DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH OF BRITISH EMPIRE GAMES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27038, 24 March 1949, Page 4

DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH OF BRITISH EMPIRE GAMES

Sports Commentary

By the Sports Editor

The interest of New Zealand sportsmen is at present directed towards the British Empire Games to be held in Auckland from February 4to February 11, 1950. It may be recalled that the first recorded British Empire Games coincided with the coronation of King George V in 1911, this being known as the “Festival of Empire.”

A large and representative committee. with the Earl of Plymouth as chairman, arranged at the Crystal Palace Grounds, in London, a series of entertainments and exhibitions pertaining to the progress and development of the British Empire. One of the features of the programme was an inter-Empire sports meeting. Invitations were sent to Australia, Canada, and South Africa to compete with the athletes of Great Britain to decide Empire supremacy. Lord Desborough and the late Mr William Henry (who visited Dunedin many years ago in connection with the work of the Royal Life Saving Society, of which he was the founder) were mainly responsible for this section of the festival.

The programme consisted of track and field athletics, boxing, wrestling, and swimming events, and a trophy in the form of a silver cup, 2ft 6in high and weighing 3400 z, the gift of the famous British patron of sport, Lord Lonsdale, was presented to the winning country, which was Canada. In the Australasian team at this festival were the late Ron Opie, of Canterbury, who was third in the 100 yards track and second in the 220 yards track events. Dr Guy Haskins, also of Canterbury, who achieved much success in inter-collegiate athletics in the United States, finished third in the one mile track event. So far as can be ascertained the honour of first conceiving the idea of Empire Games belongs to the late Mr Richard Coombes, for more than 40 years president of the New South Wales Amateur Athletic Association and 35 years president of the Amateur Athletic Union of Australia. Mr Coombes, a leading sporting journalist, advocated the Empire Games long before the “ Festival of Empire ” meeting, and even long afterwards continually drew attention to their Imperial value. No further development took place until 1928 when the Olympic Games were in progress in Amsterdam. The strong feeling of friendliness between the Empire athletes at the Olympic Games strengthened the idea for the revival of Empire meetings. In view of Canada’s victory in 1911, it was appropriate that, through the invitation of a Canadian, Mr M. M. Robinson, the Empire Games should take definite shape, and they were revived at Hamilton, Ontario, in 1930. Support was forthcoming from England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, with the result that strong teams were sent to Canada. Teams also went from Australia, New Zealand, Bermuda, British Guiana, and South Africa. The events comprised track and field athletics, swimming, rowing, boxing, wrestling, and lawn bowls. The success of the first Empire Games at Hamilton in 1930 provided further proof of the spirit of comradeship between members of the British nation the world over. Thus, from discussions which took place at that time, it was decided that smilar meetings should be held every four years in between the Olympic Games, and also that a British Empire Games Federation should be formed. This came into being some years later. The second Empire Games were allotted to England, and were contested at London and Manchester, cycling being added to the programme, while rowing was eliminated. When the third Empire Games were held in Sydney in 1938, however, rowing was reinstated, and the fourth Empire Games at Auckland next year will also include weight-lifting and fencing. Visiting Sportsman

A visitor to Dunedin is Mr Warwick Warren, of Sydney, who was associated with swimming and surf work in Otago before the war. Mr Warren was secretary of the Eastern Suburbs’ Swimming Club in Auckland before transferring to Dunedin and also a member of the Takapuna Life Saving Club. While in Dunedin he was prominent in swimming, water polo, and surf competition. He was assistant secretary of the Kiwi Swimming Club and an active member of the St. Clair Life Saving Club. He served with the Australian forces during the war. and is still interested in the surf movement, being superintendent of the Mid-North Coast branch of the Surf Association. He mentioned that efforts were being made in New South Wales to send a surf team to New Zealand at the time of the Empire Games, the visit being contingent upon finance.

Club Rugby Competitions The concern felt by members of tine Christchurch Marist Rugby Football Club at the large number of representative matches which are played to the detriment of club football will no doubt be echoed by many Rugby players in Dunedin. The Marist delegates to the annual meeting of Canterbury clubs have been instructed to call attention to the large number of games played, and may put before delegates suggestions to decide the senior championship in one round, with an extra round between the six leading teams. Something similar may have to be considered in Dunedin this season. With several Ranfurly Shield challenges already in hand and Otago undertaking a northern tour, efforts will have to be made to see that the interest of the club players is maintained while the representative side is on tour. A knock-out competition at Hue close of the championship may prove to be the solution. Germany and Davis Cup

