Our Sports Editor, Daphney Davey, has had to resign and we feel that this is a suitable place to pay tribute to the best Sports Editor "Salient" has had for many years. In her short term of office the Sports Page has progressed beyond measure and, what is a real achievement, has helped to raise the standard of sport at VUC. Such is the standard we have to emulate, a task that we feel may well be beyond our powers.

The only events in which we rose above our rivals were in sports that do not require athletic prowess—with the possible exception of Table Tennis. Why this should be we fail to see. To say that the average physique of students at VUC falls below that of students at other colleges is arrant nonsense. To say that facilities here are worse is possibly true in a few cases, but any club with the right spirit should overcome such a minor difficulty as has been done in the past. The only valid reason that affairs should be as they are is that someone is not doing his (or her) job properly. Possibly this is due to a complex produced by our recent record at Tournament, but if this is so, it is time you snapped out of it and decided to win for once. The only way to do that is through hard work, so we suggest you forget you ever worked on the wharf and get down to it.

J. N. J.

Victoria's hopes for this year's Tournament were placed in large containers ("kegs"?) inscribed "Soccer", "Hockey", "Men's Basketball" and "Harriers", but unfortunately, as is the way with contents of such vessels, events on the day saw these sadly depleted (contents?).

Some credit, however, was earned by the reasonable placings obtained in "Fencing", "Shooting", "Skiing" and 'Table Tennis", but the effects of these indoor "athletics" was not enough to displace VUC from her traditional position at the bottom in the contest for Tournament Shield.

Dramatic News

Our congratulations to Pat Evison for the vast amount of work she put into producing "The Happy Journey from Trenton to Camden Town" by Thornton Wilder.

The valiant cast who suffered at Pat's hands were Maureen Ross-Smith. Margaret Loftus, Betty McDonald, Bill Treadwell, Polly Coleman and Toby Hall—all must have put up a good show to win by a margin of nine points.

Special credit goes to Maureen Ross-Smith for her portrayal of "Ma"—and to the Drama Club as a whole for a very sensible selection requiring the minimum of stage equipment—they kept a somewhat uneasy audience very interested indeed.

Small-Bore Shooting

Interest in this competition was maintained to the end, as at the completion of the first round VUC were only one point behind OU with CUC and MAC running close—OU, however, finally emerged winner by the comfortable margin of nine points.

Highest individual score went to B. J. Perry (VUC) with 99.6 and 99.8. He was awarded a Blue.

Those well-known artists of powder and shot, "That Man Henderson" and his hunting cub, A. T. S. Howarth, were not at their best, but each exceeded the Blues standard.

Table Tennis

AUC won.

Hollingham earned the VUC VC for his stout effort in winning the Men's Singles.

Men's Sack Race

(Delegate's sober open event) T. Howarth (VUC) returned fastest time.

Fencing

Men: AUC. 1st; VUC. 2nd.

Women: OU, 1st; AUC, 2nd.

Again Peter Hampton fenced well and received a NZU Blue. He and Eric Flaws were selected for NZU v. Auckland. Julie Burreli gained third place in the women's fencing.

Drinking Horn

W. T. "Gulp" Treadwell, VUC stalwart, received a blue for drinking.

Women's Hockey

This year a higher all-round standard prevailed, hence VUC, beaten by AU Cand OU, gained third place only.

VUC 2, MAC 1; OU 6, VUC 1; AUC (a) 3, VUC 0; VUC 3, CUC 2; VUC 3, AUC (b) 1.

Margot Spiers gained a place in the NZU team v. Auckland.

Men's Basketball

Tragedy unutterable—in this, the one winter when VUC has been used to winning—1949 saw the ball boys delegated to third place.

VUC 30, AUC 21; VUC 38, MAC 12.

A good start, you think. But—CUC 40. VUC 27; OU 28, VUC 19; spelt the end of Victoria's hopes. Sinlue Moral played well to be chosen to captain the NZU team v. Auckland—this gamew on by NZU was, as Salient last issued failed to predict, the "Find" of the Tournament—a grand game enjoyed by all. Pat Anderson and Ken Turnbull played in NZU "B" Team.

Men's Hockey

VUC secured fourth place in this event due, we are told, to the outstanding team fielded by AUC. Whatever the reason our lads succeeded in netting 8 goals and failed to stop 16 against.

Laurenson and Buxton, who played well throughout theg ames were selected for the NZU team.

Soccer

VUC third placed to AUC and OU. This was due to the usually effective VUC combination having got gummed up somewhat. VUC scored 10 goals and saw 12 goals slip by.

Ted Meuli (left wing) gained NZU selection, with Jack Walls and Ken Johnstone reserves.

Down Among The Tryers

Weekly during the winter the Men's "D" Grade Basketball team was to be seen down at the YMCA doing its damndest against all comers in this the lowest of the Wellington Basketball Association's grades.

This team was an example to many of its higher counterparts in the keenness of its members—on only one occasion did the team field a man short—and the finish of the season found VUC fourth in the top half of a grade numbering sixteen teams.

Regular members owed much to the captaincy and play of Johnny Corkill (who played himself into Tournament team), Les Corkill and George Ng whose shooting accuracy was invaluable. Bill McLeod was a solid guard while Jim Milburn and John Sheehan were two forwards who tried hard all season to get goals. F. O'Lyrne and John Wright also put in a good season.

This was one of VUC's teams which it was fun to be in and which battled bravely for the green and gold in the dim fastness of the YMCA.

We welcome contributions to this section from all captains of lower grade teams (men's or women's) in all sports.

Blues

Fencing: P. Hampton.

Shooting: J. Perky.

Drinking: W. Treadwell.

Basketball: S. Moral.