Tony Selman
7th June 2006, 12:16
I suppose it must be the onset of the World Cup but I suddenly thought this morning about the various attempts we had to raise sporting teams on ships when we were a goodly few miles from home.
I am a rugby man myself and I have reported elsewhere how Mike James and I played rugby for Colombo Hockey and ?? Club which was abbreviated to "C.H." This was in the dying days of the Raj in Ceylon and two such lowly beings as MN Officers would never been allowed to sweep the changing rooms let along change in them 10 years before.
I suppose it was because we spent so much time there but most of my memories relate to playing sport in Colombo. The Mission tried valiantly to get inter-ship football matches going and I can remember playing in several whilst spending time there. The main problem was, of course, the shortage of even relatively fit human beings that either had the wind or the desire to play two halves of football. If you take away the Old Man and the Chief Engineer who were most likely too old to play anyway just numbers alone would dictate we would struggle to raise a team. Nonetheless various ships did muster teams and as far as I can remember it was good fun. Matra played Manipur in Colombo in either 64 or 65 and it was a very low skill draw from memory. The next match was against a Hansa Line ship that took it a lot more seriously than us, they were fitter, more organised and had more people to choose from. We had them worried for long periods (??)before slipping to an unlucky 2-0 defeat. The main point I can remember from this match was that our left back (who I am fairly sure was the 2nd Engineer) had been a good footballer in his time but now perhaps not in the peak of fitness, regularly beat people ran for a few yards passed the ball and nipped off the pitch for a quick beer. The count was that he had 10 or 12 beers during the game. The Germans could not quite believe what they were seeing. No subs in those days of course and we ended up with 8 or 9 men quite often due to various forms of exhaustion. We also played a Russian side that gave us a good hiding as well. The honour of the Merchant Navy was retrieved when Canberra arrived on a World Cruise and their first XI played a Ceylon representative side and won 5-0 or 5-1 and their 2nd XI played the reigning cargo ship champions (who were I think the Russians) and won 8-0. I watched the 1st XI game and Canberra were very good but then again they had a lot of people to choose from.
Oddly enough I don't seem to remember playing sport in most of the other ports that we went to and can't ever remember being involved in a cricket team, which seems odd considering how keen the locals are on cricket. I do recall kickabouts amongst ourselves on the quay at such exotic locations as "Estadio Massawa" or "Assab Nou Camp". I am sure others will have tales to relate from their travels.
I am a rugby man myself and I have reported elsewhere how Mike James and I played rugby for Colombo Hockey and ?? Club which was abbreviated to "C.H." This was in the dying days of the Raj in Ceylon and two such lowly beings as MN Officers would never been allowed to sweep the changing rooms let along change in them 10 years before.
I suppose it was because we spent so much time there but most of my memories relate to playing sport in Colombo. The Mission tried valiantly to get inter-ship football matches going and I can remember playing in several whilst spending time there. The main problem was, of course, the shortage of even relatively fit human beings that either had the wind or the desire to play two halves of football. If you take away the Old Man and the Chief Engineer who were most likely too old to play anyway just numbers alone would dictate we would struggle to raise a team. Nonetheless various ships did muster teams and as far as I can remember it was good fun. Matra played Manipur in Colombo in either 64 or 65 and it was a very low skill draw from memory. The next match was against a Hansa Line ship that took it a lot more seriously than us, they were fitter, more organised and had more people to choose from. We had them worried for long periods (??)before slipping to an unlucky 2-0 defeat. The main point I can remember from this match was that our left back (who I am fairly sure was the 2nd Engineer) had been a good footballer in his time but now perhaps not in the peak of fitness, regularly beat people ran for a few yards passed the ball and nipped off the pitch for a quick beer. The count was that he had 10 or 12 beers during the game. The Germans could not quite believe what they were seeing. No subs in those days of course and we ended up with 8 or 9 men quite often due to various forms of exhaustion. We also played a Russian side that gave us a good hiding as well. The honour of the Merchant Navy was retrieved when Canberra arrived on a World Cruise and their first XI played a Ceylon representative side and won 5-0 or 5-1 and their 2nd XI played the reigning cargo ship champions (who were I think the Russians) and won 8-0. I watched the 1st XI game and Canberra were very good but then again they had a lot of people to choose from.
Oddly enough I don't seem to remember playing sport in most of the other ports that we went to and can't ever remember being involved in a cricket team, which seems odd considering how keen the locals are on cricket. I do recall kickabouts amongst ourselves on the quay at such exotic locations as "Estadio Massawa" or "Assab Nou Camp". I am sure others will have tales to relate from their travels.