The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Page 55

Tuesday, October 25, 1988 54 The Sydney Morning Herald Stobt New Zealand helps to make it an All Black day for the Wallabiel washing in Ilkley and went to a local laundromat, asking if they could wash and dry it. He left the clothes in his sports bag. The clothes were returned in a somewhat faded sports bag. Apparently the laundromat decided to wash the clothes and dry them without removing them from the sports bag. number for international exchange is 155.

In his haste to get the story through, the was forgotten, and instead of being answered by a friendly British Telecom employee, a husky, dazed and surprised voice came on the line. The reporter had accidentally rung Wallaby prop Andy Mclntyre's room, interrupting his sleep. ately with a two-man line-out. Tbey would "freak out at the sheer audacity of Above all, Kirton urged Best: "For heaven's sake don't play the way England play and tie it up. Don't believe all that crap you hear in the colonies about how poor British Rugby is." They didn't, and a 21-10 London win, with the ball rushing all ways, was the result.

Yet another example of the Kiwi-Oz division. doc's magic remedy had us back on solids. The snappiest dresser so far has been fullback David Knox, showing off the latest in Italian fashions by repeatedly wearing an impressive overcoat and a cool-dude pair of shades. Even at night it is sometimes hard to get Knox to take the sunglasses off swinging like a gate. a doctor has to investigate whether the injury is valid.

While Australia continued to play with fourteen men, the doctor told Lawton to stand on the side-line for a couple of minutes and see if you get better." Replacements should be allowed to come on immediately to avoid farther injury. Rugby must be the only gas that forces injured players ttcy en the field. It is time they cam oat of the dark ages, before someone is seriously hurt. i attending the Twickenham Test, Prince Edward will be there. English royalty have always been most open with touring Australian cricket and Rugby teams, regularly offering them visits to the Palace during their London stays.

According to one of the Wallabies, there was an embarrassing moment in a past Buckingham Palace trip when a forward accidentally leant on an 18th century antique table and came close to crushing it with his weight. Hope Her Majesty's insurance policies are up to date. Even the local dogs must know that the Wallabies are the enemy. Before the England match at Sale on Saturday, an English sheepdog bounded on to the field towards the Australians' warm-up at one end of the field. While one player stretched his The Wallaby contingent have quickly discovered some of the weird English habits, particularly concerning laundry.

One of the team had a load of iMy-yX -V X. VvV -x vXvXv: could to replace JLawton vf 1 The press party following the team around Great Britain have to ring Australia to file reports in the middle of the night because of the time difference. The day before the England match, one scribe was trying to get a line to Australia at 3am London time. After dialling to get through the hotel switchboard, the 1979-82, has competed selectively since winning his last world title, but has usually appeared at Australian events. He is reluctant to confirm his retirement.

But if the Novocastrian does not perform again before the Australian surfing public it would be a sad farewell. In the seven seasons in which he competed seriously on the world tour (1976-82, Richards did not finish outside the top 10 rankings, and his effort in claiming four consecutive world titles is unlikely to be repeated. Richards has a special affinity to the giant swells of Hawaii, and his success in winning the Billabong Pro at Sunset Beach in 1985 and i'f i When in trouble always consult the doctor. The Australian team doctor, John Moulton, discovered this after he had recommended to a journalist a restaurant in Ilkley. The next morning the amiable doctor was forced to treat two of us for food poisoning from the same restaurant.

Within 24 hours the SURFiMG MICHAEL COCKERILL 1986, at a time when he was in semi-retirement, proved that he had lost little of his big-wave prowess. It is this impressive record in Hawaii which prompted the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) to provide Richards with wildcard entries into this year's Pipeline Masters and Billabong Pro. And it is his desire to live up to that reputation that has convinced him not to risk aggravating bis injury during the Australian leg of the tour. The farce in getting a replacement on the ground was exposed during the Australian-Northern Division match. Midway during the first half, Australian hooker Tom Lawton had to come off with an injured neck.

Before a replacement is allowed, "I had pulled muscles in my hip three times this year, but I really did some damage when I slipped in the driveway," he said. "I haven't been in the water for weeks, and with the standard so high on the tour these days you can't afford to compete unless you practise. "So I'm not really contest-minded at the moment. I can't see myself getting ready for the events in Australia. "I would prefer to give the injury a rest and concentrate on Hawaii.

