ANZACS AT PLAY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11671, 11 April 1916, Page 4

ANZACS AT PLAY.

NEW ZEALAND V. AUSTRALIA. CONVALESCENTS! COMFETmON [From Otrn CoRREsroMJENT.] LONDON, February 24. There- is at Abbey Wood, near Plumstead, what the military authorities call the Australian Intermediate Camp. Tho Australian soldiers drafted thither from tho hospitals and convalescsnt homes call it something quite different, and it must be admitted that whatever its mor its may he as a slimmer resort—l have never seen it advertised as such—it certainly lacks prepossessing features on days chifcfly given over to wet and wind. Still, the Anzacs contrive to be merry and bright, and to get as much fun out of life there as it is possible for men to extract. They had one of their host days at the camp last Monday, when the Australians' invited a contingent of Now Zealanders from Hornchnrch Camp to como and be put through their athletic facings at an all-day sports carnival, held in the big pa radio grounds. The fun of the fair began with boxing competitions. In the first of these, a sixround bout, Sapper Baird (Victoria) beat Private Merrit (New South Wales) on points. In the first two rounds Merrit showed capital form with both hands, but he lacked strength, and began to tire, and Baird, coming out strong with heavy right uppercuts to tho body and face, gained tho award. In the next set-to Private Hallam (New South Wales) beat Corporal O'Brian (Victoria). Though the latter had a damaged right hand', he used it with good effect in the first three rounds, but afterwards it gave him considerable trouble, and Hallam, with a fast-scoring left to the face and at times countering smartly with the right, won by a narrow- margin at the close of the six rounds. In the final contest Gunner Richmond, of tho British Royal Field Artillery, beat Sapper Gelart (New South Wales). This was a. contest of eight rounds, and in the early stage Gelart had by far the host of the exchanges, but was twice sent to the boards in the third meeting. Richmond' always used his left with marked accuracy, but Gelart fought back" strongly. He was, however, frequently beaten back by his opponent's heavy body work, ' and though the New South Wales boxer did well in the closing stages, Richmond was the faster, and won a. good and interesting bout mainly by reason of his superior left-hand work.' Gelart has a very- useful right;. but made far too little use of his left. ' In the athletic event proper the competitors were heavily handicapped by the heavy state of the ground and its urievenness, but, seeing that most of them were recently inmates of hospitals the times recorded" were " not so dusty." The High Juror* resolved itself into a duel between Lance-Corporal Hides (Australia) and Sergeant Campbell (of New Zealand), and the former won the eveiyfc at 4ft sin, Campbell failing to do better than 4ft 4in. New Zealand turned the tables in the half-inile, but the winner is not liKely to brag much about his feat. This distance was really too far for tho competitors, and they evidently suspected £heir own stamina. At any rate they made a waiting race of it to such an extent that when Private Wallace (New Zealand) passed the post a dozen yards in front of Sergeant-Major Mahoney (Australia) and half as far again ahead of Private Bland (A.), who finished, third, the timekeeper's piece indicated that Wallace had been 2min 4Ssec on the road.

A two-mils walk put Australia "one up," for. the continent provided the first .three men home, Private Russell finishing fifteen yards ahead of Ser-geant-Major Mahoney in 21min Bsec. Sergeant Talbot was third, a matter of thirty yards in the rear. The time, of course, was very poor, but the competitors kept strictly to fair heel and toe methods. whi.-h was not conducive to record breaking on any trackj let alone one on which ' the Anzao pedestrians (Were called upon to perform. . Australia scored again in the 100 yds, Private Vohi* winning by three yards from bis fellow-cotntryman, Private Hughes, with Private Shenley, of New Zealand, a couple o* yards off third. Vohr could undoubtedly, have done better than 11 2-ssee if he had been pressed. New Zealand's tuTti came again in the quarter-mile, in which Private Wilson and Private Bower finished first and second respectively, the formor winning by fiye" yards in 66sec. LaneeOorporal Hicks (A.) was a good third. An inter-State relay race. _ six men aside, provided a, close and interesting contest which New South "Wales won by throe yards from Victoria, with South Australia third, a bare yard behind. Then came the tug-of-war—Australia v. New Zealand. The islanders putup a gallant, light, but weight was against them, and they retired defeated by two straight nulls. / A couple of football matches completed a veiy generous programme. Tn the first, played under Rugby rules, the Australian.' beat a scratch New Zealand combination by a dropped goal r , nc | f no tries to nil, whilst under Australian League rules the rest of Australia explained to Victoria that '"footer" was played in other places in the Commonwealth. The explanation took the form of a beating by 43 points to 25.