Sports Review

Ashes Decided

By Stratagem

IT TAKES more than a heavy ground to dampen the ardour of some Suva cricketers, especi ally when there is a “blood” match scheduled between rival hotel elevens —the Club and the Garrick.

So it was on a heavy Albert Park ground that the two teams met towards the end of April to decide the fate of the 1958-59 “Ashes”.

Each team had won a match earlier this season.

The Club had a shrewd non playing mentor in Fred Hay, who decided after the first over with the Club batting, that the Garrick fieldsmen needed some refreshment from a specially-rigged nine-gallon keg.

Fred knows a little about the stratagems of sport, not only cricket, for he once ran a string of race horses and only a few years ago was co-manager of a Fijian rugby team which toured Samoa. But those were mere sidelines when compared with a Club-Garrick “battle”.

With a couple of able assistants, Fred kept the refreshments flowing for a couple of hours, and the Garrick team did not say “no”, even though the score was mounting.

And, of course, the Club players had not been mere onlookers dur

ing this dispensing of hospitality.

Except for those who had something serious to attend to (batsmen, umpires and scorers) they helped to lower the level of the keg, which eventually had to be replenished twice.

Garrick’s troubles soon became apparent when some of the bats men began to say they could not see the ball clearly, although none had the wit to appeal against the light.

The odd straight ball that the Club bowlers managed to project at the wickets generally got through, and the Garrick soon found that Fred Hay’s strategy, in addition to the Club total, was too much for them.

Nadi Rugby On

The Up And Up

fIIHE young, but enterprising, Nadi J. Rugby Union, now in its second season as an autonomous body, is going from strength to strength.

Some idea of its progress may be gauged from the fact that in 1957 there were but three teams from the Nadi area playing in the Northern Districts competition at Lautoka. Now there are 16 teams, made up of players from the dis tricts, or if you like it in figures, 240 players against only 45 in 1957.

The Nadi union has three grounds under its control, whereas last season they had to struggle to keep two going.

A few months ago the union opened negotiations for a visit by a New Zealand side, but had to give the proposal up as they did not think they could handle it.

Most rugby followers in Fiji thought that the Nadi Union could overcome any obstacle which barred the way to progress, so don’t be

After 19 months work in his back yard, Apia Agricultural Officer Mr. Alan Higgins launched his Bermudan sloop "Samoana" in Apia Harbour recently. The yacht is 25 ft. long with a 6½ ft. beam and carries 250 sq. ft. of sail. It is built of twin skinned kauri with a fibre-glass overlay.

Mr. Higgins also made the sails and cast the keel from car battery lead. The yacht is here entering Beach Road prior to the successful launching. —H. Forsgren Studio.

The Fiji Easter Motor Rally increases in popularity year by year. Here Mr. J. D. McLauchlan, president of the Fiji Motor Club, has just presented the Pirelli Trophy and other prizes to Mr. Wally Faithfull (driver) centre, and Mr. Peter Frame (navigator) right, at the conclusion of this year's event. The winning car was a Volkswagen. —Stinson.

irprised if, in the next season or vo, Nadi gives everybody a lesson ■ how to arrange for a visiting de to come to Fiji, and have a ur go like clockwork.

s Chaos In Apia,

? Says

'EW Zealand lawyer, Mr. G, D Rice, takes a dim view of inter club rugby in Western Samoa thinks it ought to be stopped til the club or association can itrol the game properly.

Jr. Rice was in Apia in May. In i, on his way back, Mr. Rice d that the rugby games at Apia *k were merely an occasion for mblic brawl, with feelings run g high and the spectators pour on the field to join in the melee. )ne brawl took place between an a hospital team and their sup ters and an Apia village team I their supporters. This disturb e was broken up by the police later in the streets of Apia the agement was renewed —between pital nurses and women of the age. his resulted in 21 girls facing rges in front of Judge Rothwell the High Court, said Mr. Rice, tr. Rice represented one of these sons, and he said that the Judge agreed with him that if foot authorities could not control game, the game should be ted.

Fight—But

> Fighter

From Norman Baxter, in Suva DXING fans in Fiji would be interested to learn what hap pened to the proposed profes al heavyweight boxing bout

between Kitione Lave and Mosese Varasikete, which was scheduled for Fiadi on May 23.

Mosese, it will be remembered, sensationally knocked out Lave in cne round in April, and then ran into a little trouble, which pre vented him from gaining a permit to go to New Zealand for a bout. . Lave’s programme was rather full in April, and he was unable to fit m a return bout before he went home to Tonga. But certain pro moters announced he would fight a return bout at Nadi on May 23.

The Aoniu and Hifofua arrived from Tonga before April 23, but close inspections did not reveal any

Lave among the passengers. The promoters kept quiet, and the fans were left lamenting.

However, there is a whisper that Lave will seek his revenge here in Fiji some time in August.

Polocrosse, first introduced into Papua a year ago, has now spread to New Guinea. The NG Highlands saw their first display at the Goroka Agricultural Show in May, when a visiting team from the Koitaki Country Club, in the ranges above Port Moresby, showed a Goroka team how. The result: Koitaki 13 to 3.

G. D. Rice, a lawyer of Papakura, NZ, has some critical comments on the de [?]e r ioration of the game of Rugby in Apia.