"Fellers of Victoria"

The delayed start of the Varsity year has resulted in the term beginning just as the various summer sports have ended or are ending their seasons. This means that winter sports clubs, having less time at their disposal, must stir themselves considerably more than usual and start now with vigorous membership campaigns. Club secretaries, remember the deathless words of the poet when addressing the "fellers of Australia": "Get a bloody move on, shift yer bloody boots."

Freshers, you will find lists pinned up on notice-boards urging you to sign your name thus indicating your willingness to play. This is "diligent canvassing." Be not deceived, gentle fresher. Sign your name, but also ferret out the secretary, inform him of your prowess in the world of sweat and then, but only then, you will find yourself actually playing in a team.

The only items of note in the past season have been the revival of the Athletics and Cricket Clubs. Last year we recorded with sorrow the death of the Athletic Club, but this season several hairy-legged ghosts in Varsity singlets have been performing miraculous feats around local tracks. So miraculous, indeed, that two Wellington championships were won by club members.

The Cricket Club late in the season stopped being gentlemen, "playing the game for the game's sake," and won their last three games, in the process defeating two of the strongest teams in the competition. This proves they are expert cricketers, because they did it without practising at all the whole season.—A. O'B.

Blues Winter Sports, 1943

• Football.—G. T. Cornick, O. J. Creed, D. Goodwin, W. P. Mataira, A. D. MacLennan, I. R. Overton, R. D. Patrick.
• Harriers.—I. C. McDowall.
• Men's Hockey.—J. Barr, A. F. Ferguson, M. B. Gunn, A. C. Ives, G. Jones, K. W. Kiddle, J. B. Nicholls, G. D. Speight, R. H. Thornton, I. Ting.

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Cricket Club

The cricket club this year has grown from two teams to five owing to the inclusion of three "Training College teams appearing in the local competitions under the club's name. Two played the second half of the season only but the other played the whole season in the second grade with moderate success.

The seniors spent the greater part of the season "fooling around." Potentially a strong batting team with steady bowlers they proved to be gloriously inconsistent except in fielding in which they were consistently shocking with about three individuals excepted. Considering this, the three most successful bowlers, Wilson, Stare and Brian, secured quite good figures for the season. The excellent work of Colquhoun as wicket-keeper was of course a great help. The team finished with a great burst by defeating Old Boys, Kilbirnie and Air Force, the first two being very strong teams. There were quite a string of batsmen with fair performances, finishing the season with not much between them on averages, but perhaps the best were de la Mare (33.25), Seator (24.2), Stringer (25.5), Wilson (23), Paetz (24.5), and Burnard (27.6). Gilbert Stringer, the captain, again played for the Wellington reps. In both games with fair success.

The second grade "A" team, like the seniors, were inconsistent, and also like the seniors were handicapped by the lack of good bowlers especially when Jack Stevens left. They had several good wins, however. The "B" team proved that despite being budding school teachers they knew nothing of the alphabet by twice helping Don Board to defeat the "A" team.

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Tennis Club

While the shortage of tennis balls has curtailed interclub tennis in the Wellington district during the present season, members of the V.U.C. tennis club have been well catered for, as the club has had sufficient balls to make them available for play on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The club courts have consequently been well patronised throughout the season.

The committee responsible for arranging the club's activities consist of the following members:—Chairman, Mr. N. G. Foley; Hon. Secretary, Mr. M. O'Connor; Hon. Treasurer, Miss N. Turner; Committee. Misses M. Beattie, D. Filmer, H. Quinnell, A. Reed and R. Turner, Messrs. M. Benge, P, Mc-Kenzie, Q. Taylor, and J. Williams.

A welcome to all Freshers will be held on Saturday, April 1st, when a Yankee tournament will be held commencing at 1.30 p.m. Freshers and others interested are invited to come along and take this opportunity of meeting their fellow students.

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Table Tennis

At the end of 1943 the V.U.C. Table Tennis Club held a strong position with 15 to 20 keen members, who did excellently in winning the C and D grades in the Wellington championships. During the vacation the club was naturally dormant, but hopes to make a good start in the first term. Remember, those competitions start in only three weeks' time. All you keen table tennis players, keep this in mind and watch for further notices.

Athletic Club

Last year the V.U.C. Athletic Club carried its usual winter hibernation over into the summer months. Allster Scott won the N.Z. Services' three-mile title, but so few V.U.C. athletes were fn Wellington that no club meetings were held. This season, however, the club rose phaenix-like from the ashes of the past.

On the Monday examinations finished a number of Weir House students groped their way to Kelburn Park for a work-out, and from then on every Monday night at 6.30 there has been an enthusiastic sports meeting on the ground. A back-breaking bit of work was done in establishing a jumping pit (the only one in Wellington available throughout the week).

The club has taken part in Wellington Central's Saturday afternoon meetings and has met with favourable success, and individual members have gone down to the Basin Reserve on Tuesday evenings. The highlight of this year's activities up to date has been the first Wellington Provincial Championships for a number of years. The club entered a small team and won the medley relay against good opposition. Bogle, Goldfinch, Richmond and McDowall could not have run better to pull off the event, despite their inexperience. McDowall attracted much attention (see our contemporaries, Sports Post and Auckland Weekly) by the way in which he defeated W. H. Nelson in both half-mile events. Varsity seconded to Air Force in these events. The real credit for the regeneration of the club must most certainly be given to the management committee.

All students, including freshers, are invited along to the Monday night handicap meetings in Kelburn Park. The inter-faculty meeting will be held on Saturday. April 1st. All students are invited to come along and enjoy themselves, and also to watch for further notices.

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Tramping

The tramping club has a floating membership of about thirty active members, the average attendance on a week-end tramp being from ten to fifteen. Week-end tramps are run every fortnight, and Sunday tramps are frequently arranged in the intervening week-ends.

Tramps vary from the simplest stooge designed for all to very strenuous trips recommended for the fit. The food is always more than satisfactory. Campfire singing is a speciality. Trips are run to the hills round Wellington—the Orongorongos and the Tararuas, or ten-day skiing trip, formerly to the Every August the club arranges a week Chateau, but now to Arthur's Pass. Every Christmas, manpower permitting, there is a climbing trip to the Southern Alps. Last year the manpower regulations made it necessary for the Christmas trip to take place in November, just after exams. The club visited the Cobb Valley in Nelson, and returned singing its praises.

The tramping club has only one fault: there are not enough women. Whether this is because women fear the exertion or because they fear that male trampers are not gentlemen it is hard to say. Their fears are unfounded on both counts. Let us hope that in 1944 the shops of Wellington will be besieged by young female Varsity, students clamouring for new boots and a pack. And where the women are there will the men be also.