tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13278272668003932632024-03-05T07:04:33.009-08:00Rhodesian Sport ProfilesRhodesia Rememberedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644511584084003690noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327827266800393263.post-38007878943102843662012-11-17T04:24:00.001-08:002012-12-26T12:10:39.707-08:00Sportsman of the Year - Winners and Finalists<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Sportsman of the Year</strong></span><br />
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<h3>
John Hopley Memorial Trophy - Winners and Finalists</h3>
<strong><span style="font-size: medium;">Rhodesia</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>1956 at SALISBURY</strong><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Winner: Margot Boileau (hockey).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Other finalists: Don Black (tennis), David Lewis (cricket), Percy Mansell (cricket), Gerry Poval (billiards).</span><br />
<br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">1957 at KITWE</b><br />
<a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/01/fred-hilton-morgan.html" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Winner: Hilton Morgan (bisley).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></a><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Other finalists: Jimmy de Villiers (motor racing), Basil Katz (tennis), Natalie Steward (swimming), Tony Pithey (cricket).</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">See :<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><i style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/01/fred-hilton-morgan.html">http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/01/fred-hilton-morgan.html</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i><br />
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<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">1958 at BULAWAYO</b><br />
<a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/06/terence-allman-sullivan.html" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Winner Terry Sullivan (athletics).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></a><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Other finalists: Dave Procter (golf), Lloyd Koch (hockey and cricket), Jimmy de Villiers (motor racing), Eric Cary (squash, hockey and badminton).</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Visit:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><i style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/06/terence-allman-sullivan.html">http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/06/terence-allman-sullivan.html</a></i><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">1959 at SALISBURY</b><br />
<a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/07/gary-hocking.html" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Winner: Gary Hocking (motor cycling)</a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">.</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Other finalists: Flo Kennedy (badminton), Des van Jaarsveldt (rugby), Harold Paton (cricket and soccer). Dennis Pearson (channel swimming).</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Visit:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><i style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/07/gary-hocking.html">http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/07/gary-hocking.html</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i><br />
<br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">1960 at SALISBURY</b><br />
<a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/06/terence-allman-sullivan.html" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Winner: Terry Sullivan (athletics).</a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Other finalists: Des van Jaarsveldt (rugby), David Butler (yachting), Abe Bekker (boxing), Margaret Harriman (archery).</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Visit:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><i style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/06/terence-allman-sullivan.html">http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/06/terence-allman-sullivan.html</a></i><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">1961 at SALISBURY</b><br />
<a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/05/ed.html" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Winner Ronnie Hill (rugby).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></a><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Other finalists: David Lewis (cricket), Hilton Morgan (hockey), Shelagh Nefdt (hockey), Joe Sanderson (hockey).</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Visit:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><i style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/05/ed.html">http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/05/ed.html</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i><br />
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<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">1962 at SALISBURY</b><br />
<a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/05/ed.html" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Winner Godfrey Lawrence (cricket)</a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Other finalists: Jim Redman (motor cycling), Danie Burger (athletics), Gary Hocking (motor cycling), John Love (motor racing).</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Visit:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><i style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/05/ed.html">http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/05/ed.html</a></i><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">1963 at SALISBURY<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b><br />
<a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/09/adrian-bey.html" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Winner Adrian Bey (tennis).</a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Other finalists: JimRedman (motor cycling), Danie Burger (athletics), Joe Partridge (cricket), Marilyn Sidelsky (swimming).</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Visit:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><i style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/09/adrian-bey.html">http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/09/adrian-bey.html</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i><br />
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<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">1964 at SALISBURY<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b><br />
<a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/09/james-albert-redman.html" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Winner: Jim Redman (motor cycling).</a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Other finalists: John Love (motor racing), Joe Partridge (cricket), Colin Bland (cricket), Lynn Gilchrist (paraplegics).</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Visit:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/09/james-albert-redman.html" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><i>http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/09/james-albert-redman.htm</i>l</a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">1965 at SALISBURY</b><br />
<a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/03/kenneth-colin-bland.html" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Winner Colin Bland (cricket).</a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Other finalists: Neil Jardine (rugby), Tony Pithey (cricket), Alex Cracknell (shooting), Enid Spence (hockey).</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Visit:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><i style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/03/kenneth-colin-bland.html">http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/03/kenneth-colin-bland.html</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i><br />
<br />
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">1966 at SALISBURY</b><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Winner Ian Bond (rugby).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Other finalists: Enid Spence (hockey), Colin Bland (cricket), John Love (motor racing), Terry Rossiter (diving). Rob Ullyett (cricket and hockey).</span><br />
<br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">1967 at SALISBURY</b><br />
<a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/08/john-harcourt-jackie-du-preez.html" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Winner Jack du Preez (cricket).</a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Other finalists: Gay Erskine (squash), John Keyter (swimming), John Love (motor racing), Pat </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Walkden (tennis), Bob White (golf).</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Visit:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/08/john-harcourt-jackie-du-preez.html" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/08/john-harcourt-jackie-du-preez.html</a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">1968 at BULAWAYO</b><br />
<a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/09/john-maxwell-love.html" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Winner: John Love (motor racing).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></a><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Other finalists: Gay Erskine (squash), Angela Edwards (show jumping), Anthea Stewart (hockey), Larry Farren (boxing).</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Visit:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><i style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/09/john-maxwell-love.html">http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/09/john-maxwell-love.html</a></i><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">1969 at SALISBURY</b><br />
<a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/10/john-keyter.html" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Winner: John Keyter (swimming).</a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Other finalists: Rob Mundell (rugby), Yvonne Robinson (hockey), Tienie Martin (rugby), Russell McKinley (baseball).</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Visit:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><i style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/10/john-keyter.html">http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/10/john-keyter.html</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i><br />
<br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">1970 at SALISBURY</b><br />
<a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/11/artwell-mandaza.html" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Winner Artwell Mandaza (athletics).</a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Other finalists: Hank Irvine (tennis), Rob Jordan (soccer), John McPhun (cricket and hockey), Rob Mundell (rugby).</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Visit:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><i style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/11/artwell-mandaza.html">http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/11/artwell-mandaza.html</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i><br />
<br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">1971 at SALISBURY</b><br />
<a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/10/michael-john-proctor.html" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Winner: Mike Procter (cricket)</a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Other finalists: Don Liebermann (diving), Steve Sherren (squash), Simon Hobday (golf), Terry </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Bowes (cricket and rugby).</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Visit:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><i style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/10/michael-john-proctor.html">http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/10/michael-john-proctor.html</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i><br />
<br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">1972 at BULAWAYO</b><br />
<a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/10/michael-john-proctor.html" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Winner Mike Procter (cricket).</a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Other finalists: Andrew Pattison (tennis), Sandra James (paraplegics), Thelma Ault (bowls), Bob </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Hatherly (swimming).</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Visit:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><i style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/10/michael-john-proctor.html">http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/10/michael-john-proctor.html</a></i><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">1973 at SALISBURY</b><br />
<a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/08/gay-alison-erskine.html" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Winner Gay Erskine (squash).</a><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Other finalists: George Harvey (golf), Ian Robertson (rugby), Steve Sherren (squash), Allan Peake</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">(hockey).</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Visit:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><i style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/08/gay-alison-erskine.html">http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/08/gay-alison-erskine.html</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i><br />
<br />
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">1974 at SALISBURY</b><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Winner: Dave West (hockey).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Other finalists: Ian Robertson (rugby), Jack du Preez (cricket), Steve Sherren (squash), Nicky </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Price (golf).</span><br />
<br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">1975 at BULAWAYO</b><br />
<a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/11/denis-watson-and-george-harvey.html" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Winners: George Harvey, Dennis Watson (golf).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></a><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Other finalists: Lucie Springett (bowls), Brian Davison (cricket), Peter Morgenrood and Denis Lapham (yachting).</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Visit:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><i style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/11/denis-watson-and-george-harvey.html">http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/11/denis-watson-and-george-harvey.html</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i><br />
<br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">1976 at SALISBURY</b><br />
<a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/10/ian-william-robertson.html" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Winner: Ian Robertson (rugby).</a><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Other finalists: Colin Dowdeswell (tennis ), Jack Heron (cricket), George Shaya (soccer), Flo Kennedy (bowls).</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Visit:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><i style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/10/ian-william-robertson.html">http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/10/ian-william-robertson.html</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i><br />
<br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">1977 at SALISBURY</b><br />
<a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/11/david-ian-westerhout.html" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Winner: David Westerhout (pistol shooting).</a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Other finalists: Liz Chase (hockey), Gerald Peckover (hockey), Alan Sutherland (rugby), Teddy Webber (golf).</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Visit:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><i style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/11/david-ian-westerhout.html">http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/11/david-ian-westerhout.html</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i><br />
<br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">1978 at SALISBURY</b><br />
<a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/11/edward-arthur-webber.html" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Winner: Teddy Webber (golf).</a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Other finalists: Ian Robertson (rugby), Langton "Schoolboy" Tinago (boxing), Don Holling</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">worth (shooting), Stuart Robertson (cricket).</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Visit:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><i style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/11/edward-arthur-webber.html">http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/11/edward-arthur-webber.html</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i><br />
<br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">1979 at SALISBURY</b><br />
<a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/11/simon-hobday.html" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Winner: Simon Hobday (golf).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></a><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Other finalists: Kenias Tembo (athletics), Trevor Wilkinson (squash), Shacky Tauro (soccer), </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">John Musa (cycling).</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Visit:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><i style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/11/simon-hobday.html">http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/2012/11/simon-hobday.html</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i><br />
<br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Zimbabwe</b><br />
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<b>1980 at BULAWAYO</b>Finalists: Ann Grant (hockey),Sunday Marimo (soccer), Langton "Schoolboy" Tinago (boxing), Antonette Wilken (diving), Trevor Wilkinson (squash).</div>
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<i>"At the time of going to press, the winner had not been announced."</i></div>
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<em><strong>1976</strong> - (Top left to right)<br />Colin Dowdeswell - Jack Heron<br />(Bottom left to right)<br />Flo Kennedy - George Shaya - Ian Robertson</em></div>
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<em><strong>1977</strong> (Top left to right)<br />Alan Sutherland - Liz Chase - Dave Westerhout<br />(Bottom left to right)<br />Teddy Webber - Gerald Peckover</em></div>
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<em><strong>1978</strong> (Top left to right)<br />Ian Robertson - Don Hollingworth<br />(Bottom left to right)<br />Teddy Webber - Langton "Schoolboy" Tinago - Stuart Robertson</em></div>
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<em><strong>1979</strong> (Top left to right)<br />Kenias Tembo - Trevor Wilkinson - Shacky Tauro<br />(Bottom left to right)<br />Simon Hobday - John Musa</em></div>
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Ref. Rhodesia</div>
Rhodesia Rememberedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644511584084003690noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327827266800393263.post-49683870575944402572012-11-14T22:58:00.001-08:002012-11-14T22:59:54.983-08:00Moscow Olympic Games 1980<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong> </strong><span style="font-family: Bookman Old Style;"><strong>Moscow Olympic Games 1980<br /> Zimbabwe Women's Hockey Team</strong></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvnHoT3f4fyYuN1OImgYc_OLRXQWRf7EwvUKoyWVcsZryw0v2Qe3k-fR1NUHQ6d_zGLEraRNCOfrSH2Vf8EcvoWR3ZsHfBk_vMvCxIzw8mjPALnHRrumzr7i4pfszN1VR7DEuBI6mQRWA/s1600/Team+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvnHoT3f4fyYuN1OImgYc_OLRXQWRf7EwvUKoyWVcsZryw0v2Qe3k-fR1NUHQ6d_zGLEraRNCOfrSH2Vf8EcvoWR3ZsHfBk_vMvCxIzw8mjPALnHRrumzr7i4pfszN1VR7DEuBI6mQRWA/s1600/Team+1.jpg" /></a></div>
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Back: Helen Volk - Pat McKillop - Elisabeth Chase</div>
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Middle: Christine Prinsloo - Sandra Chick -Linda Watson</div>
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Front: Susan Huggett - Ann Grant - Sarah English</div>
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Back: Arlene Boxhall - Gilian Cowley</div>
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Middle: Anthea Stewart - Sonia Robertson</div>
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Front: Patricia Davies - Brenda Phillips - Maureen George </div>
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<span style="font-family: Bookman Old Style;">Sarah English, Ann Grant (Capt), Brenda Phillips, Patricia McKillop, Sonia Robertson, Patricia Davies, Maureen George, Linda Watson, Susan Huggett, Gillian Cowley, Elisabeth Chase (Vice-capt.), Sandra Chick, Helen Volk, Christine Prinsloo, Arlene Boxhall, Anthea Stewart (Player-coach).<br /><br />Officials: Miss Elizabeth Dreyer, Manageress and President of Zimbabwe Women's Hockey Association.<br /><br />Secretary: Miss Audrey Palmer.<br /><br /><strong><em>Triumph of the Zimbabwe Women's Hockey<br />Team as telexed from Moscow by Glen Byrom</em></strong></span></div>
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<b>2018:PROZIMHERALD EXBYROM:<br />MOSCOW, THURSDAY<br />FROM GLEN BYROM<br />GOLDGIRIS ONE...</b><br />
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THE CHAMPAGNE CORKS POPPED MERRILY AT THE DYNAMO STADIUM RESTAURANT THIS EVENING AS ZIMBABWE'S OVERJOYED 'GOLDEN GIRLS' OF HOCKEY CELEBRATED THEIR CROWNING AS OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS.<br />
<br />
MOMENTS BEFORE THEY HAD PROUDLY STEPPED UP TO THE RED-CARPETED WINNERS' ROSTRUM ONE BY ONE TO RECEIVE THEIR GOLD MEDALS FROM MR. REG ALEXANDER, A KENYAN MEMBER OF THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE, WHO WAS ACCOMPANIED BY BELGIUM'S MR. RENEE FRANK, THE PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL HOCKEY FEDERATION.<br />
<br />
TO THUNDEROUS APPLAUSE, IT WAS THE TEAM CAPTAIN, 25-YEAR-OLD SALISBURY BOOKKEEPER ANN GRANT, WHO STEPPED ON TO THE ROSTRUM TO RECEIVE THE FIRST GOLD MEDAL FOR WOMEN'S HOCKEY IN OLYMPICS HISTORY.<br />
<br />
ONCE ALL 16 GIRLS HAD THE BEAUTIFUL GOLD MEDALS HANGING AROUND THEIR NECKS, THEY WAVED HAPPILY TO A SMALL BUT VOCIFEROUS BUNCH OF ZIMBABWE SUPPORTERS IN THE STANDS.<br />
<br />
DRESSED IN THEIR BLUE SKIRTS AND BRIGHT BLUE ZIMBABWE OLYMPIC BLAZERS, THEY HAD MARCHED ON TO THE FIELD - WHERE HOURS EARLIER THEY HAD BEATEN AUSTRIA 4-1, TO WIN THE GOLD - TO THE FANFARE OF TRUMPETS FROM A LARGE SOVIET MILITARY BAND. THE EMOTION-CHARGED CEREMONY WAS BEAMED TO MILLIONS OF TELEVISION VIEWERS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD BY SATELLITE. AND SO, ON THIS MOMENTOUS DAY IN THE HISTORY OF ZIMBABWE SPORT, THE COUNTRY WAS FIRMLY PLACED ON THE WORLD SPORTING MAP.<br />
<br />
<b>2030 i PROZIMHERALD EXBYROM :<br />MOSCOW, THURSDAY</b><br />
<strong>GOLDGIRLS TWO...</strong></div>
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<strong></strong><br />
ONCE THE SILVER MEDALS HAD BEEN PRESENTED TO CZECHOSLOVAK IA<br />
AND THE BRONZE MEDALS TO THE SOVIET UNION THERE WAS A POIGNANT AND UNFORGETTABLE MOMENT WHEN, TO THE STRAINS OF THE HAUNTINGLY BEAUTIFUL OLYMPIC HYMN, DEDICATED TO PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP AMONG SPORTSMEN OF THE WORLD, THE ZIMBABWE FLAG WAS HOISTED WHILE THE 8,000 PEOPLE IN THE STADIUM STOOD RIGIDLY TO ATTENTION IN<br />
SALUTE.<br />
<br />
THE IMPRESSIVE AND MOVING CEREMONY TOOK 40 MINUTES AND ENDED WITH THE ZIMBABWE TEAM LEADING THE OTHER MEDAL-WINNING NATIONS IN A WALKING LAP OF HONOUR.<br />
<br />
THEY RECEIVED A TUMULTUOUS RECEPTION AND, TEARS STREAMING FROM MANY EYES, ALL RETURNED THE WAVES OF THE CROWD.<br />
<br />
THE TENSION SOON SNAPPED IN THE HOCKEY RESTAURANT, WHERE MR. FRANK LINCOLN, THE PRESIDENT OF THE ZIMBABWE OLYMPIC COMMITTEE, PRESENTED ROSES TO EACH OF THE PLAYERS AND OFFICIALS AND TOASTED THE TEAM WITH SOVIET CHAMPAGNE.<br />
<br />
IT WAS A SCENE OF PURE DELIGHT AS THE GIRLS CHATTED EXCITEDLY, SANG LOUDLY AND EVEN STRUCK UP SOME IMPROMPTU DANCING. THEY SIGNED AUTOGRAPHS, SWAPPED BADGES AND OH-SO-PROUDLY WORE THEIR GOLD MEDALS.<br />
<br />
THE COMPLIMENTS FLEW THICK AND FAST FROM REPRESENTATIVES OF THE F.I.H. AND FROM MANY OF THE NATIONS. THE RUSSIAN COACH, A MAN, DISHED OUT SOVIET HOCKEY BADGES AND WAS GIVEN A ZIMBABWE HOCKEY TIE IN RETURN.<br />
<br />
<b>2041:PROZIMHE RALD EXBYROM:<br />MOSCOW, THURSDAY<br />SOLDGIRLS THREE...</b><br />
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PROPOSING A TOAST TO ZIMBABWE, AND SPEAKING THROUGH AN INTERPRETER HE SAID: "WE ARE GLAD FOR YOU AND FOR YOUR COUNTRY THAT YOU HAVE WON THE HONOURED OLYMPIC GOLD. WE LIKE YOU AS PEOPLE AND WE LIKE YOU AS SPORTSMEN. WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP AND WE ARE VERY HAPPY YOU HAVE MET OUR HOCKEY GIRLS ON THE FIELD."<br />
<br />
ANN GRANT RESPONDED TO THE TOAST AND THE ZIMBABWEANS GAVE THE SOVIETS A ROUSING THREE CHEERS.<br />
<br />
ZIMBABWE ENDED THE TOURNAMENT AS THE ONLY UNBEATEN TEAM, GAINING EIGHT POINTS FROM THREE WINS AND TWO DRAWS.<br />
<br />
AND BLUE WAS THEIR LUCKY COLOUR. COACH ANTHEA STEWART CONFIDED IN ME BEFORE THE GAME: "WHEN WE'VE WORN OUR BLUE OUTFITS WE'VE WON BOTH GAMES, BUT WHEN WE WORE OUR GREEN ONLY DREW. WE'RE WEARING BLUE TODAY AND JU-ST HOPE OUR LUCKY TREND CONTINUES."<br />
<br />
IT DID AND ZIMBABWE, PLAYING SUPERBLY CONFIDENT AND SKILFUL HOCKEY IN THE SECOND HALF, FINISHED WITH A 4-1 WIN AGAINST AUSTRIA THAT PUT THEM A POINT CLEAR OF CZECHOSLOVAK IA AND TWO POINTS AHEAD OF THE RUSSIANS, WHO BEAT INDIA 3-1 IN THE<br />
FINAL GAME.<br />
<br />
ZIMBABWE'S 13 GOALS IN THE FIVE GAMES WERE TWO MORE THAN NEXT BEST, RUSSIA, WHILE THEY CONCEDED FEWER GOALS (FOUR) THAN ANY TEAM - A TRIBUTE TO THE OUTSTANDING DEFENDERS ANN GRANT AND MAUREEN GEORGE AND SOME FINE SAVES UNDER PRESSURE- BY GOALKEEPER SARAH ENGLISH.<br />
<br />
<b>2114 : PROZIMHERALD EXBYROM s<br />MOSCOW, THURSDAY<br />GOLDGIRLS FOUR</b><br />
<br />
IN ATTACK, DIMINUTIVE PAT MCKILLOP OF BULAWAYO STOLE THE OLYMPIC SHOW WITH SIX GOALS, JOINT TOP FOR THE TOURNAMENT WITH THE SOVIET UNION'S NATELLA KARASNIKOVA.<br />
<br />
THE 23-YEAR-OLD MRS. MCKILLOP, A FORMER EVELINE SCHOOLGIRL, WHO IS SISTER OF NATIONAL MEN'S PLAYER DEREK FRASER, GAINED THE DISTINCTION IN MOSCOW OF SCORING THE FIRST GOAL IN OLYMPICHISTORY FOR WOMEN'S HOCKEY WHILE TODAY SHE COOLLY SLAMMED IN A SHORT CORNER THAT PUT ZIMBABWE 2-1 UP AND CLINCHED THE GOLD MEDAL.<br />
<br />
ELIZABETH CHASE, DESPITE THE HANDICAP OF A BADLY INJURED KNEE THAT CUT HER EFFECTIVENESS MARKEDLY, SCORED THREE GOALS FOR A JOINT FIFTH RANKING AT THE GAMES ALONG WITH CZECH JIRINA CERMAKOVA.<br />
<br />
<b>1601:PROZIMHERALD EXBYROM:<br />MOSCOW, THURSDAY<br />GLEN BYROM<br />ZIMGOLD ONE...</b><br />
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ZIMBABWE HAVE STRUCK GOLD IN MOSCOW, THAT WAS THE SENSATIONAL NEWS FLASHED TO MILLIONS OF PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD TODAY AFTER ZIMBABWE BEAT AUSTRIA 4-1 TO WIN THE FIRST-EVER OLYMPIC WOMEN'S HOCKEY TOURNAMENT.<br />
<br />
AFTER A TENSE AND EVEN FIRST HALF, WHEN THE SCORES WERE LOCKED AT 1-1, ZIMBABWE'S PLAY FLOURISHED IN THE SECOND HALF AT THE DYNAMO STADIUM AS ANN GRANT'S ELATED TEAM SIMPLY OVERWHELMED THE AUSTRIANS.<br />
<br />
THERE WERE INCREDIBLE SCENES OF UNRESTRAINED JOY AS THE ZIMBABWEANS, TEARS STREAMING FROM THEIR EYES, DANCED ABOUT THE FIELD HUGGING AND KISSING EACH OTHER.<br />
<br />
ZIMBABWE TEAM OFFICIALS, MARK MANOLIOS AND ERIC BARBOUR HAD SIX BOTTLES OF RUSSIAN CHAMPAGNE ON HAND AND THEY WERE CRACKED OPEN ON THE FIELD AS THE PLAYERS CELEBRATED THIS GLORIOUS MOMENT FOR ZIMBABWE.<br />
<br />
IT WAS A HISTORY-MAKING EFFORT IN MANY WAYS, THIS WAS ZIMBABWE'S FIRST EVER OLYMPIC MEDAL OF ANY DESCRIPTION - PREVIOUSLY THE COUNTRY TOOK PART IN THE OLYMPIADS OF ROME (1960) AND TOKYO (1964) AS RHODESIA, WHEN THE MOST NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT WAS THE LATE DAVID BUTLER'S FOURTH PLACE IN THE FLYING DUTCHMAN YACHTING CLASS<br />
IN 1960.<br />
<br />
BUT IT IS AS AFRICA'S NEWEST INDEPENDENT NATION THAT ZIMBABWE HAVE TODAY BEC0ME OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALLISTS. IT IS NO EXAGGERATION TO SAY THAT THE PLAYERS HAVE IMMORTALISED THEMSELVES, FOR THIS WAS THE FIRST WOMEN'S HOCKEY TOURNAMENT IN THE HISTORY OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES AND THEY ARE THE FIRST CHAMPIONS.<br />
<br />
<b>1600 : PROZIMHERALD EXBYROM<br />MOSCOW, THURSDAY<br />FROM GLEN BYROM<br />ZIMGOLD TWO...</b><br />
<br />
ZIMBABWE HAD ALREADY HAD THE HONOUR OF PLAYING THE VERY FIRST OLYMPIC MATCH, WHICH THEY WON 4-0 AGAINST POLAND. AND IT WAS BULAWAYO'S PAT MCKILLOP WHO ETCHED HER NAME IN HISTORY BY SCORING THE FIRST OLYMPIC GOAL.<br />
<br />
WHEN THE HOOTER SOUNDED FOR FULL TIME AND THE GOLD WAS THEIRS, THE ZIMBABWEANS INSTINCTIVELY HOISTED THEIR CAPTAIN ANN GRANT SHOULDER-HIGH AND CARRIED HER OFF THE FIELD.<br />
<br />
THEY SANG AS THEY SWIGGED CHAMPAGNE AND WHEN A BBC TELEVISION CREW INTERVIEWED THEM FIVE MINUTES AFTER THEIR TRIUMPH, THEY JOYFULLY SHOUTED "ZIMBABWE" AS THEY FLAPPED THEIR ARMS ROOSTER- STYLE - A SALUTE TO PRIME MINISTER MR. ROBERT MUGABE, WHO NOT ONLY BACKED ZIMBABWE'S PARTICIPATION IN THESE MOSCOW GAMES BUT PERSONALLY TOLD THE TEAM AT AN EVE-OF-DEPARTURE COCKTAIL PARTY: "I FEEL SURE YOU WILL BRING BACK A GOLD MEDAL FOR ZIMBABWE."<br />
<br />
IT IS ONLY THE SECOND GOLD MEDAL WON BY SPORTSMEN FROM THE AFRICAN CONTINENT HERE, FOLLOWING ETHIOPIA'S MIRUTS YIFTER'S SUCCESS IN THE 10 000 METRES, AND THE ZIMBABWEANS WILL HAVE 16 GOLD MEDALS TO TAKE HOME - ONE FOR EVERY REGISTERED PLAYER, AND THAT INCLUDES COACH ANTHEA STEWART, WHO PLAYED HALF THE MATCH AGAINST INDIA ON WEDNESDAY. THE ONLY PLAYER WHO DID NOT GET ON TO THE FIELD WAS RESERVE GOALKEEPER ARLENE BOXHALL, BUT SHE WILL ALSO SHARE IN THIS TRIUMPH AND TAKE HOME A GOLD MEDAL.<br />
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<b>2115: PROZIMHERALD EXBYROM:<br />MOSCOW, THURSDAY<br />FROM GLEN BYROM<br />MOSCWIN ONE...</b><br />
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THE 'GOLDEN' GOAL CAME EXACTLY 15 MINUTES INTO THE SECOND HALF. THAT WAS THE MOMENT, ON A GLORIOUS SUMMER'S MORNING IN MOSCOW, THAT BULAWAYO'S PATRICIA MCKILLOP STROKED A SHORT CORNER WITH POWER AND PRECISION TO DEFLECT OFF AN OPPONENT'S STICK AND FLY HIGH INTO THE NET TO GIVE ZIMBABWE A 2-1 LEAD OVER AUSTRIA.<br />
<br />
IT WAS ALSO THE MOMENT TO PUT NEW FIRE AND LIFE INTO THE ZIMBABWE GIRLS AND THEREAFTER THEY SIMPLY OVERRAN AUSTRIA WITH A SPLENDID DISPLAY OF FAST, ATTACKING HOCKEY TO FINALLY WIN 4-1 AND BECOME THE FIRST GOLD MEDAL WINNERS FOR WOMEN'S HOCKEY.<br />
<br />
URGED ON BY FREQUENT SHOUTS OF "PAMBERE ZIMBABWE" FROM A SMALL BUT ENTHUSIASTIC BAND OF FELLOW OLYMPIANS, THE ZIMBABWEANS GREW IN STATURE AND TOOK COMMAND TO SUCH A DEGREE THAT THEY FORCED EIGHT SHORT CORNERS AND FOUR LONG CORNERS IN THE SECOND HALF TO THE SINGLE LONG CORNER BY AUSTRIA.<br />
<br />
THIS SUPREMACY FOLLOWED A TENSE AND EVENLY BALANCED FIRST HALF WHEN THE KEYED-UP ZIMBABWE PLAYERS SUFFERED BADLY FROM NERVES.<br />
<br />
AUSTRIA'S FRIEDERIKE STERN WAS CLEAR IN THE CIRCLE AFTER 15 MINUTES, BUT SHOT JUST WIDE, WHILE ZIMBABWE WERE AWARDED FIVE SHORT CORNERS AND COULD NOT CONTROL ANY.<br />
<br />
<b>2123: PROZIMHERALD EXBYROM:<br /> MO&OW, THURSDAY<br /> MOSCWIN TWO....</b><br />
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THEN, AFTER 28 MINUTES, THE DEADLOCK WAS BROKEN WHEN LEFT-WING SANDY CHICK STOPPED A LONG CORNER, HIT CLEANLY, AND CONTROLLED HER SHOT BEAUTIFULLY TO GIVE ZIMBABWE A 1-0 LEAD.<br />
<br />
BUT THIS LIVED FOR ONLY TWO MINUTES. ANDREA PORSCH PUT IN A SPIRITED RUN, HER SHOT BEING WELL SAVED BY ENGLISH. BUT THE GOALKEEPER DID NOT CLEAR HARD ENOUGH AND IN THE SCRAMBLE FOR THE BALL A FEW METRES FROM THE GOAL AUSTRIA WERE AWARDED A PENALTY STROKE. BRIGITTEKINDLER FLICKED IT HIGH INTO THE LEFT CORNER OF THE NET AND IT WAS 1-1 TO HAVE THE AUSTRIANS IN THE CROWD SINGING HAPPILY.<br />
<br />
CHRISTINE PRINSLOO SUBSTITUTED FOR BRENDA PHILLIPS IN THE SECOND PERIOD AS ZIMBABWE IMMEDIATELY TOOK COMMAND TO KEEP THE AUSTRIAN GOAL UNDER SIEGE, ESPECIALLY TOWARDS THE END, WITH THE GOLD MEDAL SAFE, WITH ZIMBABWE ABANDONING THEIR DEFENSIVE THREE-FORWARDS AND PUSHING UP A FRONT FIVE, THE BALL BEGAN TO FLOW AND THERE WERE SEVERAL DELIGHTFUL INTER-PASSING MOVEMENTS THAT SHOWED THESE GIRLS HAVE THE SKILLS.<br />
<br />
MCKILLOP'S GOAL PROVIDED THE SPARK FOR THIS CHANGE OF TACTICS AND IT WAS GILL COWLEY WHO MADE IT 3-1 AFTER 25 MINUTES. FROM A FREE HIT JUST OUTSIDE THE CIRCLE, CHICK'S ACUTE ANGLED SHOT WAS BLOCKED 3UT COWLEY WAS FOLLOWING UP WELL TO SCORE.<br />
<br />
THE GOLD MEDAL WAS NOW IN THEIR HANDS AND THE ZIMBABWEANS JUST GOT BETTER AND BETTER, THEIR SPIRITS LIFTED AND NO THOUGHT WAS GIVEN TO THEIR TIREDNESS.<br />
