Other formats

    Adobe Portable Document Format file (facsimile images)   TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington, N.Z. Vol. 1, No. 4 March 30, 1938

Sport

page 4

Sport

Tournament Approaching

Tournament is less than three weeks off. Already the tennis and basketball teams have been chosen and in our next issue we hope to be able to publish the personnel of the other five teams and to compare our prospects in each sport with those of Auckland, Canterbury and Otago. While Tournament is a stimulating experience for the personality and a time to cement friendships and enjoy oneself to the full, it is primarily a meeting of sportsmen held for the purpose of ascertaining at which College the standard of sport is highest. It therefore behoves every representative to regard Tournament from that angle chiefly and to leave no stone unturned in his endeavour to fit himself in every way for the stern contests to come. In short, Tournament representatives, concentrate your mental and physical powers on the problem, not of doing well in your event, but of Winning it.

A Strong Tennis Team

The tennis team is as follows:-

Mens Singles:

1.B. M. O'Connor
2.F. H. Renouf

Womens Singles:

1.F. E. MacLean
2.L. Mete Kingi

Men's Doubles:

1.N. A. Morrison and H. J. Hartley
2.B. M. O'Connor and F. H. Renouf

Womens Doubles:

1.K. Pears and L. Mete Kingl
2.P. M. P. Edwards and M. L. Fletcher

Combindes Doubles:

1.N. A. Morrison and Miss F. K. MacLean
2.H. J. Hartley and Miss P. M. P. Edwards.

Requested by "Salient" to review the players, "Forehand," well-known tennis critic for "The Dominion," comments:—

N. A. Morrison's chief fault is carelessness, or more probably lack of concentration. His strokes are well produced and his knowledge of the game sound. He is often in too great a hurry to win the point and takes the net too often on the wrong ball. His are [unclear: volleying] and smashing are most uneven sometimes excellent but most often uncertain. His doubles play is greatly superior to his similes play.

B. M. O'Connor is a very keen player who does his best at all times. He has improved in his game considerably in the last two seasons. He produces his strokes freely and easily and with rhythm, and uses the court well: his service is well placed. When playing he keeps his mind always on the game.

F. H. Remout has the makings of the best player it ill the, Varsity team. He has splendid ideas on the game. He shows that he knows the right stroke to play in particular circumstances, and he goes always for the lines. But his strokes are too laboured, too stiffly produced. He serves far too many double faults. With his height and reach and general build, combined with free and easy hitting, he would develop into an outstanding player, for he has a wide variety of strokes, and an excellent knowledge of the tactics to be employed against a particular opponent.

H. J. Hartley is the Bitsy Grant of the team in build, and emulates that worthy in activity. There is no slacking with Hartley on the court. He is a real trier from first to last. He makes innumerable retrieves because of the speed with which he gets about the court, and he hits a hard ball, particularly in smashing. He strives to play the all-court game. Although he is too often caught about mid-court for effective volleying. His service is [unclear: well] placed and calculated to make the opponent move to [unclear: take in]. He plays his strokes correctly, with due regard to footwork.

Miss Ellzabeth MacLean has game so well founded that considerable improvement is possible with more practice. She hits accurately and her footwork and court position are good. She is prone, at times, to hold her racquet too loosely, and this makes for slovenly hitting. Attention to this point alone would improve her game. She is not afraid to play for the lines.

Miss Lorna Mete Kingi has a free style but she is rather careless. She is inclined to hold her racquet too loosely and is too slow in starting after the ball. However, there is no reason why, provided she sharpens up her game in these respects, site should not develop to senior standard.

Miss Pat Edwards is very quick about the court, but her game is not aggressive enough. She is more inclined to hit down court rather than risk the side-lines. She, too, could very well learn to keep a firmer grip on her racquet, and play the ball with a locked wrist. She is inclined, too—and it is a very common fault-to let the ball fall too low before hitting it. She should have her weight going forward into the ball, especially on the backhand. This is a criticism that could he applied to all the women players in the team-there is too much playing off the back foot.

Miss Kathleen Pears plays the most studied game of the team. She strives to play all her strokes in the correct manner, and to a large extent, succeeds she is a very determined player who never gives in until the last point is played. She places the ball well and is not afraid to take the net to volley.

Miss Marie Fletcher, I have not seen in action.

