SCRAP BOOK JOTTINGS

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 37, 13 February 1937, Page 14 (Supplement)

SCRAP BOOK JOTTINGS

INTERESTING NEWS ITEMS

Victoria, Breastroke Title. Valerie George not only retained the women’s breaststroke championship of Victoria at Surrey Park swimming carnival, but broke the Victorian record by 3 l-ss. She won in 3mln. 23 l-ssec. from Ethel Venn, of Camberwell, a former State champion. *■ 4* 4* Suva Bowling Club. The Suva Bowling Club will commence its annual carnival on July 16, continuing for about seven days. The chief attraction will be the competition for the South Pacific Pennant, which is held by the winning association for a year. An open rinks competition and singles and pairs championships will be held in conjunction.

English Athletic Coaches. Five prominent English athletes were chosen to act as coaches in a field events course arranged by the English A.A.A., with a view to developing this branch of athletics. The coaches are: L. Reavell-Carter (discus and weight), K. S. Duncan (long Jump), J. S. Moll (high jump, Western style), A. A. Gold (high jump, Eastern style), and L. R. Woolner (javelin).

Pigeon* Worth £30,000. One of the finest collections of racing pigeons ever seen under one roof

were on view on December 10 and 11 at the Drill Hall, Handel Street, Russell Square, London. They were entered in the Old Comrades’ Show and were sent by their owners from lofts in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The value of the birds was somewhere in the region of £30,000 a world’s record. 4* * * The East But One. One of the two remaining members of the South Australia team to plfiy W. G. Grace’s first English side to tour Australia, Mr. Sidney Cope, died at the age of 84 years at Mount Barker on January 29, coincident with the opening of the fourth test in Adelaide. The only S.A. survivor of the match In 1874 now is Mr. A. Crooks, of Brighton. It was Mr. Crooks who took the sensational catch dismissing Grace. In the match Mr. Cope made 11 and 5, and in his first knock scored the only six of the game. ♦ * * Alice Marble for Wimbledon. Wimbledon has Called to the United States woman tennis champion and Alice Marble is in California busily raking over her tennis in preparation for a big assault on English tennis in their spring. She is being coached by her Instructor and adviser, Eleanor Tennant Although American champion at the early age of 23, Miss Marble believes her tennis career has just started. “I do not believe I have half reached the top,” Miss Marble told an interviewer. “I still have much to work for, and with that in mind I am returning south with Miss Tennant, where I intend to practise three or four times a week to improve my game.” * * * Tommy Burns, Fight-manager, Tommy Burns, former heavyweight boxing champion of the world, announces himself as a fight manager. He has figured in many roles—an Insurance agent, box lacrosse promoter, cafe proprietor, hockey player, and not forgetting that punch-bag affair with John Arthur Johnson in Sydney in 1908, says an Australian writer. He has Johnny Kilbane, a light heavyweight, in hand. Kilbane has won all his 17 professional battles—ll by the short route. Burns says the boy Is built along the lines of Bob Fitzsimmons and quite a puncher—stands 6ft. and weight 12si_ 21b., with a reach of 76in. The ex-title holder also had Bobby Carrington, welter, who has had 47 fights, losing but one. Burns thinks he will prove as great a sensation as that other Vancouver welter, Jimmy McLarnin. * * * The Colour line. “Major” Taylor was an American negro, and a magnificently built man who was regarded as the greatest sprint cyclist that had been seen in Australia. Over the last furlong his machine used fairly to fly, and then at the end seemed to leap at the tape. Unfortunately, he could not entirely escape the colour line. This was one reason for a good deal of antagonism between him, Lawson and McFarland. The crowd used to rouse Taylor, too, by calling him ‘The Coon”—the one sobriquet he abhorred. Taylor was very sincere in his religious beliefs, and because world’s championship events on the Continent were always raced on Sundays he never competed tor those major titles. Repeatedly he was tempted with huge appearance money offers, but every rime refused to go back on his principles.

Best in World? Hedley Verity is not a talkativ. fellow. Therefore, when he take. th. trouble to say that the Melbourne Cricket Ground is the best in the Empire Melbourne can believe it is true —(Harry Hopman).

Gallery of Test Captains. England’s gallery of test cricket captains is more crowded man Australia’s. In the history ot the tests England has been led by 26 men, and Australia by 20. Since the war England has hustled her captains along, barely letting one settle in the position before he had to make room tor a successor. In this period England has been led by 10 men—a contrast to Australia’s six.

