South Australia - Sport

Miscellany

"Hunting in South Australia" is in the Register,
7 May 1842, page 3a.

The first deer hunt in South Australia, commencing at "Graham's Castle", is reported in the Adelaide Times
on 30 July 1849, page 3g.

A kangaroo hunt is reported in the Observer,
20 January 1855, page 5h.
A kangaroo chase and tilting matches on the "Old Racecourse" are reported in the Observer,
17 December 1887, page 26b-c.
Also see South Australia - Flora & Fauna - Marsupials and Mammals

"National Sports and Amusements" is in the Register,
28 January 1859, page 3g,
"Public Recreation" is in the Advertiser,
6 January 1859, page 2f,
"Outdoor Amusements" in the Register,
23 July 1861, page 2d.

Information on a fencing and gymnastic club is in the Register,
19 and 28 July 1862, pages 2f and 2h,
4 August 1862, page 2e,
14 July 1863, page 2f,
14 December 1865, page 2e.
Also see South Australia - Sport - Athletics and Gymnastics

Sports at the Exhibition Ground are reported in the Observer,
16 November 1872, page 6d.

An exhibition of buck jumping is reported in the Express,
3 April 1875, page 2c,
16 May 1890, page 2b.
A buck jumping display is reported upon in the Advertiser,
26 April 1924, page 15e.

"Cock-Fighting" is discussed in the Register,
23 and 26 October 1875, pages 6e and 5f.

A sketch of quail shooting is in the Pictorial Australian in
June 1877.
"Quail and Quail Shooting - Memories in SA" is in the Register,
6, 9 and 16 February 1924, pages 11c, 11e and 3f-5b.
Also see Bowden.

A "new" sport of "hogshead rolling" is reported in the Chronicle,
15 September 1877, page 15e.

A good start was obtained and both competitors kept well together for the first 300 yards, when the Kent Town man made a false step and let his hogshead fall; the other competitor then put on a spurt and won easily by fifty yards amid cheers.

In the next event H. Vick and M. O'Keefe competed and for the first fifty yards they were evenly matched. The Kent Town man then let his hogshead fall, which he soon recovered, but had not gone very far before he again let it down. His opponent continued his course keeping his cask going well from start to finish and came in easily by about twenty yards amid great cheering from the spectators, of whom there were between 700 and 800 present, including representatives from all the brewing firms and other leading manufactories.

A lecture on "Manly Sports" in South Australia is reproduced in the Register,
20 August 1880, page 6c; also see
Express,
25 November 1882, page 2e.

"The Military Sports" is in the Chronicle,
13 August 1881, page 11f.

An exhibition of "singlestick" is reported in the Observer,
14 April 1883, page 18b.

Information on the Adelaide Athletic and Fencing Club is in the Register,
10 July 1883, page 5c.

"Desperado Sport" is in the Register,
4 September 1883, page 4e.

A parrot shooting match is reported in the Express,
8 December 1883, page 3d.

An entertaining article headed "Hugh Kalyptus on Physical Education" is in the Observer,
19 July 1884, page 25e.

"Memories of the Early Days"is in the Observer,
25 November 1916, page 48c.

"The Amusements of South Australia" is in the Observer,
7 November 1885, page 35e.

"Our Noble Sports [Dog Baiting with Kangaroo Rats]" is in the Register,
6 April 1886, page 3g;
also see 21 April 1886, page 3h.

Information on draughts is in the Express,
8 August 1888, page 3f,
2, 5 and 19 October 1888, pages 2d, 3e and 3e,
8 March 1889, page 3c,
6 May 1889, page 2c,
21 June 1889, page 3d,
16 October 1890, page 3c,
10 July 1893, page 4e.
A photograph of representatives in a draughts championship is in the Chronicle,
10 April 1926, page 40.
Also see The Mail, 27 November 1937, page 6d.

"Intercolonial Contests" is in the Register,
8 October 1888, page 5a.

