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The 1950 British Empire Games were the fourth staging of what is now called the Commonwealth Games. It was held in Auckland, New Zealand, between 4 and 11 February 1950, after a 12-year gap from the third edition of the games. A documentary film of the games was made by the New Zealand National Film Unit.[1] The main venue was Eden Park, although the closing ceremonies were held at Western Springs Stadium, see New Zealand at the 1950 British Empire Games. The fourth games were originally awarded to Montreal, Canada and were to be held in 1942 but were cancelled due to World War II.[2]
 | |
| Host city | Auckland, New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Nations | 12 |
| Athletes | 590 |
| Events | 87 |
| Opening | 4 February 1950 |
| Closing | 11 February 1950 |
| Opened by | Bernard Freyberg |
| Athlete's Oath | Stan Lay |
| Main venue | Eden Park |
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The main stadium was at Eden Park. Other venues were the Auckland Town Hall (boxing and wrestling), the Drill Hall (fencing), Western Springs (cycling and the closing ceremony) Lake Karapiro (rowing), and the Newmarket Olympic Pool (swimming). Accommodation was at the Ardmore Teachers' Training College, 23 miles (37 kilometres) away at South Auckland. Total attendance was 246,694; higher than the following three Games, 1954 (159,636), 1958 (178,621) and 1962 (224,987).[3]
At the 1950 British Empire Games all the teams won at least one medal.
* Host nation (New Zealand)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Australia (AUS) | 34 | 27 | 19 | 80 |
| 2 |  England (ENG) | 19 | 16 | 13 | 48 |
| 3 |  New Zealand (NZL)* | 10 | 22 | 21 | 53 |
| 4 |  Canada (CAN) | 8 | 9 | 13 | 30 |
| 5 |  South Africa (SAF) | 8 | 4 | 8 | 20 |
| 6 |  Scotland (SCO) | 5 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| 7 | .svg){kind=small} Malaya (MAL) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 8 |  Fiji (FIJ) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 9 |  Ceylon (CEY) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 10 |  Nigeria (NGR) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Southern Rhodesia (SRH) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Wales (WAL) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Totals (12 entries) | 88 | 89 | 80 | 257 | |
Athletics
Boxing
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flyweight | Hugh Riley (SCO) |
K. Edwin (CEY) |
Marcus Temple (SAF) |
| Bantamweight | Johnny van Rensburg (SAF) |
Albert Perera (CEY) |
Len Walters (CAN) |
| Featherweight | Henry Gilliland (SCO) |
Andy Verceuil (RHO) |
Peter Brander (ENG) |
| Lightweight | Ronny Latham (ENG) |
Billy Barber (AUS) |
Jim Barnden (NZL) |
| Welterweight | Terry Ratcliffe (ENG) |
Bill Seewitz (AUS) |
Alex Obeysekere (CEY) |
| Middleweight | Theunis van Schalkwyk (SAF) |
James Beal (NZL) |
Bill Pinkus (CAN) |
| Light heavyweight | Don Scott (ENG) |
Chris Rollinson (NZL) |
Jack Taylor (AUS) |
| Heavyweight | Frank Creagh (NZL) |
Sid Cousins (AUS) |
none awarded |
Cycling
Track
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time Trial | Russell Mockridge (AUS) | 1:13.4 | Sid Patterson (AUS) | 1:13.5 | Tommy Godwin (ENG) | 1:13.6 |
| Sprint 1000 m | Russell Mockridge (AUS) | 2–0 | Sid Patterson (AUS) | 0–2 | Graham Avery (NZL) | 2–1 |
| 4000 m Ind. Pursuit | Cyril Cartwright (ENG) | 5:16.3 | Russell Mockridge (AUS) | 5:27.0 | Les Lock (NZL) | 5:26.7 |
| 10-mile Scratch | Bill Heseltine (AUS) | 23:23.4 | Les Lock (NZL) | Ken Caves (AUS) | ||
Road
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Road race | Hector Sutherland (AUS) | 3'13:06.4 | Nick Carter (NZL) | 3'13:06.5 | Jack Fowler (AUS) | 3'13:06.6 |
