WARM WELCOME

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22225, 27 September 1935, Page 15

WARM WELCOME

ENGLAND'S HOSPITALITY r ROUND OF ENTERTAINMENT NEWTON ABBOT'S TRIBUTE BY E. N. CREATOREX, Australian and Now South Wales Rucby representative. NEWTON ABBOT, Sept. 6 Tho 1935 All Blacks are not likely to forgot their welcome to England. Officials of tho four homo Rugby nnions set out to give tho players a really hospitable time before they settled down to serious training here, and they succeeded. It is said that no other sporting body has over received such a warm and friendly introduction to Great Britain.

The threo days of entertainment and sight-seeing in London which marked the beginning of tho tour did not, of course, tend to get the men into playing condition, and the probabilities aro that the players may not be in the same form for the opening game as were tho players of Cliff Porter's team in 192-1. Still, Mr. Meredith, the manager of the side, intends to give tho players as much hard training as possible before the first game next Saturday week, and the footballers are convinced that they will be in good shape by that tim%. As one of the players aptly put it, about the only time they were not on tho move in the city was when they went to bed. Not that they spent a great deal of time in bed in London. The players averaged about four hours sleep a night during their stay in the city. In the threo days they attended an official dinner, two official luncheons, two theatres, and after seeing one show they were taken on to be entertained at a night club as the guests of some ex-internationals. British Sportsmen's Dinner The dinner given to the team by the British sportsmen at the Trocadero -was one of the greatest functions of its kind ever staged in London. The dining room was made up to resemble the famous Twickenham ground, tho tables on each side of the room being imitation "stands." The centre of the room was covered with a green carpet and marked out as a football field, complete with goals. There were 30 waiters, 15 being dressed as All Blacks and the other "side" as an English team. The head waiter played tha part of referee. When the guests had taken their seats the head waiter blew a whistle, and a football was passed about) by the "English" and "All Black" teams. The waiters earned applause for the clever way they passed and took the ball. The big hit of tho evening was made by a vaudeville artist, who, playing the part of a pickpocket, "stole" all sorts of articles from the All Blacks. "Jack" Manchpster, Griffiths, Hadley and a few others were lined up on the stage and introduced to the artist. He shook hands with Griffiths, who found on walking away that his wristlet watch was missing. The entertainer had unfastened it without the All Black s knowledge. Hadloy was the next "victim," a wallet being spirited from his pocket and eventually discovered in tho pocket of another player I

Manchester a Victim It was Manchester's turn next, and he had the worst experience of all. While tho magician was talking to him and telling the All Blacks' captain how honoured he was to meet him, he succeeded in taking off Manchester's braces without the player knowing anything about it. The look on Manchester's face when he was handed his braces was really amusing. It was with some regret that the All Blacks said good-bye to London for the time being, but in another way they were glad when they left yesterday afternoon to come on to Newton Abbot. Most of the players thought that on arrival at Newton Abbot they would proceed straight to the hotel. They were greatly surprised at the great reception they received. Newton iVbbot, as members of the 1924 team will remember, is only a small place, but when the train with the All Blacks pulled in at the station, several thousand people, including the Mayor, aldermen and all tho prominent citizens, were waiting to greet them. It was raining I rather heavily at the time, but nobody seemed to mind. The town band, the fire brigade and the Boy Scouts turned out to honour the visitors.

Crowded, Beflagged Streets

The players were introduced to local officials by Mr. J. L. Elms, chairman of the Nekton Abbot reception committee, who went specially to London to meet the team and travel to Devon with them. After an address of welcome bv the Mayor, Mr. L. Coombe, who said that Newton Abbot Teally felt part of New Zealand, as it had seen much of All Black footballers, the team was driven in triumph through the crowded and beflagged streets to their hotel. Crowds remained outside the hotel until late at night and the footballers were besieged by men, women and children asking for a "lt S had been announced that the All Blacks will not givo a haka before any of the matches, but they gave one last night for the benefit or the people of Newton Abbot, who stood outside the hotel and shouted Watery ! War cry!" The players bad not practised the haka, but, led by Ton Reid, they made. a. remarkably fair showing, and were cheered to tho ecno for their efforts. A Team oi Smiles

Though they have been in England onl7 five days the All Blacks have already mado good impressions, and have been popular wherever they have visited. Tho London papers have said many nice things about tho manager and the team, and tho players have been described as a happy, good-man-nered team of men, who seem anxious to please. One special writer said that instead of "All Blacks" they should bo called the "All Smiles, and wrote that he had never met any sportsmen who seemed to bo so thoroughly enjoying themselves. Tho only item of a really controversial nature that has yet appeared was written by a leading sports writer in one of the London dailies. In his articles ho said that he had been informed that there were several men in the team who had played League football* in New Zealand. Ibis was denied by Manchester in an interview, the captain saying that not one member of the side had pulled a League jersey over his head. . After their first run this morning the All Blacks visited the Primley Zoological Gardens, and to-morrow will be tho guests at tho South Devon Hunt Gymkhana at Hound Tor, Dartmoor There is an official dinner at the All Blacks' hotel at night. On Monday a long motor drive through the beauty spots of Devon has been arranged and a visit to the picture theatre at night. On Tuesday there will bo another trip and 011 Wednesday and Thursday the team will visit the Newton Abbot steeplechase and hurdle race meetings. Tho day before tho team plays Devon and Cornwall they liavo been invited to inspect an agricultural college. It the whole programme is earned out the All Blacks will have only one freo day before the first game oi; the tour J