"Public Recreation Grounds" is in the Register,
23 October 1888, page 6b.

A performance of the Messiah on the oval is reported in the Observer,
8 December 1888, page 29d.

Reports of sports played under electric light are in the Express,
15 and 22 February 1889, pages 4a and 4c,
1 March 1889, page 4b,
Chronicle,
2 March 1889, page 15c.

"The Maori [Rugby] Footballers" is in the Chronicle,
11 May 1889, page 15e.
Photographs of international rugby in Adelaide are in the Chronicle,
30 May 1914, page 32,
The Critic, 27 May 1914, page 14.

"Women and Sports" is in the Observer,
16 August 1890, page 8a.

An intercolonial sports meeting is reported in the Register,
13 October 1890, page 7c.

"The International Tug-of-War" is in the Observer,
13 and 20 February 1892, pages 19c and 20a.

"The Sports of the Field" is in the Register,
3 October 1892, page 4g,
Observer,
8 October 1892, page 24c.

Fox-terrier coursing on the Wakefield Street Circus Ground is reported in the Register,
21 October 1893, page 6c.
Also see South Australia - Sport - Coursing.

"Yachting, Swimming and Rowing" is in the Register,
4 November 1893, page 4f,
19 February 1894, page 4g and
"South Australians at Play" on
28 April 1894, page 4h,
29 September 1894, page 4e,
26 October 1895, page 4f,
"Aquatics" on
27 October 1894, page 4e.

"Record-Breaking and Sporting Championships" is in the Register,
24 February 1894, page 4f.

"South Australians at Play" is in the Register,
28 April 1894, page 4h,
"Australians at Play" on 29 September 1894, page 4f.

Information on the Jubilee Oval is in the Register,
17 October 1894, page 3g.
A sketch of Jubilee Oval is in the Chronicle,
24 October 1896, page 30.
"Jubilee Oval - A Transformation Scheme" is in the Register,
1 January 1910, page 13a;
also see 7 May 1910, page 12h.
"Seizure of Jubilee Oval" is in the Register,
17 July 1919, page 7b.
Historical information is in the Register,
18 December 1923, page 11h.
Ostrich racing on the Jubilee Oval is reported in the Register,
5 and 6 April 1926, pages 4g and 8e,
10 June 1926, page 11e,
11 June 1926, page 8h;
also see The News,
5 April 1926, page 3a,
10 June 1926, page 11e .

The Jubilee Oval

(Taken from Geoffrey H. Manning's A Colonial Experience)

That particular smell on North Terrace comes upon us in the dark to stifle us in our beds and, like Macbeth, to murder sleep... [It emanates from] those arch-defilers of the midnight air - the city nightmen - in the discharge of their filthy nocturnal duties...
(Register, 31 January 1883, page 7.)

This oval came into existence through a motion by a city member in the House of Assembly in 1894, who hoped to see a friendly society grounds formed there. The agricultural society, which originally held its shows on ground between Frome Road and the Botanic Park, known as the Old Exhibition Grounds, needed more ground, so it was granted space in the main hall of the Jubilee Exhibition basement and grounds and, later, the use of the new oval was approved as a show venue.

Those who walked down Frome Road late in 1894 would have noticed that the Jubilee Exhibition Oval was approaching completion and further evidence of this fact was the insertion in newspapers, by direction of the government, an invitation for athletic clubs, cricketing associations, friendly societies and others for the use of the oval.

A turf wicket was laid down in the centre of the oval and a cricket enthusiast opined that there 'can be no question that if every Saturday, instead of halving the Adelaide Oval and playing two matches there, one of the games is transferred to the Jubilee oval, there will soon be manifested a great improvement in the play of our leading cricketers.'

The balance of the oval within the bicycle tracks was planted with couch grass, while the asphalt track for cyclists was all but completed, and it was anticipated that 'all would be well for the Hibernian sports on 9 November 1894.' Around the cycle track was a sloping mound from which thousands of spectators would be able to see all that transpired on the arena.

