OUT IN THE OPEN

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 31 July 1929, Page 6

OUT IN THE OPEN

GENERAL RUGBY FOOTBALL UNION'S GRANT TO COLLEGE FOP. COLLEGIATE TOURNAMENT At Monday night's meeting of the Nelson Rugby Union, a letter was received from the College Club asking for a grant from the Union towards the travelling expenses of the College team to the Collegiate tournament. Mr Searle, who evidently expected a hard fight to get such a grant, had all the points in favour marshalled. He paid it was the main: work of the Union fo encourage football, and the place to do it- was in the schools. He pointed out that the Union did little for school football. Footballs were given to the schools but the New Zealand Union made a grant for that purpose. Three hundred College boys paying at each Shield match produced £6O. Mr Searle. brought forward instances of other Unions helping schools when travelling. Another point was that College supplied a ground. He concluded by reminding members that it was their College—the people's. A grant from the Union would be helping something which was their own.

Mr F. Hare moved that the boat fares be paid. Mr H. Blincoe seconded the motion, pro forma, and spoke against it. He agreed that all possible should be done for school football. He said that the N.Z. Union had granted £2O this year, but the Nelson Union had spent £SO on school football. He mentioned that of the £6O collected from College boys at Shield games £3O. went to the visiting teams and £7 to the Council. Mr.G. P. Russell drew attention to the precedent it would be creating. Mr Searle: "And a good one too."Mr'R. Fowler related what the College did in the way of .producing the right kind of footballer. He contended that-it helped to put Nelson on the map if the College team put up a good showing at the tournament. Mr Brough moved that a grant of £ls be made. Mr Russell seconded the motion. He considered £ls a good donation. Mr- H. Silcock said he. would : rather see a College tournament than the All Black v. British team test next year. There was no finer football in the world than school football. Mr D. Fowler considered money should be spent on football, and not left showing in' a credit balance. Messrs Brough and Russell withdrew their motion in favour of an amendment moved bv Messrs u. Merrett and H. Hogg that College be granted £2O. The amendment was carried.

Nelson Players. In the Seddon Shield match with West Coast on Saturday Boyce gave a very finished display at full back. He fielded the ball confidently and kicked well. He had no tackling to do, but he is recognised as safe inHhis respect. . Snodgrass had weak opposition, but . nevertheless he showed splendid form. At times he fended well and used his hips to bump off players going down to tackle him. He scored. 11 points for Nelson. Weill proved a success. He got thfough a useful day's play, but could make even more use of hfe tackle than he did on Saturday. White ran well but had few chances compared with Snodgrass. On defence he was unbeatable. R. Fowler made some brilliant runs in the first spell, opening the play very nicely for the other backs. His dash from which Nelson scored its fh*st try was outstanding. However, towards the end of the game he lagged, probably through injury. Noble-Adams was patchy. On. several occasions'he mulled the ball, which is very unusual for him. However, he can play brilliantly, and his lapse was probably on account of an attack- of influenza during the week. As a connecting link in the five-eighths he was very smart. F. Fowler opened the play whenever i the opportunity offered and did not show his usual tendency of going on his own /too much. In'the second spell liis play f Was Very limited owing to lack of the ball from the scrum. Young played a useful roving game, but his method of putting the ball into the scrum could stand criticism. On Saturday he appeared to Tie too . far awav from the scrum. The weakest part of the Nelson-team was the hooking. Everett and Taylor were generally useful, and in the first spell hooked -.easohably well, but in the second halt they were useless. It is quite evident that the selectors will have to look for better front row men. Probably the best pair to be found are W. Snow and Walsh. The best two forwards, although each one had In-avy work to do, and did it well, were H. and W. Snow. It is a long v time since the Nelson representatives Lave had a pair who could break away and get the opposing half and five-eighths without letting the scrum suffer. W. Snow's tackling was outstanding all clay. Murphy nad a big pile of penalties up siga'.nst finis for h.ls.gMig on to the ball in the ruck. H-? should have learnt a less-xi after Hie first one of two. Weak Front Rank. On Saturday the Nelson hookers were of no account in getting the ball from the scrums in the second spell. The Nelson forwards, on Saturday's play, would not be good enough to withstand Marlborough. However by next game (with Duller) the selectors will have time to look round and re-sort the material offering, and an improvement should be effected. A scrum composed of the following should give Buller a hard row to hoe: — Front' rank, W. Snow, Walsh; middle row, E. Snow, Murphy, Max; back row, Sutton, H. Snow. Monday's Seven-asides. At Monday night's meeting of the Rugby Union, arrangements were made for the "Spud Monday" senior and junior seven asides next Monday. Entries will be taken up till to-morrow night to allow a draw to be made before the week end. Notable Absence. A well-known figure at Trafalgar Park in the Rugby season, is W. Reed senr. who for years has acted as line umpire for Club and Representative fixtures. The snowy head and navy jersey were missing on Saturday when Coast played for the Shield. Mr Reed is confined to his bed by an. attack of pleurisy. All Rugbyites will wish liiin a speedy recovery He took the Liberty. - With an official bearing and flourishing a ticket which he claimed would "admit, him to any football ground in the Dominion," he passed three friends into the "official" enclosure at Trafalgar Park on Saturday, then informed a Rugby Union official that he had taken the liberty of seating his friends in the roped off portion. .\'ot wishing to cause

u scene (he official allowed the "friends" to remain. He was an ex-official of the local Union and evidently thought he retained his power. However, as a re suit, four emergencies had hi sit mi the asphalt, in front of the stand during Lho match. There were other cases of prominent city men, and families, taking their places, in the enclosure- without- nrodu'eing Mio' "red' 'f-Tcket, the official* of the Union being reticent in ordering tjiem out. When' the emergencies and team managers reached the enclosure at starling time there were no seats available and so they had to sit on the asphalt. : The'matter was discussed at Monday's meeting of the Rugby Union and stricter measures are to be taken in the future. By the time official visitors from other Unions, local management committee members, the curtain, raiser teams and the representative, emergencies take their seats in the enclosure, there are very few of the 100 "official" seals left. Seddon Shield Dinners. At next week's meeting of the Nelson Rugby Union "Seddon Shield Dinners" will again be the subject for debate. Mr H. Brough (Referees' representative), who is the manager of Hie Nelson Seddon Shield team gave notice of motion at this week's meeting to move that in the future the Union 'entertain visiting Shield teams at dinner. * -The Management. Committee has spent a lot of time this year on. the same, subject and decided to discontinue dinners as a form of entertainment. Evidently Mr Brough is of the opinion that the players of the respective teams have no chance of meeting and smoothing any little differences they might have made on the field. However, it looks as if some more arguments for and against dinners will come to light next Monday evening.