Sports Commentary

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26637, 6 December 1947, Page 4

Sports Commentary

- - By The Sports Editor

Rowing Crews Selected The North End Rowing Club has selected D. Connor (str.), D. Calder (3), W. Clark (2) and W. Neame (bow) as its senior four for the season, and the two senior pairs comprise Connor and Calder and Clark and Neame. Coached by T. Cramond, the seniors are at present carrying rather much condition. The first junior four comprises R. Aitlcen (str.), F. Strachan (3), D. Fletcher (2) and F. Canny (bow). The first youths' four comprises N. Wilson (str.). R. McLaughlin (3), I. Hislop (2) and R. Moore (bow). The juniors are instructed by M. Butterfield, and are going well, while G. McDowell is coach for the youths. The latter won well against Otago last Saturday. A Family Affair "

One of the races at the Otago Swimming Championships next week will be something of a family affair, the entrants for the 100 Yards Women’s Backstroke including three sisters. They are Miss Ngaire Lane, Mrs E. Dolan and Miss Alva Lane. The first-named is the national women’s backstroke champion and record-holder, and New Zealand’s principal Olympic prospect. She is the holder of the title. Mrs Dolan, formerly Kathleen Lane, was a well-known performer in provincial championship races some years ago, and Miss Alva Lane, the youngest member of the trio, is a promising backstroke swimmer. She represented Otago at the Ne%v Zealand Championships last season. Ngaire Lane expects to undergo her Olympic trial in a few weeks’ time. Should she not be successful in reaching the qualifying time of 77scc for 100 metres, she will be afforded further oportunity when the New Zealand Championships are held in Dunedin in February. Pursuit Races

At the Caledonian Ground on Saturday the Ota'go Centre of the New Zea land Amateur Cycling Association conducted two interesting pursuit races. Similar races arouse great enthusiasm on the Continent, when the best riders are engaged. The Olympic race was ridden over eight laps of the ground, or about 4000 metres, and two teams of four riders started on the opposite sides of the ground. The idea was that each team pursued the other in an endeavour to cover the distance in the faster time. The riders had to travel together, and it was the third man in each team whose time was the deciding factor. In the Italian event, teams of four participated, starting as in the Olympic race, on opposite sides of the track. Each rider took a turn at making the pace, and one rider dropped out at the conclusion of each lap, leaving the strongest man to ride the final lap alone. With an announcer describing the technique of these races, the public at the Caledonian Ground thoroughly enjoyed them as providing something unusual in the way of athletic entertainment. Young Player Striking Form D. S. St. John, who was one of Otago’s most promising Plunke.t Shield cricketers last season, has not had the best of luck in the club games this season to date, but he was going along attractively for. High School Old Boys agairust Grange on Saturday when he was well caught at squareleg by A. Berry off the bowling of T. A. Freeman. St. John’s score was then 21, and he was batting so confidently that he looked set for a good total. He began with a big hit for a 6 over the leg boundary, and after repeating the stroke for a 4, made some crisp shots in front of the wicket before he was dismissed- Although he has not been favoured by fortune in his batting to date, his fielding has been of a very high order, and he has saved his side many runs by his alert work in this department. Southland Cricket Tour The proposed itinerary for the Southland * cricket dUPfcm’s northern tour has been apprmf'dft* by the Southland Cricket Association. The team will leave on December 25, but the Southland plavers will not be able to gain the valuable experience of playing against a full-strength Canterbury side in Christchurch, as on the date of the Southland-Canterbury match, Canterbury will also be engaged in a Plunket Shield match. The matches to be played on the tour are:—South Canterbury, at Timaru, December 2627; Mid-Canterbury, at Ashburton, December 29-30; Canterbury second eleven, at Christchurch, January 1,2, 3; North Otago, at Oqmaru, January 5-6; Otago, at Dunedin, January 9, 10, 12. These dates have been approved by the various associations. Umpires’ Power to Stop Play The M.C.C. has decided to instruct all umpires in first-class cricket next season that they must, should thdy consider the light bad enough,, stop play without any reference to the fielding captain. This is a sequel to incidents in a test match last season, when one of the umpires told each captain in turn that the light was too bad for fast bowlers to operate, and slow spinners were, in consequence, substituted. Alan Melville, the South African captain, raised the matter with the M.C.C., not in any spirit of protest, but because he thought the whole implications of the accepted practice had not been understood. So in future there are to be no half 4 measures. Light which is not good enough for batsmen to see fast bowling will not be good enough for slow bowling, and play will be suspended. It is not yet settled with the Australian authorities whether the umpires shall have the sole right to stop or continue play in test matches, though the hope has been expresed that they will agree that this is a far better permitting captains to appeal against the light—sometimes with irritating frequency, as was done in Australia last year. /