It was further anticipated that the work of transferring the sheds and grandstand of the agricultural society would be completed by year's end when 'this bijou ground will be as completely appointed as any showground in Australia.'

In actual fact the preparation of the oval and its surroundings was done over many years. The mound to the northward, known as 'Jerusalem', and containing a large quantity of solidified earth came from somewhere about the Synagogue and was placed into position without the cost of one penny to the government, by agreement with an earthworks contractor, who wanted a convenient tip for his spoil.

Later, old worn planking from the St Kilda reclamation was used in terracing the south face of 'Jerusalem' and forming seating and standing room during football matches and horses-in-action days on the oval. The grandstands were erected conjointly by the government and agricultural society. The first grass courts for tennis tournaments were formed in the centre of the oval, no important cricket matches were played there but it was a very compact football playing field, being well shaped so that ticket holders could get a good view of the game.

The floodwaters drain from the city, which runs alongside the eastern fence on Frome Road, were once prone to overflow and on one occasion the fire brigade had to be called on a show day to get rid of an overflow. This was remedied by installing drainage pipes under the oval.

"Our Summer Sports" is in the Register,
8 December 1894, page 4g,
"The Sports of the Field" on
28 September 1895, page 4g,
"Outdoor Sports" on
2 May 1896, page 4g.

"Boating and Drowning Accidents" is in the Register,
11 and 14 December 1894, pages 5a and 7f.

"Outdoor Sports" is in the Register,
2 May 1896, page 4h.

"Sport and Death" is in the Advertiser,
10 June 1896, page 5a,
"Holiday Sport" on
2 September 1896, page 4f,
"Sports That do Not Kill" in the Register on
8 August 1896, page 4e.

"Sport on Land and Water" is in the Register,
31 October 1896, page 4h,
"Brain Clearing and Muscle Making Sports" on
12 December 1896, page 4g.

"Sports and Spectators" is in the Register,
6 February 1897, page 4f,
"Baseballers and Cricketers" on
16 September 1897, page 4f,
"Popular Sport" on
9 October 1897, page 4h,
"Amateurs and Professionals" on
28 June 1897, page 4g.

"Australians at Play" is in the Register,
13 November 1897, page 4f,
"The Game - Not the Gate" on
5 January 1898, page 4e,
"The Sports of the Field" on
7 May 1898, page 4e,
"Sports Place in the Nation's Well-being" on
15 October 1898, page 4e.

"The French Pedestrian [Henri Gilbert]" is in the Register,
28 March 1898, page 4g, 4 and 11 April 1898, pages 3e and 4f.

An obituary of Mr R. Cruickshank is in the Observer,
29 October 1898, page 45b.

"Summer Sports" is in the Register on
25 February 1899, page 4g,
"A Plethora of Sports" on
18 March 1899, page 4f,
"Sports of the Field on
6 May 1899, page 6f,
"Aquatic Sports at Home and Abroad" on
25 March 1899, page 4h,
"Popular Pastimes" on
9 June 1900, page 4c.

"Sport and Toil" is in the Advertiser,
9 July 1898, page 6f,
"Physical Culture" on
5 November 1898, page 4f,
"A Year's Sport" on
6 January 1900, page 6f.

"Intercolonial Sport" is in the Advertiser,
26 February 1900, page 4e,
"International Sport" on
23 July 1900, page 4d,
"Women in the Field" on
23 February 1901, page 6f.

"The Pingpongitis Cure"is in the Register,
26 November 1902, page 4f.
"Ping-Pong Association - Review of the Season" is in the Register,
23 September 1903, page 8d;
also see 28 September 1903, page 7d,
1 October 1903, page 6e.
"Ping-Pong in Adelaide" is in the Advertiser,
5 September 1901, page 7c,
Express,
8 November 1901, page 2d,
Register,
12 August 1903, page 7h,
"Tennis and Ping-Pong" on
21 October 1901, page 4d,
"Strenuous Ping-Pong" in The Mail,
25 July 1925, page 9c.
Some historical information on table tennis is in The News,
22 May 1936, page 6f.

