DOUGHTY ADMIRALS

Taranaki Daily News, 14 January 1935, Page 6

DOUGHTY ADMIRALS

INTERNATIONAL RUGBY PLAYERS. THREE GAIN THE HONOUR. (From Oui' Own Correspondent). London, Nov. 29. We now have three British Admirals who are old rugger internationals. RearAdmiral Burges Watson, now commanding the New Zealand Navy, was an England forward, Engineer-Admiral S. P. Start, played centre three-quarters for England in 1907, and now, just promoted, there is Reaj-Admiral G. H. D’Oyly Lyon, who was England’s full back against an all-conquering All Black side. Other rugger men who have reached high naval rank are Rear-Admiral Percy Noble, who played half for the Navy, and Captain N. A. Wodehouse, the present Dartmouth C. 0., who won more England caps than any other navy player except Kershaw and Davies. To play against the All Blacks at the Crystal Palace, Admiral, then Lieutenant, Lyon was sent home from Malta in a fast destroyer. Mr. Churchill, then Undersecretary to the Admiralty, was heckled about this alleged misuse of naval ships in the House of Commons by the usual kill-joys, but blandly denied that the destroyer trip had any relation to a certain liveliness at the Crystal Palace. In the first half minute of that match, which we lost, Mobbs, who fell later in the war, scored a try off hk own bat. A minute later, owing to the new RearAdmiral waiting for a high kick to bounce instead •of fielding it, the All Blacks were equal