BEN HUR RACE OVER THE VELDT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18547, 22 August 1928, Page 8

BEN HUR RACE OVER THE VELDT.

“ PLAYERS ARE KEEN CURIO HUNTERS,” SAYS CANTERBURY FORWARD

(Written for the “Star” by J. T. BURROWS.) KIMBERLEY, July 7. Our second visit to Kimberley doesn’t seem half so interesting as the first. Kimberley is a typical mining town, with even its main streets winding about. Buildings seem to be dumped anywhere, and there is nothing approaching the block system. It is quite a common sight to see a waggon with a team of sixteen or eighteen donkeys, or mules, slowly moving down the main street. We saw an interesting incident last night. A man was digging for diamonds on the site of an old building which he had pulled down. In the early days apparently there was a shortage of water, and the diggers used to cart earth from their claims to their homes, and do the washing there. We were told that quite recently a man pulled down an old building and made sufficient money from the diamonds he found underneath to have a new garage erected. A Long Journey. It is a long journey from here to Durban. We left Durban at 10.30 p.m. on Monday, travelled all next day and night, and on Wednesday morning arrived at Bloemfontein. There we were taken for a springbok shoot. It was a very different shoot from the one in Maritzburg. This time we were armed with .303’s, and shot in all some fiftythree springbok and blesbolc—a buck about the size of the New Zealand red deer. We lay in a long line hidden behind ant hills while the buck were driven towards us by natives on horseback. Once a herd of about fifteen wildbeeste passed within two hundred yards of us. This animal is slightly smaller than a buffalo, and earned its Dutch name because of its savage nature. We had instructions not to shoot at them, as there were very few left in the district.

B(U Hornig’s Luck. Bill Homig was specially privileged, and was allowed to shoot a bull. Wc were able to watch the whole proceedings. He was taken in a car to within four hundred yards of the herd—at this time of the year a motor-car can go practically anywhere on the. veldt, and the driver has only to avoid the anthills. After the first two shots, the herd dashed away with the car eventually in pursuit. At last a bull fell, and then our party moved off for the springbok shoot. On Thursday morning we left for Kimberley, and arrived some time in the afternoon. Six of the team went for another shoot the next afternoon after training, and this time each man was provided with a “buckboard” and two horses,. Bill Hazlett painted a very funny picture when he came back, of the six of them, each seated in a trap and dashing along through, anthills like modern Ben Ilurs. It is no wonder they were very reticent about the number of buck they shot, but they seemed to have enjoyed themselves thoroughly. A Disappointing Game.

From our point of view, yesterday’s game against the Northern Districts was a very disappointing one. The crowd seemed to find it interesting enough, though, and I expect, in many ways, it was really the most exciting

game of the tour. We had bad luck in losing Kilby in the first half and undoubtedly his loss did make a big difference to the team. M’Gregor went to half and proved for the hundredth time how full of grit he is. Owing to injuries received early in the tour, yesterday’s game was only his third.

Very soon after Kilby went off, M’Gregor was called upon to go down to a dribbling rush, and that was only the beginning of a long series of kicks and hard knocks. The more he received the more determined he seemed to bo that nothing would pass him.

We were thankful that none of the injuries he received yesterday were serious. It looks as if Kilby will be out for the rest of the tour. An X-ray photo showed his ankle to be cracked and that means at least a spell of six weeks. Yesterday, for the first time, New Zealand showed real weakness on defence.

Weak New Zealand Defence. The Northern Districts backs were not good on attack, but, in the second spell, especially, they broke through time and time again. Lindsay was a godsend and Ins kicking certainly saved the day. Our forwards more than held their own, and it must be remembered that the Northern Districts team were supposed to be a better side than any province we have played so far. Certainly most of the test players were withdrawn, but still the remaining players made up a very good side. Actually the play proved that they did not have the combination either of Western Province or of Transvaal. One reporter travelling with us who is writing for South African papers, has utterly condemned our two-three-two scrum.

I am very positive about two point*. The first is that our scrum formation & much better suited to Hew Zealand football than the three-four or three-two three, and the second is that our footKoii that is, the play that New Zealanders call * football, is superior to South Africa’s.

Some of the African reporters even found something to criticise in the

way the New Zealand team walked on to the field. All the teams here, as soon as they pass through the gate, break into a run. They even do this at half-time, though for some it seems something of an effort then. One reporter considered that our walk, in single file, was a pose. He wrote that he could almost hear a dirge being played as the sombre fifteen plaj’-ers walked slowly and solemnly on to the field. Keen Curio Hunters. The team are very keen curio hunters. One Sunday in Durban wc were being taken for a motor drive, and stopped to inspect a Zulu kraal. A kraal is the ring of huts where a Zulu, his wives, children, relations, and a few hangers-on live together. One of our biggest forwards was lucky enough to buy an assegai—a prized possession as the natives are not allowed to carry them. The kraal’s inhabitants were all gathered to see the bus depart, when suddenly the new owner of the assegai took it into his head to charge them. He gave a ferocious yell and, spear in hand, ran about five paces towards them. I think it was Pat Ward who remarked afterwards: “That Kaffir who led the way will never come back over that hill.”