City Plan for Exact Control of Water Polo

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 731, 2 August 1929, Page 13

City Plan for Exact Control of Water Polo

Swimming Centre Has Long-Overdue Scheme AUCKLAND LEADS THE WAY Auckland will lead the way in New Zealand, if the Northern Swimming Centre confirms the recommendation now before it for *the formation of a Water Polo Control Board. Those cognisant of the stagnation of the sport in New Zealand must realise that efforts to build up the sport are rather overdue. But the city control deserves credit for its trouble in evolving what seems to be an excellent scheme. When The Sun announced the beginning of the idea, it remarked that no time should be lost in getting the plan under way. And this seems to be the view of swimming officials in Auckland. They could not arrive at any decision at a meeting 1 this week, because there was not a quorum, but a full meeting shortly will be able to take the whole question into consideration. IC the board is set up, it will consist, under the recommendations of the centre’s sub-committee, Messrs. -T. Enwright, FI. Moore, P. Stewart and "VV. Griffiths, of delegates elected by the city swimming clubs. If one of these delegates is not a member of the centre, tlio centre will have the power to appoint its own representative. All details of control of the sport will be left to the board, but the rules it forms will have to be submitted for approval by the centre. PERFECTING REFEREES What matters most is that the qualifications of referees and instruction in knowledge of the sport are to be investigated fully. The truth is that both public and players need instruction in the sport. New Zealanders have . watched water polo, but not many have tried to understand the game. As the Auckland Centre realises, the public has been merely amused at the antics in a poorly-played sport. The game has not been taken seriously and not even the national contests in the sport could be regarded as correct displays. If the game is to find

any favour as a true form of athletics, it has to be taken in hand and there will have to be a reshuffle of control. So Auckland is making the essential move to stop what is little more than a farce and there is no reason to believe that Wellington, Canterbury* Otago and other centres will not be quick to follow. Flayed with strict attention to the miles, water polo is an attractive game. In the United States and in Europe, water polo attracts a large public. The scheme of play is understood and the players are efficient. FOUNDATIONS NEEDED This is what is wanted in New Zealand. Development will not come at once, but, with foundations provided where they have been lacking before, the sport should be able to claim atterition. It is really a highly scientific branch of aquatics, as the Americans claim. Swimmers in the United States now have a variation —water basketball. When Arne Borg was here, Aucklanders had an inkling of the deftness produced by the game. Borg has an American rather than a European style of play. His handling of the ball in his one match in Auckland was surprisingly good, even taking into allowance that he was permitted to take advantage of more breaches of rules than the Aucklanders were, simply because ho was a visitor. But Borg’s turns in the water were typical of the correct game. In a season or two, under watchful control, Auckland can expect properly played water polo. The North may be able to establish supremacy in the game as well as in national swimming.