SPORT: PEACEMAKER

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 829, 25 November 1929, Page 13

SPORT: PEACEMAKER

MORE VALUABLE THAN •CONVERSATIONS" That there is a sincere belief among many people that sport is more valuable than all the “conversations*’ between politicians, as an aid toward universal peace, has been proved to me, says an English writer. I It has been my privilege to meet the I officials ami members of the Worcester ! County Sportsmanship Brotherhood j from Massachusetts, who have been in j England and played a series of footj ball matches with clubs in our own I Worcestershire, and they have played ' so well as to return home an timie- ! featod combination. 1 had a most interesting chat with ' Donald Tulloch. who was in charge , of the party—and who. as be quickly J revealed to me. was a Scot by birth and proud of it —and be told me much !of interest of a rather wonderful ‘ movement. The English Worcester possesses a similar felowship. and n • two movements came into being in rather a. romantic way. Some years ago Colonel Albert Webb. of Worcester. England. visited the sister town across the Atlantic. ;uid presented its residents with two suits of armour that were used in tho battle of Worcester 200 years prei viously. in 1121, on tho occasion ol ! tho international Rotary conferenrw in Scotland. a party from the Wnr | coster of the United States took tho occasion to visit their “mother” town, i to ’which they made a. presentation of | a bronze plaque of great value to J their own community. PERSONAL CONTACT Thus tho two towns or counties came into personal and intimate contact, and with the formation of the two fellowships for sporting purposes it was inevitable that an effort should bo made for them to meet on the playing fields, with a view to cementing the closo relationship that now existed between the two Worcesters. The Massachusetts organisation had taken up Association foothnl! as their primary game, and in 1926 an inter r change of visits was arranged between the English and American communities for the purpose of playing a series of games. The Americans arrived ami had a glorious time in addition to meeting such teams as Worcester, Kidderminster, Stourbridge, Dudley, and Evesham, all of which, incidentally, they lost. In the following year tho English Worcester returned the visit, and on this occasion tho Americans won one of tho live matches played—a fact that encouraged them to persevere in an improvement of tactics. Among their members were a number of young fellows who had been born in England and Scotland, and who. of course, possessed an inherited aptitude for a typical British game. They persevered in their effort t«* attain to a higher standard, and that they have been successful is evidenced by the fact that on this occasion, after travelling 3,000 miles, they defeated in the course of 2 0 days Stourbridge. Dudley and Evesham, and drew' with Worcester and Kidderminster, a capital performance of which they naturally are extremely proud. ALL WORKING MEN Massachusetts people are very sincere in their belief in the value of these sporting tours. This is proved by the fact that the mem be** of the Brotherhood selected for the tour—all of them working men—are given five weeks’ leave of absence by their employers, who also pay full wages to tho men’s wives or mothers. Tho players are an extremely fine lot of fellows. Seven of them were born in Scotland, and six in England., and while they are now naturalised Americans tliev follow sporting events in England with tho deepest interest. “Is the Arsenal really the best team ill England?” one inquired of me. and another wanted to know when. Chelsea, were really going to return to the i First Division of the Dengue. They talked to me of nothing but sport, and while they are extrem Jy ha’"'” in their adopted country, they possess many regrets. On** is that they have never seen Jack Hobbs bat, and another that they have not witnessed either the Derby or the Boat Race. Evervh*!"" connected with sporting matters over here is followed closely, and I am told that whenc v« : England and Scotland meet, especially at Hampden I’ark. there is as much excitement among them as ther»- would be if they were still resident in their home countries.