GROWTH OF H.K. HOCKEY TRACED BY FORMER PLAYER Considerable Activity At Beginning Of The Century
Reminiscences Of Early Games
WITH THE CENTENARY of the Colony now holding public interest, the appended article on the history of hockey in Hong Kong, written by Mr. E. W. Hamilton, then President of the Association, in the handbook of 1934/35, will not come amiss.
It is likely that many will remember the article but for the benefit of those who have not seen it, it is well worth reproduction.
The history of Hockey in this ful of this, except for games Colony has yet to be written in which may have been played on detail and the few notes that fol-a Services' pitch inside the Race low are only intended to give a Course.
I feel pretty sure that the first general survey of the past so far
Hockey as enquiries from others and my step in the revival of own recollections go. There will. was taken in 1915. In those dark no doubt, be many inaccuracies or days of War, the ordinary Civi- gaps, and it is much to be hovedfin's life was bound up with the his that some enterprising compiler Hong Kong Volunteers and will be encouraged to take up the sporting activities to some extent question seriously and produce us were diverted into Service lines. a real history of Hockey in Hong My hazy recollection is that there Kong.
Was a thing called the Military It has proved impossible to fix Hockey League. This, as I have: the date of the first hockey game noticed, suggests that Hockey had been fairly continuous in the * played here with any accuracy.
but I doubt if it took place be- Army, but I can obtain no data on this. Suffice it to say that the fore the beginning of the present| century. The first firm ground is League was revived (if it was not) and the Volunteers gained in the following note, for continued) which I have to thank Mr. L. N. entered two teams, one from the Scouts' Company and one from Murphy:-
"There was plenty of hockey in the Rest of the Volunteers. Hong Kong from 1902-1907 al- Scouts' Company took themselves I am, after all though we had no cups or Leagues rather seriously. or Umpires' Associations.
these years, a little doubtful of our Military ability, but we could were no Chinese or Portuguese tearns but there was no shortage beat the Rest of the Colony
Rugby, give them a jolly of matches as there was a large ficet here in those days-five bat-game at cricket-even if we did tleships and five First Class Cruis-start at 3 p.m. on Christmas Day ers, not to mention all the small- er ships and the Army.
Early Grounds
There
The
ut
good
of
JAPANESE SWIMMERS ARRIVE ON THURSDAY
It was announced: this morning that the Japanese swimmers, who are returning home after a contest in Manila, will arrive here on Thursday morning and will give exhbitions in the "Y" Pool at 2 p.m.
SUCCESSFUL WOMEN
GREYHOUND TRAINERS
WOMEN GREYHOUND TRAINERS have never been popular with track executives, and until war forced their hands they were a rarity.
But women have proved just as Miss Lark, who began as a ken- capable as their men confreres. nel maid at White City, trained at The latest example is Mias B. Wandsworth until securing her Lark, a girl in her early twenties. present post.
Mias Lark, who
at trains Walthamstow, has the honour of having a runner, Jungle Con-
She is one of about 20 women out of 200 registered trainers.
quest, in the £800 Champion Doyen of Girl Trainers
Stakes at Wimbledon.
arose,
Undoubtedly the most success- ful of public women trainers was Joan Lovett, who is now in South Africa.
who competed for trophies. It was from this discovery that the
Joan, one of the ploteors of the formation of the Hong Kong Hec-game, was attached to tracks t key Association par:ly
Brighton, Reading, and Cardiff. teams and two Service teams en-though the necessity for a Con-
She won a lot of money for In the next Season, no trolling Body had long been felt, tered.
her patrons.
"Trained Lovett" less than seven Civilian and thir and this has now been granted af-
was a regular feature of the rà- fliation by the English Associa-
turne, though she was never able teen Service teams entered.
This Competition was original- tion. The two donors of the
to carry off a "classic." This honour fell to Mrs, Yate, ly for a Shield presented by Mr. Shields very sportingly consented S. S. Mamak, but towards the end to their withdrawal and, while a wealthy woman who
trained of its second year rather a bomb- they are still in existence as some-privately.
concrete symbols of our shell was dropped into local Hoc what key politics by the discovery by Hockey Ashes, if I may use the Navy that the affiliation of the expression, the two Tournaments
Naval Hockey Association with are now contested solely for the English Associa on precluded honour of winning the first place Naval Teams from meeting those therein.
and we duly won the Hockey League in 1915-16 with a record of twelve games played and won. O
who The side, though I say it perhaps should not, was little The Club ground was at right short of County form. The late angles to the present Rugger Arthur Dyer Ball, Skipper Ground and wasn't too bad In Oxford, led us. He would have spite of a couple of foot-paths been an International outside-left | across it, and bits of grass and had his day not coincided with the like. We also used to play on that of A. F. Leighton of Cum- the Army ground at Kowloon, bridge. Brayshay, of the Uni- i.e., the Barrack Square on Na-versity, was a County player at ..than Road which now appears to home while R. O. Huchison
and be covered with stables. There Bobby Brand were fine forwards. wasn't much grass on the Happy Alas! all four have now passed Valley ground and none at all at over. Beyond these, we had a Kowloon, which, though it was heavy back division. We played hard on one's knees if one came no
goal but one back kicked.
