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148
The Howard Girls' Team again won the Stewart Cup at the
London Schools' Swimming Association Gala.
Two hundred and seventeen girls entered for the swimming
gala arranged by the C.E.S.S.A. at the end of the season, and at
least eight girls' schools held swimming galas of their own to which
parents were invited.
The Organised Games' lessons in the Recreation Grounds
were still carried on, although the unsettled weather throughout
the year rendered regular play impossible. As before, rounders,
netball and captain ball are the games usually played. Netball
continues, as before, to be the most popular out-of-school game,
and the report of the netball section of the Croydon Elementary
Schools Athletic Association shows a year of progress. Eighteen
girls' schools belonged to the League, and each school played ten
fixture matches (besides many "friendly" ones). The four top
teams—Winterbourne, West Thornton, Beulah and Tavistock
took part in the annual tournament, Tavistock winning the final
match and thus becoming first holders of the cup, presented to the
Netball Section by H. Lewis, Esq. Netball is played in most of
the Girls' and Senior Mixed Schools, but not all are affiliated to
the League owing to inability to play the necessary League
matches.
The annual athletic sports of the C.E.S.A.A. were held at the
Crystal Palace in July. The entries from the girls' departments
numbered six hundred, and there was evidence of careful training
throughout. The winner of the girls' high jump cleared 4ft. 7ins.,
and that of the long jump 15ft. 6ins. Several girls' schools also
held a sports afternoon of their own to which parents were invited.
It will be seen by this Report that the teaching of swimming,
netball and athletic sports—the wider side of physical education—
alluded to earlier, is linked up with the activities of the Croyodn
Elementary Schools Athletic Association, and I would express my
thanks to the members of this Association for their co-operation
and help throughout the year. The teaching of country dancing
has also received much help and encouragement from various
members of the English Folk Dance Society, and many of the
teachers attend the classes in country, Morris and sword dances
arranged by this society. It is a noteworthy fact that at the Croydon
Musical Festival the winners of every class of country and
Morris dances were children in Croydon schools, with the exception
of the "Adult" Class, which was won by the members of the
Croydon Folk Dance Class, many of whom are teachers.