STRANGE GAME

Hokitika Guardian, 18 January 1933, Page 7

STRANGE GAME

VILLAGE AGAINST VILLAGE. FIFTY MEN IN A SIDE SYDNEY", January 5. A game reminiscent of football; in England in the middle ages,, when whole village met whole village in a desperate* attempt to drive the ball into the other’s territory, is still played among the natives of Tanganyika. Instead of a football, however, tlio native game employs a peg sharpened .t both ends line that used in the childhood pastime of “tip-cat.” The peg is hit with a stick after it has been made to bound into the air through being struck on the sharpened end. The game was described by J?ev W. Wynn Jones, formerly housemaster and sportsmaster at Trinity Grammar ■school, who returned to Sydney lately. Villages, perhaps five or six miles apart, would start the game midway between them, with 40 or 50 players a-side, he said. No particular regularity; seemed to be observed by the opposing sides, but long handles, were the rule, and a game might last several days. Although there was an occasional brawl, the game usually played in good spirits. Soccer was another popular game, the grounds being to hard for Rugby. It was always played without boots. Mr Wynn Jones is education secretary of the Church Missionary Society in Tanganyika and left Sydney to become principal of the training college for teachers at Kongwa. He has now been appointed first headmaster of the new school for European children in Tanganyika. He hopes to return to this work after some months’ deputation and furlough in Australia.