<br />
<b>2127: PROZIMHERALD EXBYROM:<br />MOSCOW, THURSDAY<br />MOSCWIN THREE LAST.</b><br />
<br />
IT WAS A MAGNIFICENT THROUGH PASS BY LIZ CHASE THAT SENT PAT MCKILLOP SCUTTLING OFF TO COMPLETE HER OLYMPIC GLORY BY CRUNCHING IN ONE OF THE BEST FIELD GOALS OF THE TOURNAMENT, JUST SIX MINUTES FROM THE HOOTER.<br />
<br />
THE GOLD ASSURED, THE SMALL SECTION OF ZIMBABWE SUPPORTERS- BURST FORTH WITH A TYPICALLY AFRICAN SONG "ZULU WARRIOR" TO USHER IN MEMORABLE TRIUMPH FOR THE CONTINENT'S NEWEST- AND TONIGHT, PROUDEST NATION.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong><u>End</u></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Bookman Old Style;">Ref. Rhodesia</span></div>
Rhodesia Rememberedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644511584084003690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327827266800393263.post-16219489554374029102012-11-14T11:32:00.001-08:002012-11-14T11:35:21.142-08:00Edward Arthur Webber<div style="text-align: justify;">
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If THERE is one thing diminutive Teddy Webber knows as much about as playing golf, it's how to keep a cool head, even when the chips are well and truly down. Always a good golfer, it was this ice-cool temperament which made this young man from Umtali a great sportsman.<br />
<br />
A leading Rhodesian amateur for many years, Webber's first major achievement was winning the South African amateur match play title in 1977. That firmly established him as a 'name' in Southern Africa. He was the first Rhodesian to win the title and it capped a great year on the local circuit in which Webber won the Rhodesian amateur by a massive eleven strokes, the Mashonaland, Manicaland and Midlands championships and the Follow-the-Sun tournament at Triangle.<br />
<br />
Looking at those achievements, few would have thought that the quietly spoken, unassuming Webber would go one better in 1978, his truly golden year in which he was to keep his head when all about him were losing theirs.<br />
<br />
It was a historic occasion on 11 March when Webber disposed of Etienne Groenewald three and two on the tricky beach-front course at Durban Country Club to carry off the South African amateur match play title for the second time. The little Rhodesian was the first man in the 54-year history of the South African amateur championship to win the title twice.<br />
<br />
Victory was not easy for Webber and if he had not taken heed of Rudyard Kipling's advice and met triumph and disaster, treating "those two impostors just the same", things could easily have gone wrong for him. But temperament and determination to stay unruffled, won the day.<br />
<br />
The final against Groenewald was Webber's fifth match in three days after seventy-two holes of stroke play — a gruelling test of golf stamina. His calmness helped him to overcome two bad patches.<br />
<br />
He was four up when he stepped on to the first tee to start the last eighteen holes of the final. He hit his first bad drive and got into trouble in the rough. After going out of bounds, Webber was forced to concede the hole.<br />
<br />
But he did not let it upset him. Again he was able to keep his cool when he gave Groenewald a chance by chipping poorly and then three-putting on the fifth when he should have had the hole sewn up. Webber then tightened up his game and by the sixteenth the match was over.<br />
<br />
"I was speechless, but it was a great feeling," Webber said afterwards. "It wasn't like last year. This time I had lots of Rhodesians giving me support and it helped plenty."<br />
<br />
South Africa's most widely travelled golf personality, George Blumberg, who is better known as 'Uncle George', watched Webber win the title at Durban. "Webber is the most professional amateur in the business as far as playing the game of golf is concerned," Mr. Blumberg said. It was a remarkable achievement especially as Webber had completed an Army call-up only two weeks previously and was not particularly well-prepared for the championships.<br />
<br />
Edward Arthur 'Teddy' Webber was born on 28 August 1951 at Umtali where he was educated and lived until 1979 when he moved to Salisbury. He started playing golf when he was six but did not take it seriously until he played in his first competition when he was twelve.<br />
<br />
His first official handicap was thirty-two and playing off this at Umtali Golf Club he once scored fifty-two stableford points and was then cut to twenty-three. Within a year he was down to thirteen and a year later he was a six, then a three. He then joined the Hillside Golf Club and within six months was down to scratch. As a leading amateur his handicap fluctuated between plus two and plus three.<br />
<br />
Webber continued to flourish, and he won the Rhodesian junior championship in 1968 after picking up the Mashonaland title the year before. In 1974 he was runner- up to Mark McNulty in the Rhodesian senior championship and in that year first represented Rhodesia in the Eisenhower Trophy in the Dominican Republic where the team finished thirteenth. In 1976 he again represented his country in the international Eisenhower Trophy at Penina Golf Club in Portugal.<br />
<br />
The young Webber did as well at Penina, turning in the best four-round score for Rhodesia, which earned him fifth place in the world individual placings. There was no stopping the curly-haired Umtali golfer after that, and in 1977 he won the Rhodesian championship, the Manicaland and Mashonaland titles, the Hillside Masters for the third year in succession, and then crowned a great season by pocketing his first South African title in beating Richter van Niekerk on the thirty seventh hole at Bryanston Country Club.<br />
<br />
People often talk of Simon Hobday, George Harvey, Nicky Price and Mark McNulty but few Rhodesian amateur golfers have been able to compare favourably with Webber's record.<br />
<br />
November 1978 crowned a great season for Webber. He was elected Rhodesian Sportsman of the Year for some great achievements, the best of which was winning the South African title for the second year in succession. Webber was also a finalist for this top Rhodesian sporting award in 1977, when he was elected Golfer of the Year.<br />
<br />
Webber was always the epitome of true sportsmanship on and off the course and was held in the highest regard by players and officials alike. After Webber won his second South African title, the Rhodesia Golf Union president, Doug Pechey, was at Salisbury airport to welcome Teddy home. "We are thrilled and proud of Teddy's achievements. There are not enough adjectives in the book," Mr. Pechey said.<br />
<br />
In the latter part of 1978, Webber made the big decision to turn professional and he finished nineteenth in the South African Professional Golf Association's order of merit in his first crack at the Sunshine Circuit.<br />
<br />
He would most certainly have finished higher had he been allowed to compete in the final event, the Holiday Inns in Swaziland, but he was refused a visa on his Rhodesian passport. At the time he had been in good form and was lying fourteenth.<br />
<br />
In March 1979, Webber accepted the post of professional at Royal Salisbury Golf Club where members were happy to gain the full benefit of his expertise.<br />
<br />
— McDERMOTT.<br />
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End<br />
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Ref. Rhodesia</div>
Rhodesia Rememberedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644511584084003690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327827266800393263.post-10133092099970525032012-11-14T11:01:00.000-08:002012-11-14T11:05:19.263-08:00David Ian Westerhout<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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DAVE WESTERHOUT has long been noted as a perfectionist. As an academic at university he was twice awarded marks of 100 per cent for examination papers on the physiology of vision. And as a sportsman he has always possessed the temperament and quality of a champion, representing Britain in the 1958 Commonwealth Games as a 440 yards hurdler.<br />
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It was thus not surprising that a man of such calibre should ultimately distinguish himself as a world champion. But it was remarkable that Dave Westerhout should gain acclaim as world champion for sanctions-hit Rhodesia in combat pistol shooting — a sport in which shooters in this country did not have the weaponry, ammunition nor experience to consider themselves the equal of major nations like America and West Germany.<br />
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However, the threat posed by Rhodesia's small band of dedicated combat pistol men to the cream of the world's marksmen was evident from the inaugural world championships at Zurich, Switzerland, in 1975. Rhodesia finished third in the team event, with Lionel Smith third in the individual championship, and Westerhout, a relative newcomer to the sport, a creditable eleventh.<br />
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The 1976 world championships were staged at Salzburg, Austria, where Smith was again third, with Westerhout improving to fourth place. But the team event was won by Rhodesia, who beat Norway by a mere 29 points in an exhilarating competition, with the 'big guns' of America trailing in third place, 185 points behind.<br />
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The Americans had been practising this type of shooting for twenty years and up to that time had been undisputed kings. Thus it was incredible that a small nation like Rhodesia should outpoint them and take over as world leaders. The Rhodesians who became the world champion team were, Westerhout (captain), Lionel Smith, Peter Maunder, Alex du Plessis and Dave Arnold, all from Salisbury.<br />
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This set the scene for an intriguing 1977 world championship at the Cleveland Range at Salisbury, with the sharp-shooting Americans determined to regain their pride and exact revenge for their Salzburg defeat.<br />
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Westerhout was Rhodesian captain for the third successive year. He could take the major credit for persuading the shooting nations of the world to stage the championships in strife-torn Rhodesia — still in the throes of a bush war.<br />
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The charismatic Westerhout paying his own way, represented Rhodesia at the meeting of the International Practical Shooting Confederation in America where it was unanimously agreed to stage the event at Salisbury in August 1977, after he had lobbied extensively for a week. That decision in itself was a notable triumph for Rhodesia and for Westerhout.<br />
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Feverish work at Cleveland over many months prepared the range to international standard, commerce and industry readily coming to the aid of the enterprising pistol men.<br />
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The indefatigable Westerhout was not content to sit back and shoot He took full charge as chairman of the organising committee, a position entailing a heavy workload which inevitably cut deeply into his preparation time for the actual competition.<br />
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Teams arrived from Rhodesia, America, Australia, South Africa, West Germany, Norway, Belgium, Britain and Switzerland. The Americans included the redoubtable Ray Chapman, world champion in 1975 and runner-up in 1976 to Norwegian Jan Foss.<br />
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But it was the supremely fit and athletic Dave Westerhout who took the lead from the outset and became world champion in grand style — finishing 116 points ahead of runner-up Peter Maunder, another Rhodesian, and 158 clear of the third-placed Raoul Walters of America. Thus these world championships really belonged to Westerhout in many ways, climaxed by him gaining the tag 'world champion'. He had the top score of all eighty-six competitors in four of the varied shoots and was always among the leaders.<br />
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For the second successive year, the Rhodesians won the team championship, this time with Westerhout Lionel Smith, Alex du Plessis, Andy Langley and Peter Boniface. The team was chosen after a series of intensive trials, but twelve others were selected to participate as individuals. One of these was Peter Maunder, who was ranked only fifteenth in Rhodesia at the start of the championships but proved to have been underrated by outshooting all but Westerhout<br />
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There were never many points separating Rhodesia and America in the fight for the team championship and the lead was traded throughout The results had finally to be calculated by computer and it was not until some time after the shooting was over that Rhodesia were declared the winners.<br />
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It was Westerhout's class under white-hot pressure that pulled Rhodesia to the front and edged out the Americans. After the 'jungle lane' shoot, Rhodesia had closed the gap on the leading Americans, but they moved ahead with sensational shooting in the 'house clearing' and 'vehicle' shoots.<br />
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In the 'house clearing', Rhodesia were trying to match an excellent shoot by the Americans and were under further pressure after a penalty of ten points imposed for an accidental discharge.<br />
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It was left to the last two shooters, Smith and Westerhout, to keep Rhodesia in touch. A tense home crowd of about 200 watched Smith score a possible 250 with the best time of the shoot (50,4 sec.). It was a difficult challenge for Westerhout, but he was equal to it and also scored a maximum 250, but clipped 2,3 seconds from Smith's time.<br />
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Rhodesia were now just a fraction behind in the team race, but were to surge ahead on the 'vehicle shoot, where Westerhout s time was half that of many other competitors, though he still managed a score of 216 out of 220 to give him by far the best hit factor and total.<br />
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For his achievement, Westerhout was honoured as the Rhodesian Sportsman of the Year for 1977 and was awarded the John Hopley Memorial Trophy. It was a fitting tribute to a remarkable personality.<br />
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David Ian Westerhout was born in England on 20 May 1936 and educated at Bancroft's School, Essex and London University. After qualifying as an optician he practised for a year in Britain before emigrating to Rhodesia in 1959, where he began to specialise in contact lens fitting. By the late 1970s he had an international reputation in this field and was being invited to undertake lecture tours of America, England, Germany, South Africa and New Zealand.<br />
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He married a Rhodesian girl, Isobelle Whittle-Herbert, in 1964. They returned to England in 1967, where Westerhout was elected president of the Contact Lens Society in 1970. The Westerhouts returned to Rhodesia in 1971. He shared with Dr. John Hanks the 1974 Zimbabwe Award which honours outstanding young people in this country.<br />
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He played first-league rugby and cricket at Salisbury and in 1960 and 1961 was selected to represent Rhodesia on the track, where he set a national record for the 220 yards hurdles and was awarded his colours. He is interested in game and veld conservation and is an honorary game officer of the Department of National Parks and Wild Life Management.<br />
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But it was as a combat pistol marksman that he brought to Rhodesia a rare world individual championship, and spearheaded the team's victory at two successive championships. These were achieved despite the severe handicap of using inferior weapons. At the 1976 championships in Austria, for instance, Westerhout, Maunder and Arnold were forced to share one pistol. They started with two, but the night before the championship, the sight broke off one weapon and all three had to share the other.<br />
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In international practical pistol shooting, the Americans, with plenty of money and unrestricted ammunition and practice, reckon on two guns to a man. To share would be anathema to them. Because of serious shortages of modern guns and ammunition, the Rhodesians cast their own bullet heads and used recharged cartridge cases. Clearly, under such handicaps, they could not waste precious ammunition on the endless hours of practice which are normally necessary to be able to compete at world championship level.<br />
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In early 1980 Westerhout switched styles to Olympic rapid fire pistol and in just six months won a place in Zimbabwe's hastily assembled Olympic team for Moscow. But the two styles are about as different as squash from tennis, and he did not have the experience to be competitive at Moscow. His new Hammerli pistol broke on arrival and he could not practise for a week. This demolished his confidence to the extent that he finished 38th out of 40 with a score of 529. A second Zimbabwean, Bulawayo's Ian Redmond, was joint 33rd with 576. The winner, Ion Corneliu of Romania shot 596, but like all the eastern bloc competitors was ultra-professional in terms of time and ammunition expended in practice.<br />
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In the Olympic free pistol, Salisbury's Maureen Reichert was the only woman among a field of 33. She finished 28th on 524, with Redmond 27th on 527. Winner was the Soviet Union's Aleksandr Melentev with a new world record of 581.<br />
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Another Zimbabwe competitor was Salisbury's Dennis Hardman, who in the prone rifle was joint 25th out of 56 with a score of 592 — a highly satisfactory result.<br />
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Hungary's Karoly Varga won the Gold Medal by equalling the world record of 599. In three positional rifle, Hardman suffered badly from nerves and lapsed to 30th out of 39 shooters with a tally of 1117. Russia's Viktor Vlasov was the winner with the world record of 1173.<br />
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<b>WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS<br /> </b>Salzburg, Austria 1976: Team placings— 1, Rhodesia (1 763 pts.);2, Norway (1 734); 3, America (1 578); 4, South Africa (1 566); 5, West Germany (1562); 6, Austria (1 533). Individual placings — 1, J. Foss (Norway); 2, R. Chapman (U.S.); 3, L. Smith (Rhodesia); 4, Westerhout (Rhodesia). Other Rhodesians: P. Maunder (8), D. Arnold (11), A. du Plessis (29).<br />
<br />
— BYROM.<br />
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End<br />
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Rhodesia Rememberedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644511584084003690noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327827266800393263.post-64337821636550729172012-11-14T10:16:00.001-08:002012-11-14T10:51:24.576-08:00Robert Andrew Stewart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When the BIG. bearded lock forward Rob Stewart left Rhodesia in the first few days of 1980 to settle in South Africa he had the distinction of being the country's most capped rugby player.<br />
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After nine seasons with the national side the thirty-year-old Stewart had appeared 72 times in the green and white jersey in a career stretching from his debut in 1970 to the final game of 1979, when Rhodesia beat Griqualand West at Bulawayo to retain their place in the A Section of Currie Cup. He had only missed the 1974 season when he went into brief retirement<br />
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His 72 appearances up to the end of 1979 put him ahead of such illustrious names as Iain Buchanan (65), Des van Jaarsveldt (62), Dick Coleshaw (62), Brian Murphy (56) and Ian Robertson (56), the only players up to that time to have reached the 50 mark.<br />
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But more than holding the honour of the 'most capped player' Stewart distinguished himself with a record which is unlikely to be broken for many years — from the May 1975 match against Free State, when he displaced Mike Jakobi, he played for Rhodesia in an unbroken sequence of 56 games.<br />
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As he left to play in the Transvaal (he joined Wits University) Stewart said: "I am very sorry to be leaving Rhodesia. I have enjoyed my rugby here with a tremendous bunch of guys. The biggest thing Rhodesians have is guts and determination, and all sides down south are scared of them."<br />
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His major regret was that club rugby had been seriously disrupted for many years through the security situation — call-ups of young men were incessant during the bush war. In 1979 his Midlands club, Sabi Stars, had five Rhodesian players, yet they seldom practised together and could never hope to play to their full potential.<br />
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His most memorable matches for Rhodesia?<br />
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"When we honoured 'Choppy' (LeRoy Duberly) by beating Natal at the end of 1979... in 1973 when I scored a try from our own 22m line at Durban and we won . . . and when we beat Western Province at Salisbury in 1977."<br />
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That Western Province match was one of Rhodesia's most famous rugby victories.<br />
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Stewart's major disappointment was losing to Northern Transvaal in the 1973 Currie Cup semifinals at Loftus Versfeld — the closest the country has ever come to reaching the coveted final. Stewart recalled: "The ref beat us. I scored a try and it was disallowed. I was told I'd knocked on... I couldn't believe it. We all felt on the field that day that we could beat them."<br />
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Rhodesia led 3-0 at half-time with an Ian Robertson penalty. Northerns then scored a controversial try followed by Stewart's disallowed 'try' that knocked some of the heart out of the team. Gradually the terrier-like Rhodesians were worn down and Northerns reached the final with a 20-7 victory.<br />
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Robert Andrew Stewart was born at Glasgow, Scotland, on 25 September 1949 but moved to South Africa with his parents at the age of three. At Welkom High School he had to play soccer — there had been trouble between English and Afrikaner boys on the field and the school had been suspended from playing rugby for five years.<br />
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Stewart left school in 1966 and worked for a year as a surveyor on the mines before deciding to join the British South Africa Police. "I came to Salisbury in 1967 with the intention of playing soccer," he recalled, "and I started for Police at centre-half. I was a cadet at the time and a certain officer told me it would be wise to play rugby."<br />
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He reluctantly took this strong hint, though he continued to play soccer and was once suspended from rugby for going to soccer practices instead of rugby. "I was punished a few times and so I resigned myself to the fact that I would play rugby and give up soccer."<br />
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However, whenever the Police team were short at soccer he enjoyed filling in and in 1969 played National League games against Dynamos, Arcadia and Chibuku. These outings put him in two minds to go back, but finally in 1970 he set his sights firmly on a rugby career.<br />
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He had first played rugby in 1967 at full back for the Police 2nd XV, moving to the flank for the next two seasons and playing first league. He made his debut for Rhodesia as a lock against Western Transvaal at Bulawayo on 6 June 1970, Rhodesia winning this Currie Cup match 18-16. It was incredible to think that only three years before he had never been on a rugby field and now, at the age of twenty, he was playing for his country in a position at which he had only played seven times. At that time he had five Mashonaland caps — one in 1968, two in 1969 and two in 1970.<br />
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His interest in rugby, however, waned in 1974 and he 'retired' after being capped 14 times for Rhodesia, including internationals against the All Blacks and Italy. "I have lost complete interest and have packed up for good," he said at the time. "I played in two games for Edwardians this year and found that the refereeing was so bad that it killed all my enjoyment in the game."<br />
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But the 105 kg, 1,94 m-tall Stewart soon realised his mistake, and he returned to the game in 1975 as flank against South Eastern Transvaal at Witbank. The game was a disaster for Rhodesia, who lost 10-21, and Stewart was among several players to be axed, missing matches against Public School Wanderers and Boland before returning at lock against Free State at Bloemfontein.<br />
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Thereafter Stewart played in every match for Rhodesia (56) up to the time of his departure. He was vice-captain on occasions; he played mostly at lock, but also as flank and eighthman. He was a Springbok trialist and played for the President's XV against the Junior Springboks in 1977.<br />
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In his Rhodesian career he scored 68 points, including 17 tries — five of those from the lock position in the 1977 season when the All Black, Alan Sutherland, was captain and rejuvenated national rugby.<br />
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On his departure, only four players in the history of Rhodesian rugby had scored more tries than Stewart — Eric Barrett (31), Ray Mordt (25), Danny Delport (21) and David Smith (18). He had played three internationals — All Blacks in 1970, Italy in 1973 and America in 1978. He played Rhodesia under-20 in 1968 and 1969 (captain)<br />
A fine ball-player one could often pick up the soccer influence in his rugby and it was a stirring sight to see the massive and highly mobile Stewart burst through, dribbling the rugby ball. He scored several fine tries in this fashion and frequently gained valuable ground for his team by this method.<br />
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As a youngster, Stewart was talented in other sports and at the age of fifteen, swam and played water polo for the Free State. He was also an athlete and broke school records for the 220, 440, 880 and mile in one day.<br />
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<br />
— BYROM.<br />
<br />End<br /><br />
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Ref. Rhodesia</div>
Rhodesia Rememberedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644511584084003690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327827266800393263.post-33527791673442848452012-11-14T02:34:00.001-08:002012-11-14T02:34:22.191-08:00Colin Dowdeswell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A SCRUFFY YOUNG MAN with hangdog hair and a nonchalant air captured the hearts and imaginations of the Wimbledon crowds in 1975.<br /><br /> He was Colin Dowdeswell, then only nineteen and a triple holder of Rhodesian tennis titles. With the help of his partner in the men's doubles, Tasmanian, Allan Stone, Dowdeswell became the first Rhodesian to win through to a Wimbledon final.<br /><br /> Strangely enough, he made his first appearance at the hallowed home of tennis nineteen years before when he was born there. He came to Rhodesia to live in 1956 and his boyhood was dedicated to tennis under the guidance of his mother, tennis coach, Shelagh Evans, herself a player of no mean ability.<br /><br /> Dowdeswell and Stone eliminated two seeded pairings on their way to the 1975 final and provided the British Press with a lot of colourful copy.<br /><br /> The young Rhodesian was due to have played in the doubles with his older brother Roger who was a professional coach in America, but Roger decided to return to America a week before Wimbledon, leaving Colin without a partner.<br /><br /> However, opportunity knocked once and Colin eagerly grabbed his chance when Ray Ruffles, who was to have partnered Stone in the doubles, was injured.<br /><br /> In typical fashion, the quietly spoken, well-mannered Dowdeswell approached Stone in the players' restaurant at Wimbledon and introduced himself: "I'm Colin Dowdeswell. Would you mind if I played with you in the doubles?"<br /><br /> Thus was born an unusual but highly effective partnership which had the staid Wimbledon crowds talking animatedly over their strawberries and cream.<br /><br /> The mature, neat Stone was much older than his young partner and the pair were a complete contrast on the court. The cool, experienced Stone and the exuberant Dowdeswell, shirt-tails invariably hanging out, made a dynamic combination.<br /><br /> Stone's steadiness from the baseline and Dowdeswell's excellence in volleying and net play took them steadily to the final against the Americans. Vitas Gerulaitis and Sandy Mayer.<br /><br /> The seeded pairing of Tom Okker and Marty Riessen were the first to fall to the Rhodesian-Australian combination. Dowdeswell and Stone eliminated them 3-6, 9-7. 6-3, 6-2 and caused quite a stir on the terraces.<br /><br /> They next came up against the time-proven pair of South Africans, Bob Hewitt and Frew McMillan and general opinion was that they would meet their Waterloo.<br /><br /> The critics were again wrong and the third-seeded South Africans were brushed aside 6-3, 6-4, 8-9. 9-8 to allow Dowdeswell and Stone through to a semifinal against Australian Dick Crealey and Yugoslavian Nikki Pilic.<br /><br /> This was a tighter match for them but with Dowdeswell serving very strongly and his net play again outstanding, they eventually triumphed 9-8,3-6,4-6.9-8,6-3 to make the final.<br /><br /> It was a big occasion for the young Dowdeswell and the enormity of it all seemed to affect his game. He was brilliant at times but also showed bad lapses in concentration at crucial moments and Gerulaitis and Mayer took the title in straight sets 7-5, 8-6, 6-4, ending a fairy-tale challenge the likes of which make Wimbledon the truly great tournament that it is.<br /><br /> Dowdeswell showed above-average ability in tennis from an early age. His natural inclination for the game was carefully nurtured by his mother and he soon outstripped players of his own age. He won his first title at the age of six — in an under-10 tournament — and progressed ever upwards.<br /><br /> Another milestone in his career was his triple crown in the Rhodesian Open in the same year as his Wimbledon doubles final. This feat had not been accomplished since 1950 when C. V. Irvine won three titles.<br /><br /> As a junior he was undoubtedly a match for the world's best. In 1974 he lost the final of the under-18 singles at Wimbledon to American Billy Martin and he also made the final of the American Forest Hills junior championships.<br /><br /> He won numerous Rhodesian and Mashonaland junior and senior titles and scored regularly on the South African Sugar Circuit.<br /><br /> Dowdeswell's form continued in 1976, which all round was a very good year for him. He led the Rhodesian Davis Cup team in their first-round tie against Switzerland at Berne, recording Rhodesia's only wins when he beat both Heinz Guenthardt and Max Huerlimann in singles. Switzerland won the tie 3-2.<br /><br /> Later that year he reached the last eight of the U.S. Forest Hills championships (ranked alongside Wimbledon in importance), beating the eighth seed, Mexican champion, Raul Ramirez, in straight sets 6-4, 6-4.<br /><br /> He then beat Bob Lutz 7-6, 6-2 and the American later said of Dowdeswell: "He's a real surprise packet. Now I know how he beat Ramirez." Dowdeswell's challenge ended when American, Eddie Dibbs, beat him 6-2, 6-4.<br /><br /> Not content with that, Dowdeswell teamed up with Australian Chris Rachel to make the quarter-finals of the doubles at Forest Hills.<br /><br /> In the quarter-finals they beat the second-seeded pair of Fred McNair and Sherwood Stewart 2-6, 7-5, 7-6. Earlier they had beaten Argentinean Guillermo Vilas and Rumanian Ion Tiriac 6-2, 6-3.<br /><br /> At Wimbledon that year he was beaten in the first round of the singles, but reached the quarter-finals of the mixed doubles with American, Betty Nagelson, as a partner.<br /><br /> His efforts in world tennis in 1975 and 1976 deservedly led to his being one of the five finalists for the Rhodesian Sportsman of the Year Trophy.<br /><br /> After a relatively quiet period in 1977 in which he beat British number five, John Feaver, to gain the second round of the singles at Wimbledon, Dowdeswell came to the fore in 1978.<br /><br /> The top player in 1977 was the Argentinean bombshell, Guillermo Vilas. Dowdeswell beat him in a semifinal of the South African Open to record his finest singles triumph.<br /><br /> It was a great match and a great victory for the young Rhodesian who had been unseeded and forced to qualify for the 32-man event Playing controlled, error-free tennis, Dowdeswell endeared himself to an 8 000 crowd at Ellis Park and earned the nickname 'Cool Hand Luke' as he demolished top seed, Vilas, in a thrilling 6-1, 6-7, 6-4 encounter.<br /><br /> When Dowdeswell put away his seventh match point to win the third set 6-4, the crowd, who had been rooting for him throughout, erupted in a deafening tribute. They shared the agony and the ecstasy of three excruciating sets and every one of those match points Dowdeswell had held and lost to Vilas in the crucial second set<br /><br /> That was another of Dowdeswell's finest hours but again he could not sustain the momentum and lost the final to American, Cliff Richey, 6-2, 6-4. The strain of too many matches and a badly blistered right foot did not help the young Rhodesian.<br /><br /> One wonders how far Dowdeswell could have gone in world tennis had he concentrated the whole of his time on the game.<br /><br /> But his quiet, reserved manner, dream-like air and slow smile all mask resolute determination and a sharp intellect. He knows that there are other ways to make a living and to this end he has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Wits University and has been studying languages. He is also taking a banking and finance course in Switzerland where he has a tennis contract with a club.<br /><br /> His studies have often forced tennis to take a back seat and his achievements on the court are made all the more remarkable. Family life also looms — on a quick visit to his family in Salisbury in 1979, Dowdeswell brought with him Parisian Marie-Christine le Goasguen, whom he plans to marry in 1980.<br /><br /> — McDERMOTT.<br /><br /> End<br /><br /> Comments are welcome - please enter them below or send them to Eddy Norris at <a href="mailto:orafs11@gmail.com">orafs11@gmail.com</a><br /> <br /><a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/"> To view the Blog Home Page - Please Click Here.</a></div>
