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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 11, Issue 11 (February 1, 1937)

Panorama of the Playground — Sport And Spectators

page 55

Panorama of the Playground
Sport And Spectators
.

The weather is hot and sultry and the wicket easy. The crowd is nearing the capacity of the ground”—cable message from Sydney on December 19, in reporting on the Second Cricket Test Match between England and Australia. “The crowd is nearing the capacity of the ground.” How happy would be cricket administrators in New Zealand if they could say the same about attendances in the Dominion!

Why is it that the average Australian is an ardent cricket enthusiast—attending in thousands—while only a very small majority of New Zealanders show more than a passing public interest in the game except at very rare intervals? That is, passing interest other than that aroused by listening-in to a rebroadcast of the Tests in Australia!

Yet in many New Zealand cities it is a common sight to see ten or twelve cricket matches in progress on the one ground every Saturday afternoon—a ground which does not seem large enough to cater for half that number of games. Over two hundred players in action on the ground, and not more than fifty spectators!

Rugby football and wrestling may rightly claim to be the two sports which regularly attract large attendances during the seasons in New Zealand. But the smallness of the numbers viewing other sports may not be altogether an indictment against the sporting attributes of New Zealanders.

It has been said that the principal objection to professionalised sport is that it is apt to breed too many spectators and not enough participants. Perhaps—and it does seem to be a logical assumption—there are too many New Zealanders busy playing at tennis, cricket, bowls, swimming and track athletics and therefore unable to watch others playing. If such is the case it is better for all concerned that it should be so.

Earl Roberts' Shooting Trophy.

One of the youngest colleges in New Zealand is St. Patrick's at Silverstream, near Wellington. This handsome structure, with its “model” golf course in the foreground, is a picturesque sight from the train or rail car on the Wairarapa line and is destined to make history for New Zealand.

Within a short time of its opening and absorption of a large section of boarders from St. Patrick's College, Wellington, it began to make a name for itself on the field of sport and for two seasons held the McEvedy Shield for the most points scored at the Wellington Secondary Schools Athletic Championship Meeting.

But greater than all or any of its sporting achievements is the honour that has recently been won by pupils of the college. “The Third Battalion, C. Company, Wellington Silverstream (St. Patrick's) College won the Earl Roberts Imperial Cadet Rifle Shooting trophy with a score of 304. Harrow were second with 288, Sydney Grammar School third with 287, Nelson and West Coast Regiment fourth with 283, Melbourne Grammar School eighth with 242, North Auckland ninth with 216.”

The paragraph quoted above appeared in the New Zealand Press on December 14 and chronicles the highest honour New Zealand Secondary School pupils may win in Inter-Empire rifle shooting.

Rifle Shooting at Trentham.

Only a few miles past Silverstream, is Trentham, the training camp for thousands of New Zealand soldiers who won fame in the Great War.

It is also the venue of the National Rifle Association's big championship meeting. If you haven't attended one of these gatherings, your sporting education has not been complete!

It may not seem to be a very exciting way of spending a day, but this writer, who went for an hour, remained for a day and will go again!

All manner of “uniforms” are worn at this great gathering and the oldest and most tattered uniform is invariably worn by a high-ranking officer! It's a soldiers' holiday and a reunion of riflemen from all over New Zealand.

Which brings about the realisation that New Zealand's representative riflemen have long enjoyed a reputation for accuracy and that shooting is on the list of events at the Olympic Games. Would it not be possible for a New Zealand team to compete at the Olympic Games at Tokyo in 1940? If the competitors who won the Earl Roberts trophy for Silverstream College were kept in view it might be possible to send a young team.

International Women's Hockey.

Reference was made in the “Railways Magazine” recently that an Australian team of women hockey players had competed with success in an international hockey tournament in America and that it was unfortunate that New Zealand women had not been given an opportunity of showing their prowess at the game.

page 56

Last year the New Zealand hockey team proved immeasurably superior to the Australian and State teams, but at the international tournament the Australians won sixteen games and lost only 3. The English team went through the tournament without defeat.

The next international tournament will be held in England in 1939. It is possible that an All-British team will tour Australia later this year. If it is possible to arrange a series of matches in New Zealand much good would be achieved. Just prior to the outbreak of the Great War, an English womens' team toured New Zealand and the writer has happy recollections of seeing the Poverty Bay team score a convincing victory over the invaders. That tour did a great deal to popularise the stick and ball game in New Zealand.

“Inter-Dominion” Wrestling.

New territory is to be broken in “inter-Dominion” sport when amateur wrestlers from Australia compete against New Zealand wrestlers in March and April. This will give New Zealand amateur wrestlers their first opportunity of testing their skill against wrestlers from overseas; but in the opinion of Anton Koolman, who himself held Australian amateur wrestling titles and is New Zealand's most successful wrestling instructor, our amateur wrestlers are right up to international class. In fact, he considers L. Nolan and R. W Hutchinson to be amongst the really great amateur wrestlers.

National Council of Sport.

The Hon. W. E. Parry, Minister of Internal Affairs, has broken new ground in his announcement of his favourable view to the formation of a “National Council of Sport.” Far-reaching though the suggestion may sound, there is room for such a council. With the general adoption of the “Five Day Week” New Zealanders, in ever-increasing numbers are seeking avenues of sport and healthy recreation. Just how the necessary facilities may be made available is a matter that will give sporting administrators much food for thought. In England there has also been a suggestion that a National Council of Sport be formed—but for a different reason! Following on England's poor showing at the Olympic Games, sporting officials came to the conclusion that only by a concerted national effort would England regain its lost athletic prestige. Since then England has defeated Australia at cricket, so the need for a National Council in England, may not be so pressing!