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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 12, Issue 4 (July 1, 1937)

Panorama of the Playground — The Springboks' Visit

page 60

Panorama of the Playground
The Springboks' Visit
.

For The next few months the principal topic of conversation in New Zealand is going to be Rugby Football! The Springbok footballers have been going great guns in Australia and should arrive in New Zealand in tip-top condition to try conclusions with the pick of this land. It is sixteen years since a Springbok combination played in New Zealand and a new generation of players and public will give the visitors a hearty welcome.

Sixteen years! What a change has taken place at Athletic Park since that wet day of September 17, 1921. It is a day which has been set aside as a gauge for other wet days. “Reminds me of the day New Zealand played the Springboks” declares a passenger on the platform as a howling gale and torrential rain sweeps the countryside. “No, it's not as bad as that,” replies another.

Athletic Park has been improved beyond recognition since that memorable scoreless game, but it will not be too large to hold the crowd of enthusiasts. Despite the radio descriptions which will be given it is not likely that a repetition of the vile weather conditions will materially affect the attendance. A true New Zealander, living within one hundred miles of Wellington, would be everlastingly shamed had he to admit that he did not see the Springboks play against New Zealand!

Adequate accommodation will be available for fifty thousand spectators of which five thousand will be housed in the main stand. In 1921 the accommodation in the stand was limited to less than two thousand! Subsequent to that great game the bank was terraced and spectators on the side facing the stand have a wonderful uninterrupted view of the game. Eden Park, Auckland, will hold sixty thousand spectators!

The transport of the many thousands of visitors to the test matches will be in the capable hands of the Railways, and with many fine performances to its credit, the Railways will not be found wanting in carrying out its share of the task of bringing the football matches close to the public! Distance is devoured and Athletic Park is only a few hours away from Auckland when the train starts puffing by.

For the benefit of readers, the New Zealand team for the “scoreless” test of 1921 is reprinted. What a galaxy of talent.

Full-back: C. N. Kingston (Taranaki): Threequarters, S. K. Siddells (Wellington), M. F. Nicholls (Wellington), J. Steel (West Coast); Five eighths: W. R. Fea (Otago), K. Ifwersen (Auckland); Half-back: E. J. Roberts (Wellington) captain; Wingforward: E. A. Bellis (Wanganui); Forwards: W. D. Duncan (Otago), R. Fogarty (Taranaki), J. E. Moffitt (Wellington), J. Richardson (Otago), A. H. West (Taranaki), C. Fletcher (Auckland), A. L. McLean (Bay of Plenty).

New Zealand Boxer in America.

Maurice Strickland, former heavyweight boxing champion of New Zealand, is getting columns of publicity in the New York Press and it is publicity of the right kind—even if they make him talk with the mannerisms of a Cockney. His skill as a boxer, as distinct from his ability as a fighter, has been paraded as a virtue which American boxers might well assimilate. He has brought back into the limelight the effectiveness of the straight left—a punch that is traditional to British boxers. His ability to take it without going down has resulted in Strickland's name becoming associated with that of Tom Heeney, the “Hard Rock from Down Under.” Thanks to Heeney, Lovelock, and now Strickland, New Zealand has a high sporting reputation in America. “Why don't they
(Photo., Hugh Bennett.) The Auckland-Opua express near Morningside, North Island, New Zealand.

(Photo., Hugh Bennett.)
The Auckland-Opua express near Morningside, North Island, New Zealand.

keep their boxers in New Zealand instead of sending them over here to show up our home-grown specimens?” asked one New York columnist! New Zealanders take pride in the reputation that their representatives have made for sportsmanship in other countries and it is pleasing to note that the latest recruit to American ring sport is upholding that reputation.

Soccer in New Zealand.

The English Soccer team has been having more or less a picnic tour through New Zealand, but it is a tour which must result in some good, not to be noticed perhaps for a season or two. New Zealanders are quick to learn and the young New Zealand players, having seen some of England's best exponents in play, will soon be putting into action all the “headwork” and footwork so ably demonstrated by the visitors. It was never claimed that the standard of Soccer football in New Zealand was high and the results of the various matches have not come as a surprise. But if the New Zealand standard does not improve during the next two seasons that will be a surprise!

The “Reinstated” Athlete Problem.

The problem of the reinstated athlete is one full of bother for the administrators of amateur sport in New Zealand. For some reason or another the rules of the British Empire Games Association provide for an absolute ban on athletes who have formerly competed for cash prizes and in a country such as New Zealand, where amateur clubs were few and far between until recent years, the rules inflict an unnecessary hardship. Steps have been taken to have the case of the “reinstated” men presented at the conference to be held during the progress of the Empire Games in Sydney next year but, at the time of writing, no finality had been reached. A large percentage of New Zealand's track and field champions for the present year had previously competed for cash and in every instance the page 61 competitors resided, at the time of earlier competition, in a district in which amateur athletic clubs were conspicuous by their absence. These men will not be eligible to compete at the great Empire gathering in 1938 but it is their earnest desire that the rules be amended to obviate any undue hardship on “reinstated” men in future years.

Australian Women's Cricket Team.

The Australian Women's Cricket team continues to win with regularity in England where a tour is being conducted through most of the counties. Members of the touring team were asked to pay most of the travelling expenses but will be partly reimbursed by the profits from the various matches. Considerable interest is being shown in England and Press reports give as much space to the doings of the team as to the activities of the New Zealand Cricket team. The tour is taken seriously by the players who see in it possibilities rivalling that of the men's matches.

Visit of English Women's Hockey Team.

Within the short space of twelve months New Zealand is to receive a tour by an English Women's Hockey team. Not since 1913–14 has New Zealand been honoured by such a visit and those who saw the tourist in action in the days immediately prior to the outbreak of the Great War will have happy recollections. That tour did much to establish the stick game in New Zealand. Perhaps it was because the tourists gave such a bright display, perhaps it was because the team did not go through without defeat; whatever it was, it brought about the desired result and women's hockey flourished. The game to-day, is recovering from the setback it received when basketball swept into popularity but there is room for both games; and sufficient players, too. New Zealand sent a team to Australia last year and the performances of that team lend credence to the belief that our women hockey players are second to none.

New Sportsmen for Wellington.

Wellington—Suprema a Situ—is to receive the benefit of its central position in New Zealand by securing the presence of a large number of young athletes who have linked up for training as policemen. From far and near they have been sent to Wellington to undergo searching training and as most of them are big, husky lads with more than average sporting records the Capital City will reap the benefit. There is already talk of a Police Sports Club being formed. In the past, New Zealand has had some wonderful athletes from among the ranks of the police. To mention but a few: Peter Munro, holder of 29 New Zealand and 5 Australian and New Zealand athletic championships; Jack M'Holm, holder of 12 New Zealand and 3 Australian and New Zealand athletic championships; E. G. Sutherland, holder of 13 New Zealand and sundry South African and Scottish athletic championships. Football, cricket, swimming, and athletic clubs in Wellington have been strengthened by the influx of the young policemen of to-morrow.