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Rhodesia Rememberedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644511584084003690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327827266800393263.post-91057080122327100512012-11-14T00:23:00.000-08:002012-11-14T00:24:33.826-08:00Denis Watson and George Harvey<div style="text-align: justify;">
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RHODESIA has produced few world champions in any sport, so 18 August 1975, became a day to remember for all of the country's sport followers.<br />
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The scene was the fabulous but fearsome El Rincon golf course in Bogota, Colombia, where a slim, shy nineteen-year-old and his twenty-seven-year-old partner walked away with the World Pairs amateur title from seventeen other nations.<br />
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The triumphant Rhodesians were teenager Denis Watson, who won the individual title after leading from start to finish, and George Harvey. As a team they led the race for the World Pairs title after the second round and eventually won from second placed Sweden by the massive margin of 10 strokes. The achievement earned them the 1975 Rhodesian Sportsman of the Year award.<br />
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It was the perfect ending to an almost fairy-tale story. In June, the Rhodesia Golf Union had received a cable from the Colombian Golf Federation which advised that "acting on Government instructions we have no option but to withdraw our invitation to you". The news was bitterly disappointing but it was the sort of treatment to which all Rhodesian sportsmen were becoming resigned, in an era of political ostracism.<br />
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But some strenuous behind-the-scenes work paid off, as a month later Rhodesia Golf Union president Gerry Taylor, received a cable from the organiser of the event Enrique Semper, which said that visas had been granted for the Rhodesian team.<br />
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The late acceptance left Watson and Harvey with only two weeks of preparation before they left for Colombia on 9 August. They did have one advantage. Harvey had played on the El Rincon course two years before, when, partnered by Alan Shepherd, they finished the World Pairs championship 21 shots behind the winners, South Africa. Harvey was able to give his younger partner much advice on conditions and the vagaries of the course.<br />
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This time the Rhodesians were also fortunate in having a few days of acclimatisation before the championship began. The main problems that faced them were the daily rain and the altitude, 2 200 m above sea-level. They were often short of breath in the rarefied atmosphere.<br />
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The first round shocked the world. Watson, playing with assurance and aplomb beyond his tender years, completely mastered the tricky course to set a new amateur record of 67 and take a three-stroke lead in the individual competition from Sweden's Jan Rube.<br />
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Harvey did not fare as well, shooting a 78, but their combined scores kept them up with the leaders. Watson shot a second round 71 and Harvey improved to a 73 to take the team event lead three strokes ahead of Sweden. In the third round, Harvey came into his own and equalled Watson's course record of 67. All of a sudden attention was firmly riveted on the Rhodesian pair. In manager Gordon Mollett's words: "Everyone was very friendly, and when Denis broke the course record in the first round you would have thought we had come from the presidential palace.<br />
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"I told them they hadn't seen anything yet, and, blow me down, George does the same thing in the third round!" Watson returned a fourth-round 70 and Harvey a 74 to secure the world title. Watson won the individual title by five strokes and Harvey finished seventh.<br />
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Springbok, Neville Sundelson, who was one of the South African team, summed up the Rhodesian achievement when he said: "We would never have caught the Rhodesians, Denis Watson and George Harvey. They played magnificently, especially Watson, and they were worthy winners."<br />
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The two Rhodesians became local heroes and were feted by golfers and officials. When Enrique Semper presented the winners with their trophies, he said: "They handed out a four-day golf lesson to competitors and public during the tournament." The Bogota afternoon newspaper was also complimentary and headlined its account of the Rhodesians' victory with "They came. They saw. They conquered."<br />
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Victory at El Rincon was for both golfers the crowning glory on distinguished amateur careers. Harvey dominated Rhodesian amateur golf for five years, during which time few people knew that he was playing with sight in only one eye. He lost the sight of his left eye after an optic nerve infection when he was fifteen.<br />
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Harvey spent three years as a professional at Bulawayo Golf Club but in 1969 applied for a return to amateur status. He had to take a back seat for two years, and his opening tournament after reinstatement was the 1971 Rhodesian amateur championship. This was the first of three national titles which he won, and he went on to claim two South African stroke play titles and reach the semifinals of the South African match play four times. <br />
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Another milestone in Harvey's career was his selection in 1973 as the number one player for an eight-man international team which included the amateur champions of Britain, Australia, Canada, Japan and Brazil. In 1977, he turned professional again and made a vain attempt to realise his lifetime ambition of playing in the British Open. A wrist injury scotched his chances after he had qualified for the 1978 Open.<br />
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His trip to Britain that year was marred by a British Government decision to freeze any earnings the Rhodesian made. But the editor of the Sunday Express, John Junor, campaigned extensively on Harvey's behalf and presented the Rhodesian with a cheque for $1 259 — money sent in by Express readers who disagreed with the government freeze.<br />
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Watson took up golf when he was fourteen and used to practise with his father, Don Watson, who decided to play the game at the same time. Within a year Denis was down to single figures while his father remained a 24 handicap.<br />
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Another year of golf saw Watson get down to scratch, and he was picked for the Mashonaland junior team at the age of sixteen. In 1973 he captained a Rhodesian junior squad which toured South Africa and after winning the Slazenger junior tournament down there, he finished runner-up in the South African junior championships.<br />
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He again captained the Rhodesian juniors the following year, and his team made mincemeat of the visiting South African team, Watson beating the South African Johan Killian five and three at Royal. That was a big year for Denis and he represented Rhodesia in the Eisenhower Trophy and had the distinction of returning the lowest score in the team.<br />
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Watson turned professional in October 1975 — after winning the world title at Bogota and he had his first South African circuit in 1976. Like most new young pros he learned the hard way and his first cracks at the Sunshine Circuit and the European tour earned him little.<br />
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But with typical determination he rode out the lean times and really came into his own in 1979, finishing second to Gary Player in the PGA order of merit. This earned him the distinction of becoming the first Rhodesian to be invited to take part in major tournaments on the United States PGA tour in 1980.<br />
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— McDERMOTT.<br />
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End<br />
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Rhodesia Rememberedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644511584084003690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327827266800393263.post-4263041076254965782012-11-13T10:29:00.000-08:002012-11-13T10:32:11.526-08:00LeRoy Duberly<div style="text-align: justify;">
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It SIMPLY was a match Rhodesia's rugby men felt powerfully compelled to win. It was 8 September 1979, at Durban's King's Park Stadium that Rhodesia — without a Currie Cup win all season — faced Natal.<br />
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Just a few days previously, Rhodesia's first-choice full back, Matabeleland's LeRoy Duberly, had been killed in action during a daring raid into Mozambique. He should have been on that Durban field that sunny Saturday afternoon but all efforts to get him released from an important Army task had failed, and Eric Barrett, normally a wing, was drafted at the last moment to wear the No. 15 jersey.<br />
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The Rhodesians heard of Duberly's death at lunch on the day before the match. National coach Brian Murphy, reflecting every player's feelings, said: "We are shattered. We have cancelled all functions and we will all stay in the hotel... but tomorrow on the field I can promise one hell of a performance. The guys have said that they will play this game for LeRoy."<br />
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Added Murphy: "One had to know 'Choppy' to realise just what sort of a man he was. There was no greater gentleman in the game. He was one you could always totally rely on."<br />
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The president of the Rhodesia Rugby Football Union, a former Springbok captain Des van Jaarsveldt, commented: "The rugby team is our family. LeRoy was an absolute sportsman, the epitome of a gentleman and always a completely loyal member of his club side."<br />
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We tried very hard to get him out for this game but he was in an area where it couldn't be done. We are heart-broken he has gone ... Goddamit, what is this war all about?"<br />
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The scenes at King's Park were the most emotional I have witnessed in two decades of reporting sports events. Emotion spilled over before, during and after the match, in which fifteen fanatically motivated Rhodesians did what they had promised ... they beat Natal 19-15 to honour the memory of their fallen mate.<br />
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In an emotionally charged atmosphere several young Rhodesians from the crowd ran round the field proudly waving their country's flags, before laying them down carefully behind the posts and standing rigidly to attention as a lone trumpeter from the Natal Light Infantry, played the haunting Last Post and Reveille while thousands of spectators and the players observed the two minutes silence before the kick-off.<br />
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Tears welled in the eyes of every Rhodesian player. Some said later they had shaken uncontrollably and had come close to breaking down.<br />
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In the match itself the fierce commitment to achieving victory for 'Choppy' Duberly was always evident and at the triumphant final whistle emotional control was finally lost by many, some weeping unashamedly.<br />
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None more than the quiet strong man of the front row, war-hardened farmer Keith Nicolson, who sat in a corner of the dressing-room for a long while and cried.<br />
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Matabele, Iain Buchanan, replaced as captain during the season by former All Black, Kevin Eveleigh, personally carried off his new captain shoulder-high and then summed it all up: "We had to win today, not for ourselves but for our mate. We gave him the best send-off we could possibly have given him. He was a mighty man."<br />
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Front ranker Neville van Niekerk tore a cartilage in the first scrum of the match and was in agony, but he refused to leave the field until well into the second half for Duberly's sake. That epitomised the spirit on the field.<br />
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Skipper Eveleigh, a Test-hardened Kiwi, was also caught up in the emotion and said he was proud to be a Rhodesian on the field. "It was important we won because of 'Choppy' and everyone rose to the occasion. After the game there were some guys crying . . . that's how much it meant"<br />
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Perhaps the hardest role was that allotted to Barrett. The twenty-eight-year- old Salisbury dental technician wore the No. 15 jersey that should have been Duberly's. He could not fight back the tears in the dressing-room before the match when he was handed the jersey worn by Duberly with distinction ten times during that season. But he came through proudly, his play remorselessly effective, while he also added a notable contribution by scoring the first try with a beautifully timed entrance into the line that proved unstoppable.<br />
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LeRoy Duberly was in his prime at the age of twenty-six when he died. He made his Rhodesian rugby debut against Eastern Province in July 1973 and played forty-two times for the country.<br />
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His debut match saw a 15-15 draw against Eastern Province at the Salisbury Police Ground, when hooker Forbes Wilson was another new cap. Ian Robertson was moved from full back to partner Lew Lloyd-Evans at centre to accommodate the young Duberly, who also played in the next game against Transvaal at Salisbury, when the mighty visitors were held to a 27-27 draw, Barrett scoring one of the team's four tries that day.<br />
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Duberly's third Rhodesian game was his first away from home, and at half- time at Pretoria's Loftus Versfeld stadium, Rhodesia led Northern Transvaal 3-0, though they could not sustain the pressure and lost 7-20.<br />
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Duberly did not get a game in 1974 and had to wait until the opening match of 1975 against South Eastern Transvaal at Witbank to record his first points for the country — a lone penalty in a dismal Rhodesian performance (the game was lost 10-21). His first try was against Free State at Bloemfontein in May 1975, though this match was also lost 10-35.<br />
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Duberly shared in every match of Rhodesia's successful 1978 season, including victories over Eastern Province, Western Transvaal and Free State (29- 27) and a 19-19 draw with Transvaal at Salisbury.<br />
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A former pupil of Northlea School at Bulawayo, he was a prodigious kicker, and in the 1979 season notched 41 points, including a try, for Rhodesia. He was also renowned for his fearless tackling.<br />
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A machinist, Duberly made his senior club debut for Old Hararians at the age of eighteen when studying at the Salisbury Polytechnic. He played for Rhodesian Schools in the 1970 Craven Week and also played for Mashonaland, Matabeleland, Rhodesia under-20 and Rhodesia B before gaining his first full national cap.<br />
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From 1973-78 he lived in the shadow of Springbok full back Ian Robertson, but when Robertson moved to fly-half in 1978 he became a regular member of the national team, playing in all eleven matches that season, including his only international against the touring United States Cougars.<br />
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In 1979 he missed two games through a thigh injury before ultimately losing his life in the service of his country.<br />
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<u><b>LeROY DUBERLY'S CAREER</b></u><br />
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Rhodesia debut: v. Eastern Province 1973.<br />
Rhodesia caps: 42.<br />
Rhodesia points: 83 (7 tries, 11 penalties and 11 conversions).<br />
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- BYROM.<br />
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End<br />
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Suggested reading. Search for Puma Lost at Mapai. <br />
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Rhodesia Rememberedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644511584084003690noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327827266800393263.post-78486556777637148922012-11-13T04:28:00.002-08:002012-11-13T04:28:30.823-08:00Gerald Edward Peckover<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />They called HIM the 'little Indian'. The nickname was partly due to the fact that he had long, flowing locks, but for the most part, it was used in admiration for a youthful hockey player who was rated among the world's best strikers.<br /><br /> Seven international caps by the age of nineteen were ample testimony to the outstanding ability of Gerald Edward Peckover, who was first selected to represent Rhodesia at hockey in 1972 when he was only sixteen.<br /><br /> The Churchill schoolboy sat on the bench for both Tests against Malawi that year, but the occasion marked the start of a long and successful career in the international arena. Earlier, in 1972, he had played for the Rhodesian under-23 team and was given the captaincy of the Rhodesian Schools side.<br /><br /> He did not have to wait long before actually playing his first Test for Rhodesia. In 1973 West Germany accepted an invitation to send their 1972 Olympic Gold Medal team to Rhodesia for a three-Test tour and Peckover made his international debut against the Germans at Salisbury Sports Club on 18 March — about two and a half months before his eighteenth birthday.<br /><br /> Rhodesia was handed a 5-0 drubbing by the Olympic champions. While the result was considered disappointing, the seventeen-year-old Peckover had plenty to be pleased about He was rated the best Rhodesian forward and was hailed by the critics as a star of the future. Glen Byrom, who covered the match for the Herald, wrote of Peckover: "Churchill schoolboy Peckover is a star of the future. He has unequalled tenacity and has already developed his stickwork to a pleasing stage.<br /><br /> "He also showed great enterprise, even under pressure, and was by far the best Rhodesian forward."<br /><br /> Further internationals followed in 1973 — against Ireland at Old Hararians at Salisbury and at BAC at Bulawayo. Peckover also accompanied the Rhodesian team down to the South African Games at Pretoria where the young striker recorded another milestone — his first international goal, which he scored against Malawi in a 7-0 victory.<br /><br /> Since then he has hardly looked back. At school he was a prolific goal-scorer and half-way through the 1973 season he had scored 35 goals for Churchill, easily breaking the record of 28 goals for a whole season.<br /><br /> Later that year he led the Rhodesian Schools side on a nine-match tour of South Africa in which he showed his prowess by scoring 18 goals — exactly half of the team's total of 36. That season he scored a total of 139 goals; 2 at national level, 7 at provincial level, 31 in league. 21 for Rhodesian Schools, 8 for Mashonaland schools and 70 for the Churchill first team.<br /><br /> Peckover really blossomed in 1974 when the Rhodesian team had a busy season and took part in an eight nations tournament at Johannesburg. Test experience had matured him as a player and his goal-scoring ability had been confirmed, as several world-class teams were to find out to their cost.<br /><br /> As a left-hander, Peckover could catch defenders off-guard and his speed (he was a top sprinter and hurdler at school) and reflexes enabled him to turn the slightest of chances into goals.<br /><br /> Spain, the European Cup champions, were seeded number one for the South African tournament and Rhodesia were seeded fifth. As luck would have it. the Rhodesians were drawn against Spain in the opening match of the tournament and the Spaniards quickly found out just how dangerous Peckover could be.<br /><br /> The match set a pattern that would affect Peckover for the rest of his playing career. His class became so immediately obvious that the highly experienced Fabregas brothers, Jorge and Francisco (87 and 75 internationals respectively) were detailed to tight mark the young Rhodesian striker out of the game.<br /><br /> Hard as they tried the Fabregas brothers could not bottle him up completely, but in every international since then, Peckover has had to contend with defenders briefed to keep him out at all costs.<br /><br /> He has been deliberately fouled and often badly hurt but it says much for his tenacity that nothing short of a broken leg has stopped him going for goals at every opportunity.<br /><br /> Peckover scored a brilliant goal which beat Spain in that first match at Johannesburg. Spain had in their goal Alberto Carrera, then without question the finest and most spectacular goalkeeper in the world. He made a fatal mistake in underestimating Peckover s capabilities. With the scores level at one goal each, Carrera was a little nonchalant in clearing a high ball pushed into the circle. His<br /> action was understandable in that there were no Rhodesian forwards close enough to present any real danger.<br /><br /> But the Spaniard reckoned without the tenacity of Peckover, who covered the ground at an amazing rate to pick up the ball from Carrera's pads and send it screaming into the empty goal.<br /><br /> It was the start of an outstanding tournament for Peckover. He scored Rhodesia's solitary goal to defeat Ireland, bagged another in a 6-0 thrashing of Malawi, and scored an extra-time goal when Rhodesia beat Spain for the second time to take the Bronze Medal behind South Africa and West Germany.<br /><br /> A five-week tour of Europe followed in 1975. Peckover was the outstanding Rhodesian forward and invariably drew praise from the opposition for his dashing, imaginative and attacking play.<br /><br /> He scored both the Rhodesian goals in two Tests against Belgium at Brussels, and laid on another in the match against France before scoring two in a 5-0 victory over the French under 21 combination. In the last international of the tour, this time against Austria, he scored one of the three Rhodesian goals and then scored the final goal in a 4-1 victory over the Austrian under-23 side.<br /><br /> Peckover is without doubt the best striker Rhodesia has fielded, but all too often he has been a lone forager up front for the simple reason that no other Rhodesian striker could match his speed, stamina and determination.<br /><br /> He has drawn high praise from other world-class players. German sweepers Michael Krause and Michael Peter both rated him among the best forwards they had played against. German official Werner Delmes said Peckover would walk into the West German team — high praise indeed, but very deserved.<br /><br /> Rhodesian national hockey coach Mark Manolios, who has had a very close association with Peckover since 1972, says of the young striker: "Gerald has scored 70 to 80 per cent of Rhodesia's goals in the last five years. He is an extraordinary sportsman, possessing world-class talent... the type of player you only get once in a decade."<br /><br /> It was such a pity that a player like Peckover was deprived of regular international competition because of the sporting isolation which stemmed from Rhodesia's political problems.<br /><br /> Fortunately the twenty-four-year-old Peckover still has a lot of hockey left in him and in 1980, with the promise of renewed international contact becoming a reality, is bound to pass further milestones.<br /><br /> Up until August 1980 — on the eve of a six-week European tour by the country — he had played in 37 Tests for Rhodesia and Zimbabwe and had scored 11 goals. But hockey is not his only forte. On 5 November 1977, Peckover made his debut for the Rhodesian cricket team in a Currie Cup match against Eastern Province at the Queens Ground at Bulawayo.<br /><br /> And what a debut it was, with Peckover pushed into the role of night watchman when Rhodesia were struggling at 49-2. He played a completely responsible innings which ended just before lunch the following day, when he was out just seven runs short of a century.<br /><br /> That season he batted 14 times for Rhodesia to score 289 runs at an average of 22,23. An accomplished wicket-keeper, he also took 17 catches and 2 stumpings.<br /><br /> Hockey and cricket were his outstanding sports at school, and he was a member of the highly successful 1971 Rhodesian Nuffield team. To Peckover goes the rare honour of making the Rhodesian Schools cricket side for three successive seasons.<br /><br /> His cricket fortunes dimmed in the 1978-79 season when after poor scores in the first two matches of the season, he was dropped but returned for the last Currie Cup game against Western Province at Salisbury. Thereafter cricket took a back seat and he played only one match in the 1979-80 season against Eastern Province at Bulawayo — Rhodesia's final fixture.<br /><br /> But for Peckover, cricket was always a secondary sport, for his first love was hockey, at which he became a great Rhodesian sportsman.<br /><br />- McDERMOTT.<br /><br /> End<br /><br /> Comments are welcome - please enter them below or send them to Eddy Norris at orafs11@gmail.com <br /><br /> <a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/">To view the Blog Home Page - Please Click Here.</a> <br /> (Please visit our previous posts and archives)<br /><br /> Ref. Rhodesia<br /><br /> </div>
Rhodesia Rememberedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644511584084003690noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327827266800393263.post-90932149577900841152012-11-13T03:11:00.001-08:002012-11-13T03:13:29.923-08:00Artwell Mandaza<div style="text-align: justify;">
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On 28 JUNE 1969, Artwell Mandaza, a powerful-striding sprinter from Mangula Mine, became the fastest man in Rhodesian athletics history. It was at the Salisbury Police cinder-track that he exploded from his blocks in the 100 metres, to race to a shock victory over Springbok Sakkie van Zyl and clock 10,3 sec. to eclipse Johan du Preez's six-year-old Rhodesian record of 10,5 sec.</div>
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Less than an hour later the lean, well-muscled Mandaza — the man they nicknamed the 'Mangula Meteor' — again thrilled a 1 500 crowd by snatching another national record from Du Preez. This was the gruelling 400 metres in which Mandaza overcame the handicap of drawing the outside lane. After a rocketing start, he paced himself evenly and burst into a powerful sprint from the 200 metres mark to record 47,0 sec. and beat Du Preez's all-comers record of 47,5 sec. In that pulsating race, Mandaza held off Springboks Freddie Poggenpoel (47,5) and Dicky Broberg (47,8).<br />
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A report in the Rhodesia Herald said: "It was the flashing Mandaza who stole the show. He broke into a huge grin as he hit the tape in the 100 metres and congratulations were showered on him. He got one of his rare good starts and shaded Van Zyl from start to finish."<br />
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It was an astonishing performance from Mandaza, who had suffered a hip injury early in the 1969 season, keeping him off the track for two months. His record runs came after only four weeks' training and underlined his immense potential.<br />
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A major factor in his record runs was a new starting style. Three weeks previously, he had been disqualified from a 100 metres race for breaking. His front block was too close to the start-line and he was toppling forward on the 'set' position. When he moved the block back he was steadier and not so cramped and certainly surprised the powerful Van Zyl, second only to Paul Nash at this time in South African athletics history.<br />
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"What a great start," said the startled 200 lb. Springbok. "Mandaza jumped into a three-yard lead from the start and I just couldn't catch him."<br />
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Mandaza's time of 10,3 sec. put him joint seventh on the all-time ranking list for the African continent. The only men to have run faster were Paul Nash (10,0 sec.), Ravelomanatsoa of Madagascar (10,1 sec.), Judge Jefferies and Sakkie van Zyl, both of South Africa, Ahey of Ghana and Seye of Senegal (all 10,2 sec.).<br />
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It put him alongside such stars as former Empire Games champion, Serephino Antao (Kenya), Mane (Senegal), Altoy (Ghana), Ejoke (Nigeria) and Kone (Ivory Coast). Three of South Africa's most famous sprinters — Gordon Day, Harold Bromberg and John Luxon — never bettered 10,4 sec.<br />
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Mandaza's time also placed him joint eleventh in the world for 1969 over 100 metres, while his 400 metres time was also remarkable as he had only taken to the event seriously that season, when he clocked 47,7 sec. in his first outing.<br />
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The record double by Mandaza topped one of the finest meetings ever staged in Rhodesia. Eight national all-comers marks and five national domestic records toppled; while Broberg won the 800 metres un-extended, just 0,6 sec. outside Terry Sullivan's long-standing all-comers mark.<br />
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There was to be more glory for Mandaza before the end of the year. On 20 December 1969, again at the Salisbury Police track, he competed for a Mashonaland invitation team against Stellenbosch University, and cracked on the pace to win the 100 metres in a startling 10 seconds dead — just 0,1 sec. outside the world record held by American Jim Hines. But Mandaza's run was officially classified as 'wind assisted' and therefore not recognised as a record.<br />
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The year 1970, however, was the most momentous for the well-liked Mandaza, a real gentleman of the track. It was in May that year that he astonished everyone with a world record-equalling 9,9 sec. 100 metres in a semifinal at the South African Bantu championships at Welkom. The record was disallowed because of a following wind of 4,27 metres per second (2 m is the maximum allowed), but after clocking 10,3 sec in an earlier heat he won the final in a legal 10,2 sec. — the fastest time ever by a Rhodesian.<br />
