SUNDAY SPORT

Hokitika Guardian, 22 April 1933, Page 6

SUNDAY SPORT

CLERGYMAN CREATES SENSATION

ATTENDS TENNIS OPENING.

SYDNEY, April 13.)

The other day a North Coast clergyman created a. great sensation at Coraki, and incidentally in Sydney a 3 well. The Rev. Arthur Frost—lie is an Anglican—agreed to be present at the opening of the local tennis court on Sunday and attended by and,altar-boy,' lie officially blessed the courts in the Church of England grounds, before Mu Mayor formally declared them open ior play. Mr Frost ? s view of the question is that if the church does not condemn ail forms of amusement, such as novel

reading, oil Sunday it should not discountenance healthy exercise., He insists. that the play must be of a friendly nature and shall not interfere with, divine worship; but so long as those restrictions are observed he is satisfied. As a matter of fact all players at the, Coraki .courts are “pledged to attend service on Sunday,” so that Mr Frost has scored a decided diplomatic success.

Bishop Kirkby, who has been holding office in Sydney since Archbishop Wright’s death, was asked to express his views on Mr Frost’s action, but declined to comment. In truth, all the church in Sydney and throughout Australia already have their hands full with this and similar problems. For there is no doubt that as one newspaper said recently, Sunday sport is rapidly gaining ground here. Organised matches to which admission is charged are being played in some municipalities. Indeed some of the suburban councils are “making a good thing’’ out of it by leasing parks and ovals for Sunday play.

The Redfern Council has for years past drawn a. solid income from Sunday football, and the crowds who pay for admission on Sundays are quite equal to the Saturday “gate.” Organised Sunday games are played regularly Not long ago the Randwick Council Hurstville on the suburban Hlawarra line. Botany has decided against Sunday sport, but, at Marrickville efforts are being made to remove the existing ban.

Not long ago the Randwick Council had an unpleasant half-hour discussing a request from the Long Bay Life-sav-ing Club to open its new clubhouse, with ”the assistance of Mr Dunningham, Minister for Labour, on Sunday after-, noon. The Sunday habit is certainly spreading, and whether it gets, official recognition or not, Sunday sport is strikingly in evidence in some form or other in most of our suburbs It is argued with much force that ns nearly everybody plays golf on Sundays and Sunday competition tennis is played throughout Australia, there is -no logical reason why cricketers- and • footballers should not enjoy themselve s as well. No doubt the demand for “Sunday movies” will soon assert itself here.