Diving
Men's events
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 m springboard | George Athans (CAN) | 169.21 | Peter Heatly (SCO) | 168.80 | Jack Stewart (NZL) | 168.17 |
| 10 m platform | Peter Heatly (SCO) | 156.07 | George Athans (CAN) | 145.36 | Frank Murphy (AUS) | 129.40 |
Women's events
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 m springboard | Edna Child (ENG) | 126.58 | Noeline MacLean (AUS) | 124.59 | Lynda Hunt (CAN) | 115.38 |
| 10 m platform | Edna Child (ENG) | 70.89 | Gwen Fawcett (AUS) | 65.64 | Noeline MacLean (AUS) | 59.93 |
Fencing
Men's events
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foil | René Paul (ENG) | 7 wins | John Fethers (AUS) | 6 wins | Georges Pouliot (CAN) | 4 wins |
| Foil team | England Arthur Pilbrow Robert Anderson René Paul | 20 wins | New Zealand Austen Gittos Gordon Dearing Murray Gittos Malcolm Millar | 13 wins | Canada Georges Pouliot Robert Desjarlais Edward Brooke | 12 win |
| Épée | Charles de Beaumont (ENG) | 7 wins | Robert Anderson (ENG) | 6 wins | Ivan Lund (AUS) | 5 wins |
| Épée team | Australia Allan Jay Ivan Lund Charles Stanmore | 3 wins | England René Paul Charles de Beaumont Robert Anderson | 2 wins | Canada Georges Pouliot Robert Desjarlais Edward Brooke | 1 win |
| Sabre | Arthur Pilbrow (ENG) | Robert Anderson (ENG) | Georges Pouliot (CAN) | |||
| Sabre team | England Charles de Beaumont Arthur Pilbrow Robert Anderson | 4 wins | Canada Georges Pouliot Robert Desjarlais Edward Brooke | 2 wins | Australia Norman Booth Leslie Chillug Edwin Dean Jock Gibson | 1 win |
Women's events
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foil | Mary Glen-Haig (ENG) | 7 wins | Patricia Woodroffe (NZL) | 6 wins | Catherine Pym (AUS) | 5 wins |
Lawn bowls
Rowing
All events were for men only. The events were held at Lake Karapiro, 160 kilometres (99 mi) south of Auckland. Three special trains took 1500 people to Cambridge on 7 February 1950.[4]
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single sculls | Mervyn Wood (AUS) | 7:46.8 | Tony Rowe (ENG) | 7:54.0 | Ian Stephen (SAF) | 8:04.0 |
| Double sculls | Mervyn Wood and Murray Riley (AUS) | 7:22 | Joe Schneider and Des Simonson (NZL) | 7:32 | Ken Tinegate and Jack Brown (ENG) | 7:39 |
| Coxless pair | Wal Lambert and Jack Webster (AUS) | 7:58 | David Gould and Humphrey Gould (NZL) | 8:10 | none awarded | |
| Coxed four | New Zealand Ted Johnson John O'Brien Bill James Bill Carroll Colin Johnstone | 7:17.2 | Australia Leslie Montgomery Erwin Elder Cecil Winkworth Kenneth Gee Kevin Fox | 7:24.0 | none awarded | |
| Eights | Australia Alan Brown Bruce Goswell Edward Pain Eric Longley James Barnes Peter Holmes a Court Phil Cayzer Bob Tinning Ross Selman | 6:27 | New Zealand Bruce Culpan Donald Adam Don Rowlands Edwin Smith Grahame Jarratt Kerry Ashby Murray Ashby Thomas Engel William Tinnock | 6:27.5 | England Tony Butcher Hank Rushmere Michael Lapage Patrick Bradley Peter de Giles Peter Kirkpatrick Dickie Burnell William Windham Jack Dearlove | 6:40 |
Swimming
Men's events
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 110 yd freestyle | Peter Salmon (CAN) | 1:00.4 | Frank O'Neill (AUS) | 1:00.6 | Pat Kendall (ENG) | 1:01.8 |
| 440 yd freestyle | Garrick Agnew (AUS) | 4:49.4 | Graham Johnston (SAF) | 4:51.3 | Buddy Lucas (NZL) | 5:02.5 |
| 1650 yd freestyle | Graham Johnston (SAF) | 19:55.7 | Jim Portelance (CAN) | 20:08.3 | Buddy Lucas (NZL) | 20:10.1 |
| 110 yd backstroke | Jackie Wiid (SAF) | 1:07.7 | John Brockway (WAL) | 1:08.0 | Bert Kinnear (SCO) | 1:10.8 |
| 220 yd breaststroke | David Hawkins (AUS) | 2:54.1 | Roy Romain (ENG) | 2:54.2 | Ron Sharpe (AUS) | 2:56.0 |