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Although not recognised, Mandaza's 9,9 sec. did make him the fastest man in the world that year, along with Cuban Pablo Montes. The Rhodesian's legal best of 10,2 sec. put him in joint eleventh in the world for 1970.<br />
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Mandaza will also long remember the 1970 Chamber of Mines champion- ships at Gath's Mine, Mashaba. He competed in six events and won them all, breaking four records. The crowd gave him the time-honoured Matabele salute of "Mandaza bayete . . . see our hands are raised," which the athlete says was the greatest honour ever bestowed on him.<br />
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For his dazzling efforts, Mandaza was chosen as the nation's Sportsman of the Year for 1970. It was on 9 October at the annual Sportswriters' Association banquet in the Old Meikles dining-room, that guest of honour, Mr. Owen Williams, presented Mandaza with the John Hopley Memorial Trophy to make him the first African to be honoured as the country's supreme sportsman.<br />
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Mandaza, the first black African to gain a place among the five finalists, beamed with delight as he said simply to the 230 specially invited guests: "I hope you will be happy with me tonight"<br />
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He was an instant hero at Mangula Mine, 120 miles from Salisbury. He and his coach, Ken Walker, travelled home by car after the event, arriving at 1.00 a.m. Several well-wishers had stayed up all night to greet him and the next day he was so besieged that he could not even get to his cashier's job at the mine. Instead of sore feet he had sore wrists from shaking hands while singing, clapping women and cheering youngsters followed him round all day to pay homage.<br />
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Not only had he gained world recognition with his wind-assisted 9,9 sec. sprint but Mandaza was undisputed athlete of the year for 1970. setting new national best times for the 100 metres (10,2 sec.) and the 400 metres (46,8 sec.) and equalling the 200 metres mark (20,9 sec.).<br />
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Born at Mazoe on 4 January 1946, Mandaza did not take to serious athletics until the age of twenty when Dave Klinker was his first coach at Mangula. In his first year he won the Rhodesian 100 yards title in the slow time of 10,3 sec. (equivalent of 11,2 sec. for 100 metres), though his real talent began to emerge during the following year when he kept the 100 yards title (10,0 sec.) and recorded the second fastest time ever in the country for 400 metres hurdles, his time of 55,3 sec. being second only to Gerald Brown's 54,3 sec. of 1952. Mandaza also won the 100 yards (9,8 sec.) and the 220 yards hurdles (24,2 sec.) at the South African Bantu championships.<br />
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In 1971, Mandaza travelled to West Germany for six weeks for a special coaching course and in 1972 he was the only Rhodesian athlete to reach the Olympic qualifying mark for the Munich Games of 10,2 sec. for the 100 metres and 20,9 sec. for the 200 metres. He was naturally the top nomination for Rhodesia's track and field team for Munich and that year equalled Sakkie van Zyl's<br />
all-comers 200 metres mark of 20,8 sec. at Mangula.<br />
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It was thought that an inflamed Achilles tendon might keep him out of the Olympic team, but the leg was forcibly immobilized in plaster for six weeks, and he took his place on the plane to Munich.<br />
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It was to prove an ill-fated trip, with political blackmail ensuring that Rhodesia was excluded from the Games on the eve of competition after a vote by the International Olympic Committee. It was heartbreak for the highly trained athletes and other sportsmen from the Rhodesian contingent who were forced to sit in the stands and watch the world's greatest sports spectacular.<br />
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Injury problems now began to beset Mandaza and in 1973 he was in plaster for eleven weeks when he tore the Achilles tendon in his left heel. It was thought that this might end his career.<br />
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However, with disciplined determination he set out on the return trail in 1974 at the age of twenty-eight. He would pound across the mine dumps and put in two sessions daily of an hour and a half. Ray Batchelor, then the Mangula coach, remarked: "For an athlete whom people were saying would never run again, his pure dedication has brought about an almost miraculous recovery."<br />
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Mandaza has continued to compete at all meetings and even in 1980 at the age of thirty-four he could be seen regularly in such events as the 200 metres, 400 metres and long jump. His times and distances may be fading now, but Artwell Mandaza remains a major force in Zimbabwean athletics as he dedicates himself to training and coaching the next crop of the country's young stars. They are the lucky ones with the world now open to them and a real incentive to reach the top. Mandaza reached remarkable heights during the years between 1970-80 when Rhodesian sportsmen were outcasts from the world, and track and field in this country plunged to an all-time low. That showed the mettle of the man. Had he been emerging today, he may have become a world beater. Who knows?<br />
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<u> </u><b><u>ARTWELL MANDAZA'S CAREER</u><br /> BEST PERFORMANCES</b><br />
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<b>1968</b><br />
100m: 10,04<br />
20Om; n/a<br />
400m: 47,7<br />
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<b>1969</b><br />
100m: 10,3<br />
20Om: 21,6<br />
400m: 47,0<br />
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<b>1970</b><br />
100m: 10,2<br />
20Om: 20,09<br />
400m: 46,8<br />
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<b>1971</b><br />
100m: 10,03<br />
20Om: 20,9<br />
400m: 47,1<br />
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<b>1972</b><br />
100m: 10,03<br />
20Om: 20,08<br />
400m: n/a<br />
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<b>NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS<br /> </b><br />
100 m — 1966, 1967, 1971, 1972.<br />
400 m — 1969.<br />
200 m hurdles — 1966, 1967.<br />
400 m hurdles — 1967.<br />
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<b>NATIONAL RECORDS</b><br />
<br />
100 m — 10, 3 sec. in 1969.<br />
200 m — 20,8 sec. in 1972 (also equalled all-comers).<br />
400 m — 46,8 sec. in 1970 (broken by Adon Treva in 1972 with 46, 2 sec.).<br />
400 m hurdles — 52,18 sec. in 1976.<br />
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<b>WORLD RANKINGS</b><br />
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Six occasions Mandaza has been ranked among the world's top 100:<br />
1969 — 100 m in 10,3 sec. (joint 44th).<br />
1970 — 100 m in 10,2 sec. (joint 11th); 200 m in 20,9 sec. (joint 78th).<br />
1971 — 100 m in 10,3 sec. (joint 49th); 200 m in 20,9 sec. (joint 78th).<br />
1972 — 200 m in 20,8 sec. (joint 66th).<br />
<br />
- BYROM.<br />
<br />
End<br />
<br />
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Ref. Rhodesia</div>
Rhodesia Rememberedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644511584084003690noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327827266800393263.post-26015757265573223552012-11-12T11:25:00.002-08:002012-11-12T11:25:34.767-08:00Bernard Dzoma<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiIZpZFP0cvK8WmT3AhoTWezLDt8F-fh7MK2p-OgCMH2U4leLUAvyCu06XH6siqdDLy9Vx2WKZv3IxmPpDcx98Ow_zDvPBXmzLRohOOE4ZjJEn2-yw-zIGX4Ahb9q19WMaqkenkyG9GiU/s1600/Bernard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiIZpZFP0cvK8WmT3AhoTWezLDt8F-fh7MK2p-OgCMH2U4leLUAvyCu06XH6siqdDLy9Vx2WKZv3IxmPpDcx98Ow_zDvPBXmzLRohOOE4ZjJEn2-yw-zIGX4Ahb9q19WMaqkenkyG9GiU/s1600/Bernard.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br />Rule one of the Olympic Games Charter reads simply: "The Olympic Games are held every four years. They assemble amateurs of all nations in fair and equal competition. No discrimination is allowed against any country or person on grounds of race, religion or political affiliation."</div>
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It is a solemn rule which has been transgressed many times in the interests of expediency. And so it was in 1968 when the rebel nation of Rhodesia incurred the wrath of the world for its illegal declaration of independence from British rule.</div>
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From November 1965 through to April 1980, Rhodesia was shunned by the majority of nations until it achieved legal independence as the sovereign state of Zimbabwe under Prime Minister Robert Mugabe.</div>
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Those fourteen years of lonely isolation afflicted countless innocent people in many ways, among them the nation's sportsmen who were denied international competition.</div>
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One who suffered the most heart-rending disappointments was a lithe Umtali-born carpenter, Bernard Dzoma, who was selected for and then denied the right to compete in two successive Olympiads — Mexico, 1968 and Munich, 1972.</div>
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A distance runner with undoubted world-class potential he and marathon man Mathias Kanda painstakingly prepared for Mexico, unaware of the political wrangling in the background which ultimately was to destroy their cherished dream just two weeks before their scheduled departure. Although Rhodesia was in good standing with the International Olympic Committee, the Mexican Government — in obedience to a United Nations resolution demanding non-recognition of Rhodesia — seized the passports of the Rhodesian team from the Mexican Olympic Committee offices and refused to issue visas.</div>
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Realising the futility of continuing to fight the situation, the National Olympic Committee of Rhodesia president, Mr. Douglas Downing, issued the following statement: "In view of the decisions reported through various news channels, wedeprecate the lack of direct and official communication from the Mexico Olympic authorities to this Association. Discourtesy is not normally a failing of Latin-American races. In accepting enforced exclusion from the 1968 Mexican Olympics, we express the hope that interference — authorised or assumed — by the United Nations in the affairs of the International Olympic movement will not create that type of disunity between sportsmen which currently exists between nations.</div>
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"True British sportsmen — and there are many throughout the world — will hail this politically inspired victory as the greatest since Peterloo. Sport has now been devalued more than sterling. To our own sportsmen of all races, selected but denied the privilege of competing, we apologise."</div>
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Mr. Downing's communiqué concluded with a special word of praise for Avery Brundage, president of the International Olympic Committee: "A man of great courage and a worthy successor to the founder of the modern Olympics, his voice cries in a wilderness of spite."</div>
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This last poignant line was to provide the title for a book on the moving human story of Rhodesia's victimised sportsmen, written by Australian, John Cheffers, who was the country's national track and field coach in 1968 and was responsible for preparing Dzoma and Kanda for the Games.</div>
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His account — A Wilderness of Spite or Rhodesia Denied — recalls the moment he broke the news to Dzoma at a training session.</div>
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Wrote Cheffers: "Bernard broke down and cried. He was much more literate and accomplished than Mathias. His English expression was first-rate and his writing well above average. His name was a household word throughout the whole of Rhodesia. His record breaking season, culminating in Olympic selection, had enthused everyone and his prospects at the Games looked exceedingly bright</div>
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"Bernard had pounded out many miles each day. I used to rise at 5.30 a.m. and meet him. He would cover at least ten miles before breakfast, sometimes more. At 4.30 each afternoon, I would take him and Mathias to the Borrowdale racecourse where Bernard would cover at least another eight miles. Now came the last straw.</div>
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"A very bitter Bernard Dzoma glared angrily out of the car window that night and I felt the sharp lethal nature of the affair deeply. And fifteen other Rhodesian Olympians felt the acute pain of these two Africans."</div>
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A rule which decreed a sacred truce for the period of the Games had been shattered as Rhodesia continued to be a pawn in the international game of political chess.</div>
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Bernard Dzoma was born at Tsonzo Clinic in the Umtali District on 9 October 1941 and learned to be a carpenter at Mount Selinda Mission near Chipinga.</div>
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He began athletics seriously in 1966 and one of his first races was the three miles in the Mashonaland championships. Without proper shorts — he wore khaki — and never having worn spikes, he burst onto the scene by running barefoot to gain the provincial title. So high was his confidence and such was the quality of his raw talent, that Dzoma remained unbeaten in any event on the track in 1966 and 1967, competing in one mile, three miles and six miles distances.</div>
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An intelligent and articulate man. he set himself goals and aimed to crack Terry Sullivan's three miles record of 14 min. 07,2 sec. set in 1963, and to qualify for the Mexico Olympics. Through sheer dedication he was to achieve both.</div>
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In 1967 he became the second Rhodesian — after Robson Mrombe — to break 30 minutes for the six miles, recording 29 min. 27,8 sec. which he was to trim to 29 min. 17,2 sec. the next year. In May 1967 he won an outstanding double at the Mashonaland championships, winning the three miles (14 min. 19,4 sec.) and six miles (29 min. 37,8 sec.) and taking the Ranger Trophy for the outstanding athlete of the meeting. A few months later he underscored his immense natural talent with a double triumph at the national championships (14 min. 17,4 sec and 29 min. 27,8 sec.). Remarkably, he bettered his own times for these two events on every occasion he competed in his first two seasons.</div>
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It was at a meeting at Bulawayo that coach Cheffers — a man of outstanding ability — first saw Dzoma run In 1968. These were his impressions: "Dzoma showed outstanding talent. He was not fit enough to hold the fast pace which I had set him throughout the race, but showed such promise in the first six laps that I knew we had a champion. He finished the three miles in 14 minutes 13 seconds, the fastest he had achieved. Bernard's beautifully relaxed running style, which he maintained throughout, even when fatigued, gave me just cause for optimism."</div>
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Although clearly one of the most naturally talented runners in Rhodesian athletics history, Dzoma's efforts were stifled from the start by a lack of opportunity which was a sad reflection on the system of the time. A carpenter in the Rothmans organisation, he was given a generous allotment of time to train, but he could not run in league meetings because he was not a member of a club affiliated to the Mashonaland Amateur Athletics Board. His own attempts to form a club in Harari foundered and the two established clubs in the city — Rhodes and Churchill — at that time had 'whites only constitutions. So it was a frustrated Dzoma who left the city and joined Rio Tinto Mine as a carpenter.</div>
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Among Dzoma's most notable early successes was beating Springbok star, Willie Olivier, in the three miles at Salisbury in a triangular meeting between Rhodesia, the South African Police and South African Defence. Olivier, in peak condition after an overseas tour, stayed 15 metres behind Dzoma for most of the race and when he attempted to close in, Dzoma merely stepped up his pace to win by 50 metres. His time of 14 min. 23,4 sec was 16,2 seconds outside Sullivan's allcomers mark. In his only attempt at the mile that year, Dzoma set the best time of the season with 4 min. 14,5 sec.</div>
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To clinch his selection for the 1968 Olympic 5 000 metres and 10 000 metres, Dzoma ran 13 min. 52,8 sec. that year to beat Sullivan's national three miles record. The six miles record fell to him at 29 min. 17,2 sec .. but he was cruelly denied participation in the Olympics.</div>
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Once over the bitter disappointment Dzoma continued his devotion to running, gaining many triumphs that kept his name in the headlines. Among these were victories in the international San Sylvestre round-the-houses race in Luanda in 1971 (25 min. 02,0 sec.), and again in 1972, when he broke Fanie van Zijl's record. He followed this by eclipsing another Springbok star, Andries Krogman, in both the 5 000 metres and 10 000 metres at a major meeting at Lourengo Marques.</div>
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Bernard Dzoma was ready to lift himself to another Olympic challenge and he was overjoyed to be chosen in the ten-strong Rhodesian track and field team to be sent to the Munich Games of 1972.</div>
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In beating Krogman in that 10 000 metres, Dzoma had clocked a national record time of 30 min. 0,08 sec, cracking a mark set in 1960 by Cyprian Tseriwa. It clinched his Munich selection and the ten athletes who travelled to West Germany were: Artwell Mandaza. Adon Treva, Alfred Ncube. Terry Finnigan. Philemon Tambanawenyu. Nigel Hodder, Vuyani Fulunga, Bernard Dzoma. Bruce Kennedy and Jean Fowlds.</div>
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Despite political rumblings, the team took off and was installed at the Olympic village at Munich, having accepted a demand by African countries to participate under the old Southern Rhodesia ensign (which included the Union Jack) and to use the British national anthem.</div>
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Once at the Games, political lobbying intensified against the rebel colony, with the various African countries threatening a walk-out. With the fabric of the Games threatened, the International Olympic Committee called an emergency meeting of all delegates, leading to a 36-31 vote to exclude Rhodesia.</div>
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Until then, the IOC headed by Avery Brundage. a most trustworthy and noble man, had resolutely defended Rhodesia's right to participate. Now they buckled to naked political threats and withdrew Rhodesia's invitation on Tuesday, 22 August 1972. It was a second shattering blow for Bernard Dzoma, who never got another chance to compete at an Olympiad. By Moscow 1980, when the new internationally recognised nation of Zimbabwe was welcomed at the Moscow Olympics, it was too late ... Dzoma was too old and had long since left the track with bitter memories.</div>
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After Munich, he did rise to impressive heights on odd occasions, as if to prove a point. In 1973 he beat an international field of almost 100 in the Lourenco Marques road race in a record time of 14 min. 45,5 sec. with his club-mate Kenias Tembo, then aged eighteen, second, and another Rhodesian, Esau Magwaza. third. But Dzoma had lost his zest for all the arduous training and soon slipped into obscurity after coaching for only a short period. It was a tragic waste of a superb athlete, who had lived his best years in a wilderness of spite.</div>
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<b>BEST PERFORMANCES</b></div>
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One mile — 4 min. 09,5 sec. (1968) Salisbury.</div>
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1 500 m — 3 min. 53,5 sec.(1969) Salisbury.</div>
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3 000 m - 8 min. 28,0 sec.(1974) Luanda.</div>
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3 miles — 13 min. 48,8 sec.(1968) Salisbury.</div>
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6 miles — 29 min. 17,2 sec.(1968) Bulawayo.</div>
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5 000 m — 14 min. 24,4 sec.(1970) Wankie.</div>
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10 000 m — 30 min. 00,8 sec.(1972) Lourenco Marques.</div>
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<b>RECORDS HELD</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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1967 — National 6 miles and all-comers (29 min. 37,8 sec.).</div>
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1968 — National 3 miles and all-comers (13 min. 52.8 sec.); National 6 miles and all-comers (29 min. 17:2 sec.).</div>
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1969 — National 5 000 m and all-comers (14 min. 50.6 sec.).</div>
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1972 — National 10 000 m (30 min. 00,8 sec.).</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; text-align: justify;">
<b>NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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1967 — 3 miles (14 min. 17,4 sec.) and 6 miles (29 min. 27,8 sec.).</div>
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1968 — 3 miles (14 min. 24,8 sec.) and 6 miles (29 min. 17,2 sec.).</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; text-align: justify;">
- BYROM.</div>
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<br />
End<br />
<br />
Comments are welcome - please send them to Eddy Norris at <a href="mailto:orafs11@gmail.com">orafs11@gmail.com</a> <br /><br /><a href="http://rhodesiansportprofiles.blogspot.com/">To view the Blog Home Page - Please Click Here</a>.<br />(Please visit our previous posts and archives)<br />
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Rhodesia Rememberedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644511584084003690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327827266800393263.post-32488072995093810192012-11-11T06:59:00.001-08:002012-11-12T11:15:39.687-08:00Simon Hobday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Any sport is blessed when a player of exceptional ability comes along, more so when the player happens to be a colourful character as well.<br />
<br />
Such a player did much to put Rhodesia on the world golf map during the 1970s. The man was Simon Hobday, who became to Rhodesians what Gary Player was to South Africans.<br />
<br />
Born at Mafeking, South Africa, Hobday played golf and rugby for Northern Rhodesia after his family, all of whom were above-average sportsmen, moved there. Hobday's father was a scratch golfer and brothers Humphrey and John were also good at the sport. But it was Simon who really excelled and in 1969, at the age of twenty-eight, he decided to turn professional and took up a post at the Lusaka Golf Club.<br />
<br />
A year later he and his family moved to Rhodesia where he continued playing in relative obscurity until 1971, when he achieved his first major triumph by winning the South African Open. It was a startling victory with Hobday holding off a sizzling seven birdies on-the-trot challenge from Gary Player in the final round.<br />
<br />
It was the year that Hobday came of age, so to speak. On the South African circuit he equalled or broke par in 13 of the 20 rounds he played, and he finished the circuit with an average score of 71,6.<br />
<br />
Better things were to come. In 1972 he finished 13th in the South African Professional Golf Association's order of merit, but slipped to 15th the following year. Hobday was beginning to establish himself, but unhappy with his 1973 performances, he took up a teaching post at Kevin Quinn's driving range at Salisbury where he was also able to put in a great deal of work on his own game. A knee injury kept him from going to Europe in 1974. He had planned to play in the Portuguese, Madrid, Spanish and French Opens.<br />
<br />
In 1975 Hobday continued quietly accumulating winnings on the South African and European circuits, and he also took prize-money in Britain, despite the United Nations sanctions ruling on Rhodesia.<br />
<br />
Hobday was emphatic that he would be known as nothing other than a Rhodesian when he played the overseas circuits, and he stuck to that decision the following year when he played so well that the authorities just had to notice him.<br />
<br />
He started by winning the 1976 German Open, and then he collected about £14 000 in Britain by finishing sixth in the Benson and Hedges International, and by being a member of the World side that finished second in the Double Diamond event, and reached the semifinals of the match play championships. After that, the British PGA were ordered by the Bank of England not to pay Hobday any more four-figure cheques.<br />
<br />
Thereafter Hobday had to rely entirely on his winnings in Europe to survive overseas — all the cheques he picked up in Britain were immediately frozen in his Channel Islands bank account.<br />
<br />
Despite being unable to use a good portion of his winnings, Hobday by then was playing well enough to earn a good living from the European and South African circuits. In 1977 he finished second in the Martini International in Scotland, third in the Madrid Open and sixth in the Kerrygold in Ireland and he had also been offered, and accepted, the post of professional at the new Gary Player-designed Elephant Hills course at Victoria Falls.<br />
<br />
Anecdotes galore surround a player like Hobday. In 1977 he was fined $20 for swearing during the Scandinavian Open but Hobday paid $25 — "It was worth it," he said. His driver had broken while he was hitting a tee shot at an easy par four hole. The shot went out of bounds and Hobday finished the hole in six. "What was I supposed to say?" he asked.<br />
<br />
There was also the time when Hobday stayed up very late during an important tournament and was paired with Gary Player the next morning. "Simon," Player asked, "how could you stay up enjoying yourself like that when you knew you were playing with me?"<br />
<br />
"Gary, I sleep fast," replied Hobday in typical cool fashion.<br />
<br />
In 1978 Hobday picked up prize money of more than $7 000 in Europe with a second in the Portuguese Open, a third in the French Open and a seventh in the Scandinavian Open. He finished third in the SAPGA order of merit.<br />
<br />
But 1979 was to be his greatest year and during it he won Rhodesia's highest sporting honour — the John Hopley Memorial Trophy for the Sportsman of the Year. It was also a unique honour in that when he won it, the title was Zimbabwe Rhodesian Sportsman of the Year.<br />
<br />
The achievements that led to his winning the John Hopley Trophy were impressive. Hobday won the Madrid Open, finished tenth in the Portuguese Open, won the Victoria Falls Classic and won the inaugural Rhodesian Open at Royal Salisbury by a massive seven strokes from nearest rivals John Bland and Dale Hayes. He also won the Springmaster Open and was second in the Victoria Falls pro-am. His Rhodesian Open and Falls Classic wins were in the late part of 1978 but counted towards the 1979 Sportsman of the Year.<br />
<br />
Hobday was lying third in the European order of merit in 1979, but he quit the circuit after the first round of the French Open after a close golfing friend, Salvador Balbuena of Spain, died. He was also depressed by the worsening security situation at home and was worried about his wife, Jean, and their three children. The death of Balbuena had been the last straw. "I just couldn't take it any more." Hobday said when he arrived home.<br />
<br />
But you can't keep a good man down and after a few weeks of rest and relaxation Hobday returned overseas where a second in the English Classic and a fourth place in the Irish Open at Portmarnock boosted his season's winnings to $16 000. He finished 11th in the European order of merit.<br />
<br />
Hobday's ebullient personality made him popular at home and abroad. There was always a large gallery to follow him round in Rhodesia for there was inevitably a lighter side to a serious tournament when Hobday was playing.<br />
<br />
Celebrating into the early hours of the morning after winning the John Hopley Memorial Trophy did not deter Hobday when he teed off at Chapman course at Salisbury for the Zimbabwe Rhodesia Open the following day. In a dramatic finish he shot four birdies in the last five holes for a new course record of 65. It was his third course record in consecutive tournaments. In the Victoria Falls pro-am, he shot a record 66 and followed that with a spectacular 64 at Wingate in the Springmaster.<br />
<br />
His Chapman course record round started with a birdie three at the first hole and Hobday immediately claimed — his late night the evening before was no secret — that he was playing 'by radar'.<br />
<br />
It was this sort of open attitude that earned him much admiration and it probably had a lot to do with his golfing success. Hobday could laugh at himself, even when the going got tough.<br />
<br />
- McDERMOTT.<br />
<br />
End<br />
<br />
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Rhodesia Rememberedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644511584084003690noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327827266800393263.post-20969911375039399352012-10-20T12:24:00.001-07:002012-10-20T12:25:27.366-07:00Basil Hill<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<br />
<br />
Basil hill spins a yarn as well and as often as any other fisherman and after forty years in the sport his repertoire is extensive.<br />
<br />
But there's a striking difference about the fishing stories that Hill tells because they are invariably about the ones that didn't get away.<br />
<br />
For a land-locked country, Rhodesia produced, proportionately, a phenomenal number of successful deep sea anglers. But the king of them all is undoubtedly Basil Hill, who modestly maintains that luck has played a big part in his angling career.<br />
<br />
An often-repeated anecdote about Hill is, that if a bucket of rain-water was left in First Street, Hill could put a line into it and pull out a fish.<br />
<br />
In fairness to Hill, his 'luck' is more often than not the result of intelligent use of his extensive knowledge of the fish he is after. Completely dedicated to the sport, a lot of Hill's time has been spent in studying the habits of various species and in charting the vagaries of coastlines and shorelines.<br />
<br />
The reward for Hill's dedication is nine African game-fish records, five of which still stand. One of his records, for garfish, was eclipsed by his son Robert, twenty-two years later.<br />
<br />
His greatest achievements were two records for black marlin and a record tarpon caught in Angola. In his own mind, his finest moment was on 5 November 1971 when he was fishing off Bazaruto on the Mozambique coast and landed a black marlin of 860 lb. — the biggest of the species to be caught in African waters.<br />
<br />
It was a unique catch in more ways than one, for Basil never actually hooked the 11 ft. 6 in. monster. Line was wrapped around its tail and the fish drowned through water entering its gills as it was dragged backwards during a fifty-five- minute struggle. The fish gave Hill his second record involving black marlin.<br />
<br />
Bazaruto was also the setting for the first record. On 23 October 1967, Hill hooked another black marlin, while the bait, a live bonito, was being let out. Using 50-lb. line, Hill fought the fish for an hour and twenty-five minutes, during which the marlin jumped twenty-nine times — an extraordinary performance.<br />
<br />
It tipped the scales at 431 lb. which was a new record for Africa on 50-lb. line and tackle. The previous record had stood at 308 lb.<br />
<br />
Another momentous struggle for Hill was in the International Tarpon Tournament at Angola in December 1971. On the last day of the five-day competition, one of the Angolan anglers hooked the first tarpon to be caught — an 80-pounder from the Cuanza river.<br />
<br />
With only one and a half hours left in the competition, the Rhodesian team, headed by Hill and encouraged by the success of the Angolan, struck it rich. They had begun fishing at the point where the first tarpon was caught and at 1.30 p.m., with the competition due to finish at three o'clock, Hill felt a series of gentle tugs on his line and struck.<br />
<br />
