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The Spike: or, Victoria College Review, June 1912

The Eleventh Inter-University College Tournament

The Eleventh Inter-University College Tournament.

Held at Dunedin, Easter, 1912.

In the June edition of the Spike. 1902, appeared a report of the first University Tournament, held at Christchurch. "Honour to the Whom Honour is Due" stands as the headline of one notable paragraph, and beneath are keenly appraised the services of F. T. M. Kissel, F. C. Long, W. M. Thomson, G. F. Dixon, the representative secretaries respectively of Canterbury College, Auckland University College, Otago University, and Victoria College. Our own Sports Committee in that year comprised R. Beere, G. F. Dixon, P. S. Foley, H. H. Ostler, J. Stout, G. M. Henderson, D. Matheson and F. A. de le Mare, the last three being elected as a Selection Committee. To all of whom, Honour.

So Much by the way. On the evening of Thursday, April the fourth, one thousand nine hundred and twelve, page 23 the "Victoria College Hooligans" boarded the Mararoa for Dunedin. For the first time since the inauguration of the Tournament, George Dixon did not accompany the team, but we found him on the wharf sure enough, to wish us good luck. The Auckland Brigade had journeyed South on the Previous evening, so that our send-off lacked the sting of bitter hostility which is alone productive of the true haka. We arrived in Christchurch just too late to catch the first Dunedin express, but in plenty of time to enjoy the enthusiastic hospitality of Canterbury College at morning-tea, before proceeding South by the midday express.

Tennis.

On Saturday the weather had apparently set fair, and 9.30 found most of us assembled on the Kaituna Courts, where an open-air Civic Reception was in progress. Our tennis prospects were never very bright,—same old complaint, too much Jennings,—but our hopes well high vanished altogether as we watched D. Smith, of Canterbury College, demolishing our own representative, J. B. Parker, to the tune of a love set. In the second set, Parker showed considerable improvement. and fully extended the Canterbury man, who ran out at 6—4. Our second string, Brown, fared little better at the hands of E.Partridge, of Otago, who scored a comfortable win in the third set . In the Doubles, Parker and Cleghorn had things all their own way against Scott and Jacobson, of Auckland.

Meanwhile the women representatives had been settling their disputes on the Otago Courts, where a battle rayol was fought out between Miss Hunt, of Otago, and Miss Tennent. of Victoria College. The former led 8—5, and on at least two occasions was within an ace of game and set. Thereafter Miss Tennent settled down, and with a well-sustained effort captured the next four games.

In the afternoon, the preliminary round of the combined events were played, Miss Gross and Jennings accounting for Miss Cook and Parker with consummate ease. while Miss Tennent and Cleghorn wrecked tem page 24 porary vengeance on Canterbury College by disposing of Miss Jameson and T. D. Smith.

The Picnic.

The picnic was held on Saturday evening, and was w huge success in every respect. Among those present we noticed F. A. de la mare in a beaming smile and no hat at all; in fact, everyone noticed him. The steamer left with admirable punctuality, so that many undesirables, including J. B. Parker, were left lamenting on the wharf. So we rejoiced noisily, and even contrived something in the way of a dance until we reached Portobello, whence we made our way inland, to find a tent, tremendously stocked with provisions. After supper, the respective Colleges arose in the might, and in turn made night hideous with song and haka. Them, somewhat weary, but at peace with all the world, we retraced our steps to the steamer.

The Athletic Sports.

Monday was a day out for Victoria College. Our first success fell to F. F. Reid, who wrested the Mile from that time-honoured athlete, L. A. Dougall, of Canterbury College. On the occasion, Dougall was not quite his old self; he failed to make his characteristic dash in the third lap, and for three-quarters of the distance he was unable to shake Reid off. Half-way round the last lap, Dougall made his effort, and established an imposing lead of some fifteen yards, but his bolt was shot, and Reid, racing with great heart, came up relentlessly, Fifty yards from home he took the lead, and won a beautifully judged race with a couple of yards to spare.

A. S. Reid, of Otago, accounted for the Shot event with the phenomenal put of 37 feet 3½ inches, breaking his own record. In the afternoon the same performer established another record, throwing the hammer 107 feet 7 inches. The long jump was won by Bennett, of Can page 25 terbury College, and Goodbehere ran home comfortably in the 220 yards sprint. It was a cheering sight to watch our old-time crack once again leading the field, and augured well for the remaining sprint events. At the luncheon interval the score stood:
Canterbury College 4 points
Victoria College 4 points
Otago 3 points
Auckland 1 points

In the remaining nine events, Victoria College secured no fewer than six firsts and one second. Goodbehere won the 100 Yards by inches from Mansell, and the 440 Yards from Thomas, both of Canterbury. The Quarter Mile was the best event of the day. Goodbehere drew inside running, and went for the lead. Thomas was not so fortunate, starting from somewhere near the outside. Half-way round Goodbehere put in a remarkable dash, and established a lead of fully ten yards. The field trailed helplessly after him, and it was some seconds before Thomas drew clear of the ruck. Goodbehere was palpably weary, but Thomas entered the straight like a whirlwind, and with a series of desperate rushes stove to reduce the gap. Right on the post he made a superb effort, but Goodbehere broke the tape with a foot to spare.

F. Hall-Jones scored a win in the High Jump with the fairly creditable leap of 5 feet 3 inches. George Strack landed a good double, pulling off both hurdle events, Con. Strack gaining second place in the shorter distance. The Three Miles Flat proved another fine struggle. Williams, of Victoria College, jumped to the front in his usual style, and obstinately resisted all attempts to displace him. Rutherford, of Otaga University, and our own first string, Hall, Clung desperately to his heels, but Williams kept pegging away in heart-breaking fashion. At the bell, Rutherford dashed to the front, but his effort was ill-timed, and entering the straight Williams was once again in his old position. A desperate finish resulted, but the order remained unchanged, not five yards separating the first three men, Williams, Rutherford, Hall.

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The Debate.

The Debating Contest for the Joynt Challenge Scroll was held on Monday evening. Unfortunately, the report promised us by the judges has not yet drifted our way, so that a detailed account of the debate will have to stand over until our next issue. The contest took place in the Old Settlers' Hall before a crowded audience, and proved tremendously entertaining, despite the fact that certain "lewd fellows of the baser sort " persisted in making more noise than was seemly. However, as six of the eight contestants had spent several months advocating Prohibition from many sultry platforms, something in the way of a hostile demonstration was almost necessary to make them feel completely at home.

In the first round, F. G. Hall-Jones and G. W. Morice(V.C.) took affirmative, and argued that "compulsory Military Training is in the best interests of the Dominion," while C. Marsack and E. Kavanagh (A.U.C.) demonstrated conclusively that it is nothing of the kind. In the second round, the motion was affirmed by H. H. Cornish and O. C. Mazengarb (O.U.), and opposed by R. N. Gray and F. C. Spratt (C.C.). When the judges retired to consider their verdict, there was a fairly general impression that the Scroll would go to Otago; nevertheless, Victoria College were once again proclaimed the winners, to the uproarious delight of the supporters of the Gold and Green. The Colleges were placed in the following order:—Victoria, Otago, Canterburg, Auckland.

Tennis Finals.

Tuesday opened in the perfect glory of a cloudless sky, and the canny Scotch folk about us took the risk and bragged immodestly of the weather. With a twofold victory to its credit, Victoria College betook itself light-heartedly enough to the tennis court, but our hopes were sadly reduced when Miss Tennent and Miss Cook fell before the prowess of Miss Cross and Miss Jameson, an undoubtedly stronger pair. At this stage Victoria's page 27 chances were generally estimated at nil, and even the old sport, de la Mare, refused to have "a bit on."

Meanwhile the big black clouds had been gathering from the south, and the weather outlook was becoming more atrocious every minute as Miss Cross and Miss Tennent took the field in the finals of the Ladies' Singles. Miss Tennent was in fine form, and annexed the first three games with great expedition. Down came the ugly drops, and the match had to be temporarily abandoned.

All the morning the rain patterned merrily on the roof of the pavilion, and after lunch there was no sign of abatement. As it was absolutely impossible for some of our players to wait another day in Dunedin, it was decided to go through with the tournament. The match between Miss Tennent and Miss Cross was resumed, and the latter, playing with great accuracy and fine judgment in adverse conditions, succeeded in wiping off her deficit at six all. Miss Tennent played up well, but the rain militated against her. In the previous rounds she had indulged in some awe-inspiring tosses, but on a wet court it is undoubtedly the long sweeping drive that is peculiarly noxious. Miss Cross adapted herself admirably to the conditions, and gained a well-deserved victory, 9—6. That ended the matter as far as the Tennis Cup was concerned, but Canyerbury College had not yet completed the destruction of her enemies. Parker and Cleghorn were the next victims. Jenning's drive was as powerful destructive as of yore, and T. D. Smith was quite up to the standard required. The Canterbury pair ran out easy winners at 6—2, 6—3

By this time Miss Cross and Miss Tennent were ready to renew hostilities in the finals of the combined event, but again the Canterbury pair proved themselves immeasurably superior to our combination. Jennings was everywhere, Cleghorn was anywhere, while Miss Cross was as sound as ever, So ended the Tennis Tournament. For five years L. S. Jennings has maintained an unbeaten record, and as a fitting memento of page 28 his triumphs, his College has, in the last year, succeeded in winning all five championships. Next year Canterbury will be without her warriors of the past; Miss Jameson and Miss Cross will participate in no more Colleges will be fairly leaping at Canterbury's throat. As for ourselves, we should like to have beaten Jennings (confound the fellow).

