RANDOM REMINDER

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32274, 17 April 1970, Page 16

RANDOM REMINDER

THE KICK-OFF

One of the few advantages of earning aliving as a taxidriver is the freedom it provides from the four walls of an office. The taxidriver does not have to stare all day at the bald head of the man in the desk ahead of him, or look out the nearest window on to a brick wall. He is a king of the road, going hither and thither all day, savouring the sights and sounds of the city. Ask any taxi-driver how much he enjoys searching for a house number on a black night with the rain pouring down and the temperature round about zero.

But the taxi-driver does see little things which do not come to the attention of others. Such as a very recent opening of the Rugby football season on a front lawn about 30 feet by 20 feet, with the teams to scale. One side consisted of a budding All Black, perhaps five years of age. The opposition was made up by two very little girls.

The weather was dry, the lawn was hard, and the ball was just about as big as its owner. And the young footballer was in difficulty, because he could not make a sufficiently large impression to place

the ball to his satisfaction for his kick at goal. But even at five, necessity is the mother of invention. A sand bucket did the trick.

The taxi-driver, pulling away, saw him step back for the kick, the ball sitting up splendidly in the bucket, the little girls off at a respectful distance to make the catch. It occurred to the driver that the N.Z.R.U. has not thought of arming its All Black team for South Africa with buckets for those hard grounds, and he thought that spades could also be handy, for beating up the opposition.