The tarpon is a massive freshwater fish, which, Hill says, pound for pound, gives as good a fight as the black marlin. Hill eventually boated the fish four miles downstream after a tussle lasting two hours and forty minutes.<br />
<br />
The fish was a beauty. Seven and a half feet long, it weighed 205 lb. which gave Basil another Africa record. He had used only 30-lb. line and this catch was testimony to his skill as an angler as during the fight to boat the fish, the vessel had broken down six times and sprung a leak. So Hill had triumphed in the most trying conditions. The previous tarpon record had been 161 lb.<br />
<br />
Hill's fishing career began as a child. His father had a great interest in the sport and this rubbed off on young Basil, who clearly remembers catching a 51-lb. sand- shark when he was eight years old.<br />
<br />
Hill was born on 26 April 1934 at Bethlehem in the Orange Free State but spent most of his youth at Durban where he went to Durban Technical School. After leaving school he went to work with a Durban sports-goods company (in their angling department, of course, because by that time he was well and truly 'hooked' on fishing).<br />
<br />
He first represented Natal in 1951 and between 1950 and 1956, fishing for six hours on one Saturday afternoon a month in competitions, he landed an estimated 86 000 lb. of fish from the surf along the coast and the Durban South Pier.<br />
<br />
He moved to Rhodesia in 1956 and three years later started his own fishing- tackle business, the Fisherman's Corner, in Salisbury. The same year he was chosen to captain national fishing teams in both the freshwater and deep sea fields.<br />
<br />
Such was his skill that he became an automatic choice for national teams from 1959 onwards. During his career, Hill fished in internationals against South Africa, America, New Zealand, Switzerland, Brazil, Mozambique, Britain and Angola. He has also fished virtually every square inch of Southern and Central African coastal waters.<br />
<br />
But Hill's achievements have not been confined to deep sea angling and he can claim to have founded the annual Tigerfish Tournament at Kariba, which has in the past attracted international competition. He rates the tigerfish as being the equal, pound for pound, of some of the deep sea game-fish. His freshwater records include a 53 lb. 12 oz. carp taken in Mazoe dam in August 1965 on 12-lb. line, a 10-lb. tigerfish taken on 2-lb. line and a 54-lb. vundu on 4-lb. line at Kariba which took more than two hours to land.<br />
<br />
He started the Ultra Light Tackle Club in 1960. Under Hill, this team won the Tiger fish Tournament at Kariba six times and still holds the record for the most tiger fish caught — 107 in a single tournament.<br />
<br />
Hill says fishing has been his life and certainly there is no doubt that he has done a great deal to promote the sport. With his family also taking a great interest in fishing, Hill was primarily responsible for getting Rhodesian juniors and women to participate at international level.<br />
<br />
He has held a variety of administrative posts and since 1977 has been the chairman of the National Anglers' Union with which are registered 87 clubs representing 17 000 paid-up members. A former chairman of the Central Africa Deep Sea Angling Association, he has been on the committee for thirteen years.<br />
<br />
National colours for deep sea fishing came his way in 1959 and he was also awarded colours for freshwater fishing in 1973, the first year colours were awarded for this sport.<br />
<br />
Sharks provided one of his favourite fields in fishing and Hill estimates that he caught 42 of these creatures from the Durban South Pier, each weighing in at between 200 and 1 020 lb. Another of his Africa records is for a white pointer shark off Durban's South Pier in June 1958, when he landed an 810-lb. monster on an 80-lb. line. It took him three hours and ten minutes to beach the shark using a wooden Scarborough reel.<br />
<br />
Hill's Africa game-fishing records are: tarpon, black marlin (two), yellowfin tunny, caranx (kingfish), white pointer shark, hammerhead shark, queenfish, bonefish and garfish (subsequently broken by Robert Hill).<br />
<br />
<br />
- McDERMOTT.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">End</span></b><br />
<br />
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Rhodesia Rememberedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644511584084003690noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327827266800393263.post-32865275743591731832012-10-19T23:11:00.001-07:002012-11-15T04:18:19.086-08:00Michael John Proctor<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<br />
No man made more impact on the Rhodesian cricket scene than Springbok all-rounder Michael John Procter, who was contracted to play for the country in a world 'scoop' achieved by the Rhodesia Cricket Union in May 1970.<br />
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The acquisition of Procter, then not only one of the world's quickest fast bowlers but also a batsman of the highest order, came at a crucial time for Rhodesian cricket.<br />
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In the 1969-70 South African season, Rhodesia had fared poorly, finishing last in the Currie Cup table and as a result the team had been relegated to the B Section of the competition for the following season.<br />
<br />
Procter burst into the Rhodesian cricket scene like an express train out of a tunnel. Few cricket followers will forget the sight of the well-built blond Springbok turning from his mark near the boundary boards . . . the awesome run-up . . . the open-chested delivery stride . . . the roared appeal with arms open wide, reaching for the sky.<br />
<br />
His debut season for Rhodesia was, to say the least spectacular. While Procter the bowler was effective, Procter the batsman was magnificent and he amassed 956 runs — the highest total of the 1970-71 South African season — at an average of 119,50.<br />
<br />
But more important Procter equalled the world record of six successive centuries in first class matches. This feat had been achieved only twice before, by cricketing greats C. B. Fry in 1901 and Sir Donald Bradman in 1938-39.<br />
<br />
The runs that flowed from Procters bat that season sparked a tremendous revival of interest in the game in Rhodesia. The country's demotion to B Section had come as a great blow, and attendances at home matches would probably have dropped had not Procter come onto the scene.<br />
<br />
The spotlight focused sharply on Procter and Rhodesian cricket when, after his fourth successive hundred, the national Press drew attention to the fact that a world record was within reach.<br />
<br />
Procter began his record-equalling run of innings with a sharp 119 against Natal B at Bulawayo. At the Police Ground, Salisbury, he took 129 off Transvaal B and followed this with 107 against Free State at Bloemfontein, 174 off North Eastern Transvaal in Pretoria and 106 in Rhodesia's final Currie Cup fixture against Griqualand West at Kimberley.<br />
<br />
Fortunately Rhodesia had one remaining fixture that season — a friendly against Western Province at Salisbury and the South African Cricket Association confirmed that the match had first-class status.<br />
<br />
So Procter had his chance and the scene was set for a thrilling finish to a successful season at Salisbury's Police Ground, where crowds flocked to see for themselves if 'Mighty Mike' could do it once more and write his name into the record books.<br />
<br />
Thousands of hearts missed a beat when Procter, after coming to the wicket with Rhodesia poorly placed, having lost three wickets with only five runs on the board, snicked a catch to slips early in his innings.<br />
<br />
The catch went to the Western Province captain, Andre Bruyns, who after juggling the ball three times, finally dropped it — much to the relief not only of Procter, but his many supporters in the stands.<br />
<br />
This close shave did not deter him, and with Stuart Robertson batting well at the other end, Rhodesia got on top of the bowling and shortly after two o'clock that afternoon the great moment came. Procter hit Mike Bowditch for three to reach his sixth successive century and then proceeded to tear the attack apart. He finished with 254 and Rhodesia beat Province by seven wickets. It was Procter's highest first-class score.<br />
<br />
Rhodesia were duly promoted back into the A Section of Currie Cup for the 1971-72 season, when Procter took over the captaincy from Ray Gripper in the third match against Transvaal at the Wanderers.<br />
<br />
Obviously relishing his new post, Procter was in magnificent form and, bowling at full pace, he was largely responsible for Transvaal crashing to 31-7. At one stage his analysis read: 6-0-7-5 and he finished with 16-2-32-7 as Rhodesia inflicted the first provincial defeat on Transvaal since 1963, when Ali Bacher had taken over as captain.<br />
<br />
Procter led the team for the remaining four matches that season, and of the five games, Rhodesia won four and drew one. They beat Western Province by seven wickets, Transvaal by nine wickets. Natal by 22 runs and Northern Transvaal by 176 runs<br />
<br />
Other bowling figures returned by Procter included 21-11-25-3 against Eastern Province and 26,2-5-70-5 and 10,5-4-9-5 against Western Province. He finished the season with 52 wickets from eight matches and Rhodesia were placed second in the Currie Cup competition by two points to Transvaal. Ironically the Rhodesians had won more matches than any other side in the competition but with a better aggregate of batting bonus points, Transvaal squeaked home.<br />
<br />
It was a fine performance from a team which in the previous season had been in the B Section. Much of the credit was due to Procter who led by example and, aided by his pleasant extrovert personality and enthusiasm, motivated the remainder of the team to greater achievements.<br />
<br />
Procter had instilled confidence in a team which often lacked faith in its abilit against the top South African provinces, but the following 1972-73 season saw Rhodesia deprived — by a South African Cricket Association boardroom decision — of winning the Currie Cup for the first time.<br />
<br />
At the start of the season Procter had been adamant that the Currie Cup would cross the Limpopo. His prediction was given more weight when Rhodesia beat the champions, Transvaal, by 113 runs in the opening match at the Queens Ground at Bulawayo.<br />
<br />
It was an unusual match, with Procter coming to the fore in the later stages by scoring 65 in the Rhodesian second innings, by the end of which Transvaal needed 311 from their second innings to win.<br />
<br />
Procter quickly removed one of the Transvaal batsmen in his opening overs of pace, but with Ali Bacher and Brian Bath playing well, the tide began to turn in Transvaal's favour. Procter was not to be outdone, however, and switching to off- spinners he captured eight of the remaining Transvaal wickets to finish with his career's best figures 36,1-17-71-9.<br />
<br />
Such was the versatility of this great player, who for several years was rated as the best all-rounder in the world.<br />
<br />
The next match Rhodesia drew against Natal at Salisbury, and then came the game that was to cause controversy, not only in Southern Africa but everywhere the game is played, because the decision of the umpires was reversed.<br />
<br />
Eastern Province, led by Lorrie Wilmot were the opponents at the Bulawayo Queens Ground over 18,19 and 20 November. It was one of the most absorbing contests in the history of Currie Cup as Easterns totalled 301, and Rhodesia, saved by a late stand between Robin Jackman and Paddy Clift, replied with 261.<br />
<br />
A second innings of 283-9 enabled Wilmot to set Rhodesia a testing target of 324 for victory in 240 minutes and the compulsory 20 overs in the last hour. Typically, Procter decided Rhodesia would go for runs — they had everything to gain and nothing to lose.<br />
<br />
The top order batsmen rose to the occasion with Jimmy Mitchell, Stuart Robertson, Peter Carlstein and Howie Gardiner playing innings that kept Rhodesia in the hunt and up with the clock.<br />
<br />
With Procter in great form and six runs required for victory with an over left for play. Wilmot led his team off the field. After calling play three times the umpires awarded Rhodesia the match and the 10 points for an outright victory. Those vital points were subsequently taken away when the SACA overruled the umpires' decision so that Rhodesia finished fourth in the Currie Cup competition with 79 points. Transvaal won with 84 points. The 10 points from the Eastern's match would have given Rhodesia the Cup by a clear five points.<br />
<br />
Procter was very upset by the incident and more so by the SACA decision to reverse the umpires' ruling. The confusion arose over the exact start of the final 20 overs, due to begin after tea at 4.45 p.m. But the umpires wpre in position a minute before then and according to the rules, the last over before the interval had then to be bowled. One of the umpires indicated this by raising a finger which the other misinterpreted to mean the first of the 20 compulsory overs.<br />
<br />
During the drinks interval, the umpires held a short discussion and the Press and scorers were told that the first of the 20 overs was to begin after tea. Procter and Wilmot were then told of the decision, and Wilmot maintained that the umpires could not change their minds as he had been informed that the over before tea was the first<br />
<br />
At the end of the 19th over after tea, Wilmot led his side off the field with Rhodesia a frustrating six runs away from a thrilling victory and Procter, who had the strike, was in rampant form with 66 not out It was an unsatisfactory end to a thrilling day's play, and it later cost Rhodesia dearly.<br />
<br />
The walk-off apart it was another great season for Procter, who hit two magnificent centuries off the touring International Wanderers team. Surrey professional Robin Jackman teamed up with Procter to provide Rhodesia with a fearsome opening attack and between them they accounted for 100 wickets in eleven matches. Procter took 60 first-class wickets at a cost of 17,48 runs apiece and scored 870 runs at an average of 48,33 to make another outstanding contribution to Rhodesian cricket.<br />
<br />
The following season, 1973-74, Procter again captained Rhodesia in eight Currie Cup matches and one friendly. Perhaps their run had been too good to last and Rhodesia finished the season without a single Currie Cup victory, losing three and drawing five matches. Rhodesia's batsmen were the main culprits as once again the bowlers did very well. That season they did not concede a single century to any other province. Some of Procter's better figures included: 17,4-4-42-4 against Natal, and 16-7-19-3 and 18,1-6-43-4 against Western Province.<br />
<br />
A knee injury prevented Procter from playing any real part in Rhodesia's Currie Cup bid in 1974-75. He played — in constant pain — in only one match, against Western Province at Newlands, scoring 64 runs in a partnership of 125 with Keith Tattersall. The injury was severe and seriously threatened his career as a fast bowler.<br />
<br />
The knee had troubled him once before, but an operation at Bristol put him on the road to recovery. Some sceptics doubted whether he would be able to bowl at his previous pace,but Procter, with typical determination, later proved them to be wrong.<br />
<br />
He did not bowl much for Rhodesia in 1975-76, taking only 10 wickets in the entire season but he produced some good performances with the bat including 121 n.o. and 77 against Eastern Province at Port Elizabeth. That century helped to break a Rhodesian record for a third-wicket partnership which had stood for 23 years. Procter and Stuart Robertson scored 226 runs in 229 minutes, beating the old mark of 211.<br />
<br />
It was his last contribution to the Rhodesia cricket record books as in March 1976 he told the Rhodesia Cricket Union he would not be returning the following season to take up a further contract<br />
<br />
Rhodesia Cricket Union vice-president Alwyn Pichanick, said at the time: "The contribution which Mike Procter has made to Rhodesian cricket speaks for itself.<br />
<br />
"He was responsible for injecting completely new thinking into the game and he gave the other players confidence in themselves.<br />
<br />
"From my relationship with him as manager of the Rhodesian team when he was captain, I know we could never have asked for a player who gave more for Rhodesia. He always gave everything and he's going to be a terrible loss."<br />
<br />
Procter went back to Gloucestershire for his tenth season in the English County championship and after that returned to South Africa for the 1976-77 Currie Cup season. He played for Natal — his original home province — and during the season became the most prolific wicket-taker in Currie Cup history, beating Jack Waddington's record of 317.<br />
<br />
The complete professional, Procter performed at such a consistently high level for Gloucestershire that the county was commonly referred to as 'Proctershire'.<br />
<br />
His overall efforts for Rhodesia were equally spectacular. In five seasons Procter played 46 matches and his respective batting and bowling achievements were:No man made more impact on the Rhodesian cricket scene than Springbok all-rounder Michael John Procter, who was contracted to play for the country in a world 'scoop' achieved by the Rhodesia Cricket Union in May 1970.<br />
<br />
The acquisition of Procter, then not only one of the world's quickest fast bowlers but also a batsman of the highest order, came at a crucial time for Rhodesian cricket.<br />
<br />
In the 1969-70 South African season, Rhodesia had fared poorly, finishing last in the Currie Cup table and as a result the team had been relegated to the B Section of the competition for the following season.<br />
<br />
Procter burst into the Rhodesian cricket scene like an express train out of a tunnel. Few cricket followers will forget the sight of the well-built blond Springbok turning from his mark near the boundary boards . . . the awesome run-up . . . the open-chested delivery stride . . . the roared appeal with arms open wide, reaching for the sky.<br />
<br />
His debut season for Rhodesia was, to say the least spectacular. While Procter the bowler was effective, Procter the batsman was magnificent and he amassed 956 runs — the highest total of the 1970-71 South African season — at an average of 119,50.<br />
<br />
But more important Procter equalled the world record of six successive centuries in first class matches. This feat had been achieved only twice before, by cricketing greats C. B. Fry in 1901 and Sir Donald Bradman in 1938-39.<br />
<br />
The runs that flowed from Procters bat that season sparked a tremendous revival of interest in the game in Rhodesia. The country's demotion to B Section had come as a great blow, and attendances at home matches would probably have dropped had not Procter come onto the scene.<br />
<br />
The spotlight focused sharply on Procter and Rhodesian cricket when, after his fourth successive hundred, the national Press drew attention to the fact that a world record was within reach.<br />
<br />
Procter began his record-equalling run of innings with a sharp 119 against Natal B at Bulawayo. At the Police Ground, Salisbury, he took 129 off Transvaal B and followed this with 107 against Free State at Bloemfontein, 174 off North Eastern Transvaal in Pretoria and 106 in Rhodesia's final Currie Cup fixture against Griqualand West at Kimberley.<br />
<br />
Fortunately Rhodesia had one remaining fixture that season — a friendly against Western Province at Salisbury and the South African Cricket Association confirmed that the match had first-class status.<br />
<br />
So Procter had his chance and the scene was set for a thrilling finish to a successful season at Salisbury's Police Ground, where crowds flocked to see for themselves if 'Mighty Mike' could do it once more and write his name into the record books.<br />
<br />
Thousands of hearts missed a beat when Procter, after coming to the wicket with Rhodesia poorly placed, having lost three wickets with only five runs on the board, snicked a catch to slips early in his innings.<br />
<br />
The catch went to the Western Province captain, Andre Bruyns, who after juggling the ball three times, finally dropped it — much to the relief not only of Procter, but his many supporters in the stands.<br />
<br />
This close shave did not deter him, and with Stuart Robertson batting well at the other end, Rhodesia got on top of the bowling and shortly after two o'clock that afternoon the great moment came. Procter hit Mike Bowditch for three to reach his sixth successive century and then proceeded to tear the attack apart. He finished with 254 and Rhodesia beat Province by seven wickets. It was Procter's highest first-class score.<br />
<br />
Rhodesia were duly promoted back into the A Section of Currie Cup for the 1971-72 season, when Procter took over the captaincy from Ray Gripper in the third match against Transvaal at the Wanderers.<br />
<br />
Obviously relishing his new post, Procter was in magnificent form and, bowling at full pace, he was largely responsible for Transvaal crashing to 31-7. At one stage his analysis read: 6-0-7-5 and he finished with 16-2-32-7 as Rhodesia inflicted the first provincial defeat on Transvaal since 1963, when Ali Bacher had taken over as captain.<br />
<br />
Procter led the team for the remaining four matches that season, and of the five games, Rhodesia won four and drew one. They beat Western Province by seven wickets, Transvaal by nine wickets. Natal by 22 runs and Northern Transvaal by 176 runs<br />
<br />
Other bowling figures returned by Procter included 21-11-25-3 against Eastern Province and 26,2-5-70-5 and 10,5-4-9-5 against Western Province. He finished the season with 52 wickets from eight matches and Rhodesia were placed second in the Currie Cup competition by two points to Transvaal. Ironically the Rhodesians had won more matches than any other side in the competition but with a better aggregate of batting bonus points, Transvaal squeaked home.<br />
<br />
It was a fine performance from a team which in the previous season had been in the B Section. Much of the credit was due to Procter who led by example and, aided by his pleasant extrovert personality and enthusiasm, motivated the remainder of the team to greater achievements.<br />
<br />
Procter had instilled confidence in a team which often lacked faith in its abilit against the top South African provinces, but the following 1972-73 season saw Rhodesia deprived — by a South African Cricket Association boardroom decision — of winning the Currie Cup for the first time.<br />
<br />
At the start of the season Procter had been adamant that the Currie Cup would cross the Limpopo. His prediction was given more weight when Rhodesia beat the champions, Transvaal, by 113 runs in the opening match at the Queens Ground at Bulawayo.<br />
<br />
It was an unusual match, with Procter coming to the fore in the later stages by scoring 65 in the Rhodesian second innings, by the end of which Transvaal needed 311 from their second innings to win.<br />
<br />
Procter quickly removed one of the Transvaal batsmen in his opening overs of pace, but with Ali Bacher and Brian Bath playing well, the tide began to turn in Transvaal's favour. Procter was not to be outdone, however, and switching to off- spinners he captured eight of the remaining Transvaal wickets to finish with his career's best figures 36,1-17-71-9.<br />
<br />
Such was the versatility of this great player, who for several years was rated as the best all-rounder in the world.<br />
<br />
The next match Rhodesia drew against Natal at Salisbury, and then came the game that was to cause controversy, not only in Southern Africa but everywhere the game is played, because the decision of the umpires was reversed.<br />
<br />
Eastern Province, led by Lorrie Wilmot were the opponents at the Bulawayo Queens Ground over 18,19 and 20 November. It was one of the most absorbing contests in the history of Currie Cup as Easterns totalled 301, and Rhodesia, saved by a late stand between Robin Jackman and Paddy Clift, replied with 261.<br />
<br />
A second innings of 283-9 enabled Wilmot to set Rhodesia a testing target of 324 for victory in 240 minutes and the compulsory 20 overs in the last hour. Typically, Procter decided Rhodesia would go for runs — they had everything to gain and nothing to lose.<br />
<br />
The top order batsmen rose to the occasion with Jimmy Mitchell, Stuart Robertson, Peter Carlstein and Howie Gardiner playing innings that kept Rhodesia in the hunt and up with the clock.<br />
<br />
With Procter in great form and six runs required for victory with an over left for play. Wilmot led his team off the field. After calling play three times the umpires awarded Rhodesia the match and the 10 points for an outright victory. Those vital points were subsequently taken away when the SACA overruled the umpires' decision so that Rhodesia finished fourth in the Currie Cup competition with 79 points. Transvaal won with 84 points. The 10 points from the Eastern's match would have given Rhodesia the Cup by a clear five points.<br />
<br />
Procter was very upset by the incident and more so by the SACA decision to reverse the umpires' ruling. The confusion arose over the exact start of the final 20 overs, due to begin after tea at 4.45 p.m. But the umpires wpre in position a minute before then and according to the rules, the last over before the interval had then to be bowled. One of the umpires indicated this by raising a finger which the other misinterpreted to mean the first of the 20 compulsory overs.<br />
<br />
During the drinks interval, the umpires held a short discussion and the Press and scorers were told that the first of the 20 overs was to begin after tea. Procter and Wilmot were then told of the decision, and Wilmot maintained that the umpires could not change their minds as he had been informed that the over before tea was the first<br />
<br />
At the end of the 19th over after tea, Wilmot led his side off the field with Rhodesia a frustrating six runs away from a thrilling victory and Procter, who had the strike, was in rampant form with 66 not out It was an unsatisfactory end to a thrilling day's play, and it later cost Rhodesia dearly.<br />
<br />
The walk-off apart it was another great season for Procter, who hit two magnificent centuries off the touring International Wanderers team. Surrey professional Robin Jackman teamed up with Procter to provide Rhodesia with a fearsome opening attack and between them they accounted for 100 wickets in eleven matches. Procter took 60 first-class wickets at a cost of 17,48 runs apiece and scored 870 runs at an average of 48,33 to make another outstanding contribution to Rhodesian cricket.<br />
<br />
The following season, 1973-74, Procter again captained Rhodesia in eight Currie Cup matches and one friendly. Perhaps their run had been too good to last and Rhodesia finished the season without a single Currie Cup victory, losing three and drawing five matches. Rhodesia's batsmen were the main culprits as once again the bowlers did very well. That season they did not concede a single century to any other province. Some of Procter's better figures included: 17,4-4-42-4 against Natal, and 16-7-19-3 and 18,1-6-43-4 against Western Province.<br />
<br />
A knee injury prevented Procter from playing any real part in Rhodesia's Currie Cup bid in 1974-75. He played — in constant pain — in only one match, against Western Province at Newlands, scoring 64 runs in a partnership of 125 with Keith Tattersall. The injury was severe and seriously threatened his career as a fast bowler.<br />
<br />
The knee had troubled him once before, but an operation at Bristol put him on the road to recovery. Some sceptics doubted whether he would be able to bowl at his previous pace,but Procter, with typical determination, later proved them to be wrong.<br />
<br />
He did not bowl much for Rhodesia in 1975-76, taking only 10 wickets in the entire season but he produced some good performances with the bat including 121 n.o. and 77 against Eastern Province at Port Elizabeth. That century helped to break a Rhodesian record for a third-wicket partnership which had stood for 23 years. Procter and Stuart Robertson scored 226 runs in 229 minutes, beating the old mark of 211.<br />
<br />
It was his last contribution to the Rhodesia cricket record books as in March 1976 he told the Rhodesia Cricket Union he would not be returning the following season to take up a further contract<br />
<br />
Rhodesia Cricket Union vice-president Alwyn Pichanick, said at the time: "The contribution which Mike Procter has made to Rhodesian cricket speaks for itself.<br />
<br />
"He was responsible for injecting completely new thinking into the game and he gave the other players confidence in themselves.<br />
<br />
"From my relationship with him as manager of the Rhodesian team when he was captain, I know we could never have asked for a player who gave more for Rhodesia. He always gave everything and he's going to be a terrible loss."<br />
<br />
Procter went back to Gloucestershire for his tenth season in the English County championship and after that returned to South Africa for the 1976-77 Currie Cup season. He played for Natal — his original home province — and during the season became the most prolific wicket-taker in Currie Cup history, beating Jack Waddington's record of 317.<br />
<br />
The complete professional, Procter performed at such a consistently high level for Gloucestershire that the county was commonly referred to as 'Proctershire'.<br />
<br />
His overall efforts for Rhodesia were equally spectacular. In five seasons Procter played 46 matches and his respective batting and bowling achievements were:<br />
<br />
<b>81 innings; 6 not outs; 3 662 runs; 254 highest score; 48,83 average.<br />8 381 balls; 378 maidens; 3 445 runs; 186 wickets; 18,52 average.</b><br />
<br />
For Rhodesia, Procter scored 11 centuries, 17 half-centuries and took 52 catches. He took five wickets in an innings eight times and 10 wickets in a match three times. His total of 186 wickets is beaten by Joe Partridge, Percy Mansell, Goofy Lawrence and Jack du Preez but on average they played three times as many seasons as Procter. As a short-term contribution, Procter's achievements<br />
were outstanding.<br />
<br />
Procter was twice named as Rhodesia's Sportsman of the Year, in 1971 and 1972, and he was a serious contender in 1973 as well.<br />
<br />
It was unfortunate that Procter's Test career was curtailed by South Africa's political problems, but he did play for the Springboks against two Australian sides in 1966-67 and 1969-70. His Test debut was against Bob Simpson's side in the third match of the series and Procter finished with match figures of 7-98. Although his efforts with the bat were not spectacular he impressed as a bowler and picked up six wickets in the fourth Test.<br />
<br />
Against Bill Lawry's side two seasons later, Procter averaged over 30 with the bat and took 26 wickets in the four-Test series with best Test career bowling figures of 6-73. Playing for Western Province against the Australians, Procter slammed 155 in 130 minutes with nine sixes, including five from successive balls in one over from Ashley Mallett. He went from 100 to 150 in only twelve minutes.<br />
<br />
— McDERMOTT.<br />
<br />
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Rhodesia Rememberedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644511584084003690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327827266800393263.post-82769370124081794662012-10-18T23:35:00.000-07:002012-11-15T04:33:22.937-08:00Iain Forsyth Buchanan<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkqL_6W9kH1OKWb1H00vvVzx8MDKML1fzZSdNia6j2VWfMSjUS4ZIhf3zVxN1AAaRNhDmLnG6GIt8VO4-ZgUGng7BvqEXk8EV2IgRITFEDCmMm4XICvnnGFrUop6d_4jp8CQmo513hK-0/s1600/Bucky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkqL_6W9kH1OKWb1H00vvVzx8MDKML1fzZSdNia6j2VWfMSjUS4ZIhf3zVxN1AAaRNhDmLnG6GIt8VO4-ZgUGng7BvqEXk8EV2IgRITFEDCmMm4XICvnnGFrUop6d_4jp8CQmo513hK-0/s1600/Bucky.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
When Iain Buchanan proudly led Zimbabwe on to the field at the Wanderers, Johannesburg, on 5 July 1980, he became the most capped player in the nation's rugby history. It was his 73rd appearance for his country, beating lock forward Rob Stewart's record of 72 caps set in 1979, after which he emigrated to South Africa.<br />
<br />
Buchanan's record is more than an impressive statistic, for he has proved himself to be one of the most durable players ever to step onto a Southern African rugby field. A short, solidly built man, he is driven by a fierce sense of competitiveness and patriotism and sustained by an excess of courage that has long been admired by local rugby fans.<br />
<br />
Despite some appalling batterings behind a pack that was often not comparable to the juggernaut combinations of the major South African provinces, the nuggety scrum-half with the full beard, endured it all. As he became the most capped player in the land, he had not been substituted in any of his 73 games — testimony to his courage and extraordinary durability.<br />
<br />