The lifting of the post-war ban on German sportsmen competing in events outside Germany will probably lead to an early request from the year-old German Lawn Tennis Association for re-entry into the Davis Cup competition. Germany competed in the Davis Cup in 1914 and went down to Australasia (Norman Brookes and Anthony Wilding) at Pittsburgh (United States) in the second round, Australasia going on to win. She did not re-enter the cup play until 1927. There is little doubt that the lifting of the ban will mean the appearance of Gottfried von Cramm in many international championships in the near future. Sports Directory

Compiled by the Physical Welfare Branch of the Department of Internal Affairs on behalf of the Otago Provincial Council of Sport, a revised sports directory for Otago has been sent to the executives of all sports bodies in Dunedin and in other parts of the province. Designed primarily for sportsmen, the directory incorporates the names and addresses of more than 800 officers of sports bodies in the province. More than 1000 copies have been distributed by the Physical Welfare Branch, but few are now available. The branch intends to revise the booklet at six-monthly periods, and secretaries of winter sports clubs and controlling bodies are requested to notify the branch of the changes in officers for the season, together with addresses, to enable the publication to be brought up to date. Costs of Sports in USA An estimate of the cost of sports equipment and incidental costs associated with a few sports in America in 1948 is given as 4,190,000,000 dollars. The total is made up as follows: Fishing, 1,350,000,000 dollars; hunting and bowling, 750,000,000 dollars each; golf, 675,000,000 dollars; motor-boat-ing 500,000,000 dollars; and ski-ing, 165,000,000 dollars. If to this is added the immense amount of money exE ended in material for baseball, footall. athletics, La Crosse, and the hundred and one other games played in America, some idea of the outlay in sporting material may be imagined

Gesture Appreciated The Otago Provincial Golf Association has received a substantial cheque from Mr J. A. Scouler, manager of Alex. Thomson and Son, whose firm sponsored the visit of the Australian golfer, von Nida. to Dunedin to play an exhibition match. The cheque represents the profit from the exhibition, and the gift, designed to assist golf in Otago, was much appreciated by the association. Varsity Rugby Fifteen The Otago University senior Rugby fifteen will probably visit Bluff to play a match against the local fifteen on April 9 as a preliminary to the start of the club competition. The season promises to be a very active one for the University players, including, as it will, a match between Otago University and the touring Australian Universities’ side and a test match between the New Zealand University team and the touring side. The match at Bluff will give the University coach and selectors an opportunity of trying out their prospective players before the club games begin, and the indications are that the Light Blues will field a good side in spite of the loss of the All Blacks, R. R. Elvidge and I. J. Botting. It is understood that A. H. Foster, who played in all the Ranfurly Shield matches for Otago while a member of the University Club in 1946, will again be playing for University and he should greatly strengthen the pack. Last year Foster was a member of the Clutha Club and played for Otago in the games against Southland. He is now teaching at McGlashan College. It is two years since University met a team from Bluff at Dunedin, Bluff winning by 9 points to 8. The match between these clubs was inaugurated some years ago through the efforts of Messrs H. G. Munro and J. Hamilton, both former University playei's. Mr Munro, a member of the 1924 All Black team, was at the time coach of the University Club, and Mr Hamilton was associated with the Bluff Club, having represented both Otago and Southland. Football Club’s Diamond Jubilee

Southland’s oldest Rugby football club, the Invercargill Club, popularly known as the “Blues,” will celebrate its seventy-fifth annivex'sary in May, and appropriate functions have been arranged. These include a decade parade to Rugby Park on Saturday, May 21, where the old members will be spectators at a senior competition match in which the club is taking part. A dinner will be followed by a social evening. There will be a church parade at First Presbyterian Church on the morning of Sunday, May 22, and the celebrations will conclude with a jubilee ball on Monday, May 23. The Invercargill Football Club was established in 1874, and celebrated its jubilee in 1924. Sir Henry Braddon, afterwards Lord Mayor of Sydney and president of the New South Wales Rugby Union, was one of the original members of the club, another being Robert Galbraith, afterwai-ds president of the New Zealand Rugby Union. The club did not play Rugby until 1879, having played the Australian game under “ Carlton ” rules. At the end of that year it decided to play Rugby, and the first match was against the Dunedin Club in Dunedin. Contrary to expectations, Invercargill won by a goal and a try to nil. Other early members were the Drabble brothers, J H. Hempton, the famous New Zealand champion sprinter, and H. Tressidei’, who represented Otago and Southland and played for the former union against Stoddart’s English team in 1888. Sir Henry Braddon, recognised as a great full-back, and J. O’Donnell, a splendid wing-forward, were Southland representatives in the fii'st New Zealand team in 1884, but never played for their own province, both playing for Otago. Sir Heni'y Braddon afterwards played for New South Wales. Galbi*aith represented Otago for three seasons, and after the Southland Union was formed in 1887 played for his own nrovince.