A few outstanding years - Adelaide Vytis Soccer Team

From left kneeling, J. Songaila, V. Sinusas, V. Lazauskas, B. Langevicius.
Standing: J. Lelys, M. Ciplys, A. Kitas, A. Petruska, V. Martusevicius, S. Sidabras

The formation of a Soccer team was initiated by Eddie Taparauskas and Jonas Abromas.  The first team captain was Anatolius Kitas with outstanding players such as Jonas Sadauskas, Alexandras Sabaliauskas, Aleksas Merunas, Vincas Pledzinsksas and Juozas Čizauskas.   The team increased with players Bronius Langevičius, Stasys Darginavičius, Jonas Baškus, and Vladas Sneideris and Robertas Sidabras. 

In March 1952 Vytis Soccer team became officially registered with the South Australian Soccer Association.   The uniform was a yellow top and green shorts, with a red Vytis embroided onto the pocket.

Initially Vytis was allocated to the third division.  In one match in 1952, against ETSA team they won with a record 14-0 result.  Vytis finished the season in third position.  Vytis was placed in second division which they won.  Vytis was invited to pay in the summer season where games were held in the evenings under electric lights at Norwood Stadium.  They reached the finals which was played against Budapest, losing 1-2.

A new committee was formed in 1953, Anatolius Kitas as Presidenet, Edmondas Daniškevičius as vice-president, Edie Taparauskas, Juozas Kleinauskas and Otas Ungurys. 
For the 1954 season, Vytis was placed in the top division.  Vytis now had two teams were playing.  In that year a Baltic soccer competition was established with Latvian teams from Adelaide and Melbourne.  It was held on July 8th, weekend with Vytis wining.  

About this time some members chose to move onto other clubs.  Eduardas Virba went to Juventus and played as their centre, Robertas Sidabras transferred to Enfield.  Due to a shortage of players, trainer Edmondas Daniškevičius, not having competed for 14 years dressed in the Vytis uniform. Vytis ended that year in fifth position. 

In 1955 the South Australia soccer league became a semi professional sport and players were being brought in from overseas.  The best players were recruited to other teams.  Vytis did not have enough younger players coming up through the ranks and sank to seventh position that year. 

After a few outstanding years, the soccer team folded.  Kitas went on to play with a centre for Juventus and only Edis Virba (Virbickas) had a career as a soccer player for Juventus.

The reserve team consisted of  A. Afanijasevas, Algimantas Rusinas, Edie Taparauskas L. Jaciunskis, Algimantas Ignatavičius, Robertas Ramonaitis, V. Motuzas, Leonardas Žierdavičius. 

Adelaide Soccer Star, Tony Kitas

The name Kitas is a war cry for Vytis soccer team.  Anatolius Kitas  became a centre forward soccer player for Adelaide Vytis Sports Club.  Born on 27 March 1927, arrived in Melbourne on 18 August 1950.  He worked by day as a porter with the SA Railways.  He excelled at soccer but was also a first class basketballer and table tennis player.  In the DP camps of Germany he played soccer for Lithuanian in international games against several European countries.  For a short time he was a German professional soccer team.

He was fast, had perfect dribbling skills and could be all over the oval. He kicks goals from either foot and any angle.  During 1953, in 15 league matches he scored 65 goals, in one game scored 10 gaols.

From 1952 to 1957, Kitas was chosen to be part of the South Australian Soccer team, and an Australian XI which the team which included six new Australians.

In 1954, he scored more goals than any other player in the summer series.  When the Vytis soccer teams folded, Kitas joined Adelaide’s Polonia team, first as a plyer and then as a coach.

He  passed away in 1989 aged 62.

 

 

Adelaide Vytis Soccer team, 1950's. A. Kitas is standing second from left

SA Basketball part II

Most of the Vytis players have known each other since 1947, when they played in Wuerzburg, Germany.