German Boys Most Box. All German schoolboys from the age of 14 upward must learn to box. New regulations tor physical training in the schools have just been liuued, dividing pupils into three classes by 1 ages, with prescribed types of physical exercises for each. For pupils of from six to ten years gymnastic games are prescribed, for those from ten to fourteen more advanced gymnastics, and for those of fourteen to nineteen “combative" sports, such as association football and boxing, which are compulsory for all.

Batsmen Who BowL When Bradman was dismissed In Adelaide recently by Barnett, it was another instance of a batsman bowling a batsman. True, it was a surprise, but the match was relatively unimportant, and the incident did not provide a sensation equal to a parallel case on the same ground in 1932-33, when, in the Test, Bradman captured Hammond's wicket with a full toss at the end of a day'* play. Even stranger was the bowling performance of an English wicket-keeper who secured four wickets tor 19 with under-arm lobs. It was in 1884 when Australia scored 551 against the Englishmen, and every man in the English team was called on to bowl * * * i Tennis Umpires Protest. There was a dramatic end to th. annual meeting of the Lawn Tennis Umpires’ Association of Great Britain. C. P. Dixon and C. N. Hyden, who earlier in the meeting had been reelected president and honorary treasurer respectively, both announced they desired to resign. The reason was that they were not satisfied with the manner in which the umpires and linesmen had been selected for the Davis Cup ties, and the Wightman Cup matches this year. They were asked to reconsider theii decision, and they agreed to suspend their resignations until the next meeting ot the council. * * * England’s Popular Sports Girls. Two British girls. Miss Pam Bam,,, and Miss Kay Stammers, are ranked in the 12 most prominent sportswomen of the world, in a list issued by the 70 leading United States sports writers. Miss Barton, winner of the British and American golf titles last year, is placed third with a total of 64 points, and Miss Stammers—who lost to Helen Jacots in the semi-final of the American lawn tennis championships—is placed 12th. Miss Jacobs is placed fourth. Top place goes to Miss Helen Stephens, the girl sprinter who won the Olympic 100 metres In world record times. Miss Alice Marble, who won the American tennis title. Is second, and Mrs. Helen WillsMoody, top the year before last, is ninth. * ♦ ♦ Sir Louis Groig. Sir Louis Greig, who succeeds Sir Herbert Wilberforce as chairman of the All-England Lawn Tennis Club, is the perfect example of the often-mis-used term—a great sportsman. He played in the doubles championship et Wimbledon with the King, when Duke of York, In 192<i, and showed himself to be a hard hitter and a great retriever. He was just as whole-hearted at lawn tennis as he was at Rugby 30 years ago, when he got his cap as a Scottish half-back. He believed in putting every ounce of his energy into his play. It was his enthusiasm which gave rise to a very good story at Portsmouth when he captained the United Services XV. His exhortations to the team were always forcible and audible. Sold one good lady to another, "If you’ve nothing else to do this afternoon, my dear, let's go and hear Louis Greig play.”

Two of a Kind! It Is not often that one school can produce two members of the same Australian Test team. Yet in the 12 selected for the Adelaide fourth Test, were two old Wealey Collegians, of Melbourne—Keith Rigg and Ross Gregory. Both bays were at sahbol under the head mastership of the late Mr. L. A. Adamson, Bigg’s career starting in 1920, and Gregory’s in 1931. Mr. Adamson had a keen and penetrating judgment In school sport, and at different times remarked that each ot these boys would play Test cricket for Australia. Another great pair produced by the one school Joe Darling and Clem Hill, were from Prince Alfred College, Adelaide—team mates in 24 Tests! Joe Darling captained Australia in four Test series. In three of which we won the ashes, while Clem Hill is recognised by most of the game’s enthusiasts as the greatest of all left-handed batsmen. Joe made 252 for Prince Alfred in the annual match against St. Peter’s, and not long afterwards Clem knocked up 360 not out in a similar match.. It was not long after leaving College that these boys were playing cricket for Australia, Darling making his debut in Sydney in 1894, and Hill at Lord's in 1596. Darling captained three tours to England, including the 1902 Australian team, which was so successful while Hill was captaiP of Australia in the 1911-12 series.