Water Polo Teams' Championship Shield
South Australian Maritime Museum
Port Adelaide, Australia
This Water Polo Teams’ Championship shield is an example of the contribution of local companies in the sporting and social life of South Australia.
Behind Great Britain, Australia was the second nation in the world to play the game of water polo. The first known Australian match occurred at St. Kilda Baths, Melbourne on the 3rd March 1879 and was demonstrated by Professor Fred Cavill, who had only just emigrated from England. Australian men's teams have competed at every Olympic Games Water Polo Tournament since 1948, excepting 1968 and 1996.
This shield is made of a wooden back with a silver shield in the centre. Fourteen smaller shields listing annual winners are also attached to the wooden back. The central shield is engraved: “B.T.M. Sports & Social Club Inc. for Annual Competition Water Polo Teams Championship”.
- Title: Water Polo Teams' Championship Shield
- Provenance: This water polo teams’ shield was sponsored by British Tube Mills (BTM), which was absorbed into Tubemakers of Australia Ltd in 1946. The company purchased a 40 acre site at Kilburn, Adelaide in the late 1930s and production of tubes for aircraft guns and warships' boilers began within days of the outbreak of the Second World War.
- Subject Keywords: Sport
- Rights: History Trust of South Australia, CC-0, photographer: Rachel Harris, Bit Scribbly Design
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