrong and Clem Hill were old Australian captains; Jack Worrall was an old Victorian captain;; ;C. G. Macartney and Arthur Mailey were members of the last Australian team to visit England, while W. H. Ponsford and Victor Richardson have represented Australia in this series. What an asset any one of the veterans would have been to Australia in the present series. It was interesting to watch them playing the part of critic as they had so splendidly helped Australia in the field. They suffered every time Australia failed, and they could not refrain from saying, ‘lt was not so in our day.’ With them now the pen is mightier than the bat.”

Hobbs Prophetic. The success of the English fas* bowlers, W. Voce and G. O. B. Allen* in the Tests recalls o prophecy of Jack Hobbs in the Weekly Dispatch in June, 1928, before A. P. F. Chapman’s side left England. He wrote then: — “There is a tendency to under-rate the fast bowlers’ chances on Australian wickets. Attempts are constantly made to prove that they cannot succeed on such perfect wickets. It is only partly true. Jack Gregory and Albert Cotter did well enough on Australian pitches, and Frank Foster was a great success. People usually call Foster a fast medium, but I always believed him to be as fast from the pitch as any bowler I have seen. In Australia his pace w r as his great asset. There is no reason why Harold Larwood, if he is sparingly used, on account of his physique, should not be one of the most useful members of the next team.” Hobbs disputes the prevalent opinion that England lacks quick rungetters. He says that he frequently sees references to Victor Trumper’s pace, and adds: “We saw little of it in Australia in 1911. He was sober and sedate during that tour. Perhaps England’s attack, which included Sidney Barnes and Foster, and was equal to the best England ever had in Australia, was partly responsible.” Hobbs must have felt even more pleased with this prophecy after the sensational bowling of Larwood and Voce with Dr. R. Jardine’s team in 1932-33.