A Diary of Sport BURNHAM ARMY TEAM

Southland Times, Issue 24233, 17 September 1940, Page 9

A Diary of Sport BURNHAM ARMY TEAM

Still Leading In Christchurch

CONVINCING WIN ON SATURDAY

By ONLOOKER The Burnham Army Rugby team is still unbeaten in the senior reserve competition at Christchurch. On Saturday the team met Athletic and won convincingly by 16 points to nil. Fewer Southland players than usual are in the Army team these days. Some, including C. K. Saxton, have been transferred to training schools in other parts of New Zealand. In the game against Athletic on Saturday the Southlanders in the team were T. C. Metcalfe, A. Swale (Old Boys) and W. Richardson (Invercargill). . Many Rugby players, including several Southland representatives, are among the next draft of Southland recruits for the various camps, but it is unlikely that their services will be available this season. Only two weeks remain of the 1940 Rugby season. JOCKEYS IN PATRIOTIC MATCH With a desire to assist the patrioticeffort, jockeys from Wingatui are arranging a football match against a team of Maoris, and in all probability the match will be played as a curtainraiser at Carisbrook next Saturday. 115 PLAYERS CALLED UPON It was stated recently that the Air Force Rugby Club at Wigrain had, because of transfers, called on 110 senior players during the past three seasons, 1938, 1939 and 1940; and it was suggested that this was a record for New

Zealand. But, one club can claim a higher senior membership roll for the same three seasons —the Varsity Club, Christchurch, competition winners last year, and leaders this year. In the past three seasons, no fewer than 115 players have helped to make up the Varsity Club’s first fifteen. In addition to transfers and students departing to other colleges, a main factor behind the frequent changes of personnel has been vacations. At every vacation period a certain number of junior players has to be brought in to fill gaps. J. HEMI IN AUSTRALIA J. Hemi, star New Zealand Rugby League player, was listed among the full-backs available for the Greta Camp (Sydney) Rugby Union side which was scheduled to meet Parramatta the other day. So, too, was R. Westfied, one time of St. Patrick’s College, Wellington, and later Australian Rugby Union representative. Hemi was a member of two national League sides—l93B and 1939. Earlier he won New Zealand Maori Rugby Union honours. He is a brilliant back. KILLEEN’S PLAY Brian Killeen, the man who was the guiding influence in Golden BayMotueka’s success in the Seddon Shield Rugby match against Buller last month, could not quite repeat the trick against Nelson in a subsequent match, but he was a gallant trier all the same. The former All Black was not given much latitude at five-eighths, and the sticky ground hampered his producing the rapier-like thrusts that were so much in evidence against Buller. But he was always dangerous once he broke clear of his opposites, and it was just bad luck that he failed on one occasion to hold a pass that would have produced a certain try and which would, with a conversion, have enabled Golden Bay to break even. GLASSES NO HANDICAP The necessity for wearing glasses on the field is no handicap to Dave Dixon, South Sydney Australian Rules player. Dixon, a member of a well-known football family, had to drop out of the game some time ago because of his eyesight. A few weeks ago, when South Sydney’s reserve grade team found itself short of players due to A.I.F. enlistments, Dixon was induced to play, glasses and all, “just to make up the number.” Dixcn played a brilliant game and now seems likely to “make the first grade team. He has made sure of retaining his glasses during play by fixing the frame and earloops to his head with adhesive tape.