STRONGER LOWER GRAUE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 57, 23 March 1937, Page 4

STRONGER LOWER GRAUE

■ ■ ■■■>" * Hastings Rugby Sub-Union to Make Special Eifort The need for encouraging and strengthening the lower gradgs was emphasised by sevei'ai speakers at the meeting o£ delegates to the Hastings itugby Football Sub-Union last evening. Th© chairman, Mr G. A. Maddison, was definitely of the opinion that . some special eifort should b© made to - bring about a desired improvement in th© position and said that h© considered that the town should have more teams than it had at preBent. The matter was raised by Mr , L Andrews, representing the Hastings . H.S.O.B. club, who said that there w&s . . a very serious shortage of players ixx • . the lower grades last year and a - ber of defaults. His club was of the. '* opinion that the sub-union shOlild writ© to the clubs urging them to do •everything possihl© to field third and ' 4 fourth-grade teams, and that in the •event of any club or clubs meeting with difficulties in this regard, then the services and help of the sub-union should ^ b© offered. C The chairman suggested that the sub-union might sefc up a special subcommittee to go fully into the matter of encouraging the young players. "Personally, I thin'k that Hastings should be able to run more teams than it , does," he said. "Th© population in- • crease of Hastings, aceording to the last census, was greater, with just one exception, than in any other town in New Zealand, but the football population. has not increased. "If your football is to succeed it can only be done by strengthening the lower grades," he declared. A motion along the line of the sUggestiou of Mr Andrews was adopted*