1959-03-21 — Page 19

China Mail 德臣西報中國郵報 All

THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 1959.

SATURDAY SPORTS SPOT

Are We As Sports-Minded As We Like To Pretend?

Is Hongkong really as sports-minded as many folks would lead us to believo, or are the fans who pack, the stadia for a few selected sports events blinding us to the true facts? A big football fixture

...a big table tennis match.

and even a big basketball game will bring out the fans in, their thousands but, these three apart, it seems that little else can be termed a really consistent crowd puller.

Week in and week out excel- lent games of cricket, rugby and hockey are played before a mere handful of spectators.

Even the Colony tennis cham- plenships pess without a mur- mur from all but an inner circle of enthusiasts and It i well nown that organisations ilku

1. M. MACTAVISH

the Endminton Associatłem, The

the deeper than the turnsiles at a idea without first giving it due

big football match, further than consideration. the packed stands at Happy

Fenclig Association and Athletic Association have falled te win the support of the public although all of them have staged big and important events which led worthy entitlement to the 'big-lime" label.

A Great Masquerade

Whatever they do can only Valley on race days and water help. When one remembers the than the perimeter of the tremendous sporting activity basketball court or the edge of which goes on in the Colony

schools, it may well the table tennis table,

be there The truth of the matter is that the major remedial ties

a great for after all muma that we are living in

and dads

There is

ánarly love to see their offsprings ክነ comparatively masquerade. How can R be

contributing something to 'n big Fall but yaelferous following otherwise when the wealth of for softball but enterprising | few sports so completely

dshow, bodies like the Boxing ani forts the true picture. If ever Swimming Associations have anyone wanted proof of this had to fight every inch of the sutement then they could have way for even a humble rallon of found it at the Hongkong public support.

Stadium last Sunday. When one uses the term 'sporis-minded' as glibly as it is so frequently weed in Hongkong one would expect to And that the sports-mindedness reached

Seeing The Light

A new device has been in-

vented in Rumania solve that old problem of detecting road walkers who “run.”

It consists of a small pocket battery and a litle electric light bulb which are connected to the soles of both shoes,

The blub, fastened

10 front of the walker's vest, lights up as soori as he breaks contact with the ground.

lou

of their

It was a sad reflection on the attitude which exists here at the present time and it seems that, generally speaking, the crowds who roll up to certain selected events are as much interested in the ancillaries of the spectacle the betting and gambling and the glamour of big they are in the outcome of the main show itself.

names—as

200

I was rather vividly remind- ceived during the week because ed of all this by a letter I re- it seems that somewhere in tho community there is a souvenir hunter with a number of very special football shirts in his col- lection.

15-GUINEA HORSE IS GRAND

NATIONAL HOPE OF VILLAGE

A 10-year-old bay gelding which cost only 15 gulness carries the Grand *Notional hopes of the tiny village of Measlgate in Cumberland.

He is Sundawn 111, owned by Mr Len Skelton, 21-year-old son of a faruner,. who is seen here taking the horse over a jump erected on the neighbouring farm of Mr Tom Hudson.

The horse is trained by Mr Hudson, who combines the jobs of running a mixed dairy farm and training a small string of racehorses.

He is to be ridden in the Grand National today at Aintree by Mr Hud- son's 25-year-old son John. Sundawn 111 won five point to point races and two amateur 'chases' before winning his first big event, the Christmas Dinner Chase on the Mildmay course at Aintree, Liverpool, in December. He will be carrying 10 stones.-Reuterphoto,

scen KMB-

I'm sure

many of you must have squirmed as havo often done at the spec. The Amateur Sports Federa- tacle of some famous per- Olympic Committee did asonality being hounded by

the planning his or her "fans". wonderful job In and staging

Second Annual Outdoor Festival of One can recall the Johnny Ray Sport. The programme was era when he regularly inst his liberally loaded with attractions shirt at the stage door.

Souvenir hunters are strange and sporting titbits 'yel not

nore than a handful of the folks and I remember one char Colony's so-called 'Sports-mind-acter appearing on a Television

with nearly... programme el fans turned up to watch it.ouvenirs ke hnd collected over 'Uninspired' a period. It was a most fantas- le collection containing a lock ot so-and-so's hair....some- body's shirt....a butten from someone's cost....and a mis- eellany of junk which without many brilliant games for the kong Yacht Club has done a boys can match a quick goal its alleged

South China 'souvenir" tag Army and for the Colony and wonderful job of planning for they might give wouldn't have raised a buck in when he returned to Scotland the occasion.

plenty to think about. Thieves Alley.

The Yachting is both a spectacular

betting boy's he was immediately signed by

graceful sport. If you assured it will be a Hibernian. For a time he hit and

spell of rough the headlines but he ran into a would like to take a fair range South China Boel; how I would going and was look at this interport racing love to see them proved wrong it would do the game in do so from the Junk .. transferred first to Third Lanezk you can and later to Dunfermline. Bay arest where the various | Hongkong the world of good..