The Ball.

Of the University Ball, held on Tuesday evening, little need be said here. Suffice it that the fleeting hours passed too quickly away, and the ball was soon another bright link in the memory chain of the past.

The Manager.

One last word of appreciation is due to the unflagging energy of manager J. C. McDowall, under whose masterly hand even the most unavoidable of hitches faded into nothingness. From start to finish James was a stalwart in our midst, a veritable Dixon of old time.

Appended is list of the official results:—

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OFFICIAL RESULT.-ATHLETIC CHAMPIONSHIPS. Events First(2 points). Second(1point). Time for distance). Record. 100 Yards ... ... 220 " ... ... 440 " ... ... 880" ... ... Mile" ... ... 3-Mile" ... ... 120 Hurdles ... 440 Hurdles... Long Jump High jump Mile Walk Shot.... Hammer... F.W.B.Goodbehere. V.C. F.W.B.Goodbehere. V.C. F.W.B.Goodbehere. V.C. C.S.Thomas. C.C. F.F.Reid, V.C. H.Williams, V.C. G.S.Strack, V.C. G.S.Strack, V.C. W.Bennett. C.C. F.G. Hall Jones, V.C. A. Hamilton. O.U. A.S. Reid. O.U. A.S. Reid, O.U. J. Mansell,C.C. N.R. Jacobsen, A.U.C. C.S. Thomas, C.C. L.A. Dougall, C.C. L.A. Dougall, C.C. D.J. Rutherford, O.U. C.H.E. Strack, V.C. R.L.Withers, O.U. W.H.Davey, O.U. W.Bennett, C.C. J.W. Ross,O.U. W.Bennet, C.C. A. Hamilton, O.U. 11 sec. 24 4-5 sec, 54 1-5 sec 2 min.52. 1-5sec 4 min.7 4-5 sec. 16 min. 52 sec. 172-5 sec. 66 1-5 sec 20 ft. 5 ft.3 in. 7 min. 15 1-5 sec. 37 ft. 3 1-2 in.* 107 ft, 7in.* 10 1-10 sec. 23 2-5 sec. 51 2-5 sec. 2 min.3 1-5 sec. 4 min. 36 sec. 15 min. 30 sec. 17 1-5 sec. 62 2-5 sec. 22 ft. 8 1-2 in. 5 ft. 6 1-2 in. 7 min. 15 sec. 37 ft. 1-4 in. 93 ft. 11 in. POINTS SCORED Victoria College ... ... ... 17 Otago University ... ... ... 11 Canterbury College ... ... ... 10 Auckland University College ... ... ... 1 LADIES' CUP (most points scored by one competitor) F.W.B. Goodbehere, 6 points. DE LA MARE CHALLENGE CUP (One Mile Flat)F.F.Reid. TREVOR HULL MEMORIAL SHIELD (One Mile Flat) F.G. Hall-Jones. TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS. Men's Singles ... L.S. Jennings, C.C. Men's Doubles ... L.S. Jennings and T.D. Smith,C.C. Ladies Singles ...Miss Cross. C.C. Ladies Singles ...Miss Cross and Miss Jameson. C.C. Mixed Doubles ... L.S. Jennings and Miss Cross, C.C. DEBATING CONTEST. F.G. Hall-Jones and G.W. Morice, V.C. *Record. Standard fixed but not hitherto

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Our Representatives.

The following represented Victoria College at the University Tournament, 1912:—

Athletics
  • 100 Yards: F. W. B. Goodbehere and G. S. Strack.
  • 220 Yards: F. W. B. Goodbehere and E. M. Mackersey.
  • 440 Yards: F. W. B. Goodbehere and E. M. Mackersey.
  • 880 Yards: F. F. Reid and H. Williams.
  • Mile: F. F. Reid and G. H. Seddon.
  • 120 Yards Hurdles: G. S. Strack and C. H. E. Strack.
  • 440 Yards Hurdles: G. S. Strack and C. H. E. Strack.
  • Long Jump: B. B. Egley and F. G. Hall-Jones.
  • High Jump: F. G. Hall-Jones and A. East.
  • Mile Walk: A. B. Sievwright and G. M. Cleghorn.
  • Shot: G. C. Jackson.
  • Hammer: G. C. Jackson.
Tennis
  • Men's Singles: J. B. Parker and C. A. Brown.
  • Men's Doubles: J. B. Parker and C. M. Cleghorn: C. A. Brown and R. W. Reed.
  • Ladies' Singles: Miss Tennent and Miss Mason.
  • Ladies' Doubles: Miss Tennent and Miss F. Cooke; Miss H. R. Mason and Miss D. Mason.
  • Mixed Doubles: Miss Tennent and G. M. Cleghorn; Miss F. Cooke and J. B. Parker.
Debate
  • F. G. Hall-Jones and G. W. Morice.