Eastward Ho!

The football championship of Egypt was at stake.

Drombrowski shot through a quick opening at right tackle, sped 30 yards to the R.A.F. 15. Two tacklers waited for him. Drombrowski lateraled to Harbert, blocked the astonished Britons, watched his teammate score again. Twelve times such razzle-dazzle plays clicked for touchdowns. Final score at Cairo's Gezira Club: U.S. Army "Rebels," 79; R.A.F., 0.

Despite this drubbing, last week's football game was an indication of how U.S. sports have swept Allied troops in the Middle East. A year ago, football seemed an undisciplined roughhouse to rugby-bred Britons. Baseball seemed dull to cricket-loving Allies. Now the Middle East has its own international leagues in both sports.

Americans made no attempt to sell their sports (though Britons futilely promoted rugby and cricket). When Army teams played exhibition baseball games, Allies yawned at first. The Americans kept playing. Soon even British troops were borrowing equipment. Now the Middle East softball league includes British, South African, Canadian, New Zealand, Australian and U.S. teams.

The sport's fame has spread to other theaters. The R.A.F. sent an officer from Italy to Cairo to borrow equipment. South African girls stationed in Cairo talked U.S. Sergeant Walter Dzilinski into coaching them, challenged U.S. nurses at softball, licked them 7-3. (The nurses promptly blacklisted Dzilinski, demanded two return games, won both.) The Army's sports program in the Middle East ranges from ping-pong (in place of tennis) to basketball. Many camps have lighted, wooden courts. Boxing is one of the most popular sports. Licked last year by the British, U.S. boxers are now training for a return match next month, expect to fight before 30,000 at the El Alamein Sporting Club.

As at home, football is the fall sport. The eight-team Pyramid League drew more than 100.000 spectators. League leaders were the undefeated Rebels, composed mainly of former Texas college stars, who trounced the R.A.F. last week At first, the R.A.F. thought footbalL was a sissy game. Pointing to padless rugby, they laughed at shoulder and hip pads offered by the Rebels. After the first practices, half the squad admitted their misjudgment, accepted the Rebels' offer. The other half was in the hospital.

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