The Hawera Star. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1924. SUMMER SPORTS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 4 September 1924, Page 4

The Hawera Star.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1924. SUMMER SPORTS.

Delivered every evening by & o’clock In Hawera, Hanaia. Normanby. Okaiawa, Eltham, Patea, Waverley, Mokoia, Whakamara, Oiiangai, Meremere, Fraaer Road, and Otakeuo Manutahi, Alton, Burleyville, Mangatokt, Kaponga, Awatuna, Opunake,

The glorious days of sunshine which have been experienced lately incline one’s thoughts to the coming of summer and outdoor sports. The sight of young grass springing vigorously in response to the warm rays of the sun takes one naturally to cricket fields, tennis courts, and bowling greens, where in a few weeks’ time keen contests twill be witnessed: We have always been keen advocates of the need for the people to work hard and consistently for the welfare of the Dominion, because we know that nothing worth having can be accomplished without work. But life consists of much more than hard work, and the great aim individual should be to find the proper balance between work and pleasure. Some people spend all their lives at work with no other object than to accumulate money and the power which money, gives and which is, we fear, abused in some cases. These people would sell their souls for money. Other people again, perhaps a larger number, regard life as for no other purpose than taking out of it a maximum of pleasure. Such extremes are obviously due to failure to realise that one should not live only uni oneself, but should recognise and accept one’s duties and responsibilities as a unit in the community. And good healthy sports help to teach people that one person does not constitute a team, but that the team suffers if one member of it does not try to take his' or her part. Cricket is a game in which these facts are clearly brought out, The batsman who foolishly and carelessly throws away his wicket Saturday after Saturday; the bowler who does not try to bowl a good length ball, but carelessly sends down “pom stuff,” as cricketers would sav; the fieldsman who makes but half-hearted attempts to keep the opposing side’s scoring down, and who fails to accept chances of dismissing a batsman—such players are useless to the team, and probably they are as useless in their everyday work. One can see that the important factor in either work or play is the spirit of the . person engaged in it, When one works one should put one’s best efforts into it, and when one plays one should enter whole-heartedly into the game, if one is to gain the greatest benefits.. It is in this spirit that we hope the people of the district who intend to .take part in sports in the coming summer will enter into their games. It is'not too early for intending players to begin to take an interest in the coming season, especially for crieketers, who, no doubt, are wondering what the wickets will be like this year. If they are to be improved it will be necessary to begin work very soon, for good wickets cannot be prepared in a few days. Perhaps cricketers of the various clubs will get together before long and see what they can do to improve their pitches. If the game is to progress fair wickets must be provided, otherwise some players will leave the grand old

game and take up some other pastime. There is ample room for all the summer sports in a district such as this, and we hope that they will all be well supported, so that large numbers of people will be enabled to enjoy taking part in the various competitive and friendly matches and receive the benefits to health of fresh air and sunshine, and thus be encouraged to enter into their daily tasks with greater keenness and brightness. The athletic games of the people should have a very important place in their lives, for properly used they bring inestimable benefits, build up the bodies, and help in the process of developing character and, above all, they lead to the formation of happy associations and friendships that often last a lifetime.