ROSS SHIELD

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19988, 13 July 1939, Page 11

ROSS SHIELD

WAIROA AS VENUE SCHOOLS’ RUGBY TOURNEY BILLETS FOR 80 ROYS (Special to tho Herald.) WAIROA. this day. The Rugby competition this year for the Ross Shield, which is competed for annually by the primary schools of Hawke’s Bay, is to be held in Wairoa during the first week ol :he schools’ second term holidays, commencing on the Tuesday and finishing on the Thursday. This is the first occasion in which the tournament has been held- in Wairoa, and there is no doubt that it will do much towards increasing interest and improving the standard of footba'il among the schoolboys of this district. The standard of football seen in this tournament is usually very high and as a rule all the games are keenly contested. The shield at present is held by Hastings, which won it from Wairoa in a thrilling final in 1937 in which Wairoa was beaten by three points to nil. These were the only points Wairoa had scored against it in that tournament. Last year there was no tournament for the Shield because of the measles epidemic. Wairoa won the Shield, at the 1930 tournament, going right through without a loss, and this year the Wairoa boys are anxious to repeat that performance. For the coming .tournament five teams will be competing, Dannev.irke, Central Hawke’s Bay, Hastings, Napier and Wairoa. It is anticipated that in the vicinity of 80 boys will come to Wairoa for the occasion. The task of providing accommodation for all the boys presents a problem, and it depends on whether or not sufficient accommodation can be obtained if the tournament is to be held in Wairoa. It is to be hoped tho residents of the district will agree to assist by billeting the players.