Last Saturday, playing for the classes will be contested next latter club in the Scottish Cup Saturday and Sunday, against St Johnstone,

By tomorrow evening he was badly injured five minutes after should know which teams will Shield Shirts Missing the start and now he looks like.. contest the 1059 Senior

being out of the game for a long Flaal. This efternoon Tung Wah and KM.B, will have another go of actlling their issue. The teams recently 'truggled to a 4-all The Easter week-end is draw aflor extra time in a match which made anything but a good ex- the No. 7 shirts going to provide some

impression on these who follow which had been worn by Stan-cellent Interport competi, the game. In fact it left a nasty ley Matthews were missing |!1 tion.

inste in some mouths and one well some folks

this intest For the football fans there can only hope that have it thrust for fame, some will be the annuel game against meeting is a much more clear-.

Murao. By selecting a side that cut affair. rather obviously

is not fully representative of As Good as Through just pick it up as they pass. Jongkong's potential the Inter-

K.M.B. If form is guide Incidentally there are no hard port Committee of the HKFA should win and if only on the feelings at Blackpool over the has given the game a real boost basis that upsets and accidents loss. "It's all part of the for there is ille doubt that, us don't happen in longkong foot- Matthews togend and a tribute things are at present, our near ball they are surely as good 27 It is cozy

to be wise after

In the Portuguese the event... but don't forget in its way to the greatest foot-neighbours

baller of his time" is how Colony cannot match the full through to the fincf was the second Festival

was inked away in the letter strength which we could muster, like the inaugural which I received.

It will be interesting to see it ... and effort suffered badly from It's a great thing, the mingle Is "good gamos“ or "big (United lack of environment duo

of Matthews... it even justi- names" the fans want. entirely to the emply terraces,

fos the actions of those who (United The Festival of Sport must the things that do not belong Picturesque Event

be a regular date on our sport-

to them. Rugby footing calendar but to do so, and into it, it must attract the

suggestions

It's D pity that it is such ♫ cumbersome piece of equipment. Otherwise, it would have mit less possibilites,

Bowlers could otherwise carry a bulb which lit up every time they bent their arin.

Then cricket umpires might at last see the light-and "0- ball these so-called

bowlers who throw the bull, - (London Express Service).

Answers To Sports Quiz

1. Japan.

2. Uruguny.

3. Yes, Bul only from a result-

ing overthrow.

4. Ear! Buchholz

Sintes).

5. Denold

States).

Budge

6. New Zealand.

ball

Now having said all that let me add that the Amateur Sports Federation for all s

good work-cannot feel smug or com placent about its failure to cong The crowd to the Festival, Frankly the publicity campaign was uninspired" and most of The letter dells me that when

kit eventually time. what there was of it come from Blackpool's the individual enterprise of arrived in the United Kingdom Rediffusion and Radio Hong from Hongkong there was a

from kong....anti

the sports subtle deficiency in. the consign-

ment. All wrilera.

A Festival of Sport does NOT automatically sell itself to the publle and if the pubileily for lest Sunday's show had been Just half as thorough as the other aspects of the organisation then I am certain it would have been reflected in the size of the crowd

- Major Remedial?

this

struggle hard

while others

upon them...

Joe Louli and Nocky Mostly the work that is put K

viano.

3. Nursery.

Tomorrow's game between South China and Police is how- ever a 'Horse of a very dit- farent colour. If the favourites want to get through to the fiel they will have to play all they know because the Police will not willingly give away an inch.

Indications-are. that South China shouk, win, but there is so much good "in the homellmor cratic and often unpredictable Police side that Ho Cheung-

place event will take

on oble to take March 27, 28, and 29 and from granted.

The Easter holidays will also Paco Cha÷Interport Regatta be Bad news This week of ween

the Royal Hongkong Yacht Club and the Manila Yacht Clubs being staged,

public. I believe that many Hugh (Ginger) Higgins who

now been

have 9. 1901, Tottenham Hotspur. 10. True, In 1952 Agustin made by the organisers-aste captained the Army side

Argate relined his Spanish how this might be done and in the 1955 Senior Shled This platuresque and colourful way and his mates will not be lightweight uile by knock-know

them well enough to Final.

ing out Javier Lario in 15 realise that they will not dis-' Higging of the fery thatch

count or discard any helpful and tomper

seconds,

THE

GAMBOLS

I'M WORN OUT

ITS ALL THIS COOKING

anything for"

a look at the programme it is i This should be an excellent match, played obvious that the Royal Hong- encounter and if Roy

by Barry Appleby

BUT I THE LIGHT WE WERE SONG OUT TO DINNER TO-NIGHT

Moss's

new!

| Page 19~~-

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