I really want to do well there." Together with South African Shaun Tomson, Richards remains the sole survivor from the inaugural LONDON, Monday: So the secret is oat. The All Black influence has again led to the downfall of an Australian team. When the Wallabies were beaten by London Division in the opening match at Twickenham, they were the victims of the Rugby brain of London and Harlequins coach Dick Best and the ability of the local players. One week later, tbey discovered that Best had received strong New Zealand help. Best has been in contact with former All Black and another Harlequins coach, Earle Kirton, and although separated by 18, GOO km, an exorbitant telephone bill enabled them to plot the initial Wallaby demise.

Before the match, Kirton made numerous suggestions. One of them was to hit the Australians immedi BRISTOL, Monday: Queensland and Test loose-head prop Rob Lawton will have to play and prove that he is 100 per cent fit against South West Division on Wednesday, or he could be replaced on tour. Lawton has been inconvenienced by fallen arches on the Great Britain tour, and team manager and selector Andy Conway said when announcing the team this morning that the prop would have to show in the midweek game that he was still capable of playing well. It is one of those injuries that may not improve, and he has to play on Wednesday. If he can't come through, we may have to consider someone who can play both sides of the scrum," Conway said.

Conway said Lawton had been provided with special boots from Adidas, which can help overcome his flat-foot problem, which is aggravated on the soft English grounds. While Mark Hartill is expected to take the Test loose-head spot for the opening international against England, it is imperative that the squad has a reliable back-up. Lawton's progress in the three training sessions before Wednesday's game will be closely scrutinised. Possible prop replacements could include Nick Murray, Peter Kay or Dan Crowley. Conway said that Rob's elder brother and Test hooker Tom Lawton had also been troubled by a similar foot problem in the past.

The Australian selectors have also opted for yet another centre combination, with Lloyd Walker moving from five-eighth to inside centre to accompany Queensland's Richard Toombs. The selectors are still uncertain which combination will be the best for the England Test and want to try all variations in the preliminary games. Conway said that Walker's selection at inside centre was not just a stopgap move because of the hip injury to ACT centre Paul Cornish. Walker's form at five-eighth has been strongly, and at Young NZ let series drop away HARARE, Monday: Zimbabwe won their fifth one-day match against Young New Zealand today by three wickets. The victory, with 11 balls to spare, gave them the series 3-2.

Peter Rawson won the toss and put New Zealand in on an overcast day with the match reduced to 47 overs because of overnight rain. Phil Howe and Trevor Franklin got the Kiwis off to a great start, putting on 50 runs in 13 overs before Franklin was stumped off John Traicos. Mark Greatbatch (47) and all-rounder of the series Gavin Larsen (34) made sure that Zimbabwe would have to chase a big total. Eddo Brandes picked up five wickets for the second time in the Darryl Goodwin and Grant Pat-erson, who had an opening stand of 40 in 10 overs, set the pace before the best batsman of the series, David Houghton, shared a 71 -run partnership with Colin Robertson (38) and another stand of 76 with Andy Waller (38), to put the home side in sight of victory. With two wickets falling on 202 and four overs left, the Kiwis still had a good chance, but Ian Butchart survived two dropped catches to guide Zimbabwe to victory.

oiinsts have injured GREG ON THE WALLABY TOUR times unfairly, criticised by the English press, but he is a highly experienced centre, having played there at club and representative levels. Australian fullback Andrew Leeds has been forced to back up because of David Knox's broken little finger. Originally Knox, who broke his finger against Northern Division last week, was to play in this midweek game. Conway said he was confident that Knox with the benefit of his left hand being heavily strapped, would be able to play in Satur- Rob Lawton may get the boot because of foot problems. day's match against Midlands Division at Leicester.

The South West Division team is also certain to be revamped later today with Bristol and England fullback Jonathan Webb damaging cartilages in his right knee during a competition match on the weekend. Webb, a doctor, is contemplating having an operation, which could rule him out of the England Australia Test at Twickenham on November 5. Webb's expected withdrawal from the national team will be disruptive because they depend heavily on his consistent GREG GFtOYDEH9S WALLABY DIARY biceps by using the goalpost as support, the dog decided to use the same post to relieve itself. The dog then raced over to the Foster's beer sign and urinated on that. The Australians are preening themselves for a tour of Buckingham Palace and a meeting with the Queen, before next month's international against England.