Stasys (Stan) Urnevicius, the captain (who at 31 is the oldest of the team), learned basketball in Lithuania in his early teens, played in his college team, later for the Vilnius University and finally in the renowned LFLS team.

In Germany he lived in Wuerzburg, where Kestas Jaciunskis (born 1926) was captain of the junior team.  Virgilius Gurskis (now 21) was also there, but just learning to play.  Later Algimantas (Algis) Ignatavicius (now 20), from Schweinfurt, joined the juniors.

In Adelaide those four, although having arrived at different times. Met each other again and formed a team. By 1951 they had been joined by Nikolaj (Nick) Brovcenko (22), Vitas Merunas (30), Edvardas Kurauskas (32), Anatolijus Kitas (25) and Eugenius Pyragius (20).

The first five are; Urnevicius (right forward), Ignatavicius (centre), Jaciunskas (Left forward), Gurksis (left guard), Brovcenko (right guard).

Urnevicius (5ft 10in) is the brain of the team.  He has the onerous job of being playing coach.  He commands remarkable respect, not only form his own boys, but also from players of other clubs.

What he says goes.  His court craft is excellent.  He knows all the tricks of the trade and also how to keep the team together; when to take time outs and when to decide on fresh tactics.

His medium distance one handed shots from the shoulder are deadly.  Yet he feels that are is gradually catching up with him and that he has no more than one or two competitive seasons left.  Then he will switch to coaching alone.

Ignatavicius (5ft 10in) is the youngest and most admirable player.  His improvement has been unbelievably rapid.  In 1947 he could hardly get a place in a junior team.  In 1950 he was chosen in the all Australian team.  He plays a very elegant, fast game, dealing out quick passes and shooting goals effortlessly form anywhere over the centre line.

He seldom touches an opponent.  Most of the time he is on the move, having developed a dislike of congested places on court. However, when the going gets real close, he can fight like a tiger at the basket and he can leap high to snatch rebounds from opponents much taller than himself. 

In 1950 he was the most successful goal sneak in the association and second best in 1951.  Shortly after the 1951 season ended, Algis left for Melbourne to play with a Lithuanian team. However, it seems that he has not found things entirely to his liking there, and will be back in Adelaide before the 1952 season is over.  Just as well, otherwise his team might find it difficult to get a substitute for the vacant centre forward post.

Jaciunskas (5ft 10 in) is the team ‘tank’ but a mighty fast one.  His stamina is seemingly inexhaustible.  At the final bell he will going just as strongly as during the first minute.  His control of the ball is enviable, his fighting spirit unquenchable.

He is always where the ball is, following it in the roughest tumble.  He is an excellent medium distance goal shooter and from underneath the basket will score with his eyes closed.  His fighting heart sometimes earns penalty shots against him, but that is his only blemish.

Gurskis (6ft) is one of the staunchest and stablest SA guards.  He is Vytis vice-captain and it is amazing that at his age he should display such coolness, anticipation and presence of mind in the firmest battle.  He knows exactly where to expect a rebound form his own board and once he has put his fingers on to the leather he will never let go.  It just sticks to him.

Most feared are his accurate long distance shots, which often force a defending team to send a man forward just to prevent Gurskis from making what would be ‘pot shot’ for most players but is a  2 to 1 on certainty for Gurskis.

Brovcenko, at 6ft 1 in, the tallest man in the team, has also developed remarkably.  In 1949 he provided the spectators with tons of fun because of a little cap he wore which would inevitably fall off during a scramble.

Within 12 months he had turned into a fully fledged guard, strongly supporting Gurskis and shattering the early conception that Vytis was playing a ‘four men’s game’.

The solid veteran Kurauskas, the tall agile former Western Australian Merunas, the fast footballer Kitas, the quick witted, technically flawless Pyragius, constitute Vytis first reserve who may soon gain a permanent place if Urnevicius retires or studies compel Brovcenko to withdraw.

But when they move up, others will take place of first reserves as Vytis has a second team and many youngsters keen to improve.