The Outpost Vol 1 - The Royal Highland Fusiliers

48 'IHE OUTPOST,
for Lieut. Laird, but the state of the ground had a
good deal to do with this. The team against us was
pretty hot stuff, but we managed to display our
superiority and keep our record still unbroken.
The 6th are anxious for a return game and we
understand it is to take place at an early date.
Now that the Sports Committee has been formed,
and things are proceeding on
Association organised lines, .. Soccer" is receiv.
Football. ing more attention than formetly.
A Platoon league has helped greatly
to keep Association in the foreground, and the
Committee deserve commendation for the intro.
duction of organised matches, thus putting the game
on a sound,basis, I t is fine to see in Orders a big
list of the results of each day's play, which shows
that" Soccer" in the Battalion is very much alive.
There have been no matches with outside teams for
some time, and we are beginning to wonder what a
Battalion side could do against sOme first.class team.
This game, from occupying premier place in
Battalion sports, has now dropped
Rugby Football. considerably, This can be traced
. to many causes, the most important
bemg want of ground. The authorities complain
that the turf of the Polo ground, when sodden,
suffers severely if played upon, and we must admit
hav!ng seen many a good pitch ruined by play
durmg bad weather. The depreciation of Rugby
stock can ,also be traced to the attractions offered
by the other sports, for we now have far more
to choose from than we had in the early days when
it was football or nothing.--mostly nothing. The
chIef factor. however, has been the rain. which
rendered the ground too soft to play on. The Sports
Committee are endeavouring to find another pitch,
and we trust their efforts will meet with success.
Our last big game was at Anniesland, on Saturday,
13th February, when the Battalion team was
opposed by a team from the 6th cr.) Battalion
H.L.l. We held a practice game on the \Vednesday
before the match, and the following team was chosen
to represent our Battalion :-Pte. A. E. Warren
(E. Coy.), Pte. A. D. Montgomery (E Coy.), Lieut.
Laird (C Coy.), Pte. J. W. Fraser (B Coy.) and
Pte. T. Gudgeon (A Coy.), Sergt. Reith (B Coy.)
and Pte. K. S. Miller (B Coy.). Lieut. A. J. Begg
(B Coy.), Lieut. A. K. Maxwell (E Coy.). Pte.
D. H. Kennedy (C Coy.), Pte E. Dobson (B Coy.).
Pte. R. H. Pattison (B Coy.), Pte. J. W.
Binnie (B Coy.), Pte. J. A. :MacDougall (B Coy.)
and Pte. A. A. Cruickshanks (B Coy.)
The field was extremely muddy and the game
consequently fairly slow. The ball, greasy and
slippy, was difficult to handle. Our fOI'\\'ards played
a great game and to them and Lieut. Laird must be
given the credit of the victory for us by 8 points
(I goal, I ~ry). to, nil. Montgomery made a very
good show m hIs first appearance for the Battalion.
Our halves did not get the ball away so often or so
freely as they might. Fraser was much too slow
To quote C Company, we are still congratulating
ourselves. You must admit that
Tennis. " Harold " was right when he said
last month's Tennis note was
damsmart. \Ve have not made up our minds yet
whether we should congratulate ourselves on being
first with the news that Tennis was to form part of
our sports, or on the fact that it was our little note
that suggested Tennis to the minds of the powers
that be, and softened the hearts of the Troon Tennis
Club. In any case, the Committee of the Club has
kindly granted the use of the courts to the members
'of the Battalion until the beginning of the regular
season. Whichever way you look at it, we have
reason to congratulate ourselves. The Sports
Committee have arranged the matter very well,
allocating the courts to different Companies each
evening and on \Vednesday and Saturday after.
noons. A start has been made and it now remains
for the players to send blessings and cigarettes to
The Outpost" for wonders he hath done."
This idea of getting teams of ten men to run half
The Relay a mile eac!l competitively, is a very
Races good one mdeed. Lately, platoons
. were allowed to choose any ten men
to represent them in the Relay race, but now that
the teams are to be of a certain composition, the
N.C.O.'s who formerly lazed away the afternoon
trot~ing round about with a cross-country pack, or
loafmg about on a football or hockey field, or
wandering over one of the golf courses, will have to
go in for the more strenuous work required in the
Relay race. On the first day of these races C
Company was to the fore, No. 12 Platoon winning
with No. I I Platoon second. Since then, however:
B Company has taken premier place, the results
being :-24th February, 1st, No. 6 Platoon; 2nd,
No. 5 Platoon. 3rd l\farch, 1st, ~o_ 6 Platoon;
2nd. ~o. 7 Platoon.