SPORT

Radio Record, Volume XII, Issue 24, 25 November 1938, Page 18

SPORT

by

S. V.

McEwen

E erowned heads of golf were put to rout at the annual national championship tournament held last week in Dunedin. There have not been so many upsets and surprises for years, but that never does any harm. On the other hand, it is all for the good of any game that the honours g0 around and are not monopolised. The South African professional, Eocke, who celebrated his twentyfirst birthday at the week-end, was expected to win the Open championship, and did so with a margin of three strokes. Anyone who can break a lance successfully with Henry Cotitonand that is what Locke did in the last Irish Open championshipshould be capable of winning our Open, Locke plays with that ease and confidence which are born of travel and consistent play against the best class. He is an accomplished whot-maker, and is not unnerved by big occasions. 1 think the best effort in the last round of the Open was A. J. Shaw's bid to overhaul B. J. Smith’s lead of six strokes, and Locke’s lead of five. Shaw

Top-Notcher

turned in a 77 in the third round, the worst he has done for a long time; but immediately afterwards fought hack with a finished round of two under fours. This is the true test of a class golfer. Seven times Open champion, Shaw would have taken his place in the world’s best class had he decided to travel abroad. One can sympathise with Hornabrook, the reigning Open champion, who failed even to qualify for match play in the amateur championship. He averaged 380 strokes for the four rounds which is the worst he has done since he reached the top flight of golfers. He never recovered from a bad start. Titles are usually -harder to defend than they are to win, but a player of Hornabrook’s experience was expected to do better and one can only conclude that his early failure to gain touch rattled him. Those who have struggled

co master the game can appreciate just how things can go wrong if the mental approach is at cross purposes.

Not So Easy

READER has written in asking why the broadcasting authorities do not broadcast degeviptions of important golf matches, especially when such players as Locke visit New Zealand. The National Broadcasting Service has broadcast important golf matches in former years, but it is not a very satisfactory busimess as there are numerous technical difficulties to be overcome. I can speak on this point from personal experience, for one of the most trying relays I ever undertook was a commentary on the test match between the British and New Zealand women’s teams at Miramar a few years ago. The portable transmitter, which has to be carried around in the wake of the announcer, is very heavy, and as the broadcasting troupe is thus less mobile than the gallery, a clear view of all that is taking place is not obtainable. When a green is completely encircled by spectators, one has to use one’s imagination and endeavour to read the reactions of the crowd while the sompetitors are putting, for a clear vision of the proceedings is impossible. These are merely the difficulties encountered by the announcer. Technical obstacles also have to be overcome and golf relays have seldom given complete satisfac-. tion. 3 No doubt the advances made in the science of radio broadcasting will improve the position in time, but at present such broadcasts are unsatisfactory from all points of view.

A New Record

TROTTING history was made in New Zealand a few days ago when _ the Australian pacer, Lawn Derby, became the first standard-bred horse under the Southern Cross to pace a mile in two minutes or better. With the aid of a pacemaker, Lawn Derby, driven by his. veteran trainer W. J. O’Shea, covered a mile from a flying start in 1.59 2-5. America, the home of the trotting horse, sets its standard for the mile at 2.00, but until November 1938, no preeder in the Southern. Hemisphere was able to produce a horse that could go even time. The nearest we ever got to it was 2.00 2-5 which Indianapolis returned in a time test at the New Zealand Cup meeting in 1936, The thirty-five year period since Ribbonwood siartled the light harness world by pacing a mile in 2.09 at Addington in 1903, has seen many changes in the trotting sport. Breeding methods have improved, and the best winning sirains in America have beer

drawn upon to graft on to our Own stout colonial families. Ribbonwood’s record stood for eight years until King Cole paced 2.08 3-5 at Addington in 1911. This time was equalled the following year at Forbury Park by Emmeline. Three years later, in 1915, Country Belle brought the time down to 2.07 1-5 at Addington. In 1916, Adelaide Direct further reduced the record to 2.06 25 at Epsom, Auckland, and the next year Our ‘Thorpe knocked one-fifth of a second off that time at Addington. In 1920, Author Dillon, who had won the New Zealand Cup two years previously, recorded 2.06, also at Addington. Then ‘came the fine Australian Happy Voyage who in 1923 paced a mile in 2.04 1-5 on the grass track at New Brighton, and later returned. the same figures on the grass circuit at Epsom. In November of the following year, Acron won the Free-for-All

at Addington in 2.08 8-5 and this ‘time stood as a ‘record for 10 years until the ‘Australian, Auburn Lad, whom Ww. McKay brought over at : he same time as . Walla Walla for @ series of races ‘with Harold : Logan, reduced the mile figures to 2.02 2-5 in a specially arranged time trial at Addington.

nov however, until Indianapolis paced a mile in 2.01 2-5 at Addington in 1985 that we felt that the twominute mile was really within the compass of New 4Zecalarmd-bred horses. The following year, when trained on a stayer’s preparation with the object of wianing the New Zealand Cup of two miles, Indianapolis failed only by two-fifths of a second to become the first two-minute pacer South of the Equator. Conditions were not quite ideal on the day, the horse having to come his last furlong against a stiff wind. The merit in Lawn Derby’s performance in establishing the new record is that he paces completely free of any of the artificial aids to speed and gait which the hoppled pacer usually has. The world’s pacing record for a mile is 1.55, established in America last September by Billy Direct.

The Silly Season

-Q@INCE the New Zealand geld7 ing Catalogue stole a march on the Melbourne Cup field, the _ majority of writers in the Ausitralian sporting Press have

done everything except give the horse and his vider credit for winning this greatest of all Southern ‘Hemisphere handicaps. Victory of an outsider is seldom popular with anyone but the bookmakers. The saving ‘of faces with lame excuses is a quaint old

custom; but the fact remains that Catalogue won and, whatever is said to belittle him on account of his age and appearance will not detract from the merit of his victory. We had a similar instance in the Dominion a few years ago when a moderate mare named Steeton won the New Zealand Cup. Steeton was

yidden by W. Jenkins, a little known rider at the time. None of the field wanted to make the pace, and for the first mile they merely dawdled. Steeton dashed to the front and stayed there, creating one of the biggest surprises in the history of the race. A similar happening

assisted Catalogue to Win this year’s Melbourne Cup. In the light of subsequent events, it appears that Bourbon might have won the Cup had the pace been on all the way; but who can say with any degree of certainty that Catalogue would not have won in any case? Racing performances are governed by weight and class. Catalogue was one of our best class horses in New Zealand up to a mile and a half, and throughout the past year was asked to carry 9.0 and more in almost every race he contested excepting the Wellington Cup when the handicapper, apparently regarding him as a non-stayer, let him in with 8.3 and had he been better ridden he would have beaten Padishah instead of finishing second. He won the Winter Cup, of one

mile, with 9.10, being the only horse ever to win the race twice. A drop in weight to 8.4 in the Melbourne Cup made him a dangerous horse. It is remarkable what good class horses ean do when a little weight is taken off their backs, a further strik‘ing illustration of this fact being Arctic King’s success in the New Zealand Cup.