Winter Tournament-Victoria Down But Improving

Our fencers, greatly aided by the prowess of B. H. Cato, won their contest.

Our soccer team carried shoulder-high its last-year's tradition by scoring 5½ points—a greater number than that gained by any other team from VUC. The selector of the NZU rep. team stated his conviction that had the VUC Soccer team played Auckland the next day instead of three hours after alighting from the train, VUC would have gone home with three extra points.

The golf team which boasted a champion in the form of J. D. Nash, gained us one point out of a possible four, and had Mr. Nash been able to play the final, a further two points would have been assured.

In Men's hockey Victoria tied with Otago for second place, thereby gaining Victoria three points. This was a good effort inasmuch as a large proportion of the players were selected from our B grade team. Women's hockey did not do so well, but then, having travelled to Auckland as an advance-guard of the main Tournament body, they lacked moral support

Table tennis were runners-up in their contest, but unfortunately gain no points for that honour. Men's basketball, after a series of skirmishes in the back-blocks of Avondale, returned to Wellington their heads bloody but unbowed.

To the harriers probably most credit is due. Unlike the majority of the VUC reps. who went to Auckland, the harriers began by putting in several months of serious training. They gave up smoking, drinking, and late nights. In the actual race (a gruelling course of 6¼ miles) J. C. Hawke gained third place. The remainder of the harriers did not do too well, but for the other team from VUC they did a magnificent job. Dressed in Weir House football jerseys (kindly lent for the occasion) and home-made hats they proved themselves an excellent haka-party. In this fashion, more than any other team which travelled to Auckland they succeeded admirably in providing that spirit which is as much a feature of Tournament as sport itself.

Social activities at Tournament included numerous dances, a riotous men's smoke concert, a barbecue in the College Hall when the weather prevented a trip that had been planned to Long Bay, and finally—the piece de resistance—Tournament Ball. The latter was undoubtedly the most successful function of Winter Tournament. The punch was so good that the manager of the Civic Winter Gardens (The venue of the Ball) offered its manufacturers £10 for the recipe. They were, of course, quite unable to recall

Our very sincere thanks are due to Christine Spencer, who so willingly and so ably handled Victoria's billeting problems. For Denis Griffin a separate article is really necessary. Fighting against every representative from the southern Universities Denis achieved a major triumph in his organisation of train reservations from Wellington to Auckland and back. He now knows by their christian names every toll operator between Wellington and Dunedin. He has our sincere gratitude.

In conclusion we feel that some general comment on Winter Tournament would not be out of place. We have heard complaints regarding the lack of organisation of the various social functions in Auckland. While realising that such complaints are not entirely groundless, we would point out an important aspect of this and every other social function. Given a basic minimum of organisation a Tournament is undoubtedly what you make it. In Auckland we had more than a minimum of organisation. Further, it was evident from the start that our hosts keenness at sport was equalled only by their desire to give us a good time. In short we would say that if there was any person who went to Auckland who did not enjoy himself, it was on his own head.