At End of Season

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 164, 29 July 1937, Page 4

At End of Season

UNFINISHED RUGBY SERIES Matches to Coniinue as Scheduled UNION'S DECISI0N Unplayed games of tlxe sixth series of the Hastings-Napier senior Rugby championship are to be played at the end of the season if they are still found to have a bearing On the championship, according to a decision reaehed by the management committee of the Hawke's Bay Rugby Union last evemng. Next Saturday the seventh series will be played, and the remainder of the second round will be played in the original order. The difficulty arose on July 17, when the senior games of the sixth rcund were played in Napier but not in Hastxngs, leaving the important TechnicalM.A.C. matclx and that between Hastings and Celtic unplayed. Sinee then the matter had been fully discussed by both the Hastings Rugby SubUnion and the Hawke's Bay Rugby Union. A meeting in Hastings on Tuesday evening between members "of the respective fixtures committees resulted in a deadlock, and the union was forced to make a decision last xxight. The fixtures committee of the union reported a. meeting with the Hastings fixtures committee at which it was decided that the sixth series should be played next Saturday and the seventh on the next Saturday for club matches. A suggestion to carry on in the meantime and .play the balance of the unplayed games at the end of the season was not favoured by Hastings. After the report had* been made to the union last xxight, however, Mr J. VV. Callaghan moved that the seventh series should be played on Saturday. He consxdered tbat although there had been a, disagreement on ihe matter there were more people to be considered than Hastings. Hard on Teams To play the finai on September 4 meant that it would be hard on the teams concerned to play what would probably be the deciding game after standing down for several weeks because of representative fixtures. It was unfortunate that the disagreement had broken up the play, he said, but this could not be helped. "The sooner we get away from the differences between tbe two uxxions and the difficulty of one combined body having to deoide what the other will not decide to do, the better," he ccntinued. "We are here representing both Hastings and Napier, and if we arfe not competent to decide it will be the end of footbali in, the district.''' Mr L. E. Harris : We are running the competition and we should take the bull by the horns and decide. Mr N. A. McKenzie: The logical thing to do is to play the seventh series, It would be unfortunate for Hastings to lose the Technacal-M.A.C. gamq, but we have to decide the wincers of the competition. At Full Strength. Mr A. D. Lynch: It would be more satisfactoiy for the teams to meet at full strength. If the game is to be. played later, both will have men playing in the representative side, and that would not be a fair test. It is just unfortunate that we are running into a nxass of representative fixtures. Mr A. Kirkpatrick: The meeting last night was between the fixtures committees of Napier and Hastings, at which a. decision was to be arrived at. As a result of that, do the Hastings membera understand tbat any games ar© to be played other than are suggested in the motionS Mr E. A. Young: Their decision was tc play the games now, but the fixtures committee knows that this union has the Jinal say. I think their minds were made up. Mr Kirkpatrick: It is a ridiculous thing that six men could meet and that they could not do anything. Mr McKenzie: It iis not fair to M.A.C. if some of the games do not taka place. They have gone through the competition with the idea of winning, and at the end it will be hard for them to find a team. The motion was carried, and the unplayed games are io be played at the end of the competition if it is found that they have a bearing on the cham,pionship.