To this plucky Matabele at the outset of the 1980 season went the signal honour of captaining the very first team to play for the newly independent nation of Zimbabwe. Although former All Black, Kevin Eveleigh, had been appointed team captain — replacing Buchanan midway through the 1979 season — he was rested for the opening match of a three-game South African tour and it was Buchanan who led Zimbabwe to 39-6 victory over Eastern Free State at Goble Park, Bethlehem on 17 May. Eveleigh then resumed the leadership, but he was clearly struggling with his own form after a serious knee injury the previous season, and the captaincy was restored to a delighted Buchanan after a series of dismal performances by the national team. These included a galling 18-35 loss to lowly Eastern Transvaal at Springs, and an unimpressive 24-24 draw with Northern Free State at Kroonstad.<br />
<br />
It was a wonder that Buchanan was playing rugby at all. After the 1979 season he broke his right ankle during a stint in the Army and had to have three steel pins inserted. It was widely predicted that his rugby career lay in ruins and that Zimbabwe would have to search for a new scrum-half — a serious problem. But the pessimists had not reckoned with the Buchanan spirit and, quite typically, he bounced back, playing gingerly at first to test the suspect ankle and then once again giving his very soul to the national team's cause and again proving his remarkable tenacity and toughness.<br />
<br />
For such a man who had served his country so splendidly and so proudly, it was most fitting that he should create history by captaining the very first Zimbabwe team and that he should overcome a fearful injury to become the most capped player against Transvaal. This was his 47th successive game for the country, his unbroken run stretching back to August 1976 when he was recalled to play against Eastern Transvaal at Salisbury. And so it was that on 9 August 1980 at Bloemfontein. 'Bucky earned his 50th successive cap to rank alongside Stewart as one of the only two to have reached this mark in unbroken national matches.<br />
<br />
Another record by Buchanan is certain to remain intact for many years. The match against Transvaal at Bulawayo on 23 August was his 43rd as captain and he was fast approaching making his mark as the first man to lead the national team 50 times. Rob Mundell's 23 captaincies are second on the record list stretching from 1968 to 1971, while Des van Jaarsveldt led Rhodesia 19 times and John Morkel 13 times.<br />
<br />
Iain Forsyth Buchanan was bom at Bulawayo on 15 July 1949 and was educated at Northlea School, playing 1 st XV rugby for a remarkable four years. He was chosen for the Craven Week national schools team in 1966 and 1968, and for Rhodesia under-20 in 1969, his first year out of school, when he began his impressive club career for Old Miltonians.<br />
<br />
In his early days he faced the twin-pronged challenge of competing for a berth in the national senior team with two of the country's most outstanding scrumhalves — Ted Alexander (1964-71) and the brilliant Des Christian (1972-76), surely one of the unluckiest players to have been denied a Springbok cap. When Alexander was injured, Buchanan, at the age of twenty-one, made his debut<br />
against Griqualand West at the Salisbury Police Ground in a Currie Cup match which was lost 14-16 by Rhodesia. He also played in the Pretoria friendly the same year against Northern Transvaal (lost 18-35) to be well and truly initiated into big time rugby.<br />
<br />
Buchanan turned out in the green and white three times in 1972, including a tragically violent match against the famous Welsh club Cardiff, in which three men were sent off. two of them Rhodesians. With the brilliant Gareth Edwards at scrum- half, Cardiff won 24-6 with superbly fluid play and top-class backing up.<br />
<br />
Des Christian held the national captaincy in 1973 — a highly successful year, when the brand of open rugby nurtured by coach lan Mcintosh over three seasons was beginning to have its effect. After drawing 27-27 with Transvaal at Salisbury, Rhodesia went to Loftus Versfeld at Pretoria to face Northern Transvaal in the Currie Cup semifinal — the high point in the country's participation in this prestigious tournament. The first half belonged to the terrier-like Rhodesians and at the interval they led 3-0 through an Ian Robertson penalty, with eighthman Brian Murphy a tower of strength and inspiration. Christian was carried off on a stretcher and Buchanan came on as a substitute for the second time during the season — the only games he played that year. Eventually the stunned Northern Transvalers clicked and harvested 16 points in 20 minutes to seal the game 20-7 and deny Rhodesia their first Currie Cup final.<br />
<br />
With Christian suspended for a spell. Buchanan was drafted for the 1974 Currie Cup match against Border at Bulawayo and scored his first try in a rampaging 46-23 victory, the third biggest win ever by Rhodesia. But Christian was back to face the British Lions at Salisbury and 'Bucky' had to sit on the substitutes' bench until he again took over for the three final games of the season after Christian was injured.<br />
<br />
Christian was again the man in possession for the opening two games of 1975 before he was dropped and, for the first time, Buchanan made the scrum-half berth his own, starting with the 26-18 victory over Boland at Hartsfield. when he led Rhodesia for the first time. The team consisted of: L Duberly; E. Barrett. J. Harris. J. Loots, D. Arnott; M. Falconer, I. Buchanan; M. Banfield, S. McKenna, P. Abbot, P. Atkinson, M. Snyman, M. Jakobi, G. Smith, B. Murphy.<br />
<br />
For the next six seasons, right through 1980, 'Bucky was to be first-choice scrum-half, save for a four-match spell midway through the 1976 season when he sat on the subs' bench and the wily Christian returned. It was a temporary setback for the tough-as-teak Matabele and after returning against Eastern Transvaal at Salisbury on 21 September 1976, he was never again-dropped by his country.<br />
<br />
But he had lost the captaincy to Brian Murphy and Ian Robertson for the final games of 1976, while former All Black, Alan Sutherland, led throughout a distinguished 1977 season which rejuvenated Rhodesian rugby.<br />
<br />
After beating Natal 18-13 at Durban, Rhodesia scored a sensational 18-9 upset victory over Morne du Plessis's Western Province in a thrill-packed Currie Cup game at the Salisbury Police Ground, a match that marked the debut of twenty-year-old winger Ray Mordt, who scored a dazzling debut try from his own ten-metre line.<br />
<br />
Rhodesia's line-up that joyous day was: L Lachenicht: E. Barrett, P. Einhorn, D. Smith, R. Mordt; F. Inocco, I. Buchanan; M. Banfield, C. Rogers, R. Halsted, N. Topping, T. Ferreira, R. Stewart, K. Schlachter, A. Sutherland (capt.). For vice- captain Buchanan it was the high spot of his long career.<br />
<br />
Despite his obvious qualities and class, Buchanan continued to be over- looked by the Springbok selectors as a trialist and he was not among the six of Sutherland's team to be invited to the 1977 trials. But even those who attended were given a raw deal, Smith and Delport — two of the outstanding backs in the country — being relegated to the D side for the final day. Stormed Sutherland: "The selectors can't see the forest for trees. They have blatantly overlooked the Rhodesian players. If Delport and Smith can't get into three sides. I really don't know. If there are better players I have not seen them. Buchanan is better than any half-back he has played against and yet doesn't even get a trial... what more can a Rhodesian do?"<br />
<br />
Brian Murphy took over as national coach and Buchanan was restored to the captaincy in 1978 when Sutherland joined Wits University. Buchanan set the tone for a successful season with the words: "The Sutherland era is history... we must get on with it now as Rhodesians." Another highly successful season ensued, including a 32-15 win over the American Cougars — the only international of Buchanan's career.<br />
<br />
Buchanan continued to hold the reins of captaincy for the first eight matches of 1979 when, with Rhodesia under severe pressure and unable to get on the winning trail, he gave way to former All Black flanker Kevin Eveleigh for the final six games.<br />
<br />
The epitome of a team man and a patriot, there was no bitterness from Buchanan. He continued to serve loyally and with total commitment and played a major role in the end-of-season 19-15 Currie Cup win over Natal at Durban — the most emotional match in the nation's rugby history. After a dismal season of depressing defeats there was little prospect of subduing Natal, but on the eve of the match came the tragic news that full back LeRoy Duberly had been killed in action.<br />
<br />
He had been selected for the game but had been unable to travel because of his Army commitment and Eric Barrett had been drafted in his place.<br />
<br />
It was a choked Buchanan, a close friend of Duberly's, who vowed the night before the match: "We will win this one for our mate ... I promise we will win it."<br />
<br />
That unshakeable determination was evident in every player next day with Buchanan playing himself to near exhaustion. At the final whistle there were incredible scenes of pure joy. Some of the players wept openly, while 'Bucky', in a typical gesture, personally carried Eveleigh on his shoulders all the way to the changing-rooms.<br />
<br />
There was still one more hurdle to clear — the fight to stay in the A Section of the Currie Cup in the promotion-relegation match against Griqualand West at Bulawayo. Buchanan's tenacity was again to the fore in that 25-12 victory, in which Ray Mordt scored three tries.<br />
<br />
The year 1980, the birth of the world-recognised Zimbabwe, again saw Buchanan restored to the national captaincy. His enthusiasm was such that it could have been his very first cap. "I am as proud today to be playing for my country as I was in my first season," he said. "I will continue to give everything I've got." He was justly entrusted with the captaincy for Zimbabwe's first overseas tour to England in October 1980.<br />
<br />
A few overdue honours came his way in the twilight of his career. In 1979 he toured South Africa as a reserve player with the World XV and was given a late call to face the British Lions at Durban for the South African Barbarians — a team which prides itself in choosing players with sportsmanship and flair. Although the team lost 25-14, Buchanan scored one of the Barbarians' three tries.<br />
<br />
Such a man as Iain Forsyth Buchanan fully deserves to be honoured among the nation's greatest sportsmen. He ended 1980 with a total of 85 national caps, 50 as captain, having played 57 games in succession to equal Rob Stewart's record.<br />
<br />
- BYROM.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">End</span></b><br />
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Rhodesia Rememberedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644511584084003690noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327827266800393263.post-21515673751429638972012-10-17T08:16:00.001-07:002012-11-15T04:35:41.363-08:00George Shaya<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span id="goog_1169685755"></span><span id="goog_1169685756"></span><br />
<br />
People walking along the dusty streets of Harare, Salisbury, in the late 1950s might have noticed a group of young boys eagerly kicking a home-made football. None would have believed that one of the boys was later to become a household name, respected by young and old alike.<br />
<br />
The soccer career of George Shaya began in those Harare streets, where he played from dawn to dusk with a ball moulded out of paper and plastic bags. In 1980, after seventeen seasons of top football in Rhodesia, the diminutive Shaya was unquestionably the greatest locally produced player the country has known.<br />
<br />
As a child, Shaya lived for football. By the time he moved into organised soccer at St. Paul's School at Mrewa, the street sessions with his friends in Harare paid dividends — his footwork, playing with makeshift balls, had developed to an amazingly high degree.<br />
<br />
At St. Paul's he played for the school in the super league and his control and ball skills were of such a standard that he represented the Salisbury 'glamour' club. Dynamos, in senior soccer at the age of sixteen. This was the start of a glorious career with Dynamos, which team he eventually joined and later managed.<br />
<br />
Shaya gave immaculate service to the club and was rewarded with a benefit match during the 1980 season. With them, Shaya earned the nickname 'Mastermind' which accurately summed up his role as a midfield general and creator of scoring movements.<br />
<br />
In his own mind, his most exhilarating moment in soccer was scoring the goal that gave Dynamos the Castle Cup in the 1976 final against Zimbabwe Saints — his skill enabled him to swerve a direct free kick around the wall of defenders for a remarkable goal. But there have been many occasions when Shaya has put Dynamos on the winning trail.<br />
<br />
The Herald soccer writer, Alan Hlatywayo, who was a former national player, wrote of Shaya in 1976: "When Shaya is out of the game. Dynamos are reduced to an ordinary team. When he is playing, all of the team's magic is woven around him." Others have called Shaya Rhodesia's Pele. Whatever the accolades, there was never any doubt about Shaya's outstanding ability, which, combined with his<br />
power to create openings, made him stand out from other very good players.<br />
<br />
Shaya was born at Salisbury on Christmas Eve in 1948, the second of eleven children. Although not the eldest, he always seemed to be leading the 'Shaya team' as the first-born son. Life was hard but his determination never faltered. It has never let him down on the soccer field.<br />
<br />
<br />
One of the notable milestones in Shaya's career was his selection, at the age of twenty-one, for the Rhodesian World Cup team which played three qualifying round matches against Australia in the neutral venue of Mozambique in 1969. After two drawn games, Rhodesia lost the third and that was the last chance Shaya really had of furthering an international soccer career. Like the other sports,<br />
Rhodesian soccer also suffered from political isolation.<br />
<br />
But he did have a spell with one of the top South African professional clubs, Moroka Swallows, in 1975, and he gained another two international caps for Rhodesia in a series against South Africa in 1977.<br />
<br />
After losing the first Test in South Africa 7-0, another honour came Shaya's way for the second Test at Salisbury — he was asked to captain the Rhodesian team. Always calm and collected it took him two months to accept the offer of leadership. "There was no reason. I just wanted to think about it, that's all," he said. His team improved dramatically and drew the second Test 1-1.<br />
<br />
John Rugg (acting national soccer coach), had every confidence in Shaya: "He is an experienced player who commands great respect from the others and on the field he leads by example."<br />
<br />
Although small in stature, Shaya always seemed to have vast reserves of energy and more than that, he was a true sportsman.<br />
<br />
Shaya holds one record which may never be eclipsed. He was named Rhodesian Soccer Star of the Year on five occasions. He won the award for the first time in 1969 when his efforts for the national team against Australia were taken very much into account. He won it again in 1972,1974,1975 and 1977 to give the soccer players of the future a really difficult target to aim for — one that proved beyond doubt his consistently high standard over the years. Another honour was his selection as a finalist for the 1976 Rhodesian Sportsman of the Year award.<br />
<br />
- McDERMOTT.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">End</span></b><br />
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Rhodesia Rememberedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644511584084003690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327827266800393263.post-32890001311137662132012-10-13T12:14:00.001-07:002012-11-15T04:26:29.793-08:00Ian William Robertson<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<br />
<br />
Fanatical dedication, fierce determination and a brilliant natural talent have established Ian William Robertson as one of the most successful international sportsmen this country has produced.<br />
<br />
His uncompromising search for perfection in the rugged arena of Rugby Union often plunged him into bitter controversy. At times he was justifiably ranked among the 'Superbrats' of international sport. On other occasions he was a humble, self-effacing man who would sacrifice anything for team and country.<br />
<br />
Above all he had a 'professional' approach in one of the toughest amateur sports in the world.<br />
<br />
His international career has come to an end - painfully halted under a bone- jarring tackle playing for Zimbabwe Rhodesia against Transvaal at Salisbury in 1979 The injury has proved critical to his international career and with his broken wrist still not wholly mended, it seems unlikely that Robertson will play first-class rugby again.<br />
<br />
Another factor persuaded him to retire.<br />
<br />
After having played in five internationals for South Africa against France and New Zealand, playing Test rugby is no longer the most important thing in his life.<br />
<br />
"The most important day of my life was when 1 married my wife Sonia .. . and the next most important days of my life were the births of our two sons Brendon and Gareth. Playing rugby at international level is now therefore the fourth most important thing to have happened to me," he said.<br />
<br />
Robertson's first-class career started when he was a precocious nineteen- year-old in his first year after finishing his schooling at Prince Edward School at Salisbury. In his first senior season he quickly established himself as a regular member of Old Hararians First XV and earned a reputation as being a super-cool full back in a team that was later to develop into one of the strongest club sides in Southern Africa.<br />
<br />
Under the expert guidance of team-mate Brian Murphy, who is regarded by Robertson as one of the greatest players and thinkers in the game, the flame- haired teenager made his Rhodesian debut in that 1969 season — against South West Africa.<br />
<br />
He came into the side to replace regular full back Chuck Sawyer, who had to withdraw because of illness. The critics of the day described his debut as a quiet, efficient game stamped with class. He went on to play two further matches during the season.<br />
<br />
This ice-cool approach developed into full-blooded brilliance during the next season (1970) when he played five games for Rhodesia, including an international against the touring All Blacks at Salisbury.<br />
<br />
After three matches in 1971, Robertson ran foul of the rugby authorities in Rhodesia and became disillusioned about his future in a country that appeared to be completely isolated from world-class competition. He believed that to fulfil his boyhood dream and lifelong ambition of playing for the Springboks, he would have to move to South Africa. He took the plunge and emigrated to Johannesburg where he played for Transvaal B. During that year — on 2 June — he was married to Sonia (née Chick) and was home in time for the start of the 1973 season.<br />
<br />
"I gambled on getting a lucky break. The gamble did not come off and I came back to Rhodesia. The experience was tremendous though," he said of his move.<br />
<br />
During the 1973 season Robertson was to play a vital part in a season still regarded as one of the best in the country's rugby history. Under the captaincy of wiry scrum-half Des Christian, the Rhodesians played ten matches — six Currie Cup, three friendlies and an international against Italy.<br />
<br />
During that season, Robertson was one of only three men who played all ten matches. The others were Christian and front row iron man, Dick Coleshaw.<br />
<br />
The national side was in its third season of the Ian McIntosh era in which the dynamic Matabele had carefully cultivated an exciting brand of open, running rugby based on Welsh influences. Robertson was a vital cog in that pattern as a full back with devastating aggression and flair in attack.<br />
<br />
For the first six matches of the season he stuck to full back with the selectors battling for the right half-back combination by using first Mike Swanson and then Terry Bowes at fly-half.<br />
<br />
Against Eastern Province at Salisbury, Robertson was brought into the side at pivot in place of Bowes and immediately stamped his class and authority on the position — an undeniable versatility which was later to earn him Springbok colours as a centre in three internationals.<br />
<br />
That 1973 season saw the Rhodesian side through to the Currie Cup semifinal against Northern Transvaal at Pretoria with Robertson gathering 81 points in the year from 3 tries, 10 penalties, 15 conversions and 3 dropped goals.<br />
<br />
The next season he reverted to full back, partly due to his own preference in preparing for a crack at forcing his way into the Springbok Test team to take on the mighty British Lions under Willie-John McBride.<br />
<br />
The season started well with Rhodesia putting up a brave show in going down to Free State in a friendly, and Robertson snatching victory from defeat with a brilliant solo effort in the dying minutes of the game against Lancashire. From well inside his own half he engineered a move that he himself rounded off with a try under the posts and a conversion for a breathtaking 21-20 win against the powerful British touring county that included the 1980 Lions captain, Billy Beaumont<br />
<br />
The season lacked the same glamour and glory as 1973 and Robertson was shamefully overlooked for a berth in the South African side for the Lions series. He missed the last match of the season with a badly sprained ankle.<br />
<br />
His only consolation had been in the previous season when he played for the South African XV on the internal tour and for the South African Barbarians against Free State.<br />
<br />
He had been invited to the Springbok training-camp before the Lions tour but had subsequently been ignored.<br />
<br />
Compensation was to come later that year when Robertson became the first Rhodesian since Andy Macdonald to be chosen for South Africa. His place in the short tour to France was as a reserve full back but he made his Springbok debut in Lyons at centre and scored a try. He went on to play both Tests as a match-winning foil to the powerful Johan Oosthuizen, and was the top try-scorer on tour.<br />
<br />
"I was lucky. I was in the right tour at the right time and got my chance," he said of his success.<br />
<br />
The next season was to prove an unhappy one. Robertson, in a typical outburst of scorn and contempt for anything less than the perfection he always strove for. again fell foul of rugby authorities in Rhodesia, and at the start of the season was suspended for four weeks. He missed the opening match — a compulsory friendly against South Eastern Transvaal at Witbank in which Rhodesia crashed 10-21 to the lowly country side — and then, in keeping with his Springbok reputation, was brought in for the next match at centre. A badly twisted ankle in the second half of this game against Public School Wanderers ended his season for Rhodesia.<br />
<br />
In June 1974, he announced that he was leaving Rhodesia to settle in Cape Town.<br />
<br />
"I was first approached with job offers when I travelled to France with the Springboks ... now that I have had time to settle down after the tour I have had more time to think about it I have been made a very attractive offer from Cape Town that I would be silly to turn down."<br />
<br />
Robertson admitted that he had been influenced in his decision to move to the Cape after his recent clash with the authorities.<br />
<br />
He left with a broadside at Rhodesian rugby.<br />
<br />
"Something is missing in Rhodesian rugby at the moment. I know players who have lost their pride in wearing their Rhodesian colours," he said.<br />
<br />
In some respects, Robertson's criticism was justified. After the euphoria of the 1973 season, the side had slipped during 1974. and during 1975 the Rhodesians managed only two victories in eleven matches — both against Boland with the final match being a game to avoid relegation from the A Section of the Currie Cup.<br />
<br />
In Cape Town Robertson played for the mighty Villagers and in August 1975 made his debut for Western Province at full back against Eastern Province. His second spell in South Africa matured the man and the player.<br />
<br />
When he returned to Rhodesia at the beginning of 1976, once again he became an automatic first choice for the national side. A hamstring injury prevented his return debut in the first match and he suffered several set-backs during the rest of the season as the result of illness and injury. But 1976 was to be Robertson's greatest.<br />
<br />
He became the first Rhodesian since Ronnie Hill in 1963. to be selected for the Springboks for a home series against an international touring side. He was chosen at centre for the Test against Andy Leslie's All Blacks at Durban but was switched to full back when Dawie Snyman was forced to withdraw at the last minute. Robertson's home international debut was a dream — he turned in a rock-solid display in defence and was prominent in several raking attacks that steered South Africa to a convincing 16-7 victory. He rounded off this performance with a magnificent long-range drop goal to complete the Springbok tally.<br />
<br />
In a shock move for the second Test Robertson was switched to the centre and even more surprising, after a creditable performance, he was relegated to the substitutes' bench for the third Test at Newlands.<br />
<br />
The reshuffle by the South African selectors was slated by the rugby-crazy public and the Press. Andy Leslie was prompted to comment: "I consider Ian Robertson to be South Africa's best back."<br />
<br />
Jonty Winch, in his book, Rhodesia Rugby — a history of the national side 1898-1979 wrote:<br />
<br />
<i>A delighted Robertson was brought back (for the fourth Test at Ellis Park) and Mike Shafto commented from Johannesburg: "Better late than never goes the saying. And it's one that aptly describes the Springbok rugby selectors' welcome choice of Rhodesia's full back ahead of Dawie<br />Snyman for the fourth and final Test against the All Blacks at Ellis Park". Robertson added that he was particularly pleased to be at full back because it was the position to which he was accustomed but he must have been even happier in the knowledge that he was at last regarded as South Africa's first choice in that position.<br /><br />At the end of the series, Robertson and Rhodesian colleague 'Spike' McKenna, were invited to play for a World XV against Cardiff in the famous club's centenary match at the National Stadium before a fantastic Welsh crowd of 25 000. For Robertson it was a significant indication of his high rating in the rugby world and a just reward for his supreme dedication to the game. Before leaving to play for the World XV, Robertson intimated what sacrifices have to be made in order to reach the top in a demanding sport such as rugby:<br /><br />"Since 1969 I have trained as hard as I think is possible in trying to achieve my ambitions. I have trained through every off season ... I can honestly say that I haven't missed ten days of training in all that time and I've never taken a holiday. I was determined to succeed."<br /><br />Robertson at full back was immaculate in all he did and was a tremendous credit to Rhodesia. Eminent critics raved over his play while J. B. G. Thomas rated him as the second best full back in the world after the great J. P. R. Williams Thomas went on to say: "Ian Robertson played the game of his life. His catching in the rain with a slippery ball was superb, and his running in attack showed just what a South African does with encouragement."<br /><br />The renowned Sunday Times of London, rugby specialist, Vivian Jenkins wrote: "Robertson was an outstanding success, drawing volumes of cheers from the crowd. He showed by his superlative fielding of the wet ball and splendid attacking runs, with swerves and dummies interlaced, why it is that South Africa play him at full back or centre, with equal facility." </i><br />
Robertson went on that season to captain Rhodesia on two occasions — for the first time against Eastern Transvaal at Salisbury after Murphy had announced his retirement and replacement skipper Colin Blythe-Wood had been forced to withdraw due to injury. It was something of a nightmare in which Rhodesia scrambled to an 18-13 victory to move out of danger of relegation. But for Robertson it was a stirring and proud moment as he reached so desperately close to faultless perfection in a game that he completely dominated as an individual. He finished the season by captaining the side to a narrow but thrilling defeat at the hands of Western Province at Bulawayo.<br />
<br />
Robertson started the 1977 season in blistering form. As a guest of the New Zealand Rugby Union he played two matches in that country — an invitation which had been extended to him after the fourth Test at Johannesburg in 1976. In distinguished company he played well and in the second match of that brief visit he scored five penalties. He cut short his visit to join Old Hararians on a club tour to Cape Town only to come back to Salisbury and announce that he was to retire from the game.<br />
<br />
"It's time that I repaid some loyalty and compliments to my wife and family. She has given up so much for me and my sport. I really can't say enough about how important Sonia's support has been to me. We've rarely gone out at nights because getting the right amount of sleep has been important to me and she has never complained . . . she is the greatest."<br />
<br />
Robertson also spelled out how his career and livelihood had suffered through his total dedication to the game. However, under considerable pressure from the national selectors he agreed to play for Rhodesia in the Currie Cup match against Free State — a game in which he kicked a penalty, a conversion and a drop goal. After that match he stuck to his guns to concentrate on his career and devote more time to his family. Former All Black, Allan Sutherland led the national side through a dynamic campaign in which results were mixed but satisfying.<br />
<br />
After the first few games of 1978, Robertson came back into the game to take over as fly-half and by the end of the season had done enough to prove beyond doubt that he was the best fly-half in Southern Africa.<br />
<br />
And so to the 1979 season, those first six games and that career-shattering injury against Transvaal.<br />
<br />
During his career Robertson was capped 56 times for Rhodesia; he holds the record for the greatest number of points in a season (120) and the most points gained in a game (30 points against South Western districts in a Currie Cup match at Bulawayo in 1974). His career total of 437 points from 12 tries, 60 penalties, 21 drop goals, and 73 conversions is more than 130 points better than the next man — Terry Bowes (304).<br />
<br />
Robertson played 12 games for South Africa — 5 of them Tests. He played 8 games for the Junior Springboks, 4 matches in the South African XV, twice for the South African Barbarians, once for a combined Quaggas/Barbarians team and once for the Quaggas side. He played first-class invitation matches in Cardiff and in New Zealand. He was also capped for Western Province.<br />
<br />
Robertson was born at Salisbury on 28 April 1950. At Prince Edward School he played in the First XV for two years and in the Craven Week side in 1968. He made his Mashonaland debut at the 1969 tournament<br />
<br />
His club-playing career has been largely dedicated to Old Hararians with brief spells at Johannesburg and Cape Town.<br />
<br />
- STREAK.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">End</span></b><br />
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Rhodesia Rememberedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644511584084003690noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327827266800393263.post-47721679388015511862012-10-13T03:15:00.002-07:002012-11-15T04:33:56.289-08:00Lucie Olver<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Not often has Rhodesia walked away with the laurels in a major South African sporting championship. To do so twice in one year was a truly remarkable achievement by diminutive Bulawayo bowler, Lucie Olver.<br />
<br />
'Little Lu', as she is known to her colleagues, in 1975 became the first bowler — man or woman — to win the South African national singles title, and the South African Masters singles in the same year. When she clinched the first leg of this historic double with a victory over fellow Rhodesian Flo Kennedy in the Masters final at Pretoria, it was a bitter-sweet moment for the brave Lucie. Her husband, Pat Springett, had passed away in November the previous year and she had played little bowls in the ensuing four months.<br />
<br />
She had strongly considered withdrawing from the prestige invitation line-up of the top sixteen singles players in Southern Africa and even wrote to former Bulawayo administrator, Nellie Banet (a Springbok selector) asking if she was right to keep a player like reserve Pauline Price out of the tournament. Nellie and many of her friends told Lucie she owed it to her late husband to play and when she brought back the coveted trophy she said simply: "At least Pat's name is on the cup."<br />
