”B------You. I’ll play for City"

Gun Flash, Issue XXXIX, 17 July 1943, Page 3

”B------You. I’ll play for City"

All good things must come to an end and it. looks as though the football for 1943 is no exception« The R.A.P. orderlies can now sink into their customary coma and watch the supplies of iodine, adhesive plaster, etc., accumulate on the shelve Perhaps, now, batteries nay be able to operate at full strength, and route matches should bo well attended. For 3 months now, legalised mayhem has been committed in the name of New Zealand 1 s national sport. Cer-

tain bitter spirits have had their chance to speak their minds on one or two player’ s ancestry and to dish out well meaning advice on how they could best be disposed of. The bitterness has not confined itself to personalities but even developed into a class war between the "Workers” arid the ’’Autocracy”» We all know how encouraging it is to play to the plaudits of a brass-lunged cheering crowd, particularly one led by Irishmen who are noted for their close reoemblnnoo to raucous asses, so imagine being a member of the R.H.Q. team who definitely lacked support. They, of course will any that that .ip .a. backhMidpd cor plout to their sterling ploy under odda, but I suspect they

had other incentives, four in number. From the standard and effectiveness of play is not. a far cry, The play cannot bo better described better, than as'"willing”. Where skill was lacking, enthusiasm was not. While skill did show signs of improvement, the enthusiasm was alwaysas notable. Tho old, well-known, pop-talk of Knute Rockne - "Got out there and fight” - was, if anything, interpreted too literally. Not that lam implying that the general play was thinly disguised fisticuffs, but it is significant that the present leading teams are composed of husky, rugged men, whereas the team which progressively deteriorated most, 150 B,'? ( was more ’Killed l and ’skilled’, if you get me

Putting aside all sarcasm and cyn- ? icism, we must congratulate tho three teams who are at present level for the winning honours, 15 QA and 151 A on their consistent improvement, and RHQ on the standard they have maintained throughout the. season, A. team which deserves great .credit for their extraordinary improvement is BSD, who have recently shown excellent ’ form. They were very unlucky not to. have had just that little extra to' beat RHQ on the occasion when they net and dreww 1508 has gone sadly to the pack after giving a very gooc account of itself at first. A case of a hot favourite making a disap-

pointing, showing* 2048 just , dicin’ t have the stuff, 1 but were always triers, . A special hand to the Navy who supplied us with some'-- sparkling Rugby, refreshing and educative. The sports committee and Capt, Dixon did a good job and are deserving of out thanks. So it is with the fondest memories of good tussles, rugged fields, the plunk of the leather and the damned good chances to make ajioise, that we say ' goodbye/,. ,t to football on lie Nou and at Nairn, and lot us hope that wo have not seen the last of the good old game for the season, (Ed o We understand that the Rugby in the Regiment is to be reorganised once we are settled in our now home, and we have high hopes of enjoying a good deal more football before the season closes,)

"in the war against reality, man. has but one weapon « Imagination,"