THE SPORTSMAN'S LOG

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 973, 16 May 1930, Page 7

THE SPORTSMAN'S LOG

Golfer Kills Bird In driving oft' from the last hole at Mount Osmond (Adelaide > links on \ recent Saturday, J. F. Williams hit a, sparrow, and the bird was killed instantly. It was just as well for Tommy Donovan that there was an official referee for his fight with Pete Sarron in Dunedin. Without the referee’s decision, the radio and • newspaper reports would have suggested that Sarron had won. Disqualified for Life A water polo goalkeeper in Sydney, une J. Callaghan, of the Pyrmont Club, has been disqualified for life by the Xew South Wales Water Polo Association. At the end of a recent match between Sydney and Pyrmont Cailaghan pushed the fully-clothed referee into the water. British Rugby team is to wear dark blue jerseys. Many New Zealand enthusiasts will be hoping that the visitors have good blue fits.

Squaring the Account The French Rugby team picked the •wrong team to try its rough play on when it met "Wales. The Welshmen had had some practice at meeting that ,-ort of thing. English reports of the recent match between Ireland and Wales, at Swansea, state that early in the game some Irish players started ir, prove that the Irish fighter is a 'broth of a boy” without equal in any rough-and-tumble. Fists were flying wnd feet were swinging. The “mild” Welsh noted these things with pained surprise! But eventually the Irish T ore pained physically, and perhaps in the end “honours” were easy.

Difficult Wo quote, without alteration, portion of a report of a weekly harrier run which was handed in to us this week: "A feature of the run was a meeting with a large man with a large pitchfork, who made several pointed remarks. However, as most harriers are men of resource. this difficulty was speedily overcome.” Had we been with those harriers we would not have stayed long enough to take the point.

Austin Gives Up A sensation was caused recently in the English hard-courts tennis championships at Bournemouth, when E. C. Peters, a former Oxford Blue, who recently beat W. T. Tilden on the Riviera, defeated the holder of the title (H. W. Austin). 6—2, 6—3, 6—o. Peters cleverly played up soft stuff which Austin continually netted or drove out of the court. At the end of the second set Austin put on a sweater and overcoat, ; nd apparently had decided to retire, but he changed his mind and resumed. Apparently he did not try in the third set, in which he barely scored a. point. Austin said: “I feel that I have had too much tennis lately.” This probably explains Austin’s omission from England’s team for the Davis Cup matches.

Sunday Bowls Barred , v,; V ‘o ot f° n H ,at the bowling green be • pened for play on Sundays was rejected by the members of the Oldham vEngland) Cricket, Tennis and Bowlmg dub, at a special meeting. The motion in favour, which was carried py a small majority at the annual meeting last month, excited a great deal of controversy, and resulted in a general meeting being called.

Remarks on the Mark ! pJj,'. 0 . decision of the New Zealand ’ ~s Jj Lruon, that a fair catch can be f, 1 i,^ ed only when the player claiming I U lias both feet on the ground, does not meet with the approval of Presiaent Harry Harris, of the Otago Rugby Onion. Harry Harris recalls that, jvnen he was managing the Maori team in England and France in 1926i .’ custom was to allow the mark even the hall was taken in the air, I 5? a ‘ s the taker “dug in” immeI , ly on regaining terra firm a. Strike ! feays Harry, T call that a narK. why can’t the poor chap get a mark when he catches it fair while T ,e * u *\ ln a h'? It’s all nonsense. I beg to remark!”

Don Kirkham ~.T h® death occurred at St. Arnaud (Victoria) recently of Don Kirkham. at the ago of 44 years. Twenty years ago Kirkham was one of the greatest Jong cistance riders in Australia. He \\as the Australasian road champion tor some yeans. In competitive events he made many records, and when at his best was classed as one of the greatest cyclists in the world.

Not So Profitable In spite of a wonderfully fine day, excellent arrangements, good publicity work and a contest worthy of it all, the big fight at Dunedin between j ommy Donovan and Pete Sarron will not net the Otago Boxing Association a fortune. The expenses were heavy. The boxers divided £7OO between them an d, on top of this, were the percentage of the stadium people, the advertising, gatemen and other ground expenses, and the many other incidentals, not forgetting the Government tax, which came to £ 111-odd. The gate takings are said to have been £1,318.

Women at Bowls Perhaps it was curiosity, and not a coincidence, that a very large crowd gathered at the City green in Sydney recently, to witness the spectacle of women playing bowls for the first time in the history of the College Street club. The mere men stood four deep, and sat around, filling every available seat, whispering, criticising and occasionally applauding the efforts of the fairer sex. One well-known trundler was explicit. Said he: “I won’t have ’em at any price! It’s the only thing left to a poor devil of a man when he can get away from the skirts of his womenfolk, and spend a few hours among his male friends.” That milady can howl an honest wood there can be no doubt, but, of course she lacks the variety of the man trundler. and has not the power. Neither has she the freedom of action owing to fashion’s encumbrances.

No Hockey Tour An arrangement was made recently for a Sydney University hockey team to tour the Dominion during the present season, hut the proposal has now fallen through. In order that the selection of a New Zealand universities’ team may not be abandoned it lias been decided that the team shall play a Wellington representative 11 at the Basin Reserve on King’s Birthday, June 3, in the morning, this being the day on which Wellington will play the British Rugby team.