Caledonians look

ahead with money and muscle

From Gerald Rousseau, In

Noumea Sporting groups in New Caledonia are to receive almost $A30,000 in subsidies from the territorial budget over the next year. This is in addition to sup port received from private com panies and individuals.

With the 4th South Pacific Games two years off, local sportsmen are already competing keenly to qualify for a trip to Tahiti.

The swimming season opened on November 15 with clubs contesting trophies offered by the Societe Le Nickel. Simone Hanner joined the events, but not Marie-Jose Kersaudy, who in December left on vacation to France. Coach Jacques Mouren still hopes both swimmers will be ready for Tahiti, although he had to admit that “girls can always change their mind”.

In mid-January a New Caledonian swimming team will contest the Auck land age-group championships, and the team will mostly be young. It will probably include Thierry Legras, aged nine, and Dolores Anewy, who at 12 was the youngest swimming star of the Port Moresby Games of August.

Keenly awaited event at the close of the soccer season was the visit of the Apia team from Australia, champions of New South Wales. They played three matches in Noumea at the end of November and lost two of them. New Caledonians were naturally delighted, despite the close scores.

Meanwhile cycling enthusiasts were preparing for a keen round of track encounters between men from New Zealand and Australia. The visitors included David Watson, winner of the 11-day bicycle trail around New Caledonia in September.

But the eight Caledonians who par ticipated in the six-day Auckland race at the beginning of November did not manage to gain places above 25th, out of the 55 competitors.

In the beginning of November, two groups of school athletes visited Vila for a round of profitable encounters with New Hebrides school children.

A group of older athletes are ex-

pected to visit New Zealand for com petitions in January. In the mean time, Christian Kaddour has added 6 in. to his long jump record with a recent jump of 7 meters 34 cm.

A private Noumea sporting club— the “Olympique”— sent a delegation of its members to Auckland, in late October. They joined in soccer, basketball, table-tennis and swimming matches, all very valuable experience for Tahiti.

Meanwhile, Noumean basketballers had the visit of Canberra men’s team.

A formidable selection, they defeated the Caledonians 81-42 and 80-56.

Boxing problems

Ringside fans have been dis appointed at recent difficulties in arranging international contests: local organisers are faced with the problem of synchronising the visits of boxers from various neighbouring islands.

An international evening was finally arranged for October 29, but, un fortunately, only four bouts were fought. Lightweight New Zealander Santos defeated the Wallisian, Tufele, with a KO in the first round. New Zealand middleweight, Cannon, drew with Caledonian, Luvantu, while New Zealand middleweight, Manu, and Melanesian, Boano, were stopped by the referee in the second round for no fight.

In the main fight of the evening, Australian Billy Choules was matched against New Zealander, Billy Opetaia, well-known to Caledonian boxing fans. Opetaia maintained his punching reputation by defeating the Australian by KO in the fifth round.

In December there was an even larger boxing tournament in Noumea, and the highlight was the defeat of Fiji’s Tuimasa Cama by Billy Opetaia by a KO in the second minute of the first round.

Dolores Anewy, young New Caledonian swim star.