Although the Queen will not be Captain and centre Simon Hal-liday (hamstring) and second-rowers John Morrison (knee) and John Hall (knee) are also in doubt for the South West Division game. Injured ACT centre Paul Cornish will be given until the Wallabies' match against the Combined England Students at Cambridge on November 1 to prove his fitness and stop yet another possible replacement being brought in to take his spot. Cornish's first venture with the Australian team has been anything but tranquil. He joined the team hobbling from the effects of a metal pin being inserted in his fractured toe. After showing great resolve to prove his fitness before the squad left Australia more than two weeks ago, Cornish thought all his frustrations would end with his first appearance against England at Sale last Saturday.

However, after only 10-min-utes, Cornish was forced from the field after aggravating his hip while enforcing a tackle. If Cornish does not improve in the next week, the Australian management are likely to call in an attacking replacement Close at hand is Test winger Ian Williams, studying at Oxford University, who has permission from the University to play for a limited period with the Wallabies. Brian Smith, also at Oxford, is another who would be considered. Smith, one of Australia's best attacking would give the team the option of playing in numerous positions as well as backing up as an extremely reliable goalkicker. Australian coach Bob Dwyer said he wanted his team to train under lights tonight in readiness for the South West Division game which starts at 7pm on Wednesday.

AUSTRALIA: Andrew Leeds, Acura Niuqila, Richard Tombs, Lloyd Walker, Paul Carozza, Stephen James, Brad Burke (vice-capt), Tim Gavin, David Carter, Jeff Miller, Rod McCall, Bill Campbell (capt), Ewen Mckenzie, Mark McBain, Rob Law-ton. Reserves: Nick Fair-Jones, Michael Cook, David Campese, Tom Lawson, Mark Hartill, Scott Gourley. Former Australian cricket captain Kirn Hughes, overlooked for Western Australia's matches against the West Indies this week, talks to HEATHER SMITH about his ambition to play again for his State, if not his country. then his form faltered and he was dropped from the WA side. But this year has been different He resigned from his job as a stockbroker last December and now works for his brother-in-law's construction company.

"After the stock market crashed things were pretty quiet and I felt it was an opportune time to leave," he said. "My wife had our fourth child in January and with three other kids, including twin boys, life is pretty hectic. "I bought into my brother-in-law's business, which has fitted in very well. I look after book keeping and other odds and ends and I also do some labouring. "Basically, the combination of working at the stock exchange, which is a pressure job, a relatively big family and top-class cricket was too much.

I had to plan things very carefully so the family doesn't miss out." Hughes lists his aims in order of priority. "I want to score plenty of runs, re-establish myself in the Paddle board in tow, Sydney iron man champion Craig Riddington bursts from the surf yesterday in a practice run for the $20,000 Foster's Classic at Bondi on November 6. The event, part of the Nutri-Grain Iron Man Grand Prix series, will feature current points leader Darren Mercer, of Wollongong, and possibly titleholder Guy Leech, if he recovers from injuries suffered in a car accident. Australia may not see Richards ride again The backs had a competition during training the other day to see who could kick a football the longest in the air. The winner was Queensland centre Michael Cook with a time of 4.64s.

season (1976) of the world tour. However, Queenslander Wayne (Rabbit) Bartholomew, who previously announced his retirement at the end of last season, is believed to be considering a reappearance ia Hawaii this year. Richards acted as team captain for his Merewether club in the recent finals of the Quiksilver Surf. League at Bondi, and although disappointed at not being able to compete, conceded that "I wasn't Richards plans to leave for Hawaii on November 20 to get in two weeks' practice in the demanding Hawaiian waves before the start of the Triple Crown season. and Dyer will be looking for a vast improvement to provide the side with the anchor they so often lacked last season.