<br />
Few people know of the indomitable courage Lucie showed in winning this Masters tournament on the Berea Park greens. On top of her bereavement, she had undergone an operation two weeks before travelling to Pretoria.<br />
<br />
"After the operation I was able to have a complete rest," she said. "I was fully relaxed when I came out of hospital twelve days before going to Pretoria and I played the most consistent bowls of my life. When it was all over my sister Merrill rushed on to the green and I'm afraid we both got rather emotional when she hugged me."<br />
<br />
It was her fifth appearance in the Masters — she had been runner-up in her first tournament in 1971 — and showed the high esteem in which she was held in Southern African bowls.<br />
<br />
Her triumphant double was completed at Observatory Park at Johannesburg when, in spectacular fashion, she swept aside Springbok, Pauline Price, 21-11 in 15 ends to win the South African singles final. But 1975 was to bring Lucie even more honours when she was selected to play in all three Tests for South Africa against England — she and Thelma Ault, also of Bulawayo, thus becoming the first Rhodesians to win Springbok colours for women's bowls. It was a happy series<br />
with South Africa winning 2-1.<br />
<br />
Lucie Olver's remarkable year made her a strong contender for the Rhodesian Sportsman of the Year award and she was chosen as one of the five finalists, being denied the John Hopley Memorial Trophy by the golfing duo of George Harvey and Denis Watson, who won the world amateur pairs championship at Bogota. Her record in Rhodesia, South Africa and now Zimbabwe is probably without parallel.<br />
<br />
She was a member of the winning team in the South African inter-districts tournament in 1968 and 1969, and was in the teams which finished runners-up in 1970, 1973 and 1976.<br />
<br />
In 1973, she won the Silver Medal in the South African Games singles, when she lost to Mavis Steele of England, and won a Bronze Medal (with Thelma Ault and Flo Kennedy) for finishing third as a team. All three played in the singles and Lucie played with Thelma as a pair.<br />
<br />
Apart from her three singles successes in the national championships, she also holds two Gold Medals for fours and one for pairs. In 1964, just four years after starting to play bowls, and two years after arriving in Bulawayo, she led for Bernice Denyer in the Raylton fours which won the title (Nancy Rose and Beth Haiden completed the line-up).<br />
<br />
In 1980, the day after her fiftieth birthday, she skipped a Raylton team of Ethel Boucher, Doris de Klerk and Pat Holland to victory to win her second fours Gold Medal.<br />
<br />
In between, she won the pairs with de Klerk in 1968 — the same year in which she won her first singles crown.<br />
<br />
She has never played in the triples at the national championships — the only event she needs to complete the Grand Slam, achieved by few players to date.<br />
<br />
She reached the quarter-finals of the South African singles at Johannesburg in March 1968, and played for Bulawayo Raylton in the Districts Trophy at the championships. At Bulawayo sub-district level, she won the fours title in 1969, the pairs (again with Doris de Klerk) in 1974 and the singles in 1973. She was Bulawayo champion of club champions in 1972.<br />
<br />
In the Rhodesian 'Masters' (known as the Champion of Singles Champions tournament) she beat Flo Kennedy for the title in 1976, and was runner-up to Anna Whatling a year later. She won the Matabeleland Open Pairs (with de Klerk) in 1978 and with Isobel Walkden in 1975.<br />
<br />
At club level, she won the Bulawayo Raylton singles in 1965, 1966, 1969, 1971,1972,1975 and 1976, the pairs in 1967, the triples in 1974 and the rinks in 1965, 1966, 1968 and 1978.<br />
<br />
It's a sobering fact that Lucie, had she not been an asthmatic as a child, may never have played bowls.<br />
<br />
She played no sport at school at Ladysmith, Natal, and it was in 1960 when she and husband Pat Springett were living in Broken Hill in the then Northern Rhodesia, that a doctor suggested she should get out into the open air — and she joined the bowls section of the Broken Hill Railway Club.<br />
<br />
The Springett's closest friends there were Ernie and Doris de Klerk — and it was Doris who took Little Lu in hand as a bowler after Jack Hopwood (now at the Bulawayo Bowling Club) taught her the rudiments of the game.<br />
<br />
In two years at Broken Hill, Lucie and Doris won a number of events — but it was when the Springetts were transferred to Bulawayo in 1962 that the career of the woman who was to make South African bowling history really took off.<br />
<br />
Personal tragedy struck again in 1978, when her second husband, well- known sportsman and broadcaster, Syd Olver, died. This was a shattering blow that saw the heart-broken Lucie step out of the bowling limelight again — but she was persuaded to put her name forward for selection to the South African inter district tournament in 1979 and she was chosen to play third to Mary Philp.<br />
<br />
On the eve of the tournament, Lucie's bowling life was again tinged with tragedy. Mary Philp's son Stuart died — and Lucie, back in big-time bowls after an absence, was pitch-forked into skipping one of the Rhodesian teams.<br />
<br />
She did well — and it marked the return of this sporting champion to the greens of Southern Africa she had graced for two decades. The hallmarks of any top calibre international sportsman are the dedication and grit it takes to soar above others. These qualities — plus her quiet personality and exemplary sportsmanship — were always evident in Lucie Olver, who fought against enormous personal adversity to emerge a champion among champions and one of the greatest of Rhodesian sportswomen.<br />
<br />
— BYROM<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">End</span></b><br />
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Rhodesia Rememberedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644511584084003690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327827266800393263.post-39833845252159869172012-10-12T05:47:00.000-07:002012-11-15T04:34:29.198-08:00Brian Fettes Davison<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<br />
The lights on the scoreboard at the Wanderers in Johannesburg twinkled merrily in the gathering gloom and a crowd of 12 000 hushed in expectation as Eastern Province fast bowler Kenny Watson ran up to deliver.<br />
<br />
A packed off-side field hardly had time to move before the ball struck the boundary boards. The crowd erupted and a flood of well-wishers invaded the field to shower one Brian Davison with congratulations.<br />
<br />
The Rhodesian batsman had just compiled what must rate as his finest century. The scene was the 1978 Datsun Shield final and Davison, aided by left-hander Brian Barbour, had guided Rhodesia to their first major South African cricket trophy.<br />
<br />
Among the spectators who rushed on to the Wanderers turf that afternoon was an Indian who put a R10 note into Davison's pocket, saying, "You are my saviour — you've won me money in a bet."<br />
<br />
The lusty hitting of Chris Wilkins and Lorrie Wilmot and the grace of Graeme Pollock, who had earlier guided Eastern Province to a total of 227-8, paled into insignificance once Davison got into his stride.<br />
<br />
It was the sort of innings that made Davison a draw card for Leicestershire in the English County championship and for Rhodesia in the Currie Cup. It was controlled aggression, punctuated with drives of great power off both the front and back foot.<br />
<br />
Davison and Barbour had come together with Rhodesia reeling at a miserable 81-5. Not even the most ardent Rhodesian supporter believed that Eastern Province could lose.<br />
<br />
But, 135 runs later, with Davison undefeated on 102, Rhodesia were on 216-5 and won the Shield on a better run-rate and runs-per-wicket calculation. Had the umpires not ended play early because of bad light, Rhodesia would undoubtedly have passed the Eastern Province total.<br />
<br />
In any event, it did not matter. The light was very bad, but Davison, stepping down the wicket to drive the seamers, was unconcerned. There was no danger to the batsmen and the umpires were concerned about the safety of the fielders when they called off play. Davison was hitting the ball so hard that there was a real danger to fieldsmen attempting to cut off runs in the gloom.<br />
<br />
It was Davison's finest hour and the standing ovation he received from an uncommitted crowd composed largely of Transvalers was just reward for his efforts.<br />
<br />
Yes, we will all remember Davison for that innings but there is no doubt that he was one of the finest cricketers produced by Rhodesia in a first-class career which started with his national debut against Natal B in 1967.<br />
<br />
Brian Fettes Davison was born at Bulawayo on 21 December 1946 and encouraged by an enthusiastic father, he worked his way through Hillside Junior and Gifford Technical High School teams to make the Rhodesian Nuffield XI in 1964-65 along with other future national players like Duncan Fletcher, Tommy Dunk, Richie Kaschula, Stuart Robertson and John Traicos.<br />
<br />
Davison can lay claim to be the father of professionalism in Rhodesian cricket for, after two seasons — then in the B Section of the Currie Cup — he travelled to England 'to broaden his outlook on life generally'.<br />
<br />
But as was later established, young 'Davo' was really there to attempt to force his way into big cricket. When money ran short — as it did from time to time — he was pleased to turn out occasionally by invitation for the Northants 2nd XI.<br />
<br />
Leicestershire officials were keeping an interested eye on young Davison and after he had averaged 52,33 with a top score of 73 in four innings he moved to the Grace Road Ground at Leicester.<br />
<br />
It was the 1969 English season, and he batted eight times for the Leicestershire 2nd XI at an average of 33,55 which led to an offer of a contract to join the county 1st XI for the 1970 season. He turned out for his adopted county from 1970 to 1980, having made the breakthrough into the first team by mid-August of that first season and having a more than satisfactory debut in a County<br />
championship match against Northamptonshire.<br />
<br />
He made seven first team appearances that season and returned to Rhodesia for the 1970-71 season a mature and much wiser cricketer for the experience. Davison joined a reconstituted Rhodesian team under their new captain Mike Procter and was instrumental in helping the side return to the A Section.<br />
<br />
That season was a milestone for Davison. Not only did he return an average of 60,25 but he also recorded his maiden first-class century — an undefeated 137 which included three sixes and fifteen fours, against Griqualand West at Kimberley.<br />
<br />
Davison was developing into an aggressive, fast-scoring batsman and he really blossomed in his second season with Leicestershire when he returned there for the 1971 English County championship.<br />
<br />
He scored 1 280 runs in 47 matches but his real glory was the season's fastest century — scored in only 63 minutes. His approach to the game brought him success in the limited overs leagues and against Warwickshire he pounded 158 not out with his 150 coming up in 92 minutes.<br />
<br />
But his ability to score quickly came to the fore in a double wicket competition in Rhodesia in 1972 after another successful season with Leicestershire. He hit 50 in 13 minutes and his century in 27 with 10 sixes and 9 fours. In his second match he hit 50 in 18 minutes and his total runs for the day came to 244 in a total batting time of 79 minutes.<br />
<br />
And so it is easy to understand the aura of expectancy that settled over crowds in England and Southern Africa whenever Davison strode to the wicket to begin an innings.<br />
<br />
But he could not pull it off every time and a run of poor innings from Davison was not uncommon. Cricket followers in Rhodesia often slated him — he was the man they loved to hate when he was unsuccessful. Memories are short however, and each of Davison's five Currie Cup and two Datsun Shield centuries make up for the times that he disappointed his fans.<br />
<br />
'Davo' is immensely strong and hits the ball with terrific power and although he was often considered the 'enigma of Rhodesian cricket' he achieved a great deal.<br />
<br />
His performances overseas for Leicestershire were always being compared with what he achieved in Rhodesia where only eight big matches (Currie Cup) are played in a season. In that sort of shallow comparison his performances at home in Currie Cup cricket always looked poor.<br />
<br />
But Davison thrives, and always will, on constant cricket — six days a week in England which allowed him to hone his game to a fine edge. In Rhodesia he was able to play one day a week between Currie Cup matches which were often separated by as much as six weeks.<br />
<br />
He captained Rhodesia on twenty-five occasions between 1974 and 1977 and was national coach in 1976 and 1977. In a first-class career for Rhodesia spanning the seasons 1967 to 1978, Davison gained 90 caps and scored 4 480 Currie Cup runs at an average of 30,07 with his 137 against Griquas, his highest score.<br />
<br />
His highest overall first-class score was a magnificent 189 for Leicestershire against Ian Chappell's Australians at Leicester in 1975.<br />
<br />
A fine fielder and more than useful seamer in the early part of his career, Davison rates as one of the finest Rhodesian all-rounders and he was sadly missed by Rhodesia in the 1979-80 season when he accepted a contract to captain Tasmania in the Australian Sheffield Shield competition.<br />
<br />
A brief summary of his career is:<br />
<br />
<b>Rhodesia</b><br />
<b>1967-68</b><br />
Runs: 141<br />
Average: 23.50<br />
<br />
<b>1968-69</b><br />
Runs: 126<br />
Average: 15,75<br />
<br />
<b>1969-70</b> did not play<br />
<br />
<b>1970-71</b> <br />
Runs: 241<br />
Average: 60.20<br />
<br />
<b>1971-72 </b> <br />
Runs: 383<br />
Average: 25,53<br />
<br />
<b>1972-73</b><br />
Runs: 335<br />
Average: 23,92<br />
<br />
<b>1973-74</b><br />
Runs: 289<br />
Average: 19,26<br />
<br />
<b>1974-75</b><br />
Runs: 586<br />
Average: 36,62<br />
<br />
<b>1975-76</b><br />
Runs: 307<br />
Average: 23,61<br />
<br />
<b>1976-77</b><br />
Runs: 399<br />
Average: 26,60<br />
<br />
<b>1977-78</b><br />
Runs: 527<br />
Average: 43,91<br />
<br />
<b>1978-79</b><br />
Runs: 488<br />
Average: 34,85<br />
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- McDERMOTT.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">End</span></b><br />
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Rhodesia Rememberedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644511584084003690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327827266800393263.post-65882184845049340892012-10-10T23:30:00.000-07:002012-11-15T04:36:19.067-08:00Gordon Maxwell Allan Peake<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<br />
<br />
Few MEN can claim an international hockey career spanning fourteen years and, during it play at as consistently a high standard as Gordon Maxwell Allan Peake did for Rhodesia.<br />
<br />
'Alpal', a nickname that stemmed from his good nature, friendliness and sportsmanship, aptly summed up this genial hockey giant who was undoubtedly the crown prince of Rhodesian defenders.<br />
<br />
After his debut for Rhodesia against Border in 1966, and an international debut against South Africa later the same year, Allan Peake went on to make a record forty-three Test appearances for his country.<br />
<br />
Had circumstances been different and Rhodesian sport not been isolated because of United Nations sanctions. Peake could well have reached a hundred caps. A two-year spell in South Africa in the mid-70s caused him to miss at least twelve internationals for Rhodesia, which games would have taken him past fifty- one Test appearances.<br />
<br />
Peake impressed onlookers whenever he played. There are few reports of him having had a poor game. Such were his reflexes on his 'wrong-hand side' that he was the bane of all attacking hockey players. He also combined a marvellous recovery ability with solid cover defence and he was able to turn defence into attack quickly by beating an opponent in the tackle and taking the initiative with controlled dribbling runs up midfield.<br />
<br />
Peake was born at Fulham, England, on 12 September 1945 and came to Rhodesia with his parents when he was only nine months old. His hockey career began at Churchill School, Salisbury. By the time he was a senior, his game had progressed enough for him to make the Rhodesian Schools side in 1962, and he toured South Africa and Kenya with the team.<br />
<br />
Since his first Test against South Africa in 1966, Peake became virtually an automatic choice at full back for Rhodesia. It was difficult to imagine the national side without him and his departure to South Africa in early 1974 was a serious blow, particularly with the eight nations tournament coming up and a tour of Europe the following year.<br />
<br />
National hockey coach, Mark Manolios, who has been acquainted with Rhodesian hockey sides since 1951, maintained Peake was in world class and there were few visiting coaches who disagreed with him. "While it is always difficult to provide comparisons in the stature of players, I would say Allan Peake was one of Rhodesia's greatest players, if not the best," Manolios said when Peake left for South Africa in 1974.<br />
<br />
<br />
Peake captained the Rhodesian side from 1972-74 and when he returned from South Africa in 1976 he again led the team after the departure of Dave West. He made two tours of Europe with the Rhodesian side, the first in 1967 and then again in 1970, by which time he had accumulated eleven international caps.<br />
<br />
In Tests against West Germany, one of the top hockey-playing nations, Peake came to light, and their national coach, Hugo Budinger, rated 'Alpal' one of the best full backs he had seen.<br />
<br />
Peake accompanied the Rhodesian Shumbas team on a tour of England in 1972 and his classy defence play again caught the eye. Hockey Scene, the official journal of the English Hockey Association, wrote: "Allan Peake, the current Rhodesian full back, was superb.<br />
<br />
"His combination of speed and strength reminded one of Richard Oliver and what higher praise can there be?" (Richard Oliver was full back for Great Britain during the same era and was one of the world's great defenders).<br />
<br />
During his spell in South Africa, Peake played for the famous Johannesburg club, Wanderers, and for Southern Transvaal, the strongest South African province.<br />
<br />
His allegiance always lay with Rhodesia, however, and when the Rhodesian team took part in the eight nations tournament at Johannesburg in 1974, Peake was always there on the sidelines to give his support. His return to Rhodesia in 1976 delighted players and followers alike and prompted Mark Manolios to comment: "He's been one of our best-ever players and I still hold that view after watching him play for Wanderers in Johannesburg. It's great to have him back."<br />
<br />
An honour for Peake was his selection in 1973 as one of the five finalists for the Rhodesian Sportsman of the Year award when squash star, Gay Erskine, carried off the John Hopley Memorial Trophy. He was again a finalist in 1979 when golfer Simon Hobday took the honours.<br />
<br />
After a series against the Springboks, more praise was in line for the Rhodesian. Springbok captain, Neville Berman, ranked one of the best forwards in the world, rated Peake the best defender he ever had the 'misfortune' to play against.<br />
<br />
In keeping with his outstanding ability, Peake's sportsmanship was exemplary. Illegal tactics were never part of his game although he was often the victim of brutal hacks from frustrated opposition forwards in their attempts to get past him.<br />
<br />
His retirement in 1980, brought about by a desire to spend more time with his family and business and also to give the younger players a chance (he felt he'd had a good run and it was time to step down) left a hole in the national side that was difficult to fill.<br />
<br />
Always the gentleman, Peake left hockey in the same way that he had entered the game — unobtrusively, with the minimum of fuss.<br />
<br />
However, after a brief retirement — he missed Zimbabwe's first home series against Kenya in May — Peake was persuaded to return in June 1980 to face the world champions, Pakistan, in four Tests, three at Salisbury and one at Bulawayo.<br />
<br />
Bob Mills led the team in the 2-2 series draw against Kenya, but Peake was restored to the captaincy to face Pakistan, whose captain Munawar Zaman, rated him as one of the three outstanding home players along with goalkeeper Dave Houghton and centre forward Gerald Peckover.<br />
<br />
Certainly the Zimbabwe defence had ample opportunity to show their paces as Pakistan won the series 3-0, 5-1, 2-1,7-1. But Zimbabwe were never disgraced and responded well to Peake's leadership. He led by example and made several thrilling individual runs upfield after breaking down Pakistan attacks in the almost casual fashion that was his hallmark.<br />
<br />
Peake was now again well established in the national team, but was available for home matches only. He felt the tours were for younger players. He continued his career when Holland arrived for an international series in Zimbabwe in July 1980.<br />
<br />
He earned his fiftieth international cap in the third Test at Salisbury Sports Club against European champions, Holland, on 26 July 1980. It was a highly successful series for Peake — he scored both goals from corner play in Zimbabwe's 2-0 first Test victory at Bulawayo, and another corner goal in the second Test, which Zimbabwe lost 2-1.<br />
<br />
McDERMOTT.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">End</span></b><br />
<br />
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Rhodesia Rememberedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644511584084003690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327827266800393263.post-83003297962500015362012-10-08T03:34:00.000-07:002012-11-15T04:35:08.446-08:00Richard Coleshaw<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<br />
When Dick Coleshaw quit first-class rugby at the end of 1974 after playing nine straight seasons for Rhodesia without ever being dropped, he went with a tinge of regret — he had never reached the high point of becoming a Springbok. While his rich talents as a strongman of the front-row were never fully appreciated by the South African selectors, he did carve out an indelible record for himself in Rhodesian rugby history as one of the country's most capped and honoured players.<br />
<br />
Acknowledged by his opponents as one of the strongest tight head prop forwards of his era, Coleshaw appeared in five internationals in the Rhodesian green and white and played in a total of sixty-two matches for the country between 1966 and 1974 to equal the record number of caps at that time held by Des van Jaarsveldt, since eclipsed by Iain Buchanan and Rob Stewart. When he reached his fifty caps in 1973, Coleshaw became only the second player in Rhodesian rugby history to achieve this distinction.<br />
<br />
Through his nine years of dedicated service — during which he scored eight tries — Coleshaw was always a tower of strength in the pack, captaining the country for the final three matches of 1974.<br />
<br />
Like Ireland's Willie-John McBride, Rhodesia's Dick Coleshaw was a reluctant recruit to rugby. Born on Boxing Day 1945 at Bulawayo, his first school was Christian Brothers College.<br />
<br />
"Rugby at CBC was a compulsory sport and I wasn't attracted to it at all. If I hadn't had to play then, I probably never would have," he believes. The powerhouse prop — who at his zenith stood 1,84 m and weighed 95,5 kg — started his career in the backline of the CBC under-13 team, where he played centre.<br />
<br />
But when he moved to Guinea Fowl School, the only weakness in the team appeared to be at prop — "and thenceforth Coleshaw became a prop," he recalls. He played for four years in the Guinea Fowl 1 st XV and in his final year at school, in 1966, he was selected for the first national Craven Week schoolboy side.<br />
<br />
Graduating from the University of Rhodesia (now University of Zimbabwe) in 1968 with a BA he joined Salisbury Sports Club, having already represented Old Miltonians while in Bulawayo and the University while a student. He moved to Old Hararians in 1970.<br />
<br />
His first-league career while at school saw him propping Springbok hooker Ronnie Hill before he left Bulawayo in 1966 for university. That year he played for Mashonaland in the Black and White tournament and for Matabeleland in a Russell Cup match while on holiday in his home town. These displays earnec him his first Rhodesian cap against North Eastern Cape at Cradock, and later against Griqualand West at Kimberley, and Western Transvaal at Potchefstroom on the Currie Cup tour.<br />
<br />
Coleshaw has bitter memories of his debut game, which was lost 5-14. "That match still sticks in my mind as Rhodesia's worst performance," he said. "When the game started there was a howling gale blowing from 2nd to end and our captain, Reg Nield, chose to play the first half into the wind. The opposition piled on the points until half-time and then, almost by order, the wind stopped and the second half was played in a deathly still atmosphere."<br />
<br />
The next year (1967) he played his first international against France at Salisbury. Rhodesia led 6-3 at half-time only to be trounced 36-13. But Coleshaw. hooker Rob Mundell, and loose head prop Butch van Horsten. had the satisfaction of winning the tigh thead count 7-2 in that match.<br />
<br />
Coleshaw went on to play matches for Rhodesia against the 1968 British Lions, ihe Barbarians, the Wallabies, the Gazelles and Italy. The only international team he missed playing against during his era was the 1970 All Blacks, when an injury to his left knee kept him out for the season after the opening match against Free State.<br />
<br />
In 1968, during his last year at university. Coleshaw split his club games between Salisbury Sports and Old Miltonians — a season highlighted ty his second international, at the age of twenty-two, against Tom Kiernan's British Lions at the Salisbury Police Ground on Whit Monday.<br />
<br />
"The Lions introduced me to a brand of rugby completely different from what I had become used to " he recalls. "At the first scrum I was ordered to push at a higher level by my opposite number, Mike Coulman When 1 ignored him at the next scrum I was punched for not obeying. For the rest of the match I was taking punches."<br />
<br />
"This was completely new to me and I think that game stands out as the one which taught Rhodesian rugby players a real lesson in hard play." The Lions won 32-6, with Gareth Edwards a star at scrum-half.<br />
<br />
That year brought Rhodesia their first and only trophy in a Southern African rugby competition — the Board Trophy. The final was against South West Africa at Windhoek, and it was a particular triumph for the mobile Coleshaw, who scored two tries in a 36-14 victory, in which fly-half Tienie Martin was outstanding.<br />
<br />
The Wallabies visited Rhodesia in 1969 and brought Coleshaw his next international cap at Bulawayo. In Rhodesia's 11-16 defeat he has vivid memories of Roy Prosser, the Australian front row, butting viciously as the scrums went down. "It's not a nice thing to admit" says Coleshaw, "but after three or four scrums, when the referee had not seen the hassle. I let him have it."<br />
<br />
The Lions lessons had been learned and although a player from each side was sent off, the retaliation stopped a lot of unsavoury play.<br />
<br />
"It's sad when a match becomes dirty," Coleshaw bemoaned at the time, "but this seems to be a trait among touring teams from overseas. In South African rugby, punches are thrown, but usually for a good reason. I have found that overseas teams tend to use a punch as part of their tactics — until it is stopped by the opposition."<br />
<br />
Rhodesia's pulsating defeat of Transvaal in 1969 is a vivid memory for Coleshaw. With Van Horsten and Mundell he won that tight head count 12-2 as Neil Jardine led the side to 24-19 victory with a sensational solo performance, scoring a drop-goal, two penalties, two conversions and a thrilling try.<br />
<br />
On the day before the match, Tienie Martin had withdrawn with a severe bout of flu and, in a desperation move, veteran Jardine was called in as the last-minute replacement. The Press and the rugby public proceeded to write-off Rhodesia's chances and some even booed when Jardine's name was announced ovsr the public address system as the replacement.<br />
<br />
But Jardine was to stun them all with an astonishing come-back after being out of national rugby for more than two years. After he had scored sixteen points, exuberant supporters hoisted him shoulder-high. The most memorable moment was Jardine running and dummying past four bewildered defenders — including the great Piet Greyling — to score a magnificent try.<br />
<br />
During 1970 Coleshaw moved back to Bulawayo to represent Matabeleland and Old Miltonians in domestic competitions. He played for Rhodesia against Free State at Bulawayo at the start of the season — a game that ended in injury and sidelined him for the rest of the season and prevented him opposing the All Blacks.<br />
<br />
He regarded 1971 as his best season. After being ignored by the Rhodesian selectors when Springbok trials nominations were put forward, he was invited to the trials by Transvaal's former Springbok. Ian Kirkpatrick. He played for South African Country Districts against South Africa B and then for the Gazelles against the same team as a curtain-raiser to the first Test against France at Bloemfontein. Later that year he played for Country Districts and Gazelles against the touring Pumas from the Argentine.<br />
<br />
Coleshaw rates 1972 as the most significant season for Rhodesian rugby. Ian McIntosh had taken over as national coach the previous year, and now he transformed Rhodesian rugby from a palm-slapping affair to the blackboard. Said Coleshaw: "Scientific methods of coaching took over from simple training and for the first time we were able to talk techniques.and patterns."<br />
<br />
When he retired at the end of 1974, Richard Coleshaw had been to four Springbok trials and had won acclaim as a man of iron. "Trials are the first stepping-stone and with a mixture of luck and determination the chances are there,' he believes. "Trials are not a farce, but there is no feeling of belonging or of any familiarity with the players. It is difficult to expect a Rhodesian to do well. Trials<br />
don't bring out the best in a player and if the Springbok selectors were really interested in a Rhodesian player, they should have made the effort to come up to our country to see him play in his own team.<br />
<br />
"From my own point of view 1 can't complain. They have had a good look at me. but there are players ir Rhodesia like Brian Murphy, Des Christian, Eric Barrett and Rob Mundell who all deserved a better opportunity to show the selectors what they were capable of."<br />
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<br />
Coleshaw, too, was among those who must have come agonisingly close to becoming a fully fledged Springbok, for, after the redoubtable Andy Macdonald, he was Rhodesia's finest prop forward.<br />
<br />
- BYROM.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">End</span></b><br />
<br />
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Rhodesia Rememberedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644511584084003690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327827266800393263.post-7284953989846941352012-10-04T23:37:00.000-07:002012-11-14T02:37:48.780-08:00Don Liebermann<div style="text-align: justify;">
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The foresight of a gymnastics master, who spotted an unusual depth of talent in a ten-year-old Nettleton schoolboy, marked the beginning of a spectacular diving career that was to culminate in total dominance of the sport in Southern Africa.<br />
<br />
The boy in question was Don Liebermann, who showed an aptitude for gymnastics and was persuaded by the schoolmaster to try diving. Initially it was a lot of hard work with little reward, but less than four years later, the young Liebermann was chosen to represent Mashonaland.<br />
<br />
At the age of fifteen he made his first attempt at the Rhodesian championships and won the boys' three-metre title (1964). In the one-metre event he finished a creditable second to George Stirling.<br />
<br />
That was the start of Liebermann's eventual dominance of Rhodesian and South African diving, a dominance that spanned eight years, during which time he was Rhodesian champion sixteen times and South African champion twelve times between 1968 and 1975.<br />
<br />
Once in the senior ranks. Liebermann became a serious challenge to the established Rhodesian champion, Terry Rossiter. and their rivalry was intense although they were good friends. In 1965, Liebermann was selected for the Rhodesian team for the South African championships at Salisbury and, still feeling his way up the ladder, gained only one third place and that was in the one-metre<br />
