SCHOOL SPORT

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 32, 30 April 1927, Page 10

SCHOOL SPORT

WANGANUI COLLEGE TRADITIONAL ENGAGEMENTS MOASCAR CUP SERIES The statement that the Moascar Cup—the fate of which will be finally decided by the N.Z. Rugby Union on May 7——might have before now become a permanent and popular institution in New Zealand sport if some of the older schools, such as Wanganui and Christ’s College, had exhibited greater friendliness towards it, is in itself a recognition of the prestige of those ancient institutions, but opinions differ as to whether the responsibility for the failure of the cup competitions can be placed on their shoulders. There are those who believe that the studied aloofness of Wanganui Collegiate School, Christ’s College King’s College, and Wellington College, foredoomed the Cup competition to failure, there are others who consider the Cup would have failed in any case. They share the conviction that a Cup is not a good thing in school football, and at least one Wanganui old boy has expressed resentment at the implication that his old school stood aloof from State-controlled institutions. MATCHES WITH HIGH SCHOOLS This might have been true of Wanganui when the Cup was instituted, but it is not true now, as annual fixtures are played with Palmerston High School, New Plymouth -High School and Wanganui Technical College—all State-controlled secondarv schools. Wanganui has always directed its principal Rugby interests towards the annual match with Te Aute College, and the historic tournament in which Christ’s and Wellington also participate. It would obviously be absurd to sluggest that the school should have forgone these traditional and timemellowed engagements in favour of the nebulous Cup competition, but an occasional challenge—not necessarily an annual or even regular one—would have been a gesture of interest and friendliness that might have done a lot to help the Moascar Cup series along its thorny path. Dr. Marshall, master at Wanganui Collegiate School when the Moascar Cup was introduced, looked with disfavour on the prospect of further matches, and the game with Palmerston High School did not become a regular thing until Wanganui sent down a seven aside team which suffered an awful trouncing—3s to nil in 14 minutes, Akuira, later to rise to fame, converting all the seven tries scored by Palmerston North. AN ILLUSTRIOUS RECORD Such spasmodic reverses come to every school, and this one in no way marred the wonderful record Wanganui College has created in sport, both here and overseas. For many years the school fifteen was quite invincible, and it produced a succession of brilliant athletes.

The names of Dive, Hitchings, Kinder, Humphreys, J. O. Hives, Hunter, Stewart, Tala and Bryce recall glorious chapters in school football. To English and Scottish University teams

Wanganui contributed, among others, V. G. Williams, H. S. Gilmer, A. E. Porritt. Throughout its history Wanganui Collegiate School has given to Nev: Zealand sport fine oarsmen, good cricketers, and men who played the game in its true spirit. For that reason it is perhaps the more regrettable that the Moascar Cup competition was not given the benefit of its snnpprt.