Tennis Finals

Once again an attempt to dethrone Ferkins at Singles Champion has failed. Renouf played well but the older [unclear: yau] knew too much about the game. He exploited a weakness in Renouf's backhand and held his own service throughout. Renouf gave the finest display of powerful forehand driving seen on the courts for some time, Had he not nervously lost his opening service of the match, he might have won the first set, as he had no difficulty in winning the rest of his service games in that set. In the second set he missed with his first ball too much and Perkins was able to capture his service for vital games. The splendid retrieving powers of the New Zealand Doubles champion were again much in evidence, and his service if not so fast, was better placed than his opponent's Ferkins won 6-4. 6-2.

Miss F. F. Maclean v.

Miss K. Pears.

It was fitting that Elizabeth MacLean should win the Singles title, for she has been the Club's outstanding woman player this season. In defeating Kathleen Pears 9-7. 6-4. she did not play quite so well as usual; certainly not so well as she has been playing lately at Miramar. But Kathleen Pears played coolly and well, placed her shots to advantage, and fully tested her more forceful opponent.

—L.B.S.

Men's Hockey

Of most interest at the annual meeting last week was the suggestion made that the Club apply for the use of a ground on Kelbura Park. That is something for which the Club should strive, for with Kelburn Park as a home ground, the standard of hockey at Varsity would undoubtedly improve.

Officers:—
  • Club Captain: F. L. Newcomb.
  • Secretary: F. H. Walker.
  • Treasurer: A. J. Mcintosh.
  • Committee: L. B. Sandford, D. E. Good, A. Dixon.

Shooting

Rain showers spoilt conditions for shooting when practices for the Haslam Shield mulches were continued last week, targets at 600 yards being hard to see. The wind, too, was troublesome, and at one time the riflemen had to aim on the outside edge of the target. Some good scores, however, were registered three men scoring 30 out of 35.

Too much importance can be attached to application shooting in the match. Most members agree that a competitor's score is good or bad in the match according to whether he does well or badly at snap and rapid firing, since the possible for these two combined is 100 points compared with the possible for application of 75 points.

The Club will have spent four days on the range before the Tournament team is picked on 2nd April. In that time members should be able to show just what they are worth.

Basketball Tournament Team

The following are the names of the girls who will represent V.U.C. at Tournament this year.—

Forwards:

  • Erice Overton
  • Joy Osborn
  • June Withers

Centers:

  • Nora McLean
  • Pixie Higgin
  • Rosamond Drummond

Defence:

  • Marie Walker
  • Sylvia Hefford
  • Joan Bythell

Emergences:

  • Nancy Pullen
  • Grace Kniveton.

The team is having regular Saturday morning practices and the combination is good and is steadily improving. The understanding between the thirds is good, the ball coming out from the defense especially.

Athletics

The Athletic Club, though it has not shown outstandingly in outside competition, has had a fair amount of success this season. Club meetings are held every Monday night at 5.30 p.m. on Kelburn Park, but the big day of the year will be inter-faculty on Saturday. April 2nd.

This year's meeting should bring forth form of a higher standard than that of last year, especially in the sprints. There are a number of really good sprinters keen to make the Tournament team. C. V. Adams, Provincial too yds. Junior Champion in a time equaling that of the senior final), H. G. Bowyer, present V.U.C. Title holder, E. H. Miller, A. H. Gorring and P. M. Taylor are all capable of fast times. J. P. Eastwood, who performed well at the Wellington Provincial Championships and also ran for Wellington at the New Zealand Championships in Christchurch, and J. Sutherland. Provincial 100 yds. title-holder, can both be expected to make things hot. It is no easy matter to pick winners.

The sprints, however, will not capture all the limelight. Rumors have come through of M. H. Oram surprising even himself with the remarkable time of 1 min. 55 secs, for the 880 yds. at a recent meeting in Palmerston. This is barely outside the N.Z.U. record.

In the distances Appear, Scrymgeour and Congalton should perform well, while Irving impresses most for the hurdles.

The standard of all the field events is poor. There must be plenty of chaps at V.U.C. capable of good jumps or throws. Inter faculty is your opportunity to come forward and lose your shyness.

Freshers take not, too, that your participation will be especially welcome. There are special races for Freshers only, but let not this deter you from entering other events as well.

Tramping Club

The Annual General Meeting of the V.U.C. Tramping Club will be held on Thursday next, the 31st March.

The formal business-the election of officers, the reading of the annual report and balance sheet. will be followed by a talk by Mr. J. D. Pascoe, on "Mountaineering" In the Southern Alps." This talk will be illustrated by lantern slides, and everyone interested in tramping is urged to attend.

Cricket

If the seniors lose to Karorl in the match now in progress they will occupy bottom position. They are in a fair position and steady butting should pull them through to a first innings win. McMillan is 41 not out and Harpur who is having his most successful season since he came to Wellington, is out for 48.