SPORTS BUDGET

Southland Times, Issue 24828, 21 August 1942, Page 6

SPORTS BUDGET

Gore Rifle Club’s Champion By ONLOOKER Well-known throughout Southland as an outstanding rifle shot, both on the field and the miniature ranges, Alan Falconer has again demonstrated his ability by winning the championship of the Gore Miniature Rifle Club for the second season in succession. His average for the season was 78.3 the possible is 80.8—and this is three points better than his performance last season, when he won the championship with an average of 78. Falconer’s form this season has been consistently good, and in the 12 shoots held by the club he scored one possible and several 79's. He has taken part in competitive shooting for a big number of years and he has had many previous successes. Rifle shooting is his main hobby, although he is also a keen angler and deerstalker. Bowlers’ Billiards Although the city bowling clubs have not carried out their usual winter social programme this year, the committee has not overlooked the billiards and snooker championships. The annual tournament will be held on September 1 and 8 in the Commercial Billiards Parlours, Don street. On the first night the first rounds of the billiards and snooker pairs will be played and on the second night the semi-finals and finals will be played. It is expected that eight clubs will be represented. Table Tennis Exponent In the Dunedin Air Training Corps is a Chinese boy from Canton, See Cheung Chin, and in the sporting contests with the Invercargill A.T.C. at Invercargill last Saturday he was revealed as the best table tennis player in the No. 5 (Dunedin) Squadron. He won five games out of six, his only defeat being sustained at the hands of R. Jans, a former North Island junior titleholder. Chin plays a stonewall type of game, but places cleverly and has an unorthodox but very effective forehand drive. Saxton Recovers Charlie Saxton, former Southland Rugby captain and half-back of the All Black team which went to Australia in 1938, whose absence from matches in which the New Zealand Tank Brigade have participated this season has been regretted, expects to play in the Brigade’s remaining engagements. An injured knee has been keeping him on the bank, but he reports that it has mended well. Busy September With such an imposing list of representative games to be played in Wellington in September, it would appear that the best of the season’s Rugby in the north is just beginning when the Southland season is ending. Here are the fixtures in September for the Wellington team:—September 5, against Auckland; September 12, against Centurions; September 19, against Tank Brigade; September 26, against Manawatu. Archery Club The Invercargill Archery Club has begun a team’s competition which is creating much interest among members. Four teams are in the competition, and last week the William Tells led the way with a score of 342; then followed King’s Archers (331), Robin Hoods (301) and the Friar Tucks (288). T. Mclntosh won the Golden Arrow badge and C. Peddle recorded a score of 208, the highest for the season. Ball-Boy Carried Off Spectators at the Army match at Rugby Park on Saturday were alarmed when they saw one of the ball-boys knocked over on the field of play and then carried off in a stretcher. The incident looked worse than it really was: the boy was unhurt, but he got an out-size in frights. He was fortunate because he appeared to get the knee of a 14-stone forward going full tilt, into his back 'as he went to get the ball for the No. 2 game. Rugby Park is becoming notorious for its “unlisted” accidents. It is not so many years ago since Mr T. Finnerty, of Bluff, got tangled up with a flag on the touch-line and was carried off with a broken leg. He was one of the touchjudges in the game. Then two years ago Lieutenant Albon, who was associated with the Burnham Army team, slipped when acting as a touch-judge and dislocated an arm. Basketball

Collegiate is now at the top of the first grade basketball competition with Rata and St. Mary’s occupying the next places. Second and third grade teams have begun their second round. By prolonging the basketball competition until the end of September an opportunity will be taken of playing together the two leading teams of the second and third grade competitions. Another reason for the extension of the season is that the representative second grade team will play Eastern at Gore on September 19. AH Blacks In The Making It was not difficult to see potential All Blacks in the ranks of the Southland and Timaru Boys’ High Schools’ Rugby teams which met at Rugby Park on Monday. Out standing among a set of good backs in the Timaru team were N. A. Bracefield, the half-back, and H. S. Galr and A. R. Marshall, the five-eighths. In the Southland team was to be found the best forward on the ground, Murray, and two wing threequarters, Fraser and Hishon, who disclosed ability much above the average. More will be heard of these boys on the Rugby field. Table Tennis

Several surprises have been registered in the Southland table tennis championships which are being decided this week. The finals and some of the semi-finals will be played tomorrow night. In the junior girls’ event the finalists are the Townsend sisters, and in the junior boys’ championship they are H. Ferns and F. Woodward. Semifinalists in the women's open singles are Miss M. McGrath, Mrs A. Henderson, Miss N. Townsend and Miss M. Waddick. In the women’s doubles the finalists are Misses McGrath and Waddick and Misses Henderson and Fems. The men’s championship events have been fined down to L. Sharman, D. Hamilton, T. Breayley and J. Marriott in the singles and Breayley and Sharman and Hamilton and Cullen in the doubles. Men’s Basketball

The standard of play in the men’s basketball matches between the Invercargill A.T.C. and the Dunedin A.T.C. on Saturday was unusually high. Because of their consistent play in the weekly basketball competitions the Kittyhawks were chosen to represent the Invercargill A.T.C. in the leading match against Dunedin A, P. D. Skelt, the captain of the Kittyhawks, was undoubtedly the outsanding player and proved himself an able leader of the team. For Dunedin J. Guy was the best player, his shooting being exceptionally accurate. C. W. Snow (Kittyhawks) showed up well with several accurate long distance baskets and S. F. Walker was the best defence player for Southland and played solidly throughout the game.