THE SPORTSMAN'S LOG

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 743, 16 August 1929, Page 7

THE SPORTSMAN'S LOG

by

"ROUSEABOUT"

Morpeth's murmur: “Oh, Nettlefold, where is thy sting?” Kent has now played in over 1,500 recorded cricket matches. The speaker, at the Canterbury Rugby Union’s social evening to referees, who spoke of shaking hands with old faces must have had his playing days in mind. Time for Golf One reason for the growing popularity of the five-day week plan for workers is that is gives employers time for their golf. * * ♦ To opponents of racing it is the Grand Irrational; to the totalisator staff it is the Grand Cashional; for the women it is a Grand Fashional: for the punter who misses on the big race it is a Grand Gnashional, and for some punters it is the Grand Smashional.

Becoming Common In June no fewer than 73 players holed in one on the golf courses of the United States. Only two of them were women. The distances ranged from 100 to 220 yards. One woman holed at 150 yards and the other, 160. Valedictory! “The year 1929 sees the end of my international tennis. I have had a

grand time, but I must hereafter write and speak of triumphs and failures in world tennis in the past tense. for I am through. X o t through with the game, but through with international competition. My future status will continue to be amateur. I have no

thought or intention of turning professional.”—William T. Tilden, famous U.S. Davis Cup tennis player, on his future. A stalwart, constable, playing in a Rugby match at Timaru recently, was forced to go through most of the second spell with only one boot. The other had been wrenched off and torn, and could not be replaced because it was a good solid No. 10. All Black Profits An approximate estimate of the All Blacks’ tour, submitted at last week’s meeting of the New South Wales Rugby Union, shows the takings in the Sydney games to have been £6.364, and from minor matches (Newcastle, etc.), £425, making a total of £6,789. Expenditure was about £3,500, so that the net profit would be in the vicinity of £3,289. Accounts of the Brisbane games had not been settled, but it was probable that Queensland would receive £3OO and New South Wales £IOO.

The Greatest Batsman Probably no one is likely to object to this description being applied to Hammond, who. already, despite the fact that he will not complete his 26th year until next month, has already done enough to achieve cricket immortality. Possibly he will be before

the public for another 20 seasons—he will not be quite so old then as Hobbs is now—and what he will have accomplished b v that time no one can suggest. The consistently splendid form he displayed in Australia is still fresh in the memory, but not every one real -

everyone reall.ses the fact that his recent 23S not out against Warwickshire was his seventh score of 200 or more in 12 months. Furthermore, during those seven long innings—two of them in Tests—he offered only one chance, and that a difficult one. It is a most remarkable record. * * * The Ashes of Hockey The hockey ashes, over which Saturday’s Australia—New Zealand match was fought, consists of the tobacco ashes collected at the dinner given after the first test in 1922, and placed in a silver tobacco pouch. It is held by the captain of the winning team, and the present holder is “Bob” Lusty who captained the last New Zealand team in Australia. U nprecedented Prior to the commencement of the 29th Challenge Cup final of the Rugby League in England, the chairman ot the council. Mr. Bred Kennedy, created a precedent by visiting the dressingrooms and appealing to the players of Dewsbury and Wigan to play the game in a sportsmanlike manner. In any previous final I do not doubt (says an English writer) that such an appeal would have been regarded in the nature of official interference, but on this occasion the general desire was that the professional Rugby code's first Wembley venture should create a favourable impression, and, at the out - set I must congratulate the victors and the vanquished on their 80 minutes of strenuous but honest effort. * * * Tennis in Schools A game which is rather regarded with disfavour in many of our schools is lawn tennis. This, I suppose, is also due to the idea that it is not a team game, says an English writer. But the curious part is that in these same schools there is genuine enthusiasm for rackets, squash rackets, and fives —all of them, by the way, very attractive sports indeed. The distinction is peculiar, and one hopes one day to see a real fallacy as regards lawn tennis completely exploded. Every game that tends in the direction of fitness, that trains the eye and encourages mental alertness and quickness of movement is a good game, and should be encouraged. And if they are I am convinced that neither cricket nor football will lose a single adherent.