| 4×220 yd freestyle relay | New Zealand Buddy Lucas Lyall Barry Michael Amos Noel Chambers | 9:27.7 | Australia Barrie Kellaway Garrick Agnew Frank O'Neill James Beard | 9:34.5 | England Donald Bland Jack Hale Pat Kendall Ray Legg | 9:36.8 |
| 3×110 yd medley relay | England Jack Hale Pat Kendall Roy Romain | 3:26.6 | Canada Allen Gilchrist Lucien Beaumont Peter Salmon | 3:29.4 | New Zealand John Shanahan Lyall Barry Peter Mathieson | 3:30.1 |
Women's events
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 110 yd freestyle | Marjorie McQuade (AUS) | 1:09.0 | Margaret Wellington (ENG) | 1:09.6 | Joan Harrison (SAF) | 1:10.7 |
| 440 yd freestyle | Joan Harrison (SAF) | 5:26.4 | Margaret Wellington (ENG) | 5:33.7 | Denise Norton (AUS) | 5:33.8 |
| 110 yd backstroke | Judy-Joy Davies (AUS) | 1:18.6 | Jean Stewart (NZL) | 1:19.1 | Helen Yate (ENG) | 1:20.5 |
| 220 yd breaststroke | Elenor Gordon (SCO) | 3:01.7 | Nancy Lyons (AUS) | 3:03.6 | Elizabeth Church (ENG) | 3:10.3 |
| 4×110 yd freestyle relay | Australia Denise Spencer Denise Norton Judy-Joy Davies Marjorie McQuade | 4:44.9 | New Zealand Joan Hastings Kristin Jacobi Norma Bridson Winifred Griffin | 4:48.7 | England Grace Wood Helen Yate Lillian Preece Margaret Wellington | 4:56.0 |
| 3×110 yd medley relay | Australia Judy-Joy Davies Marjorie McQuade Nancy Lyons | 3:53.8 | England Elizabeth Church Helen Yate Margaret Wellington | 3:56.6 | Scotland Elizabeth Turner Elenor Gordon Margaret Girvan | 3:58.9 |
Water polo
Water polo was contested by men's teams only, with New Zealand and Australia the only two teams entered. The matches were played at the Olympic Pool in Newmarket.
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tournament | Australia John Amadee Peter Bennett Bruce Bourke John Bourke Herman Doerner Owen Doerner Ronald Faulds Colin French Kevin Hallett Malcolm Hastie Percy Johnston James McKay Francis Murphy Frank O'Neill | 3 wins | New Zealand Charles Brown Jim Cameron Terry Harris Bob Hatchwell Barrie Hutchinson Tom Logan Edward Raven Jim Walsh Neil Williams Wally Williams | 0 wins | none awarded | |
Weightlifting
All events were for men only.
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bantamweight |  Tho Fook Hung (MAL) | 655 lb | Rosaire Smith (CAN) | 615 lb | Keith Caple (AUS) | 600 lb |
| Featherweight | Koh Eng Tong (MAL) | 685 lb | Julian Creus (ENG) | 670 lb | Barrie Engelbrecht (SAF) | 640 lb |
| Lightweight | Jim Halliday (ENG) | 760 lb | Thong Saw Pak (MAL) | 735 lb | Vern Barberis (AUS) | 730 lb |
| Middleweight | Gerry Gratton (CAN) | 795 lb | Tony George (NZL) | 740 lb | Fred Griffin (AUS) | 720 lb |
| Light Heavyweight | Jim Varaleau (CAN) | 815 lb | Issy Bloomberg (SAF) | 815 lb | Tan Kim Bee (MAL) | 765 lb |
| Heavyweight | Harold Cleghorn (NZL) | 900 lb | Ray Magee (AUS) | 830 lb | none awarded | |
Wrestling
All events were for men only.
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flyweight | Bert Harris (AUS) | 1 win | Eric Matthews (NZL) | 1 loss | none awarded | |
| Bantamweight | Douglas Mudgway (NZL) | 1 win | Jim Chapman (AUS) | 1 loss | none awarded | |
| Featherweight | John Armitt (NZL) | 3 wins | Roland Milord (CAN) | 2 w – 1 l | Arnold Parsons (ENG) | 1 w – 2 l |
| Lightweight | Dick Garrard (AUS) | 3 wins | Morgan Plumb (CAN) | 2 wins | Gordon Hobson (NZL) | 1 win |
| Welterweight | Henry Hudson (CAN) | 3 wins | Jack Little (AUS) | 3 w – 1 l | Martin Jooste (SAF) | 1 win |
| Middleweight | Maurice Vachon (CAN) | 3 wins | Bruce Arthur (AUS) | 3 w – 1 l | Callie Reitz (SAF) | 2 w – 2 l |
| Light heavyweight | Pat Morton (SAF) | 2 wins | Arthur Sneddon (NZL) | 1 win | Tom Trevaskis (AUS) | |
| Heavyweight | Jim Armstrong (AUS) | 3 wins | Pat O'Connor (NZL) | 2 wins | Kenneth Richmond (ENG) | 1 win |
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