RANDOM REMINDER

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32304, 23 May 1970, Page 19

RANDOM REMINDER

UNTRUE BLUE

Addiction to sport in New Zealand is accepted as a national weakness, or strength, according to who is doing the accepting. Before long, they will be queing outside Lancaster Park to get in to the Ranfurly Shield matches. The town will be talking football right through the week and late into the nights. It is part of our own distinctive way of life. But if Rugby commands most attention in the winter, the enthusiasm of the smaller numbers following other sports is hardly any less. This was brought home to a friend of ours recently. He is a Rugby man actually, but he was watching a soccer match, because he knew someone

playing in it. And as it was a pleasant sort of day, he had taken his youngest child with him for the outing, and the infant was on the sideline with him, holding him firmly by the hand.

It so happened that the tot was wearing one of those sort of sleeping bag affairs that mothers thrust their children into in the cooler weather. And it was a bright blue, all over.

One of the soccer teams also wore bright blue, of an identical shade. And one of this team’s supporters, seeing the child thus arrayed, came to the conclusion that the parent must also be a loyal fan of the team, and had dressed his offspring in blue to ’display his loyalty.

The soccer man was wildly delighted about this exhibition of enthusiasm for the club and the code. He did not know the parent, obviously, but this did not prevent him from explaining how wonderful an idea he thought it was. to send the child out in blue, and how wonderful it was, too, to see one so young watching the match. He went on to develop his theme, expressing the belief that no doubt the youngster would be dead keen to play for the club too, when just a little older, and so forth . Our friend thought it best not to mention that he was a Rugby man. And that the infant clinging to him was his daughter.