Fifty Years of Progress 1880-1930

A.A.A. JUBILEE SOUVE IR plished is obvious. There has not been observed, so far, any diminution of effort on the part of the so-called weaker Counties, and that is the acid test of good sportsmanship--to take a beating it if comes to you, and to come up smiling afterwards. If" snags " or difficulties present themselves we may rest assured that the same steadfastness of purpose which brought to fruition the Jubilee of the A.A.A. will tackle and overcome them. To those who may feel inclined to offer any criticism on the work done by the Counties Athletic Union so far,some little reminder may be useful. The organisation, though in its infancy-established only four years since-has accomplished a great deal and is out to do a great deal more. Its Executive con i ts of prominent workers in the cause, drawn from all classes and districts, their loyalty to the parent body being beyond question. It is better therefore to help them along with a kindly word than to hamper or dis– courage at this stage by carping criticism. The Union has been the means of establishing, through the Inter– County competitions, a principle which has ensured a wide-reaching appeal to athletes in every County, viz., that of awarding County Colours to all those who have proved themselves worthy in County Championship events. And even to those whose ability falls just sufficiently short as to place them on the " reserves" list, certificates of merit are awarded, and become a treasured possession far surpassing the value of a trophy won under any other circumstances. It is the reward ofloyalty, a testimony of the individual's esprit de corps for the County of his birth or residence. No other individual prize or award is made to any member of a County team. Whatever special merit is attached to the winning of any given event goes to the credit of the County concerned, and any accompanying trophy is awarded to that County accordingly. A general survey of the situation therefore leads one to say that this fusion of interest between the C.A.U. and the Counties themselves cannot but be productive of results even of far greater importance than have already been achieved. There exists in practically every County a spirit which is ever to the fore in maintaining time-honoured County traditions, and this spirit is fostered and developed in what are known as "County Associations," whose members are drawn from all sections of society and public life, each imbued with a patriotic spirit in all things pertaining to their County's good. If it could be possible to interest every " County Association" in its own County Athletic Association, and even in the Counties Athletic Union, it would not only give the desired fillip in spreading the gospel of local patriotism in the cause of Athletics in the Counties, but would add one more link in that great chain of brotherhood which makes County Associations so popular, the attraction of which does not exist only for a day, but is lifelong. Yes, if this came about, "Athletics in the Counties" would afford a much more inspiring chapter in the next Jubilee issue of the A.A.A. than possibly is afforded by this article. 84