"Winter Sports" is in the Register,
9 August 1902, page 6e,
"Physical Culture" on
11 August 1902, page 4c.

Motor car racing on the Adelaide Oval is reported in the Observer,
18 October 1902, page 34d.

"Perfectly Developed Man - Eugen Sandow in Adelaide" is in the Register,
12 August 1902, page 6f.
A Sandow Institute of Physical Culture is discussed in the Register,
22 and 23 August 1902, pages 3i and 8h,
Advertiser, 23 and 25 August 1902, pages 11e and 5g-6c.

"Around the World - Walking for a Wager" is in the Register,
2 August 1902, page 10c.

"A Year's Sport" is in the Register,
3 January 1903, page 6e.

"The Walking Craze" is in the Advertiser,
27 July 1903, page 6i,
3 August 1903, page 6i.

"The Progress of Sport" is in the Register on
4 January 1905, page 4c,
"Winter Sports" on
6 May 1905, page 4e,
"International Sport" on
24 April 1905, page 4b and
13 November 1905, page 4c,
"Interstate Sport" on
5 August 1905, page 6e,
"Ethics of Sport" on
16 December 1905, page 6d.

A motor launch race is reported in the Express,
19 March 1906, page 2c.

"Health and Recreation" is in the Register,
22 October 1906, page 4c,
"The Sports of the Field" on
4 May 1907, page 8c,
"Sport on Land and Water" on
2 November 1907, page 6c,
"Sport or Play" on
7 December 1907, page 8e,
"Work and Play" on
25 January 1908, page 6e.

"Begging for Sport" is in the Register,
19 April 1907, page 4h.

"Patron of Sports [John Acraman]" is in the Register,
24 June 1907, page 5b.

"Three Styles of Football - A Comparison of Merits" is in the Express,
19 July 1907, page 4e.

"Sport on Land and Water" is in the Register,
2 November 1907, page 6c.

A report on proposed "State Colours" to be used in sporting events is in the Register,
27 February 1908, page 4f.

"Clubswinging Record Broken" is in the Register,
4 April 1908, page 8f; also see
Express,
9 July 1908, page 3g.

"Summer and Winter Sports" is in the Register,
6 April 1908, page 4d,
"Sport as a Safety Valve" on
20 April 1908, page 4c.

Information on handball matches is in the Observer,
27 July 1907, page 20e,
Express,
6 March 1909, page 3e,
12 April 1911, page 4b.
"Opening a [Handball] Court" is in the Register,
31 August 1908, page 9e,
15 March 1913, page 13d,
Observer,
6 September 1908, page 25d,
17 April 1909, page 22e,
8, 15 and 22 May 1909, pages 23e, 23e and 23e,
26 June 1909, page 26c,
14 August 1909, page 25c,
2 April 1910, page 16b,
22 April 1911, page 19e,
Register,
24 March 1913, page 5g,
The Critic,
26 March 1913, page 12,
Observer,
18 April 1914, page 18e.
A photograph of an interstate handball team is in the Chronicle,
22 April 1911, page 31,
"Interstate Handball" is in The News,
19 April 1924, page 5c,
24 October 1930, page 8d.

An exhibition of weight lifting by R.G. Shorthose is reported in the Observer,
15 February 1908, page 31c.

Photographs of cricketers from Fiji are in the Observer,
29 February 1908, page 29.

"British Association" football is discussed in the Observer,
24 April 1909, page 12d.

"Dethroning Sport" is in the Register,
8 May 1909, page 8h,
"Rivalry in Sport" on
13 June 1910, page 6c,
"Winter Sports" on
6 May 1911, page 12d,
"Physical Training" on
17 July 1911, page 6d.

