Sports Day-Not the B.O.T. type

[John Arton]

I guess a large number of us are sports fans here, some even watch rugby(LOL).
Thing is did you ever play any sports at sea.
On a number of ships I was on in CP we had a hobbies room with a table tennis board in there and I got quite good at it.
On one of the forest product ships we had a football team with all of us kitted out in the correct gear including matching shirts. Used to practise down one of the empty holds and at least 4 of the team would have ben good enough for a pub Sunday league side.
We were stuck in a dock strike in Vancouver around 1969 and the Mission was organising football games amongst the ships at anchor. At that time there used to be a world wide seaman's football completion organised by the mission. They recorded your results and then collected all the results from various missions around the world and eventually declared the winner. I seem to recall that passenger ships always figured towards the top of the league but could be wrong. There was atrophy presented also if I am correct.
Our first game in the completion took place, as I say, in Vancouver and our opposition was a Greek ship also stuck in the strike.
We turned up at the ground in all our gear with the correct amount of refreshing Tenants lager and John Players ciggie to get us through the game. The Captain was our team manager and he was in charge of the energy drinks.
Kick off and the ball was passed to our right winger (ex N.E. schoolboy sprint champion from Whitley Bay-true). unfortunately he was still topping up on fluids and smoking his last tab, so the Greeks nicked the ball of him (sneaky buggers) passed it a couple of times and bingo, they were 1 up.
Kick off, ball passed to our scouse centre forward who took off towards the opposition's goal at pace, Captain (manager) dancing up and down on the touch line screaming NOLAN, call yourself a striker, you couldn't strike a match!. Must have had the desired result as seconds later, bang the ball was in the back of the Greek net and it was 1 all. Come half time we were 41 up and knackered but the half time orange that our manager supplied us with did the trick, especially as they were heavily laced with gin. Eventually ran out winners 10-1 but were brought back to earth when in our next match against a Russian tam e were beaten by a cricket score, sure half of them could have played professional.
We played every Sunday for around 8 weeks until the strike ended. Along with the footie the padre asked us if we would like to play basketball on a Thursday evening against a youth team in the missions minor league. No completion really as they just needed another team to play against as a training session. Although non of us knew how to play basketball a number of us volunteered only to find that when we turned up this youth team was the 16 and over team, all fit and wearing skimpy shorts. As basketball was meant to be a non contact sport we were being very gentlemanly so as soon as one of the girls approached we would pass the ball, big mistake thinking they would play in a similar sportsman like manner. Number of times we got dumped on our **** by a fit 16 year old or found an opposition players hand sneaking up your shorts just as you were leaping to catch the pass, put you right off the game. Still we had some great fun, only drawback being was that as they were under 21 there was no drinkies afterwards plus the fact they were heavily chaperoned. Never won or even got near there score but as said, great fun.
Next time I played footie on a ship was in Beira and it was against a German ship with Gilbert island crew, who all played in bare feet. It was a close run thing but we did beat them. Apart from those games, we always had a kick about when we were in dry dock, which resulted in some rather heavy bruising as many the time we only had work boots to play in, no trainers.
Anyone else here partake of any sports whilst on board BEYOND those that 99.9% of you here will immediately spring into mind.
rgds
JA

[john sutton]

once played against a sqaddy team in Libya.I was in goal and I think the score was about 30 -0 (to the squaddies of course)It was played on a sand pitch against a team of fit young guys and we were a team of unfit(half pxssed)not so young guys

[Captain Kong]

On the VLCCs big beams, 180 foot, Every Sunday morning we had the Welly Throwing contests. stand on the starboard side and throw the welly over the flying bridge to the other side, A mark was chalked on deck where it landed and the winner, the furthest, got free ale at lunch time. On the loud speakers as the welly was thrown there was a whistle and followed by a big explosion sound as it landed. great with the sound effects.
Brian

[Red Lead Ted]

Was on a Harrison boat supplying British squaddies Belize mid 70s, We were challenged to a game of footy by the squaddies on the Sunday morning. There were 4 of us on deck 2 down below and 2 stewards, Just about fit enough We talked the 3rd mate, the cook, and the 2nd cook to join us to make up the numbers, Lets say it was a bit like Arsenal playing Hereford Utd. They had all the gear footy boots /shin pads/ Footy kit the works, Most of our team turned out in sea boots cut down denims and bear back, So to even things up I insisted we used our ball, They agreed and I took a black anchor ball along. What a bloody laugh we had we put the cook in goal he looked like andy pandy in his stripes. Second half they brought on a real ball after having there half time refreshments of juice and oranges we had 2 cases of tennents I think they won the game 26-1 and that was an own goal. We all met up in a bar that night a great night had by all. Happy days indeed Terry.

