FOOTBALL

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21418, 9 March 1935, Page 6

FOOTBALL

—♦ — RUGBY UNION REVIEW OF THE YEAR CONTINUED SUCCESS OF CODE Gratification at the continued success oi' Rugby football in the province is expressed in the fifty-sixth annual. report of the Canterbury Rugby Union, which will be presented, at the annual meeting on Wednesday week at the rooms of the Pioneer Amateur Sports Club. The prospects for the coming season are very bright, according to the report, particularly in view of the visit of the New Zealand team to Great Britain; and in anticipation of this the keen Interest of all players and supporters will no doubt be reflected in local matches.

"Competition matches in the various grades again proved very successful," the report continues, "although unfavourable weather was responsible for more postponements than usual, with a result tnat it was necessary, in order to arrive at finality in some ol the larger grades, for the teams concerned to play competition matches while representative fixtures were being held. Players in such teams were thereby prevented from witnessing all but a small number of interprovincial matches. It is suggested that, in order that the possibility of a recurrence of this nature may be obviated as far as possible next season, minor alterations be made in the method of finalising grades likely to be aflected by an abnormal number of postponements. "With the season's first representative match at Lancaster Park, the Ranfiuiy Shield, which had been successfully defended by Canterbury against 15 previous challenges, was won by the Hawke's Bay team, and as was to be expected, interest in the remaining fixtures was not as great as it would otherwise have been Finance "The year's activities resulted in a loss of £6lO 18s Id. * As mentioned in the last annual report, it was anticipated that, in the event of losing the Ranfurl.y Shield, the union's income would be decreased, and this proved to be the case. Interest in the season's fixtures after the Hawke's Bay match was naturally less than it would Have been had the trophy remained in Canterbury's possession, and in addition it became necessary, in order to provide a continuity of representative matches, to guarantee the expenses of teams from several unions. Altogether an expenditure.of £246 13s fid was incurred in this manner, the amount being constituted as follows: Wairarapa team, £9O; Manawatu team, £B6 13s 8d; Nelson team, £7O. J "Guarantees were also paid to the Canterbury Hockey Association (£100) and the Canterbury Women's Hockey Association (£3O), in connexion with the Australia v. Canterbury match and the iinal of the Dominion women's tournament respectively, these two fixtures being played at Lancaster Park as curtain raisers to our representative matches. "Unfavourable weather also adversely affected our finances. For instance, the Manawatu v. Canterbury match, which was played at the Show Grounds, resulted in a loss of £l3B 17s 7d, a result which would not have occurred had the fixture been held at Lancaster Park in favourable weather. "A subsidy un members' subscriptions was paid to clubs, amounting to £52 3s, but it was not possible to grant any further financial assistance to clubs, as was done in the previous yea)-. Lack of finance also prevented your committee repaying the yearly instalmciit of £2OO on the mortgage held by the New Zealand Rugby Union on Rugby Park. The wisdom of the previous year's committee in repaying the sum of £IOOO off this mortgage is therefore apparent. Competitions "Grade competitions were successfully conducted on similar lines to the 1933 season, the only alteration in the constitution of the grades being that a sixth grade (open) competition was established and the previously existing under 17 years.' grade was abolished. "The practice adopted at the commencement of the season of playing two preliminary rounds in grades below second enabled the regrading of teams requiring it to be carried out before the start of competition matches. This system no doubt contributed to the uniformity in the standard of play experienced in the various grades, one of the under-age grades being the only competition in which the winning team outclassed its opponents by a large majority. "During the second round of the first grade competition, the Sunnyside Club's team, which had for some seasons competed in the second grade, played in the higher competition, the matches being counted as a bye to the opposing teams. Pome difficulty was experienced in grades in which secondary schools' teams played, because defaults by such teams resulted in some of the opposing teams being deprived of matches for several succeeding weeks. It is proposed to establish next season a separate section or grade for secondary schools' teams, together with teams from such clubs as University. "In organised competitions under the union's jurisdiction 252 teams took part, the number being made up as follows:Club competitions .. ~ 99 secondary schools .. .. 66 Primary schools ..' ~ 74 Schoolboys' competition ~ 6 Schools' junior . . .. Albion Club's Success Reference is made to the success of the Albion team in winning the first grade championship for the first time since 1911, particularly as the club will be the holder of the D.C.L. Championship Shield and the Payne Trophy in the' year of its jubilee, which will take place in the coming season. "In accordance with the decision of delegates at the last annual meeting, affirming the principle of broadcasting this union's matches, your committee completed arrangements to permit broadcasting of the 1934 and 2935 seasons' fixtures, at a fee of £125 for last season, and not less than £75 for the ensuing season. Of these amounts the Lancaster Park Board's share is 25 per cent. "During the season a series of lectures to club coaches was held, at which well-known exponents of Rugby delivered addresses on various phases of coaching players. Your committee is of opinion that the continuation of this scheme is desirable, and would tend to improve the general standard of play throughout the various grades." Sincere appreciation is expressed of the help given by members of the St. John Ambulance Brigade and to the union's honorary doctors, while thanks are also accorded to all officials and others who assisted during the last , season. At the meeting Mr A. E. McPhail will rhove and Dr. W. S. Seed will i second: "That Mr S. F. Wilson be elected a life member of the Canterbury Rugby Union"; and Mr V. Craw will move and Mr T. Paterson will second; "That the following rule be added to the sub-union rules: '7a. Applications from sub-unions for matches