"Jui Jitsu" is in the Register,
16 August 1910, page 7h.

"Ladies' Riding Costumes" is in the Observer,
8 October 1910, page 49d.

"Professionalism in Games" is in the Register,
20 May 1911, page 12d.

Information on the Gazeka Surf and Athletic Club is in the Register,
18 March 1912, page 9g.

"Athleticism and Culture" is in the Advertiser,
30 March 1912, page 18f.

A motor cycle reliability trial is described in the Register on
28 January 1913, page 4f; also see
20 March 1913, page 6h,
"The Shrine of Pleasure" on
22 March 1913, page 12e,
"Hero Worship - The Shrine of Sport" is in the Register,
23 September 1912, page 7b.

"The Shrine of Pleasure" is in the Register,
22 March 1913, page 12e,
"Sports and Pictures - Their Usefulness and Dangers" on 9 April 1913, page 8h.
Photographs are in the Observer,
7 April 1923, page 27,
Chronicle,
10 July 1930, page 35,
9 July 1931, page 33.

An obituary of R.J. Matheson is in the Observer,
19 April 1913, page 41b.

"The Ball in Sport" is in the Register,
14 January 1914, page 10d.

"Suburban Ovals" is in the Express,
31 March 1914, page 2e.

"Outdoor Sports" is in the Register,
3 May 1913, page 14e and
9 May 1914, page 14c,
"Australians at Play - The Catholicity of Its Sports" on
13 May 1914, page 11d.

"Sport and War" is in the Register on
1 May 1915, page 8c,
"Sportsmen and War" on
2, 10 and 13 August 1915, pages 4g, 4c and 5g,
"Work and Play" on
15 January 1921, page 8e.

"The Amateur Status" is in the Advertiser,
22 April 1921, page 8f,
"Sunday Games" in the Register,
1 June 1921, page 4f.

"Christmastide and Sports" is in the Register,
26 December 1921, page 4b,
"Winter Sports" on
6 May 1922, page 8d,
"Clean Field Sports" on
2 October 1922, page 6c.

"Opening of the Duck Season" is in The Mail,
11 February 1922, page 15d,
"A Day in the Life of a Duck-Shooter" in the Advertiser,
6 August 1932, page 9d,
"Discomforts of Duck Shooting" on
13 February 1935, page 16h; also see
The Mail,
9 February 1935, page 2.

"Games for Girls - A Medical Report" is in the Advertiser,
23 September 1922, page 17d.
Photographs of females at Weber, Shorthose and Rice's gymnasium are in the Chronicle,
6 August 1921, page 28,
of "sports for girls" in the Observer,
3 September 1921, page 23.
Photographs of "Girls at Sports" are in the Observer,
18 August 1923, page 27,
10 July 1926, page 31.

"The Game of Darts - Magistrate Declares it Illegal" is in the Express,
15 May 1923, page 2c.

Biographical details of Alfred J. Roberts are in the Register,
16 June 1923, page 13c.

"Modern Tendencies in Sport" is in the Advertiser,
4 August 1923, page 13c.

"Standing for the Australian Game" is in the Register, 29 August 1923, page 8d:

No branch of sport can be made either better or more popular by a mistaken effort on the part of its principal supporters to serve it at the expense of any other acceptable recreation. Sport should be the business of sportsmen.

"Sunday Games on Parklands" is in the Register,
1 September 1923, page 13c,
"Sunday Sports" in the Advertiser,
27 and 30 May 1936, pages 22c and 24c,

"The Most Popular Sports" is in the Register,
9 January 1924, page 12d.

"Adelaide's Riding School" is in The News,
21 September 1923, page 8d,
"A Riding We Will Go - Popular Pastime [of Horseriding] Revived" in The Mail,
3 July 1926, page 1a.

"Victor Richardson - All-Round Athlete" is in The News,
10 January 1924, page 8f.

"Ethics of Sport - What Constitutes an Amateur" is in the Register,
27 February 1924, page 12f.

