SECONDARY SCHOOLS RUGBY

Evening Star, Issue 21747, 15 June 1934, Page 4

SECONDARY SCHOOLS RUGBY

DISAGREEMENT OH POLICY QUESTION HO TOURNAMENT THIS YEAR [Pkb Unitkd Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, June 14. Because of a disagreement on a policy uuestion among the authorities controlling the games there will be no South Island secondary schools’ Rugby football tournament this season. The school authorities have come to a deadlock in a long controversy about the inclusion of terms students in the Southland Boys’ High School and Timaru Boys’ High School teams. As a consequence the tournament has been dropped for the first season for nearly twenty years. The four schools which have competed annually in the tournament since /SIU are the Christchurch Boys’ High School, the Otago Boys’ High School, and the schools at Timaru and Invercargill. Matches have been played each year at one of the four home centres, and have always been looked on as among the outstanding school football events of the year in the South Island. The last tournament was held last year in Christchurch, and this season would have, been played at Invercargill. Definite advice of the decision to abandon the games was received by the liead master of the Christchurch Boys’ High School (Mr G. J. Lancaster) yesterday. Mr Lancaster said that the decision had been made because those handling the tournament had reached a deadlock over the question of allowing terms students to play in the fifteens participating. The Timaru and Invercargill authorities claimed the right to include university students attending their schools in the teams on the grounds that those students were recognised as senior free place pupils by the Education Department. Those boys were attending the two schools mentioned and studying for university examinations in. Dunedin and Christchurch. The schools which took part in the tournament were unable to admit such students to their classes, for in each of the cities there were university colleges. The proposal to play the. terms students had been objected to by the Christchurch Boys’ School and the Otago Boys’ High School ever since it was made three or four years ago at a conference of head masters, which was held at the time of the tournaments. The subject had been discussed at several conferences since, and had been very well considered. Now the proposal had attained the proportion of an ultimatum that if Otago and Christchurch did not allow terms boys to be played there would be no tournainent. The proposal was a definite innovation, and the schools opposing it took the attitude that any innovation in the rules should have the approval of the four schools. They regarded the boys affected as university students, and not as secondary school students, and, therefore, as not eligible for the games. “ The'position now is that .Southland and Timaru seem adamant in their attitude, while the Christchurch Boys’ High. School and Otago are also unanimous in their view,” said Mr Lancaster. “ The decision is certainly final for this season at least. Ido not think that it is likely that there will be any further negotiations this year.”