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The Spike: or, Victoria College Review, June 1904

The Third Inter = University = College Tournament — Held at Dunedin, Easter, 1904

page 11

The Third Inter = University = College Tournament

Held at Dunedin, Easter, 1904

The same old trail, and the same old tale,
But the fun as fresh as before.

My Lord, I did attend the Olympic games—
Maid Modesty forfends I tell my deeds—
But such a goodly show of fellowship,
Such turn for speed, such thews, such sleight of hand,
Such honied tongues for golden oratory,—
I trust I may bear witness to again.

Old Play

* * * *

"Hath all his ventures failed ? what, not one hit ?"

Merchant of Venice.

Sketch of academics standing in a row

AAnother Tournament is over. Two years ago the first great experiment was made in Christchurch, and the efforts of Canterbury College were last year nobly emulated by Auckland. This year the university foregathered at Dunedin and the result was no less successful. If the sky did not display its midsummer glory over the Carisbrooke ground as it did over the Auckland Domain, the track was not bad enough to spoil the races. The competition was as keen, the racing was as good, as in the previous years, and the same good feeling pervaded the gathering. This was not decreased by the efforts of its rivals to pluck a leaf from the laurels of the redoubtable Canterbury team. At Tennis, Debating, and Athletics, however, the champion. College was able to withstand all attacks and crown her past successes with a triple victory. We heartily congratulate Canterbury College on its great achievement.

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And where did Victoria College come in ? Modesty prevents us saying much on this point, besides which it appears that our candid friends and relatives have already fully discussed the situation. We would only remark that if we did win but a single championship we gave strong, if unrecorded, fight in more than one hard battle. We feel it no disgrace to fall before a Moyes, a Rice, or a Buck, and are content for the present to snatch a point here and there, if perchance we can, to keep the flag flying till we can rear a new race of champions of our own.

Victoria College Teams.

The Team which travelled to Dunedin was a very happy one. The Conservation instincts of the selectors, not to mention the necessities of the case, had contrived a combination which had fought on many a stricken field for the honour of the College—and many a time been stricken. fully half the Athletic team had fallen on Lancaster Park at the first Tournament and had once more faced disaster on the Auckland Domain. Now, inured to defeat, the veteran band faced Dunedin with grim resolve—and there cases of provisions. It was true that Miss Van Staveren considerably reduced our Tennis strength by her unavoidable absence and that Rawdon Beere thought fit to take tonsilitis just in time to prevent him leaving Wellington. It was true that H. Thompson was barred by the cares of State and a malignant star. But the talking team was all there and we felt sure that they at least would finish strong.

Many men were the foemen brave,
And College it had but few,
But we rested a hope where orators rave,
And our colours aloft we flew.
"We'll go down in Athletics, for sure," we cried,
"And in Tennis perhaps we will,
But as long as they give our debaters a chance,
Their jaws will be wagging still."

The Athletic Team, picked by selection consisting of G. F. Dixon, F. A. de la Mare and H. W. King, was as follow :
100 yds. & 220 yds. Championships T. E. Y. Seddon H. W. King . .
440 yds. Championships F. A. de la Mare G. F. Dixon H. W. King
880 yds, Championships F. A. de la Mare G. F. Dixon . .
High Jump Championships F. A. de la Mare . . . .
Long Jump Championships T. A. Seddon H. W. King . .
120 Hurdles Championships F. A. de la Mare . . . .
Putting Weight Championships F. P. Wilson . . . .
1 Mile Walk Championships A. Tudhope A.G. Quartley A. J. Thompson
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The Tennis Team was arranged as follows:
Ladies' Singles Missees A. Batham, F. G. Roberts, G. F. Cooke
Ladies' Doubles Misss A. Bathm and F. G. Roberts; Misses G. F. Cooke and E. Richardson
Men's singles G. S. Prouse, F. P. Wilson and F. A. de la Mare
Men's Doubles F. P. Wilson and F. A. de la Mare; G. S. Prouse and O. Prouse
Combined Doubles Miss A. Batham and G. S. Prouse; Miss F. G. Roberts and F. P. Wilson; Miss G. F. Cooke and F. A. de la Mare

The Debating Society elected G. Toogood and A. G. Quartley for the Debate.

G. F. Dixon was appointed Manager by the Committee of the Student's Association.

The Trip.

The Auckland Team had arrived on Wednesday, so on Thursday night both teams boarded the "Rotomahana" and did their best to make night hideous. "There was a sound of revelry by night," but soon "a hurrying to and fro," and "cheeks all pale which but an hour ago, blushed at the praise of their own loveliness." The sea we met at the heads kept us back an hour, and it became doubtful, as we steamed up the sunlit levels of Port Cooper, whether we could catch the Express. Our anxiety, however, did not stifle the cheers, which rang out as we passed the "Discovery," escorted by the "Morning, "and the "Terra Nova," making port after two years of Antarctic night. We were half—an —hour late, but the efforts of our Canterbury College friends and the courtesy of the Railway Department delayed the train till we arrived in Christchurch. It was not until we were moving southward that we discovered that we had lost our manager and were ticketless. Dixon had fallen at his post. Delayed by the obsolete. Machinery of the Lyttelton ticket office, he nevertheless ascertained that the train would not start without him. But it did. And all good that glorious summer day we mourned his loss and ate the good things his care had provided. The shades of evening had long shut in the beautiful hills of Otago page 14 when we steamed into Dunedin and awakened far-off echoes with our greeting:—

Otago, Otago! Good cheer ! Good cheer!
Otago, Otago! Good cheer ! Good cheer!
Who are, who are, who are who are, here?
We are, we are, we are, here.

