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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 13, Issue 7 (October 1, 1938)

Panorama of the Playground — A Successful Australian Tour

page 61

Panorama of the Playground
A Successful Australian Tour

Although Association Football is not permitted in many of the leading Secondary Schools in New Zealand, the Secondary Schools' team selected to represent New Zealand in Australia proved too strong for all the teams met over the other side of the Tasman Sea. The success of this team of youngsters must be heartening to the administrators of the Soccer code in New Zealand. Australia has had a higher standard of senior play than New Zealand for some seasons, but the standard of junior play obviously does not reach that of New Zealand's and when these lads grow up and take their place in senior teams New Zealand should not have any difficulty in defeating Australia in senior play. Prominent among the New Zealand team was D. Yeoman, of Wellington, who scored most of the goals. Yeoman set a record by representing Wellington in senior provincial football at the age of 15 years, and is a player of marked ability.

There is a mistaken idea held by many in New Zealand that Soccer is a game played in New Zealand by recent arrivals from Great Britain, but a survey of the players this season will show that more than 75 per cent. are New Zealanders, born and bred.

New Zealand Cross-country.
Championship.

With the holding of the New Zealand cross-country championship at New Plymouth the winter running season was brought to a conclusion after one of the most successful seasons experienced. More and more track athletes are beginning to realise the value of cross-country running as a means of retaining physical fitness, and new clubs are being formed annually by Bible Classes and Social Clubs. The spirit of comradeship that is engendered in this form of sport makes cross-country running of special value apart from the physical aspect.

Claude Weller, winner of this year's championship, equalled Billy Savidan's record by winning the title for the third year in succession, but has a long way to go to equal Savidan's other record—winner of the title on six occasions.

Savidan was expected to go close to winning the title again this year—it was in 1935 that he last won the crown—but he was not selected to represent Auckland, although he was showing form better than in past years.

Prior to the selection of the Auckland team it was announced that contenders for places in the team were to attend at the Auckland Domain for training, but Savidan did not report, so he was passed over when the team was chosen.

Scholarships in Physical Education.

Mr. A. L. Fitch, “Tony” to his friends, arrived in New Zealand a few weeks ago in readiness to resume his coaching engagement under the auspices of the Wellington and Canterbury Athletic Centres. During his holiday in the United States of America Mr. Fitch approached the authorities at the University of Southern California and was successful in securing two scholarships in Physical Education for the benefit of New Zealanders.

These scholarships will be available for a period of four years, but do not carry any financial backing. The selected students will have to make their own arrangements for travelling and boarding, but will be given every facility at the University, the most famous Physical Education University in the world. Mr. Fitch took the opportunity of attending a convocation of coaches in California and returns to New Zealand with several new ideas of athletics coaching, as well as helpful hints for the improvement of Physical Education.

Arrangements Cancelled.

New Zealanders who were looking forward to seeing their own wrestling champion, Lofty Blomfield, meeting Bronko Nagurski for the world wrestling title at an open-air match in Auckland are doomed to disappointment. When arrangements had been completed and three tickets made available for Nagurski and his party to leave from Los Angeles a cable was received intimating that Nagurski would not wrestle unless an American referee, Don McDonald, was allowed to referee the match. This ultimatum was not acceptable to the Dominion of New Zealand Wrestling Union and an offer was made to bring a neutral referee from Australia, but Nagurski's manager would not agree to this suggestion. Under the circumstances, the Wrestling Union cancelled all arrangements.

High Standard of Rugby in Fiji.

The fine standard of Rugby football in Fiji came as a distinct surprise to the Maori representatives, but the islanders showed that the natural gifts page 62 of timing and balance possessed by the Maoris were also possessed by them. The Fijian forwards proved to be a rugged pack, and although many of the players participated without boots the islanders more than matched the visitors. A suggestion that a team should be brought over from Fiji is likely to be accepted.

Track and Field Sport in Samoa.

A few weeks ago I renewed acquaintance with a former Wellingtonian now resident at Samoa, and he assured me that track and field sport is growing in popularity in that country. A suggestion that a team of New Zealand athletes would help to further increase the interest was met with approval, and on return to Samoa the ex-Wellingtonian is to take the matter up. It should not be a difficult matter to arrange a team of New Zealand athletes, each man paying his own expenses, for a short stay in Samoa. The good to be done the sport should make the visit worthwhile.

The Right Spirit.

In these days when sportsmanship is sometimes overlooked it is pleasing to record the action of the Otago Rugby Union after winning the Ranfurly Shield from the Southland Rugby Union. These unions play home and away matches every year, and when Southland intimated that it did not intend to press for the return match to be for the Ranfurly Shield but would play under those conditions if the Otago Union desired it that way, few Rugby followers anticipated the sporting action of Otago in offering to put the Shield at stake. It is history, now, how Southland went up to Otago and regained the shield, but it will be a long time before the sporting action of Otago will be forgotten. More of this spirit and less of the win-at-all-costs in sport would be appreciated.

A Sports Ground for Softball.

An important development in sport in Wellington is the granting of the Petone Oval to softball instead of cricket as has been done for many years. This important sports ground has been the headquarters of cricket in the Hutt Valley, but the popularity of softball, a game introduced in to New Zealand last summer, has made such progress that it already rivals cricket in some parts of the Dominion. Influencing the Petone Borough Council in making its decision to place the Oval at the disposal of softball was the fact that the softball authorities intended to use the ground on Saturday morning as well as the afternoon and that more than 100 players would be participating in the games instead of 22, as in cricket.