FOOTBALL

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4563, 14 May 1923, Page 4

FOOTBALL

PLAINS RUGBY UNION MEETING OF COMMITTEE. A meeting of the Hauraki Plains Rugby Union was held at Ngatea on Thursday evening. Present: Mr JCostello, president, and D. Vincent, secretary (Nga.tea), G. Gray and G. Porteous (Turua), J. H. Nicholson and w. Thompson (Kerepeehi), and N. Wallis and G. Dalzell (Patetonga). SELECTORS. The Thames Valley Rugby Union wrote advising that Messrs R. Sprague, J. Barrett, and W. Paul had been appointed selectors for the Thames Valley Rugby Union, and asked that they be given every facility to review matches. SCHOOL GRANT. A letter was received from th 3 Thames Valley Rugby Union enclosing cheque for £2 17& Bd, being school grant for season 1922 from the New Zealand Rugby Union. After a little discussion the matte. - of disposing of the money, was deferred until next meeting. STATE OF PLAYING FIELDS. A remit from the Ngatea Club drew attention to the state -of some of the playing fields. Mr Vincent said that all clubs should get their fields cleared and levelled, as at present they were dangerous. Delegates stated that the matter would be attended to. OUTSIDE MATCHES. It'was decided, .on the 'motion of Mr Wallis, seconded by Mr Porteous, that any club could play a match with an outside club on its bye. The Union would not require any of the gate money. The secretary was instructed to ascertain on what conditions an Auckland team could be brought to the Plains. CONDUCT ON THE GROUND. , The action of the referee in the Kerepeehi-Ngatea match in ordering a player off the field for striking another player was applied. It was decided that the player should be severely cautioned. The Referees’ Association complained of encroachment on the ground, and it was pointed out that the referee had power to award a try against the home team if spectators encroached on the playing field. REFEREES. The secretary reported that up to the present the only referees available were from Ngatea and Waitakaruru. It...was very necessary to have referees from the othert centres, so that the services of an outside man would be available. Delegates expressed the opinion that their clubs were very satisfied with the refereeing to date, as it was very much better than years. This was undoubtedly due to the formation of the Referees’ Association, which body held weekly meetings to discuss rules, etc., so that a uniform interpretation could be decided upon. It was stated that the services of Mr J. Kidd, of Kerepeehi, and Mr D G. McMillan, of Turua, were available for refereeing. CLEARANCES, i W. Whitten was granted a clearance to tlie- Piako Union and C. Ellis to the Paeroa Union.