Cricket

The 29th had not been in Fiji long before cricket started off quietly with inter-platoon and company games. Many closly contested matches were enjoyed on the pretty little ground at Namaka, where a concrete pitch played very well. Many of the players showed good form and when a game was arranged against a local Nandi representative side it was difficult to pick a battalion team. After much debating the following were chosen:—P. E. Whitelaw (captain), A. D. Fullerton-Smith, F. Newton, J. W. Thorpe, R. W. Loader, H. G. Gillespie, G. N. Lockett, M. J. Dempsey, L. E. Sproule, C. L. Randall and S. H. Naismith. Thanks to a fine innings by the Fijian captain the Nandi team won on the first innings. It is some comfort to record that Nandi had one of the strongest district teams in Fiji and has since proved a thorn in the side of succeeding army and air force elevens.

After about two months of cricket at Namaka the unit moved to the Suva side of the island. Here most of the games were played on Albert Park, in Suva. This was a beautiful ground, near to the sea and surrounded by palms. The pitches were good, consisting of turf covered by matting, and for the benefit of anyone who made a 'duck' the Grand Pacific Hotel was just across the road. In these page 78well-nigh perfect conditions two army teams played each Saturday in the local Henry Luke Cup competition, which produced play of about the same standard as the senior 'B' grade in New Zealand. Many of the 29th were included in these army elevens, Paul Whitelaw being the skipper of the 'A' side which finished well up in the competition, The 'B' team, captained by Stuart Naismith, kept losing players to the other eleven and had its ups and downs. Battalion batsmen to be in the runs during the season were Whitelaw, Thorpe, A. W. Scholium, R. F. White, Loader and Fullerton-Smith. The highest individual score registered in competition games was 88, the result of a fine innings by Ron Loader, Newton bowled well to finish with an average for the season of 7.25, and Randall met with much success as a fast bowler. Useful change was provided by Lockett, Loader and Thorpe.

Organised inter-company games were held each Wednesday afternoon. In those days headquarters company, with Loader, Newton, Fullerton-Smith, A. J. Milne, Dempsey and L. T. G. Booth, proved a hard side to beat. However, A company managed it on one occasion and finished second to the 'specialists' in the competition. Consistent players for A company were Whitelaw, Lockett, White, Allan Scholium (later wounded on Mono Island) P. E. Holman, R. A. Stubbing and Naismith. Players who gave good service to the other sides were:— B company: Gillespie, L. W. Forbes, Randall, R. F. Gaskin and C. W. Jemison; C company: Thorpe, Sproule, Richardson; D company: L. D. Bell and Turner. Batting lists were continually changed and everyone had a turn with the ball. Whenever possible games were played against sides from visiting warships. On returning to New Zealand the men were more concerned with procuring winter woollies from Sam Slyfield than playing cricket, and it was only during the last few weeks at Karapiro that some company games were played.

The game appeared unknown to the inhabitants of New Caledonia, and in the first period on the island few areas were found sufficiently free from niaoulis to make matches worth while. This did not stop men like Ron Loader, 'Happy' White and Allan Scholium from organising company and platoon games on a couple of rough pitches at Ouameni. When the battalion returned from Mono, however, cricket once more came into its own on the wide playing areas at Bourail. The 29th side was very strong and made short page 79work of all other teams from the 8th Brigade. Bowling honours went to Newton and Sproule, while the most successful of a strong batting eleven were Stubbing, Richardson and Rough, each of whom got a century.