.jpg)
Salient. Official Newspaper of the Victoria University of Wellington Students Assn. Volume 40, No. 16. July 11 1977
Sport
Sport
Grant Batty retires
Well Batty has announced his retirement from International and provincial rugby. If it hadn't been for his enormous competitive spirit I am sure that he would have retired at the end of last year.
Here is a classic case of one of New Zealand's most brilliant players having to retire prematurely because he had firstly been selected to tour South Africa half fit, and still worse expected to play with a serious injury. This of course isn't the first time that this sort of thing has happened. One only needs to remember Meads playing with a broken arm and later against the British Isles leading New Zealand with the after effects of a broken back. No matter how great players are or have been a fully fit replacement will always be more effective than a semi-crippled genius.
Dick Quax
At last Dick Quax has achieved his longtime ambition — a world record in the 500m. Congratulations to Quax for surely he has had one of the most chequered athletic histories in this country.
It was justice indeed that he should break the record by just 0.1 sec. because it was by this margin that he missed out on the record last year. It is now history of course that Quax has missed out on the selection of the Australasian team to compete at the World Games later this year. How he was left out in the first place one never knows. Sure he didn't run very convincingly in New Zealand earlier this year but he had won a Silver medal at the Olympic Games and he had run the 2nd fastest time in the 5000m of alt time, but it would seem that this is sufficient to gain selection in the Australasian team. Evidently Quax has to run World records all year around to qualify for such selection. I hope Quax's new record sufficiently stuffs it up the selectors jumper.
Wimbledon
Honours to Bjorn Borg for consecutive victories at Wimbledon. Surely he must have the potential to become one of the Worlds greatest tennis players of all time.
Perhaps his greatest attribute is his coolness and his temperament to withstand the pressures of match play. Anyone else would have dissolved in the forefront of Connors Barrage in the first set. Despite admitting being desperately tired, Borg succeeded in dictating play from the 2nd set on by slowing the tempo of the game.