Mrs. Yate, who won the Derby the and the Gold Collar in 1930 with must have topped Fine Jubilee,
£2,000 in prize money.
the
Latterly, however, little has been heard of her,
WINTER SALE
NOW PROCEEDING-
BARGAINS IN THE MEN'S WEAR SECTION
COOPER'S COLLAR ATTACHED COLOURED DAY SHIRTS
LIGHT-WEIGHT WOOLLEN DRESSING GOWNS
$ 6.00
From $15.00
ART SILK, AND SILK DRESSING GOWNS
BATH GOWNS
From $18.50
From $12.50
I
it
TRAVELLING RUGS
From $30.00
From
$1.50
* down, made it a very fust game F. S. W. Evans (of Caldbecks),
indeed.
C. Bulmer Johnson and myself The best match of the year was, averaged fourteen stone and I think, when we used to go up fear that we may have used * to Shameen, who used to put up more than we should have been a good team and the best of good allowed to do now. F. Redmond cheer. The Club had a very good (University) Brayshaw and Eric team most of the time-the out- Mitchell were the halves. I think standing players being R.F.C. E. L. Sim was centre-forward and Master, H. G. Bailey, A. B. Ogle F. R. Smyth inside-right. The (RE.), Joey Hooper, T. M. Knott, name of the outside-left escapes! L. G. Bird and L. N. Murphy me, Huchison and Brand reliev- (Captain).
ed each other on the right wing. Of the Naval teams I remem- Dyer Ball played inside left, while passed" on- .ber those of the "Ocean," "Blen- Tommy Hill also
heim," "Albion" and "Crecy" the and Geoffrey Miskin also turned best: while the Gunners were al- out in the half-back line. ways good, and the 10th Bombay Pleasant Memories Infantry (later
known
as the
I have written at some length
it was the nucleus of post-war Civilian Hockey in the Colony.
PLAIN AND FANCY WOOLLEN SOCKS
--TENOVA" WOOLLEN SOCKS
WHITE WOOLLEN SOCKS "VIYELLA”
WHITE WOOLLEN SOCKS "CLYDELLA”
WHITE WOOLLEN SOCKS “PRIMEX”
.50 Per Pair
$4.00
Per Pair
$2.00 Per Pair $1.50 Per Pair $1.25
.25 Per Pair
“VIYELLA” COLLAR ATTACHED COLOURED WOOLLEN SHIRTS
$10.00 & $12.00
From $6.50
WOOLLEN SLIPOVERS IN PLAIN AND FANCY DESIGNS
the CHAMOIS LEATHER GLOVES
110th Mahratta Light Infantry, of this side, partly because it re- and now I know not what) were very good, as were the 93rd Bur calls such pleasant memories, but mas, who, I believe, won the In-chiefly because I am pretty sure dian Army Championship shortly after leaving Hong Kong."
The year after, the Volunteers Going Strong In 1908 put in one general side and W. H. Edmunds. and B. D. Evans After 1907, I learn from other came in. And then--whether in sources, that the game was still 1917. or later I cannot say going strong in 1908, when my in- side developed into the Hong Kong. Club. For some few formant went out to the New Hockey Territories, and that ladies some years, my recollection Is that the times turned out for mixed games, majority of the Hockey played in But it is certain that. the inter- the Colony was between the Hong est slackened somewhere between Kong Hockey Club and various 1909 and 1911. I myself. came Service teams, who of course also A definitely to the Colony at the end of the played each other. latter year and played both Rug notable date is the sason of 1924– ger and Cricket at the Valley, in 25 when, the Triangular Compe- the seasons 1911-12 and 1912-13, tition for the Sim Shield between the I never recollect having seen a the Navy, The Army and hockey match in progress but 1 Hong Kong Club was first played. distinctly recollect being shown a Hockey had now come to stay cement goal-post soulet, just and other Civilians teams were where Mr. Murphy states that being formed. Between 1928 and ground was situtated, and being 1030 the names of the University, fold That is where they, used to YM.C.A., Recreio, C.B.S., and Ra- old play hockey think it candle. Clubs begin to appear in confidently be stated that very axture lists, And then comes an little hockey was played between other definite date. In 1991-32. mpetition for the Mamak; 1907 and 1915, except perhaps, the
doubt »Bhund -bezen: and five : Civillers: Bervice
From $1.50 Per Pair
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AT GREATLY REDUCED PRICES.
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