[Captain Kong]

When I was on the EURYADES of Blu Flu, we were in Wallace Bay, which is not a bay but a bamboo village up the river.
The local Dayaks wanted to play football,
A match was arranged for Saturday morning and it was to be played on the grass clearing outside the bar. An old pick up truck falling to pieces tied up with string, amid a huge cloud of smoke appeared out of the forest and about twenty of these Dayaks climbed off, A fearsome looking bunch, wearing just a loin cloth and a bone necklace round their necks, and hair standing up, they play football in their bare feet and play their own rules. With the British Consul looking on, it was a real primitive outpost for him, no wonder he was always drunk on the gin,, He told us not to score any goals or we would be speared to death, we lost 16 goals to nil.
My mate Ted and I went back to their village for the weekend in the back of the old truck, and that is where we were introduced to the delights of Long Pig.
Yummy.
Brian.

[John Arton]

Couple more games played.
On the VLCC lunchtime entertainment was bicycle racing. She had a half height raised focsle and was then flush decked all the way to the stern with just a small sheer aft. The rules were, back wheel against the focsle, push off and 7 turns of the pedals only, the winner was the one who got furthest back up the deck on the opposite side after going around the accommodation, weaving in and out of the aft mooring winches. In ballast, especially when trimmed for tank cleaning, you could almost reach amidships, so long as you were dare devil enough to go round the stern doing 20-30mph. Mad Irish 2nd mate was the usual winner. How some of us never did serious injury to ourselves, must have been a miracle.
Product tanker working the west coast of Mexico (one of the best jobs ever). Whilst at anchor off Salina Cruz awaiting our turn to go onto the loading buoy. Deck cricket with the ball made of tightly wound rope and rags. Knock it over the wall and you were scored 6 and out. In ballast on a 30000 tonner and we used to dive off the main deck to retrieve any ball that went over the side. Had to stop that after a few days as the nobbies were getting interested in us. Diving into waters with great big hammerheads swimming around was not my idea of fun!
rgds
JA

[Louis the Amigo]

Hi Shipmates , Was sport spread in some remote parts, by the merchant navy? ref baseball and football?

[Leobond3]

Hi John,
I can remember playing football down the hold on the NR Crump, very dodgy when the ship was rolling about.
I also played my first game of golf ever at Port Alberny golf club, Vancover Island. I played with the 3rd mate can't remember his name, he was was very good Welsh Boys Champ.(I bet you know his name). I couldn't hit the ball above head height, but I got the bug and still play now.

Couple more games played.
On the VLCC lunchtime entertainment was bicycle racing. She had a half height raised focsle and was then flush decked all the way to the stern with just a small sheer aft. The rules were, back wheel against the focsle, push off and 7 turns of the pedals only, the winner was the one who got furthest back up the deck on the opposite side after going around the accommodation, weaving in and out of the aft mooring winches. In ballast, especially when trimmed for tank cleaning, you could almost reach amidships, so long as you were dare devil enough to go round the stern doing 20-30mph. Mad Irish 2nd mate was the usual winner. How some of us never did serious injury to ourselves, must have been a miracle.
Product tanker working the west coast of Mexico (one of the best jobs ever). Whilst at anchor off Salina Cruz awaiting our turn to go onto the loading buoy. Deck cricket with the ball made of tightly wound rope and rags. Knock it over the wall and you were scored 6 and out. In ballast on a 30000 tonner and we used to dive off the main deck to retrieve any ball that went over the side. Had to stop that after a few days as the nobbies were getting interested in us. Diving into waters with great big hammerheads swimming around was not my idea of fun!
rgds
JA

[happy daze john in oz]

Cannot recall playing any sports at sea apart from BOT ones such as elbow bending and leg movements.

[John Arton]

Hi John,
I can remember playing football down the hold on the NR Crump, very dodgy when the ship was rolling about.
I also played my first game of golf ever at Port Alberny golf club, Vancover Island. I played with the 3rd mate can't remember his name, he was was very good Welsh Boys Champ.(I bet you know his name). I couldn't hit the ball above head height, but I got the bug and still play now.

Leo
Pretty sure we could be thinking of the same guy. I met him when he was a cadet and even then he had a set of golf clubs with him but I still cannot remember his name.
What I can recall is a year or so after meeting him I was on leave and idly watching T.V. when lo and behold there he was leading a professional tournament at the Belfrey golf club. He had obviously turned professional and watching him belt that little white ball around in beautiful surroundings and getting paid for it, made me think that I had chosen the wrong profession. Cannot recall if he won the tournament though.
A number of years later I decided to take the game up but quickly learnt that my chosen profession as a seafarer had been the correct one as I seemed to spend more time searching for lost golf balls or shouting "fore right" as my golf ball went wizzing off at almost right angles to its intended direction than actually playing the round.
Always had a round or two when on holiday in Florida as for $25 you could get a game, hire of clubs plus electric golf cart to get you around and even a drink and hot dog at mid round.
Have not played for years now though as I reckoned that sooner or later one of my many wayward drives would eventually connect with some other poor golfers body and possibly cause injury to the poor soul.
rgds
JA