CORPORAL L. R. SANDS

Grey River Argus, Volume 05, 5 July 1917, Page 3

CORPORAL L. R. SANDS

COAST REP. FOOTBALLER

HONOUKhU

In the 'list of names published in yesterday's cable as winning the Military Medal tor bravery on ihe field of. Messines appears the name, Corppral L. R. Sands. There can be little doubt -that this is "Dick'" Sands the well-known Reef ton . footballer who played so brilliantly as a forward in the West Coast Representative Football Team. His initials are "LiR." and" as he left with the Canterbury Regiment there seems but little danger of error in assuming that the man whs has won the coveted honour or the Military Medal is the popular footballer. Those who know him best •iare not surprised that he should win any honour for bravery ; his absolutely fearless and* dashing forward play has often been seen on Victoria Park in the happier days before the war. and a cleaner and a whiter man never" stepped on a football field ; utterly unselfish in his play he 'was noted as the most consretent and withal brilliant "follower-up""' that we had in the ! Coast team. Grit through and through he showed his prowess in • many a hard-fought of football, and those who saw the last representative game played in Greymouth against Canterbury, may remember that though . badly injured in the very early stages of the game, he came on again 1 and saw the struggle through to the end, though suffering severely. As one of his former club mates in Reef ton said about him, "He would go through anything." Unassuming to a. degree, fie. was always extremely popular with his team mates who saw. that with all the tremendous sting 'and dash he put into Jii splay. he invariably "played the game." His familiars are those who think most of his sterling: character, and certainly the honour he has Avon, could not have been bestowed on a more worthy man than "Dick" Sands who. g-faced the game of football by his presence and his clear tactics and has now honoured it as one of its representatives in the greatest contest of all time. -. >■ '