Annual report on the Falkland Islands and Dependencies / Colonial Office.

  • Great Britain. Colonial Office.
Date:
[1973]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report on the Falkland Islands and Dependencies / Colonial Office. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    32/88 (page 26)
    SPORT Full-bore shooting is organised by the Falkland Islands Defence Force Rifle Association which has a keen membership. Annual prize meetings are held and when finances permit representative teams are sent to Bisley to compete in the junior colonial competitions. There is a small bore range in the drill hall for winter use. Association football is a popular sport and the club is strongly supported. Not only do local teams compete for a championship but keenly contested games take place against teams from visiting ships. The Golf Club maintains a course near the Felton Stream west of Stanley racecourse. Considerable interest is taken in angling. Brown trout (salmo fario) were introduced into a number of rivers between 1947 and 1952. These trout have over the years formed a sea-going habit and return to the rivers to spawn. Specimens weighing 7 lb to 10 lb are not uncommon. The heaviest trout so far recorded weighed 18 lb. The trout-fishing season opens on the 1st September and closes on the 30th April. Salmon and sea-trout ova have been imported but efforts to establish these fish have so far not succeeded. The sub-aqua club was started in 1971 and this new sport is becoming increasingly popular. Each year there is normally a five-day sports meeting at Darwin, East Falkland, while four of the principal farms on West Falkland hold five-day sports meetings in rotation four years out of five. The Stanley Sports Association holds a two-day meeting immediately after Christmas with horse racing, gymkhana and athletic events. Sheep dog trials are also held on both Islands, followed by a championship contest organised by the Stanley Sports Association. The Stanley Badminton Club organises games in the gymnasium twice a week. These are well supported, particularly in the winter. The Stanley Squash Club, revised in 1965, has a growing member¬ ship and matches are played against teams from visiting ships. Darts is a popular winter game and there is a league in Stanley with up to 14 teams competing. The standard of play is high. Snooker, played at the Colony Club, the Falkland Club, the Falkland Islands Defence Force Club and the Working Men’s Social Club, has a strong following. Chapter 8: Legislation Apart from the Appropriation Ordinances, the more important legislation enacted during the period under review included the following measures: