RUATOKI JOINS LOCAL RUGBY UNION AGAIN

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 15, Issue 23, 19 April 1950, Page 5

RUATOKI JOINS LOCAL RUGBY UNION AGAIN

After a break of some years, during which time 1 the district played Rukby League, Ruatoki has now applied for entry to the Whaxatane Rugby Sub-Union and has nominated one senior team with the probability of a junior and third grade teams. This was made at the annual meeting of the union on Monday night. However, it was expected that some of the players will have to be reinstated before they will be able to play Rugby. Ruatoki’s home ground will be at Taneatua.

Altogether six teams were nominated for both the senior and junior competitions. Those in the senior are: Wairaka, United, Paroa, Poroporo, Taneatua - and Ruatoki. The same clubs, with the exception of Ruatoki, have nominated teams for the junior competition with an additional one from Whakatane High School. So far only two teams, both from the High School, have been nominated for the third grade. v The Union is particularly anxious to get this grade going properly and has appealed to all clubs to try and enter teams. It was felt that strong third and junior grades would be a healthy outlook for the future. Officers elected:—

Patron, Mr W. R. Boon; vice-pat-ron, Hon W. Sullivan, M.P.; president, Mr S. McLeod; secretarytreasurer, Mr R. Murphy; hon. surgeons, Drs G. H. Maaka, E. G. Hefford, A. W. Fletcher Cole, F. Appleby, E. T. Dawson, R. Akel; hon. auditor, Mr T. Tomlinson; hon. solicitor, Mr L. Buddie; committee, Messrs Gardiner and Stewart (Taneatua), W. Kopae and R. Kingi (Paroa), C. Hudson and P. Bryers (United), C. and K. Hollis (Wairaka), Rev W. Rangi and Mr McGarvey (Ruatoki), Messrs V. Butler and Craig (High School), Oliver (Primary School), B. Norman (Referees’ Association).

Rugby Starting This Month

Rugby for all grades is to start in the Whakatane Union on\ April 28. This was decided at the annual meeting of the Sub-Union on Monday night. A report was received of extensive work that f has been done on the football field at Taneatua where the ground has been improved by working bees. The bank is being terraced while 65 feet goal posts now grace either end of the field.