against teams from the Canterbury Rugby Union must be in the hands of the secretary of the union not later than the date of the annual sub-union conferencee.' " SELECTION OF ALL BLACKS suggested trials for the SEASON For the picking of an All Black team to tour Great Britain this year, a long series of trial matches has been arranged by the New Zealand Rugby Union. Eleven games have been suggested, the first match being on May 22 between North Island Maoris and South Island Maoris, at Hamilton. From then the matches will be played throughout the Dominion at intervals of a few days, concluding with a New Zealand Possibles v. Probables match at Wellington on June 15, and a Prince of Wales Cup match, for Maoris, four days later. South Island trials are proposed for Dunedin, Nelson, and Christchurch, the last on June 3, and North Island trials for Wanganui, Auckland, Napier, and Palmerston North. New Zealand trials are to be played in Wellington on June 11 and 13. The Maori matches this season, be. side being trials for the New Zealand team to go to Great Britain, will assist the selectors of the New Zealand Maori i team which, it is proposed, should be sent to Australia. The New Zealand Rugby Union proposes that club games should be played on April 27, and May 4, 11, and 18, with the trial games to follow till June 19. The big week will be from June 8 to June 15, when there will be four trials, one at Palmerston North, one at Christchurch, and two at Wellington. Whether the selection committee will be of more than four members has not been announced. In 1924 five selectors were appointed, but there was immediately an outcry, which resulted in the appointment of two more, it being asserted that five men could not cover the country properly. The New Zealand Union had six selectors in 1928 and six acted in 1930, when the British team was in New Zealand. Last year Messrs V. R. Meredith (Auckland), E. Mcjtenzje (Wairarapa), A. A. Adams (West Coast), and W. Pearson (Otago) picked the team which went to Australia, Trial Fixtures The full list of proposed trial games, which is being submitted to affiliated unions, is as follows: Wednesday, May 22—North Maoris v. South Maoris, at Hamilton. Saturday, May 25—Canterbury-Ash-burton-South Canterbury v. North Otago-Otago-Southland, at Dunedin. Wednesday, May 29—Golden BayMot ueka -Nelson -Marlborough v. Buller-West Coast, at Nelson. Saturday, June I—Taranaki-Wanga-nui-Manawatu-Horowhenua v. Wel-lington-Wairarapa, at Wanganui. Monday, June 3—North AucklandAuckland v. Waikato-Thames ValleyKing Country, at Auckland. Wednesday, June s—East Coast-Bay of Plenty-Poverty Bay v. Hawke's BayBush Districts, at Napier. Saturday, June Possibles v, Probables, South Island, at Christchurch. | Tuesday, June 11—Possibles v. Probables, North Island, at Palmerston North. Thursday, June 13—Possibles v. Probables, New Zealand, at Wellington. Saturday, June 15—Possibles v. Probables, New Zealand, at Wellington. Wednesday, June 19—Prince of Wales Cup match.

Programme of Matches The New Zealand team will leave on July 31. The draft programme of games b as follows: September 14 —v. Devon and Cornwall, at Devonport. September 19 —v. Midland Counties, at Coventry. September 21 —v. Yorkshire and Cumberland, in Yorkshire. * September 25—v. Abertillery and Cross Keys, in Wales. September 2fr^—v. Swansea, at Swansea. October 2—v. Gloucestershire and Somerset, in Gloucestershire, October s—v. Lancashire and Cheshire at Birkenhead, October 9—v. Northumberland and Durham, at Gosforth. October 12—Match in Scotland. October 16—Match in Scotland (?). October 19—v. Combined Services, in London. October 22—v. Llanelly, in Wales. October 26—v. Cardiff, at Cardiff. October 31—v. Newport, at Newport. November 2 —v. London Counties, at Twickenham. November 7 —Oxford University, at Oxford. November 9—v. Hampshire and Sussex. in Hampshire. November 14—v. Cambridge University, at Cambridge. November 16—v. Leicestershire and East Midlands, at Leicester November 20—Free. November 23—v. Scotland, at Edinburgh. November 27—Match in Scotland. November 3U—v. Ulster, at Belfast. December 4—Free. December 7—v. Ireland, at Dublin. December 11—Match in Wales. December 14—v. Neath and Aberavon, in Wales. December 18—Free. December 21—v. Wales. December 26—v. London Counties, at Twickenham. December 28—Free. January 4—v. England, at Twickenham. WEST CHRISTCHURCH OLD BOYS Another successful year is reviewed in the eleventh annual report of the West Christchurch District High School Old Boys' Football Club, to be presented to the annual meeting at the school on Tuesday. The financial position of the club, states the report, is quite satisfactory, although the generous grants made by the Canterbury Rugby Union in the two previous seasons could not be made this year. At the commencement of the season six teams were entered in the Canterbury Rugby Union's competitions, playing in third grade, fourth grade, fifth grade, sixth grade, under 16, and under 16 (9st) grade. The first team m the third grade B section, coached by Mr C. R. Riordan. completed the season undefeated, winning the third grade championship. The fifth grade team also won its section, and the grade chamnionship, while the fourth grade team did very well, and finished fourth in its section. The under 16 grade team was runner-up in its grade, and put up an excellent performance throughout the season. The under 16 (9st) team acquitted itself very creditably, and displayed a keenness highly commendable in the club's youngest players, The attendance at night training, the report says, was not all that could be desired, the younger members, although not so high in their grades, showing far more keenness than the older members. Third grade representative honours were gained during the year by F. Porteous, S. Cordner, am.: R. Lake. Thanks are expressed to the coaches for the season: Messrs C. R. Riordan (third grade), E. K. Phillips (fourth grade), E. Pearce (sixth grade). W. W. Brough (under 16 grade), and H. Iv (under 16, 9st, grade), and to Mr V. Thwaites, who coached the