Bay Of Plenty Maori League Team To Meet Waikato At Ruatoki

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 15, Issue 52, 2 June 1950, Page 5

Bay Of Plenty Maori League Team To Meet Waikato At Ruatoki

A Bay of Plenty representative Maori Rugby League team will meet Waikato Maoris at Ruatoki on Monday for the Waitangi Shield. The shield is for annual competition between all teams representing. Maori League centres throughout the Dominion. Advice has been received from Mr W. Eketone, personal secretary to Princess Te Puea that visitors numbering 70, including two representative teams, are to arrive on Sunday. The first match, a curtain raiser, will commence at 1.30 p.m. The main game starts at 2.45 p.m. During Monday evening a social will be held in the Anzac Hall, Ruatoki. The feature of the evening will be a wide Maori musical programme by the visitors and local artists.

The management committee has completed all arrangements for the catering of this big gathering. The Bay teams have been training under the supervision of Mr Albert Asher, known better as Opai Asher, of Auckland. Mr Asher is a well known figure of both Rugby and League. He represented New Zealand in Rugby against Australia and England in 1903 to 1905. In 1907 be changed to League, playing for an Auckland team. The next year he toured Australia with a Maori League team, which was undefeated, bringing home a trophy for that year. The Bay teams should benefit from Mr Asher’s coaching.