Jones, meanwhile, added to his reputation as Australia's quickest young bowler with figures of 3-14 against NSW Country yesterday. For their part, Queensland have surprised by naming unheralded Peter Cantrell as Rob Kerr's opening partner ahead of the experienced Andrew Courtice and Trevor Barsby. The Queensland team is: Allan Border (capt), Greg Ritchie (vice-capt), Peter Cantrell, Ian Healy, Trevor Hohns, Rob Kerr, Stuart Law, Glenn Trimble, John Maguire, Craig McDermott, Mick Polzin, Dirk Taze-laar (12th man to be named). The provisional NSW Sheffield Shield team played out a tame draw with NSW Country XI in their three-day match at the Sydney Cricket Ground yesterday after setting the visitors 356 runs to win in little more than two sessions. NSW declared their second innings closed at 3-118 shortly before lunch and then failed to dislodge their obstinate opponents before close of play.

The highlight for the Shield team was fast bowler Andrew Jones's 11 -over spell in which he netted 3-14. Pm far from Hookey fails to make Shield side Four-time world professional surfing champion Mark Richards may retire without competing again in Australia after injuring his hip in a fall. Richards, 31, was to have entered at least two of the three A-rated' events scheduled for Australia in November, but his injury, caused when he slipped over on the driveway in his Newcastle home, has forced him to cancel those plans. Instead, he is concentrating his efforts on two major Hawaiian events in December the Pipeline Masters and the Billabong Pro, with the possibility that be may announce his retirement after that. Richards, world champion from finishe WA side and help WA retain the Sheffield Shield.

"During the winter I've been training hard doing two aerobics sessions a week, two weights sessions, running and paddling on my wave ski. "I still have time to play well in Australia, even at 34. There's a lot of cricket left in me and I'm very much looking forward to this season." If anything signifies how determined Hughes is, it would be his reaction when the great South African all-rounder Clive Rice approached him earlier this year to play in South Africa. "I had an invitation to go and play in South Africa on September 21 and 22," Hughes said. "It was a double-wicket competition they call it skins and there was a guaranteed 40,000 rand at the end of it plus prize money if you won.

I said no because in my efforts to get back into the WA side, going back to South Africa would not have created a good impression with the selectors." Hughes has also ruled out captaincy desires at any level not even his club Subiaco-Floreat I enjoy being a senior player and while I like to help youngsters out I'd like to let someone else captain the side. "If I get the chance to play in a Test side then of course I'll take it I've certainly got that thought in the back of my mind." Most cricketers are giving retirement serious thought when they reach their mid-30s. But Kim Hughes, 34, is not your average cricketer and he has something to prove to himself before he bows out of the public eye. Hughes still sports the halo of blond curls which, in his early days, seemed to add credence to his "golden boy" image. While the gold has lost some of its shine over the past four turbulent years Hughes's enthusiasm for cricket hasn't "I enjoy my cricket," Hughes said.

"It has been my life and I still feel as though I have things to achieve. "I haven't played well for the last four years. In my last Test appearances I had a run of zeroes against the West Indies. "I have a burning desire to go out on a high note. I'd rather people remember me for playing well in my last few years than the cricketer who scored ducks in his last Test, went to South Africa for two years and then failed for WA." Cricket fans may remember Hughes uttering similar statements at the beginning of last season.

After his tearful resignation as Australian captain in 1984, two years in South Africa and a court case to gain reinstatement in the WA side, Hughes wanted to play well in tie 1987-88 season, if only to prove he could still make runs on Australian soil. He played a few Shield games, From Page 56 Bernard acknowledged the pressure for places when he suggested that Hookey should not be discouraged by an early setback. "I think Scott's time will come this year," Bernard said. "There's a lot of guys with the credentials to play for NSW. We've got 20 guys in the squad who could do the job.

"It took a lot of deliberation to select the team. At the moment Dyson's a bloke with a good track record and we're looking for a bit of stability up top. I think we've got enough to roll them." Dyer, preparing for his first game as captain-coach, expressed similar optimism. "With the added flexibility of naming the 12th man on the morning of the match it will help us quite a bit," Dyer said. "If we're going to be a genuine chance to win this year we've got to come away with the points.

"I think if we can use the same 15 or 16 players this year we'll probably win the Shield." The Blues' chances against Queensland will rest largely on the shoulders of players such as Dyson and Jones whose places are not yet secure. Dyson managed an average of only 19.62 for NSW in 1987-88.