competition.<br />
<br />
He fared better in the following year at Durban where the Rhodesian men cleaned up. But Rossiter still had the edge over his younger team-mate and Liebermann had to be content with second places in both the one and three-metre events.<br />
<br />
Liebermann's first great triumph was at Johannesburg in 1967. There, he won the South African one-, and three-metre crowns, beating Ross ter in both events. He repeated the feat at Bloemtontein in 1968 but a little of the icing was missing from the cake — Rossiter had not competed, which had made things a lot easier.<br />
<br />
Rossiter returned in 1969 to take the three-metre title from Liebermann at Cape Town, but Don won the one-metre event.<br />
<br />
In 1966 Don was selected to go to the United Kingdom with the Rhodesian team and competed in the British championships at the Crystal Palace where he was placed sixth in both the three and ten-metre events.<br />
<br />
Liebermann's rivalry with Rossiter was a helpful factor. "We pushed one another to greater effort and greater achievement," he said. A similar sort of relationship was to develop between Don and his cousin, Robin Liebermann, in the 1970s, when Robin rapidly developed as a diver of exceptional ability. At Pretoria in 1970 Don won both titles, beating Robin into second place, and at Cape Town the following year he repeated the 'double'.<br />
<br />
At Port Elizabeth in 1972 the cousins fought an absorbing battle but had to share the honours, Don taking the one-metre title and Robin the three-metre. Bulawayo was the venue for the 1973 championships and Robin came to light, beating Don into second place in the one-metre, and third place in the three-metre events.<br />
<br />
Rhodesian divers did not compete in the 1974 South African championships because of a split in the South African administration, and that probably denied Liebermann two more titles. But he made no mistake in 1975 when the Rhodesians again competed in the South African championships and he carried off both titles.<br />
<br />
There were disappointments in Liebermann's career. His greatest ambition — to dive at the Olympics — was thwarted on two occasions. In 1968 he was selected for the Rhodesian team to compete in the Mexico Olympics, but the trip to Mexico City was called off after the Mexican Government refused to grant visas.<br />
<br />
Again in 1972, Liebermann was a member of the ill-fated Rhodesian team which travelled to Munich for the Olympics only to be kept out at the last minute by politics.<br />
<br />
By then, international competition was becoming more and more difficult for Rhodesia and the decision by the international body, FINA, to expel Rhodesia in 1973 ended any chance which Liebermann may have had to test his talent in recognised competition against the world's best.<br />
<br />
Throughout his domination of Southern African diving, Liebermann scored totals which put him well into world class. In unofficial Rhodesian competitions after the expulsion from FINA, top overseas divers often came in by the 'back door' and competed against Rhodesian divers.<br />
<br />
In 1974, Liebermann beat former West German champion Rolf Kantuser at the Les Brown Baths off high board, and made history in the process. His final dive was a forward three and a half somersault piked, never before performed in Rhodesian competition. It carried a degree of difficulty of 2,9 and Liebermann gathered enough points from the dive to beat Kantuser.<br />
<br />
The next year Liebermann beat American collegiate champion Cal Loock, also off high board, and set a record score in Southern Africa for a Rhodesian for one dive. He executed a near perfect inward two and a half somersault to gather 70,20 points. A week later Liebermann again beat Loock and also beat Kantuser.<br />
<br />
An offer of a physical education scholarship at the University of Texas at Arlington took Liebermann away from Rhodesia in September 1975 and confirmed the high esteem in which he was held.<br />
<br />
After a year at Arlington, he transferred to Simon Fraser University at Vancouver, British Columbia, where he was asked to coach the university's diving squad.<br />
<br />
In 1979, when one of the team was forced to withdraw from the Canadian inter-varsities diving championships, the remainder of the team persuaded Don to dive. Rusty though he was through lack of consistent practice, Don was still good enough to win the individual championship — an excellent achievement for a thirty-one-year-old considering most divers peak in their late teens and early twenties.<br />
<br />
The person most responsible for Don's success was his coach, Mrs. Pat Morgenrood, who worked with him from late 1963 to 1973. Don is perhaps the greatest-ever diver from Rhodesia and was in his prime in the 1970-71 seasons: his best ever 581,05 points in the one-metre event in 1970, is 62 points higher than anyone else has ever achieved. Don was a Sportsman of the Year finalist in 1971.<br />
<br />
- McDERMOTT.<br />
<br />
End<br />
<br />
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Rhodesia Rememberedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644511584084003690noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327827266800393263.post-84654912603736893842012-10-04T01:28:00.002-07:002012-11-15T00:03:57.387-08:00John Keyter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Starved of international competition through political isolation and maintaining gruelling training schedules for only flimsy local challenges, Rhodesia's 'human torpedo' John Keyter, was eventually to get the chance of proving he was a world-class butterfly swimmer.<br />
<br />
He was in the team preparing for the greatest test of them all — the 1968 Olympic Games at Mexico City. But big John's elation was short-lived and turned to bitter disappointment just three weeks before the Games, when. news was received that the Mexican Government would not grant visas to the politically outcast Rhodesians.<br />
<br />
Keyter had long learned to live with the disappointment of being marooned from the outside sporting world following the Government's Unilateral Declaration of Independence which virtually coincided with his rise to the top in swimming.<br />
<br />
But this was the bitterest pill and he was pushed to the very verge of retirement. He already had seven South African butterfly titles ... why should he continue the gut-wrenching training schedules?<br />
<br />
Then in November 1968, a powerful young Springbok butterfly swimmer, Vernon Slovin, returned to South Africa after a four-year stint in America, where he had gained an international ranking and was at one time third in the world.<br />
<br />
Suddenly there was a fresh challenge on the home front yard Keyter's competitive spirit was stimulated. "This was a new challenge for me," said Keyter. "It as a new incentive and I found myself fighting again."<br />
<br />
And so the scene was set for the 1969 South African championships at Cape Town where the Keyter-Slovin confrontation was billed as one of the week's major highlights. Slovin, of Western Province, was determined to reclaim the butterfly titles he had relinquished while in America.<br />
<br />
In the most magnificent race of his career, the nineteen-year-old Keyter rose to the occasion, timing his effort superbly and turning for the final lap of the 220 yards 'fly', half a body-length behind Slovin. With a powerful finishing burst he lunged for the wall to touch in the South African record time of 2 min. 12,1 sec., 0,3 sec. faster than Slovin.<br />
<br />
His confidence high, the blond 6 ft. 4 in., 195 lb. Rhodesian beat the Slovin challenge again the next night smashing his own South African 110 yards 'fly' record by 0,5 sec. returning a time of 59,2 sec. Slovin stopped the watches at one minute dead.<br />
<br />
End of Pg 1<br />
<br />
The rivalry continued a short time later in the South African Games at Bloemfontein, but Keyter stepped onto the starting blocks, not only with Slovin but also with a Welsh wizard named Martyn Woodroffe, a Silver Medal winner in the 200 metres 'fly' at the 1968 Olympic Games.<br />
<br />
The trio fought a thrilling battle for the 100 metres butterfly Gold Medal and it needed elaborate timing equipment to separate them, Keyter getting the verdict in 59.6 sec., with only four hundredths of a second between them all. It was confirmation, indeed, that Keyter was in world class, even though in the 200 metres 'fly' the previous night, he had had to be content with the Bronze Medal, with a time of 2 min. 12,9 sec. behind Woodroffe (2 min. 11,9 sec.) and Slovin (2<br />
min. 12,3 sec.).<br />
<br />
Keyter s achievements that year were enough to make him a popular choice as the country's Sportsman of the Year and he was awarded the magnificent John Hopley Memorial Trophy at a glittering banquet at Salisbury.<br />
<br />
He said: "I'm tremendously proud to have been honoured. All the things I've missed in the past — and will miss in the future — don't seem to matter anymore. But I only wish I could have done more to earn this." He remains the only swimmer to have been honoured as the nation's supreme sportsman.<br />
<br />
Born in Kent England, where his father was a flying instructor during the War, John Keyter came to Rhodesia with his parents at the age of eight months.<br />
<br />
Tall, with powerful shoulders and a slim waist he was destined to be the country's greatest male swimmer, pocketing eleven South African butterfly titles before retiring after the 1970 championships. Keyter's debut into the cauldron of Currie Cup competition was at Port Elizabeth in 1964, where he showed his rich potential as a fourteen-year-old by finishing fourth in the 220 and sixth in the 110 yards butterfly events.<br />
<br />
But in 1965 he was to set the ball rolling for Rhodesia's 'golden era' of men's swimming, with champions like Chris Sherwell, Tony Fisher, Tony Mellon, Bob Hatherley, Rodney Hamilton, Ken Borain and Kim Brant dominating the South Afrcan men's scene until the early 1970s.<br />
<br />
Keyter, now fifteen, took both 'fly' titles at the South African championships at Salisbury in 1965, and he retired in 1970 with both records and without losing the records in the pool. In these, the most gruelling of events, he had dropped just one championship race out of twelve over six straight years. That gave him an outstanding tally of eleven South African titles and made him the double champion five times, with Harold Pearce spoiling a perfect record by snatching the 110 'fly'in 1966 at Durban.<br />
<br />
Keyter also won fifteen senior Rhodesian championship titles in his career from 1965-70 (one fewer than Rodney Hamilton's record), but he still holds the distinction of being the most prolific winner of South African titles produced by this country.<br />
<br />
During the Keyter era, Rhodesian swimming was at a crest and the national team won the inter provincial Ellis Brown trophy for points aggregate at the South African championships for seven successive years, from 196U-bb.<br />
<br />
Concerned that a land-locked country like Rhodesia, with a European population of no more than that of an average South African city, could have such a vice-like grip, the South African Amateur Swimming Union contrived to curtail this domination.<br />
<br />
End of Pg 2<br />
<br />
They decided to separate diving and swimming into two aggregate competitions, thus effectively depriving Rhodesia of the Ellis Brown Trophy, because at the time, Rhodesia was totally dominating diving to the extent that they occasionally took the first four places in both men's and women's competitions.<br />
<br />
Despite all his hard work in the water, Keyter went on only one overseas tour with the Rhodesian team, in 1966. This pioneering team was: C. Sherwel! (backstroke), H. Grimmer (individual medley), T, Fisher (breaststroke), J. Keyter (butterfly), T. Rossiter and D. Lieberm<span id="goog_565477897"></span><span id="goog_565477898"></span>ann (both diving), Miss M. Simpson (freestyle) and Miss L Grant-Stuart (diving). Their manager was Ron Ward.<br />
<br />
The team took part in the Amateur Swimming Association championships at Blackpool and the diving at Crystal Palace, London, with Keyter placed third in a controversial finish to the men's 110 yards butterfly. The first three clocked the same time.<br />
<br />
On five occasions Keyter suffered the frustration of watching Springbok sides go overseas while he stayed at home, because, as a Rhodesian, he was not eligible.<br />
<br />
Despite this serious drawback he reached a remarkable standard, thanks largely to his dedicated coach Frank Parrington, who guided four South African butterfly champions, starting with Syd Gibbons in 1962, then Keyter, Rodney Hamilton and David Lowe, who cracked Keyter's yellowing South African marks at Cape Town in 1977 and then headed for America on a scholarship.<br />
<br />
Keyter was offered tempting American scholarships at various times, but declined them. In 1966 the famous Indiana University coach, Dr. J. Councilman, said in a letter to Frank Parrington: "I am very interested in John Keyter and the possibility of his attending Indiana University next year when he graduates from secondary school. I have been following his progress and I think he is one of the<br />
outstanding young butterfly swimmers in the world."<br />
<br />
"I think if he had gone he would have developed into a world beater," said Parrington wistfully.<br />
<br />
By the end of 1970, having missed the Olympics and various Commonwealth Games, the spark went out in John Keyter. He had grown tired of swimming, averaging more than 200 miles a season in training, and clocking up an estimated 2 000 miles in his entire career.<br />
<br />
He had won every honour open to him and there was no prospect of the country's stifling isolation ending.<br />
<br />
"1 can promise there will be no comeback for me," he said. "Being a swimmer is a Spartan business and nobody can be a machine for ever. My major regret is that I never had the chance to swim in the Olympic Games."<br />
<br />
- BYROM.<br />
<br />
End<br />
<br />
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Rhodesia Rememberedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644511584084003690noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327827266800393263.post-74248268943794369192012-09-30T02:23:00.002-07:002012-11-15T00:15:06.093-08:00John Maxwell Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
"Why do I do it? You might as well ask a drunk why he drinks." The words are from Rhodesian champion racing driver John Love, who created an amazing record in winning the South African championship in six successive years from 1964 to 1969.<br />
<br />
Bulawayo-born Love became a legend in racing in Southern Africa and had fate perhaps been kinder, he would almost certainly have joined the ranks of regular works drivers in the world Formula One Grand Prix circuit.<br />
<br />
A crash at Albi, in the south of France on 10 September 1962, changed all that. After swerving to avoid hitting his friend and rival Tony Maggs, Love's car left the circuit and struck an earth bank. He suffered a crushed left arm and was in severe pain for several weeks as surgeons worked to heal the injury. When he eventually returned to Rhodesia, the arm was stiff and unresponsive and he was told his racing career was over.<br />
<br />
But, typical of the man — Love was not born to be a loser — he refused to accept that racing was over for him and went to see a Salisbury surgeon. Five months and two operations later he was back behind the steering-wheel even though he had still not regained all movement in the arm.<br />
<br />
It was this injury which forced him to channel all of his efforts into the South African racing scene where he was later to achieve such amazing results. A few weeks after the Albi accident he was to have been given a trial in John Cooper's latest car at the high-speed Monza track. The accident put paid to that.<br />
<br />
But two years later came a very big moment in Love's career, one that caused a small sensation in British motor racing circles. No one was more surprised than Love himself.<br />
<br />
John Cooper made a surprise telephone call to Love's Bulawayo garage and out of the blue offered him Phil Hill's place in the next Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Love had no hesitation in accepting the offer — he had waited so long for a chance in Formula One. He left for Rome with his old friend and team-mate in the South African Gunston team, Sam Tingle, with high hopes of performing well<br />
enough to ensure a place in the line-ups for the American and Mexican Grands Prix which were to follow the Italian race.<br />
<br />
Fate again took a hand and about a month later Love was back at home in Bulawayo, a very disappointed man. His practice for Monza went badly after a distributor drive broke when he had completed only four laps and he was scratched from the race, as spares were unavailable to repair the damage.<br />
<br />
End of Pg 1<br />
<br />
He was given another trial at Goodwood in England and Cooper said he wanted Love for the 1965 season, but that the petrol company which invested heavily in the Cooper team favoured approaching another driver. Some of the disappointment was made up for when Love won his first South African championship later that year.<br />
<br />
Like many other drivers, Love started his career on two wheels. He raced on the oil-dirt surfaces of Umgusa and Coro Park with the men who nurtured Rhodesia's fine record in world motor cycling; men like Ray Amm, Frank Riley, Ken Robas, Charlie Harrison, Phil Snyman, Hymie Stanger and Colin Graves. World champions Gary Hocking and Jim Redman followed.<br />
<br />
His motor cycling career started after he returned from service with the 6th South African Armoured Division in Italy. It was 1946 and his first machine was an ageing TT Rudge. Although he scored only moderate success, particularly in the 350 cc events on a Velocette, he soon gained a reputation for being a wizard with engines. "I love motors," he said. "I hate to see them abused."<br />
<br />
His debut on four wheels was made in a little Cooper into which he had built a Norton 500 cc engine. The car went well but was tail-happy and almost brought about a premature end to Love's career on the old Belvedere track in a spectacular crash from which he managed to emerge alive and still determined.<br />
<br />
Love continued racing in a Cooper with a variety of engines until he took over a Riley Special and, pushing the machine to the limit began to cause upsets against more sophisticated works machinery. By then he was firmly 'hooked' on motor racing and in 1959 he travelled to Britain with veteran driver Jimmy Shields in the hope of getting a works drive.<br />
<br />
The eager Rhodesian found a place in what was then a new class, the Formula Junior, and began driving a front-engined Cooper for Ken Tyrell, who later ran one of the leading Grand Prix teams. He returned home after a hectic season,having gained valuable experience — the fields in Formula Junior were big and the competition was fierce. More important, Love came back with a contract to<br />
drive for Tyrell the following year (1960) and in that European season he gained some notable successes.<br />
<br />
He finished third in the Italian race, took a second at Copenhagen and scoreda victory at Chimay. He went on to take third places at Rheims and Albi — the scene of his fateful crash two years later — and finished second at the infamous Nurburgring circuit in West Germany after breaking the Formula Junior lap record by seven seconds.<br />
<br />
Of his efforts overseas Love was later to say: "It was tough breaking into European racing. I struggled for years trying to get a toe-hold into the set-up there. But once I missed out, could not honour my contracts because of my accident, well, that was it. So I turned to home events."<br />
<br />
His decision to stick to the Rhodesian and South African circuits was the beginning of a remarkable chapter in local motor racing. After the Albi crash, Love brought his car, a works Cooper-Climax, back to Rhodesia. But success did not come immediately to Love and his faithful mechanics and friends. Keith Starling and Gordon Jones.<br />
<br />
Initially they were plagued by breakdowns and mechanical failures at crucial times. Moderate success came in 1963 and the following year, after responding to Cooper's invitation to race at Monza, Love missed two vital championship races.<br />
<br />
But on his return, Love found that he still had a chance for the South African<br />
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End of Pg 2<br />
<br />
title provided he won the last event of the season at the Johannesburg Kyalami track. With everything to gain and nothing to lose, the Rhodesian got out in front and stayed there, beating old rival Pieter de Klerk to record the first of his incredible run of South African titles.<br />
<br />
Success had not come easily to John Maxwell Love but he could look back with satisfaction on years of sweat, strain, self-sacrifice and sheer hard work, and times when only his grim determination and enthusiasm kept him at it.<br />
<br />
The 1965 season that followed was one of Love's best After a slow start — he gained only a solitary third place from the first three events — there was just no stopping him. He won sixteen races in succession with victories at Salisbury, Bulawayo, Lourengo Marques and ten events in South Africa.<br />
<br />
Love's formula for success is simple. "I have always had a tremendous incentive to win a motor race. I go all out for a win and nothing else. 1 have never gone into a race saying to myself 'Hell, I cannot win this'. That is fatal."<br />
<br />
Fitting tribute to Love comes from Pieter de Klerk, a man who often had to settle for second place: "You can be beaten by a lot of things in motor racing. You can be beaten by mechanical failure, by your own bad nerves and by pure bad luck. You can also be beaten by a better driver. If I must be beaten, I'd rather be beaten by John Love than by anything or anybody else."<br />
<br />
What made Love's achievements all the more remarkable was his age. He was twenty-nine when he made the switch from motor cycles to cars and forty-five when he won his sixth successive South African championship. When he finally retired from racing in 1975 he was fifty-one and that was the end of a track record which will never be forgotten.<br />
<br />
Love so nearly stunned the whole motor racing world in 1967 when, driving an out-dated four-cylinder car against the world's best in the South African Grand Prix, he led until the last lap when he ran out of petrol. He finished second, but made his mark. It was like a fairy-tale as Love, in his old Coventry-Climax, defied more modern and vastly more powerful cars around the Kyalami track.<br />
<br />
Among the other milestones in Love's career were his breaking of former world champion Jim Clark's Kyalami lap record with an average speed of 111,8 mph, the award of Springbok colours in 1967, his selection as Rhodesian Sportsman of the Year in 1968 and his selection as South African Motor Sportsman of the Year in 1970.<br />
<br />
John Love will be remembered as the man who always wanted to be out in front — and got there.<br />
<br />
- McDERMOTT.<br />
<br />
End<br />
<br />
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Rhodesia Rememberedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644511584084003690noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327827266800393263.post-16332866377966211652012-09-29T00:55:00.001-07:002012-11-15T04:37:08.158-08:00Frederick William Garner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Pq5AmXqzie_lk85u5JtFkAy8YrujnU0YCeUlRveuv7uA1brCDrbr_ZGGXhHSELDj6hJ49A4aVmaQJYBMawvikSHOkFj60uc5wQMKc7OKFfykXfTkcgRVjkmoUjy9hJh3Pxt9ttLPVVQ/s1600/Fred.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Pq5AmXqzie_lk85u5JtFkAy8YrujnU0YCeUlRveuv7uA1brCDrbr_ZGGXhHSELDj6hJ49A4aVmaQJYBMawvikSHOkFj60uc5wQMKc7OKFfykXfTkcgRVjkmoUjy9hJh3Pxt9ttLPVVQ/s1600/Fred.jpg" /></a></div>
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Archery was most likely first practised in Zimbabwe by the early Bushmen, using the bow and arrow as a means of getting food. But as a sport, archery made a belated appearance and even today commands limited interest from a handful of devoted followers, though overseas it is highly popular, there being six million archers in America alone.<br />
<br />
The Salisbury Archery Club was founded by Mr. J. Peel Nelson in 1947, and has remained in existence since. Among the best early archers were Leslie Snowball and J. Wilson McArthur, the latter at one time being regarded as the best instinctive shot in Britain.<br />
<br />
John F. Lawes, who arrived in the country in 1951, started shooting with a Doctor Rothman at Mpilo Hospital at Bulawayo. Later that year, several interested archers began shooting behind the Central Sports Ground on land belonging to the Hockey Board, among them a Major Sharp of Rosebank Farm. But the club folded after only a few months. Interest, however, was revived in early 1955 by Mr. Jimmy Jones who formed the Bulawayo Archers Club with eleven members. Top<br />
Bulawayo archers in this period were Lawes, Bellington, Weepner, Jones and Aaron.<br />
<br />
It was here in February 1956, that Fred Garner, who was to make a major impact on the national scene, began shooting. He stopped after a few months, only starting again in 1962 when his career began to blossom. Garner became one of two men — the other was Bulawayo's Lyle Heydenrych — to be the first official holders of Rhodesian archery colours. This was after the Southern Rhodesia Archery Association became a member of the Rhodesia Colours Board on 21 February 1964, and Garner and Heydenrych attended the Easter South African national championships at Port Elizabeth. Heydenrych (fifth) and Garner (sixth) shot Rhodesia into overall third place and both also made the FITA Star award for a score of over 1 000 — the first Rhodesians to earn this symbol of archery prowess. Garner, who was born at West Houghton, England, on 23 August 1914, came to Bulawayo in 1948.<br />
<br />
The first full team selected to represent the Rhodesian Archery Association was : F. W. Garner (Bulawayo Municipal Bowmen), Lyle Heydenrych (Bulawayo Archers), George Mann, a paraplegic, and Neville Wright (Salisbury Archery Club). This team competed at the South African nationals in 1965 with Garner finishing third in the men's championship to gain selection for the six-man Springbok team for the world championships at Vasterose, Sweden.<br />
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End Pg 1<br />
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At these championships, Garner was South Africa's leading performer, finishing 29th while his colleagues finished 40th, 46th, 61st, 81st and 92nd respectively. Garner is this country's first and only fully fledged Springbok archer. Also in 1965 Garner became active as an administrator and was elected chairman (a title changed to president in 1967) of the Rhodesian Archery Association — a post he still held in 1980. For good measure he became national champion for the first time in 1965.<br />
<br />
It was at the 1966 national championships at the Bulawayo Archers' ground that Garner, the winner, broke the 1 100 FITA barrier for the first time in this country to establish himself firmly as the dominant personality in the sport. He was also third in the 1967 South African championships at Cape Town.<br />
<br />
He attended the 1967 FITA (world controlling body) congress at Amersfoort, Holland, at his own expense and competed in the 24th world championships there. After ensuring Rhodesia was a member of the world body, Garner finished 70th out of 140 of the world's best archers.<br />
<br />
The 25th world championships were at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania in America in August 1969, and again Garner was Rhodesia's selection, this time finishing a highly commendable 17th out of 113 men from 30 countries.<br />
<br />
After the 1971 championships at Salisbury, Garner (first) and Mrs. Pat Shepherd (second) were the only ones qualified to represent the country who were prepared to pay their own expenses, and so were chosen for the 26th world championships at York, England. Despite Britain's political quarrel with Rhodesia and the imposition of sanctions, both took their place on the line. However, owing to bad weather and only a few days practice, neither fared well. Garner was 80th out of 140 and Mrs. Shepherd 51st out of 80.<br />
<br />
In 1972, archery was included in the Olympic Games for the first time since 1920 with a double FITA round to be shot in the English Garden at Munich. Pat Shepherd and Fred Garner qualified and were part of the Rhodesian team to go to Munich. They were poised to make history as the first Rhodesians to shoot at the Olympic Games and they practised assiduously over many months. But a political storm broke, forcing the entire team out of the Games on the eve of the competition.<br />
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End of Pg<br />
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But this did not weaken their resolve to continue competing at international level and Garner and Mrs. Shepherd shot at the 1973 world championships at Grenoble, France, where Garner finished 38th out of 120. At the 1975 world event at Interlaken, Switzerland, Rhodesia sent a full men's team for the first time, comprising the now highly experienced Gamer, Lyle Heydenrych, Peter Ellis and<br />
David Brown. Garner did best, finishing 63rd out of 131, while Heydenrych was in 100th position.<br />
<br />
Rhodesia were denied entry to the 1977 world championships at Canberra, Australia, when they were refused visas by the Australian Government. In July 1979, the World Archery Federation, meeting in West Berlin, rejected a Soviet motion to expel Rhodesia by 29 votes to 17, and the only Rhodesian who competed in the world championships here was David Milne, who was placed 76th in a field of 95.<br />
<br />
After being candidate international archery judges for several years, Roy Potter and Fred Garner were appointed full international judges at the FITA congress at Montreal in 1976. At this time, out of 54 member associations there were only 42 international judges from 18 countries.<br />
<br />
The archer's standard is recognised by the star rating he wears. There are four stars — 1 000,1 100,1 200 and 1 300 — and the awards are strictly controlled by the world body, with the 1 300 FITA star the most prized award. There were eight 1100 ratings in Zimbabwe by the end of 1979. They were: men — Heydenrych, Garner, Masterton, Bryant and Milne; women — Shepherd, Stodart and Halkett. Ann Godwin was the first woman to qualify for the 1 000 Star and Pat Shepherd the first to attain the 1100 Star. Garner gained further notable success in the sport when he shot six golds (bulls) from 90 metres — a feat never before achieved in Zimbabwe.<br />
<br />
David Milne became the first from this country to shoot at an Olympiad when he went to Moscow in 1980. He shot 2146 for the double F.I.T.A. round to finish 34th out of 38 archers.<br />
<br />
End of Pg<br />
<br />
<b>ZIMBABWE CHAMPIONS</b><br />
<br />
<b>MEN</b><br />
1958 - H. H. Addison<br />
1959 - N. J. Lottering<br />
1960 - N. J. Lottering<br />
1961 - N. J. Lottering<br />
1962 - C. Wilde<br />
1963 - C. Wilde<br />
1964 - J. Lawes<br />
1965 - F. W. Garner<br />
1966 - F. W. Garner<br />
1967 - L Heydenrych<br />
1968 - F. W. Garner<br />
1969 - F. W. Garner<br />
1970 - F. W. Garner<br />
1971 - F. W. Garner<br />
1972 - A. Bryant<br />
1973 - F. W. Garner<br />
1974 - F. W. Garner<br />
1975 - F. W. Garner<br />
1976 - L Heydenrych<br />
1977 - F. W. Garner<br />
1978 - F. W. Garner<br />
1979 - F. W. Garner <br />
<br />
<b>ZIMBABWE RECORDS</b><br />
(as at 31 December 1979)<br />
<br />
<b>MEN</b><br />
<b>SINGLE F.I.T.A.</b><br />
90 m — F. W. Garner: 1978 - 269<br />
70 m — F. W. Garner: 1970 - 295<br />
50 m — L. Heydenrych: 1976 - 305<br />
30 m — F. W. Gamer: 1968 - 335<br />
Total — F. W. Gamer: 1978 - 1 147<br />
<br />
<b>WOMEN</b><br />
70 m — Mrs. P. Shepherd: 1972 - 256<br />
60 m — Mrs. S. Stodart: 1972 - 289<br />
50 m — M,. P. Shepherd: 1972 - 272<br />
30 m — Mrs. D. Milne: 1971 - 318<br />
Total - Mrs. P. Shepherd: 1972 - 1 107<br />
<br />
<b>DOUBLE F.I.T.A.</b><br />
MEN<br />
90 m — F. W. Garner: 1979 - 509<br />
70 m — F. W. Garner: 1971 - 573<br />
50 m — D. Milne: 1979 - 587<br />
30 m — T. W. Gamer: 1968 - 668<br />
Total — F. W. Garner: 1979 - 2 284<br />
<br />
<b>WOMEN</b><br />
70 m — Mrs. P. Shepherd: 1972 - 508<br />
60 m — Mrs. S. Stodart: 1977 - 559<br />
50 m — Mrs. P. Shepherd: 1972 - 530<br />
30 m — Mrs. D. Milne: 1978 634<br />
Total — Mrs. P. Shepherd: 1972 - 2 208<br />
<br />
— BYROM<br />
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End<br />
<br />
Comments are always welcome, please enter them below or post them to Eddy Norris at <a href="mailto:orafs11@gmail.com">orafs11@gmail.com</a> and I will load them on your behalf.<br />
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<br /></div>
Rhodesia Rememberedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644511584084003690noreply@blogger.com2