We were soon scattered all over Dunedin, enjoying the hospitality of the friends of the Otage University.

Tennis

"We come to visit you, and purpose now
To lead you to the Court."

Love's Labor's Lost.

We were up betimes in the morning, and had soon gathered at the Kaituna Tennis Courts which nestle prettily amongst the hills. Much of the tennis was good, and the arrangements were very satisfactory, except that there were some unnecessary breaks in the play, noticably at lunch time. Miss Batham and G. Prouse had to scratch in the Combined in order to let Miss Batham leave by the Tuesday's Express, but this was probably unavoidable. Rice, of Centerbury College, again wrested the Men's Singles from Brown, Otago, after a finely-contested match : 7-5, 3-6, 6-4. G. Prouse succumbed to T. P. Hull (A. U. C.) in the first round. Hull played a sound game, but Prouse played without confidence. In the Ladies' singles Miss Batham won our only Championship of 1904, by defeating Miss Baldwin of Canterbury College 9-6. Miss Baldwin played a very steady game, but Miss Batham's side-line drives continually beat her. Misses Batham and Roberts and the Prouse Brothers got into the semi-finals of the Ladies' and Men's Doubles respectively.

The following table shows the results :—
Tennis Championship (Saturday and Tuesday).
Event. Winner.
Men's Singles E. D. Rice. C.C
Men's Doubles R. S. Brown and H. Bundle. O.U
Combined Doubles Miss A. Baldwin and E. D. Rice. C.C.
Ladie's Singles Miss A. Batham. V. C.
Ladies' Doubles Miss Baldwin and Barker, C. C.
Canterbury College thus carried off the honoure with three wins.
page 15

Athletics.

Let me don on my coat. Who brake the tape?
I trow the pace was merry in the strait.

Easter Monday was not an ideal day for Athletic Sports. Three were light showers of rain during the morning, and though they did not spoil the track at the Carisbrook Ground, they made it rather heavy. The competition in the 100 yds sprint and in the jumping events, which took place on the grass, were more seriously handicapped. The dull day of course spoiled the attendance of the public. Canterbury College again annexed the shield. Its team was slightly better than Otago's and thoroughly deserved the victory. The redoubtable Moyes ran the 440 yds. In 523-5th sec., and in winning the 220 yds., equalled and standard. In the relay race, he cut the 440 yds., in 511-5th sec., a very fine performance. E. G. Foster of Canterbury College, established a record in the Mile Flat. The Race was a very fine one, and was fought to a finish. Both Davie and Foster are game enough for anything . Patrick, who beat them both in the 880 yds., distinguished himself by the finish of the day, winning on apparently hopeless race in great style. O'Kane, of Otago won both hurdle events, but in the 120 yds. Event Rice, who was running level, slipped in negotiating the last fence, and fell. In the hammer throwing, G. P. Anderson, another Canterbury man, threw to such effect that he beat the standard by more than 13ft. Buck's jumping was not so good as usual, and he was closely pushed by Sellar of Canterbury, who is a very promising athlete. In the mile walk, which was not well judged, Tudhope, whose style was irreproachable, was second to Holderness, another stal wart Canterburian.

[The official results are given on page 17.]

The Debating Contest.

" I will fight with him upon this theme
Until my eyelids will no longer way"

—Hamlet.

Judges, The Very Rev. Dean Fitchett, A. Wilson, Esq, M. A. and D. M. Findlay, Esq.

No one envied the Judges their task as they left the platform of knox Hall and retired to decide which college had page 16 best discussed the proposition "That the Referendum with the Initiative be introduced into New Zealand." There was no question that the judges were right in disqualifying Otago for W. L. Burnard, owing to the sudden illness of his colleague, had to bear the whole brunt. His speech, however, was worthy of the occasion, and not so overpowering " swated " as some of the others. A. B. Chapple gave probably the best debating speech of the evening, and to his skill, Canterbury College must owe the verdict. The Auckland men spoke with great point, but their style was weak. The Judges in giving their verdict, said that one College and made the mistake of applying the more florid and poetic method of oratory to an essentially prosaic subject. Some think they referred to Victoria College. However that be we think that Victoria College ran up pretty close in the Debate and had no need to be ashamed of Quartley and Toogood. As ofr the subject under discussion we leave it to fate and the " unborn millions."

Otago University.

But this is only the skeleton of the trip. Every spare moment, and spare moments were all too few, was made interesting and enjoyable by the hospitality and attention of the students and friends of the University. The Ball on Easter Monday night an unqualified success. The Marine Excursion and Moonlight Excursion was rather spoiled by the weather and absence of moon. It was with genuine regret that we left the fair City of the South, regret mingled with satisfaction of the thought that next year we might do something to repay all the kindness we have received at the old Champions drop out. It is for the honour of the University that our performances should compare with those of outside sports and until Victoria College can put real Champions into the field-as she assuredly will-we will be content to make the pace for Auckland, Canterbury and Otago.

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