"Physical Culture Competitions" is in the Register,
4 March 1924, page 6a.

"The Amateur Status" is in the Register,
9 May 1924, page 8e.

A buckjumping display is reported upon in the Advertiser,
26 April 1924, page 15e.

"The Use and Abuse of Sport" is in the Advertiser, 26 May 1924, page 8f:

Professionalism in sport is as inevitable as in other spheres of life. Its dangers are obvious. Its valuable potentialities, too, are great. Its tendency is to divert life into sport, instead of making sport serve life... It would be an equally interesting enquiry to discover what working efficiency is lost owing to the moral and spiritual disregard of the Sabbath.

"Australia and Athletics - Keep the Swearing Clean" is in the Advertiser,
12 June 1924, page 10a.

"Playing the Game" is in the Register,
22 August 1924, page 8e,
"The Sporting Change-Over" on
27 September 1924, page 8d,
"Winter Sports" on
2 May 1925, page 8e,
31 July 1926, page 8g.

An obituary of Charles Kellett, early footballer, athlete and rower, is in the Register,
4 November 1924, page 8g.

"Games for Girls" is in The News,
2 June 1925, page 5e.

"Work and Play" is in the Register,
12 December 1925, page 8f.

"Playing the Game to Win" is in the Register on 20 January 1926, page 8d.

A photograph of a game of medicine ball is in the Chronicle,
11 September 1926, page 39.

A photograph of a military camp is in The Critic,
15 February 1902, page 8.

A photograph of a game of medicine ball is in the Chronicle,
11 September 1926, page 39.

"The University and Sport" is in the Advertiser,
2 June 1926, page 15f.

"Amateur and Professional" is in The Mail,
7 August 1926, page 2b.

The formation of the SA Amateur Sports Club is reported in the Advertiser,
16 July 1926, page 16h.

"Professionalism in Sports" is in the Register,
19 October 1926, page 8d;
a proposed Railway Oval is reported upon on
26 April 1927, page 13d.

"Boomeranging" is discussed in the Register,
16 July 1927, page 10e.

"Women in Sports - Danger to Motherhood" is in The Mail,
11 August 1928, page 18g.

Photographs of aquaplaning are in the Chronicle,
12 and 19 January 1929, pages 54 and 42.

"Sunday Flying" is in the Observer,
7 September 1929, page 10d.

The introduction of gliding into South Australia is discussed in the Observer,
23 November 1929, page 16,
"Riding the Wind - Gliding the Newest Sport" is in the Advertiser,
27 June 1931, page 6e; also see
The News,
23 July 1934, page 4e.
Photographs of gliding demonstrations at Para Hills are in the Chronicle,
9 January 1930, page 36.

"What is the Most Arduous Sport?" is in The News,
15 January 1930, page 13b.

A photograph of members of a ladies' motor cycle club is in the Chronicle,
13 February 1930, page 36; also see
19 June 1930, page 35.

The first field dog trials in South Australia are reported in the Advertiser,
18 January 1932, page 11e.

"Sporting Epics of Outback" is in the Advertiser,
11 March 1933, page 9h,
"Sport and the Schoolboy" on
3 April 1934, page 8d.

"Winter Sports Make Healthy Girlhood" is in The Mail,
27 May 1933, page 20; also see
14 October 1933, page 18.

Information on squash rackets is in The News,
4 May 1934, page 4f,
"Squash Rackets - Adelaide's Latest Game" is in The Mail,
4 July 1936, page 9d.

Information on horse riding clubs is in The Mail,
18 August 1934, page 2.

"Amateurism and Livelihood" is in The News,
19 October 1934, page 4d.

"Midget Car Racing for South Australia" is in The Mail,
21 September 1935, page 16b.

"Has the Australian a Weakness for Sport?" is in The News,
7 March 1936, page 4d.

"Increase in Women's Interest in Sport" is in the Advertiser,
1 May 1936, page 16e.

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