Sports Commentary

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26641, 11 December 1947, Page 4

Sports Commentary

i i — By I'lie Sports Editor

Tennis Champion’s Exhibition The exhibition matches by J. E. Robson, the Otago Davis Cup lawn tennis player, last Saturday left no doubt in the minds of critics as to the benefiUhe has received from his overseas experience. Admittedly Robson at times lapsed into errors on easy returns, but these lapses were due to lack of hard match play. Most noticeable was Robson's lack of confidence in playing a high backhand. J. Paterson gave a commendable display, although he was unable to cope with Robson's net attack. Occasionally Robson unleashed a series of corner-to-corner drives which left the court wide open for his finishing volley and which gave glimpses of the brilliance which marked some of his overseas efforts. It was his volleying, played from right on the net, in which he was most markedly superior to his opponent. The Men’s Doubles match resulted in a draw at one set all. A feature of Robson’s Doubles play which caused considerable comment was his tendency to stand around the service line in volleying rallies. This was not as marked in the Men’s Doubles as in the Mixed Doubles, when he played almost constantly from that position. From his observations overseas, Robson found that many of the top men adopted that position, particularly in a Mixed Doubles match, the purpose apparently being to cover a lob over their partner’s head.

That the tactics of the champions of the past in crowding in on the net, the closer the better, on every possible occasion in their Doubles play, were vastly superior to the ideas of the present players was, perhaps, besi demonstrated by Robson himself, who. after giving a display of net level winning volleys in his Singles, in the Mixed Doubles was caught time after time at his feet, and at best was only able to play an upward and defensive return. On many occasions he failed to make any successful return at all. No amount of argufnent can refute the mathematical truth that a ball can be hit harder into the limits of an opponent’s courts from above net level than it can from below net level. Robson’s position on the service line definitely detracted from the effectiveness of his volleys.

Record Entries The record total of 72 entries has been received for the North End Rowing Club's annual regatta on Saturday afternoon on the club’s course. The Oamaru Club, whose regatta last Saturday was attended in force by the four Dunedin rowing clubs, is sending a contingent to compete at the North End fixture, and all the Dunedin clubs will be represented. The biggest entry is in the Youths’ Fours, in which nine crews will compete. There will be eight crews taking part ill both the Youths’ Pairs and the Junior Pairs. The North End Club won six races and was second in one in nine starts at Oamaru last Saturday. Below Standard

There is a good deal in the claim that class batsmen and bowlers are born rather than made, but in spite of a lack of attainments in other departments' of the game, a player can become a reliable fieldsman by. practice and with a little determinatidn. These remarks are prompted by the deplorable exhibition of catching and ground fielding seen in the game between Kai--korai and North-East Valley at Bishopscourt on Saturday, especially during the Valley’s second innirfgs. Had all the catching chances been accepted it is conceivable that the Valley side would have been dismissed for less than a three-figure total in their second innings, as H, Ottway, who was 101 not out, and C. Guy, 45 not out at stumps, should both have been back in the pavilion without much material contribution to the score. In this respect the New Zealand and Otago player, B. Sutcliffe, was one of the unluckiest players in his side, because the ball he skied to square leg was one of the few chances accepted during the afternoon. In addition, he was caught off probably the worst ball sent down* in the game, but there was some excuse for the erratic deliveries, owing to the greasy ball. The catching and the ground fielding, however, were a long way below a reasonable senior standard, and it would not be surprising if Kaikorai’s coach, A. R. Knight, does not make some attempt to bring about an appreciable improvement. Popular Rifle Range With the closing of the Pelichet Bay range, Dbnedin rifle shooting enthusiasts have had to look further, afield for their sport, and a number have joined the West Taieri Defence Club, which has a first-class range in an attractive setting in the Taieri Gorge. Already the club has almost doubled its membership, and it has been informed that other Dunedin men will be joining shortly. One of the new Dunedin members, E. Adams, who formerly shot for the Kiwi Club, was in brilliant form at the West Taieri Club’s last shoot. He had a score of 99 with a possible at 600 yards, in spite of a reduction in the size of the bull’s-eye from 18 inches to 15 inches. His last 16 counting shots were bulls. New Ten-mile Record

The national cross-country champion, W. J. Wells, who broke the 15-mile record on Tuesday, gave an excellent performance at New Plymouth to establish a new mark for 10 miles. Clipping more than a minute off the old figure, Wells covered the distance in 52min 20 l-ssec, an average of approximately smin Msec to the mile. He set a fast pace from the start, covering the first mile in 4min 53sec. He slowed down somewhat for the next mile, which occupied smin ssec, and the third mile took him smin llsec, making 15min 9sec for three miles, time which would have won many a New Zealand three-miles championship up to 20 years ago. Wells reached the halfway mark (five miles) in 25min 35sec, averaging smin 7sec to the mile, and he reduced his speed towards the end of the race to average smin 21sec for the second five miles. The world times for 10 miles have been good for many years. In 1884 W. G. George, grand distance runner who held several world records in the eighties, including one mile in 4min 18 2-ssec and two miles in 9min 17 2-ssec, recorded 51min 20sec. The next holder of the world record was Alfred Shrubb, an English athlete who, like George, was versatile, his time being 50min 40 3-ssec. Shrubb, who reduced George’s two-mile record to 9min 9 3-ssec, toured New Zealand in 1905, when he beat H. G. Burk (Otago) at Lancaster Park (Christchurch) for the three-miles championship of the Dominion. The next holder of the world 10-mile record was Paavo Nurmi, probably the greatest runner the world has ever seen, who in 1928 reduced the time to 50min 15sec. Nurmi during his career held world records for every distance froth 1500 metres to 25 miles, and no other athlete had such a number of world records and Olympic titles to his credit. The present official world record is 49min 41 3-ssec. held by Viljo I-leino (Sweden), who has a run of 49min 22 l-ssec awaiting recognition. Although a long way outside world figures, the performance by Wells will take a power of beating in New Zealand. He is training over long distances in preparation for an attempt to lower the 15-mile record.