PAEROA RUGBY UNION.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXV, Issue 4731, 30 July 1924, Page 2

PAEROA RUGBY UNION.

(To the Edltorj. Sir,—Further to my letter of the I.sth nist., and in answer to “Nether-, ton Supporter” in your issue of the 28th, will you be good enough to allow space to reply. The writer of the la‘ter date can get it right out of his head that I am an East supporter. 1 am not, and never have been—not even last Saturday, though I was present and saw the best team'win. To "Netherton Supporter”: You admit that the Union did on th.fa occasion show consideration towards your club. If, as you say, the Union had intende.l to postpone the match, why was con-' sideration not shown to the other clubs ? At nine o’clock on Friday evening last East had not gpt a team, being at that time short of both a back and a forward, .whose places were eventually filled with credit by juniors. I am well aware that your club was willing to play the match at Paeroa at 2.30 p.m. as you state. The Union should note thfa offer. If this could have been done, why, then, is it that at all other times for the past few seasons the senior players never took the ground until well after 3 o’clock, and at times as late as 3.30. In this one point I do not mean your club alone ; the home clubs are equally as bad. Your above offer should cause the Union to take a firmer stand as regards the time of starting. Also, the Union should attend to the matte, of the colours worn by players —odd and confusing in some, cases and conspicuous in others. Again, if, as you state, your club would have met trouble in getting a team together at a later date than last Sat-' urday, can you explain how your club would be able to take part in the “knock-out round,” suggested by one of vour delegates after the match last Saturday? 1 take it that the proposer will present the banner for the stmge.ded round, and cannot isee him doing so if Netherton cannot take part. Admit'ing that your collector has an unthankful job, he must know that the attendance last Saturday, and also at the last West-Netherton match, if all had paid their “bob” the finances of the Union would have been in a better state. He cannot foice anyone to pay. but can you call those who offer Imaller amounts sports? This know is correct, as I heard it said last Saturday by your collector. I do not wk-h to reflect on that gentleman’s character, he does his best, and prob-, ably nobody else would take on his job That a better gate would have been taken had last Saturday’s match been played at Paeroa is unquestioned, more especially as such practically decided the = final winner .of the competition. I would also like to state that certain remarks On the line la*t Saturday in reference to the referee were quite uncalled for, and some came from prominent supporters of the game. If your club did not feel satiisfied with him, he may have stood down as there was another referee on the g-ound. However, as the match was played I must say that the referee let certain incidents pass which looked very ugly, and to my mind called for more than a caution, and in this connection nobody could say that either side did not receive fair tieatment. WEST SUPPORTER.