Little time to be a sport in the Bad Old Days at Victor

• Times (Victor Harbor, SA : 1987 - 1999) 

•  Tue 19 Oct 1993 

By Anthony Laube

Before the Eight Hours movement of the 1890 s (eight hours work, eight hours rest, eight hours recreation - still celebrated on Labour Day) recreation was a rare pleasure, especially for the working man or woman, let alone organised sport.

Cricket was probably the earliest sport indulged in by the British immigrants, and was played at every opportunity, whether following church tea meetings or before a public meeting such as that held to establish the Hindmarsh Valley School in March 1867. As appropriate to the largely rural population of the district before the towns were established, ploughing matches were a popular organised competition.

In July 1855 the first of these was held on Mr Matthew Jagger's property at Encounter Bay. The winner was awarded a six pound (twelve dollar) cash prize. An earlier, though less generally favoured sport was horse-racing. The earliest local reference to this appears to have been a race in 1850 held at Hindmarsh Valley, with food and drinks supplied by the landlord of the "Fountain Inn". In 1854 at a meeting of the Tabernacle church fellowship, the propriety of admitting a new member who had been "surprised into the sin of allowing his horse to run" at the Port Elliot Races, was discussed. As the man had kept the prize money after being "surprised", opinion went against him on this occasion. New Years Day was a major celebration, with various activities and sports engaged in -to many people the highlight of the year. 

In 1865 the "Observer" reported that while "pleasure parties might be seen driving out in all directions", sack races, foot races and spear throwing by the Aborigines were held in front of the Port Elliot Hotel. The correspondent lamented however, the diminishing prowess of the Aborigines, "formerly it was deemed no hard matter for a native to throw the spear with the greatest of precision at an object 200 yards distant." Now it seemed 50 feet the average length of a throw. 

The following year, in 1866, the first annual Aquatic Sports were held at Victor Harbor with horse racing on the beach, climbing the greasy pole, sack races, wheel-barrow race (blindfold), Aunt Sally, and a regatta. For over 60 years the sports were a msyor event. In November 1866 the Port Elliot Cricket Club was formed, (subscription 5 shillings), and a combined Port Victor and Encounter Bay club is mentioned in the "Southern Argus" of April 1867, playing against a Bald Hills team. 

Local players included the names Grimble, Cakebread, Attrill and Rumbelow. In November 1867 a married versus singles match was held on the "old ground" near the Tabernacle church. The club must later have lapsed, as in October 1878 the "Argus" mentions the newly formed Port Victor Cricket Club with Captain Philip Wheaton of Wheaton's store. At a Promenade Concert and presentation in May 1879, a bat was presented to Richard Higgins for both the highest bowling and batting scores.

His batting had averaged 9V4 per innings, and his bowling 3l/fe runs per wicket. Next was Charles Hodge with an average of 4Vfe runs per wicket. The biggest difficulty both for cricket and football teams, lay in finding a place to play. In 1890 "the football grounds" in the Lindsay's paddocks of Victoria Street were procured for cricket. In 1901 permission was sought to lay a second slate pitch on the "Beach Reserve" (now the Soldiers' Gardens). The footballers had moved around too, from the Inman Banks, to Lindsay's paddocks, to "Adare ', back to the banks of the In-man, to 'Mount Breckan" and so on! In 1911 the executors of the Hay estate were approached about selling 9 acres for a 'Recreation Reserve'. "As the price asked, 1,250 pounds, was beyond Council's idea of value, the matter was let drop, the Argus reported. 

One of the earliest mentions of a football game in the Southern Argus occurs in July 1882, when Victor Harbor played against Port Elliot, with 20 a side, "Baaner and Burdon played well for Victor Harbor". Games could be rough, the Point McLeay team notably tough. Later on, it was said that in one match the whole Encounter Bay team was sent off. Noted footballers included the Aboriginal Tripp family - Ephraim Tripp played football for 23 years, his brother Mansell for 16 years. Ephraim's son Hubert was also a well known player. (The blue and white colors of the Victor team were said to have been adopted after Milo Cudmore wore his St Peters' College colors when playing football with the locals.) Accidents happened too in 1907 Ernest Woodard broke his arm playing football, and in 1903 Alan Taylor was knocked unconscious while playing duck-stone at the school. 

Genteel ladies could play croquet on the lawns at Miss Beresford's "Roseneath" or Mrs O'Leary's "The Hill". But in 1903 Miss Beresford began a girls' cricket club at St Augustines church, and later a ladies' hockey club was also begun. In 1908 the bowling green was laid and in 1911 the golf club was formed. Women were finally being allowed a place in the sporting scene too, and in June 1909, the wife of the Governor, Lady Bosanquet, and her daughters, (in town for the day) watched the local football match. Early lady tennis players included the Miss Reads of "Gooroonga House" and Miss Dora Berrisford. 

In 1913 the croquet lawn was laid. Polo had been played in 1900 at Inman Valley by Bowman Read, Alex Hay and other gentlemen, until several of them marched off to the Boer War. Twenty years before, in 1881 a Chess Club had been formed, and games even played by telegraph with distant clubs. In 1910 a skating rink was opened by the "Victor Amusements Company Syndicate" and a pianola purchased as well as a grand piano for skaters to skate by. 

And of course with the sea there was, from the 1890's swimming as well, with "the Baths" on the Causeway being a much favored haunt for swimmers for over 50 years. But of course in the early days there were different times for men and women to swim.