ON EGYPT'S SANDS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 11 October 1926, Page 3

ON EGYPT'S SANDS

HOW MOASCAR CUP WAS WON The Moascar Cup, now competed for by secondary school Rugby Teams of On? Dominion, came to Uus country i.s the result of a very fine performance put up by file Nft'.v Zealand Army team' in' j-lgypl during Liu? war period. The first con'tosls for tlio Cup were recalled 'by a speaker at a Rugby football function in \\ angaiiui recent ly. •\\e played sonic memorable games mi the desert in Egypt before we were able finally to claim the Moasenr Cup.” Haiti Mr 11. who captained Hie New Zealand Army football team in Egypt- “When iliingsgol a bit Imt in the desert lighting line it was resolved to provide some recreation for the men behind in order to take their minds off the more serious business. [I was resolved to institute a footbaTi onmoelifimi between the various units, and to purchase a cup worthy of the traditions of the game,” said the speaker. "A sum of £lO was provided out of the canteen fund of the N'.Z. Mounted Rifles, and £4O was given by Colonel Arnold-. With this money-a cup valued ut £6O was procured for competition. "The New Zealand Mounted Brigade put iwenty five men into training under me. We truined bard because we made up our minds never to allow our line to be crossed.

PLAYING IN SANDSTORMS "In the first match we met the Springboks. They had a good team, and we knew it. Alter a very hard game we won by 3 to nil. The return game was played in a. sandstorm, and those who went to Egypt know what an Egyptian sandstorm is like. We had two mounted men who chased the ball half a mile sometimes. Wo crossed their line in the last, few minutes of the game, Wynvard, of Auckland, scoring an unconverted try. Our line, up !o that time, had never been crossed.

“Wo returned to our base under the impression we had worn the Monsoar Cup. but the .Rugby Union, which chiefly comprised Australians, resolved to run a knock-out competition between the. three leading teams—the N.Z. Division, the Anzac Division (Australia), ami llie Australian Machine-gun Section.

"Well, we had to arm ourselves for those mulches. The desert sand was hard, and one hour alter blood had shown from a cut septic poisoning set in. You know those lovely socks the ladies used to send us —-God bless them • —they made beautiful balaclavas in the winter. Well, we cut them down and used them for shoulder, arm, and knee pads. It was a nice ground at Jsmalia, but unless we bad armed ourselves we would all have been poisoned. The ambulance also kept us well supplied with iodine ami bandages.

LINE NEVER CROSSED "We met the Anzac Division in the first match of the competition. It was a hard go, and we won by 6 points to nil. The last game was a corker. We were drawn against the Australian Machine-gun (Section, which was really the New Zealand Camel Corps. Had they won the cup, it would have, gone to Australia. However, we pulled the game out of the lire by 6 points to- nil, and so we won the Moascar Cup. "After the game all sorts of arrangements were made for I he disposal of the cup. Some said if was going to Auckland. others stated that TTunlerville would be tlie home for the trophy, while Wellington also made a claim. Tom Sheehan, of Wavorley, called a meeting of the New Zealand Mounted men. and we decided to present the cup lo the New Zealand Rugby Union for competition among Dominion collegiate and secondary schools."