SPORT IN 1929 : A QUIET YEAR REVIEWED

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 856, 27 December 1929, Page 7

SPORT IN 1929 : A QUIET YEAR REVIEWED

QOMING after a year in which the All Blacks made their epochmaking tour of South Africa to bieak even with the Springboks for the virtual Rugby supremacy of the world; after a year in which New Zealand’s Tom lleeney fought his way into a world’s’ heavy-weight championship boxing bout; and a year which saw New Zealand visited by a powerful side of English Rugby League players; the 3G5 days of 1929 now drawing to a close will rapidly disappear into sporting insignificance.

But it must be remembered that such a year as last year comes but seldom, and that for all the dearth of international sporting fixtures, the present year has had its peculiar successes and failures for New Zealand as a whole and Auckland in particular. First of all, of course, must come the chronicling of the All Blacks’ memorable tour of Australia —justly described as memorable because, for the first time in history, a New Zealand Rugby team lost all three tests in one series. That, coupled with the nasty jejr which the sons of the veld had administered the previous season to New Zealand’s pride in her sporting “religion” set the pessimists bemoaning the passing of the good old days. All that way inclined, however, were fitly answered when a full-strength All Black team won convincingly from the Maoris after the test trials. It was not so much the fact of winning, but this match, if it did nothing else, proved that New Zealand still has coming on the Rugby material which made her famous in the past, and which will carry her flag without

disgrace when the British side invades the land next winter.

Rugby League football also had a quiet season internationally, the visit of the South Sydney first grade team —Sydney champions —being the only outstanding event. The club season went down on record, however, as the best the game has known in Auckland, leaving plenty of enthusiasm to follow the New Zealand thirteen when it travels to Australia next year.

Soccer was in much the same position as League, for in the absence of any overseas visit, club and interprovincial matches had to be relied on to satisfy patrons. Auckland retained the coveted English Football Association’s trophy and the Auckland Tramways Club registered a spectacular victory in the final of the Chatham Cup—emblem of the club supremacy of the Dominion.

The year has been an outstanding one for the hockey game in that a powerful Australian side visited the land and did much to revive interest in the stick and ball game. In the only official test played, at Auckland, New Zealand once more asserted her superiority by winning decisively.

In basketball, Auckland was represented by a team at the Dominion tourney in Christchurch, and won the championship. The golf year has been a big one, and although the New Zealand team which went to Australia to defend the Kirk-Windeyer Cup was unsuccessful in its mission, Sloan Morpeth brought many honours to the Dominion by carrying off the Victorian championship and putting up a good fight in the Australian open contest. It

was something of an honour to Auckland that Sloan Morpeth was appointed secretary of the Commonwealth Links (Melbourne), although, of course, his loss to New Zealand golf is a severe one. In cricket, the year has not been a big one in New Zealand itself, for the doings of the M.C.C. team, although begun before the end of 1929, must be left for another year, as the three tests are all in 1930. But cricket is the greatest Imperial game, and because of that the doings of the English test side in Australia were watched with almost as much interest in the Dominion as in the countries concerned themselves. It is that which has lent that big season feeling to the lovers of the game in New Zealand. Interprovincially, Auckland retained its grip on the Plunket Shield after a rather unusual series of contests, in which the final result had to be determined on averages. In tennis the season was purely a domestic one, with a particular interest to Aucklanders, in that Edgar L. Bartleet, the Queen City’s first man, drove his way to the singles champion-

ship of the Dominion at the New Zealand tournament, and Miss Marjorie Macfarlane attained the corresponding honour among the women. In the swimming world, the year was marked by the visit of the Australian cracks. Ryan and Griffiths, who. although performing belpw

general expectations, served to show up more clearly the calibre of such men as Bridson. the girthy young Aucklander. Earlier in the year, however, the visit of Arne Borg clearly showed that none of our promising young swimmers were yet capable of extending a world champion. Auckland swimming suffered a loss in the departure of Miss Ena Stocklev, Dominion title holder, for Sydney, and Cameron, who swam so well in the South during the previous season, has announced his intention of leaving for Sydney also. The year was not a very big one in amateur athletics, and at present, \¥itli the proposed tour of the Canadian athletes now definitely off, there is little prospect of the current season being any more outstanding. J. W. Savidan established a unique record by winning one mile and three mile championships of New Zealand for the third time in succession, and later, during the harrier season, he once again carried off the 10,0.00 metres cross-country championship of the Dominion after one of the most gruelling races in years. A. J. Elliott also took two New Zealand titles, by winning

the 100 and 220-yard sprints in convincing fashion. Among the mat and ring sports, wrestling held the attention of packed houses week after week, as champions of Canada, America and the world vied with each other for supremacy, and big purses. These gladiatorial con-

tests culminated in the appearance of John Pesek, world’s heavy-weight champion contender, in a match with Walker, which the former won easilv. Whether the big wrestling season which was such a pronounced success will be repeated again next year is a question which time alone can answer. Largely as a result of the activities of mat men. boxing spent the year in the doldrums. There was little of national importance which could be chronicled, beyond Johnny Leckie’s splendid record in Australia.

The year also has seen the thrilling sport of cinder track racing re-intro-duced into Auckland. Two speedways are now in full' swing with weekly meetings, and with Australian cracks competing, the sport has drawn a big public patronage. As with wrestling,

10 with cinder track racing. Only time will tell whether it has been definitely established as a sport in New Zealand. Bowling in the Dominion has had a most successful year. Commencing in January, the first test match between Australia and New Zealand was played. The honours went to this Do-

minion. Close on one hundred players from the Commonwealth States visited New Zealand and participated in the annual blue-ribbon test, following the inter-Dominion event. But the visitors were not good enough to annex the concluding honours. The championship rink competition was won by C. Hard ley, F. Needham, I. Clarke, W. Bremner (West 12nd, Auckland): the pairs competition went to L. Kinvig and F. Laurenson (Linwood, Christchurch), and the singles championship was won by A. R. Coltman (Carlton, Auckland). Thus Auckland bowlers figured in the winning of the three blue-ribbon tests as F. Laurenson had only joined the Linwood club just prior to the tournament. —L. MO IK.