FOOTBALL.

Otaki Mail, 1 June 1923, Page 4

FOOTBALL.

THE MAORI MATCH ON SATURDAY The match to be played on Saturday next, June 2, between teams selected from the Northern and Southern districts is creating widespread interest. The “Te Mori" (Mrs. M. A. Perry) Rose. Bowl, presented for competition -between Maori teams, has for its object to bring before the public of New Zealand the most prominent players of the Maori race. The Napier public is fortunate that the venue for the first match for the trophy has been fixed there. The players selected are nil prominent Rugby exponents In their respective districts, and as the team to be selected to tour Australia is t o be chosen after the match, a brilliant exposition of Rugby football is assured. Mr. Tom 11. I’arnta, who refereed in th« memorable match, Springboks v. Hawke’s Bay- and Poverty Bay, is to officiate, and with such an expert in charge of the whistle, no dull moments in the game can. be expected. With the two native Colleges, Te Aute and M.A.C., prime favourites with the public, as a curtain raiser, a fine afternoon’s feast of football can be confidently expected, Mr. A. 0. Jones will act as referee for the match Te Autc v. M.A.C.

Mr. Tom Parata left yesterday for Napier to officiate as referee in the match, also to act as one of the selectors for the Maori team to tour Australia. RUGBY UNION MEETS. LOCATION OF lIEP. MATCHES. PREVIOUS DECISION AFFIRMED.. The weekly meeting of tire llorowhenua Rugby Union Management Committee was held on Tuesday, Mr j. Procter occupying the chair, there being also present Messrs Devan, Austin, Sciuscia. Grimstone, McMillan, Hutchings and the secretary, Mr L. Carmichael. In connection with the ShunuonMoutoa mutch, which was awarded to Mouloa L>v default, this decision of no referee being confirmed at Jast committee meeting, Mr Grimstone asked permission to re-open the question, explaining that lie had brought witnesses who could explain fully flie (lillhuliy ol getting across to Mouloa on tills particular Saturday owing to the Hooded condition of the road. He moved lhat the wiinessc* be heard. This was seconded by the secretary pro lornut, but was lust on the show ui hands.

A tetter was received from a club m 'he effect that at the last game played there, certain men had entered the grounds before the match and refused to pay. It whs decided that in future the names of such men be taken and forwarded fo the Union for further action. it was decided .that tire classification of Larsen, of the Te Hero club, in connection with which a. protest was received, be allowed to stand. The Rovers Club wrote asking for permission to play a match against Petotie on the Levin grounds on June L—Granted.

ft was decided that hie transfer cf W. G. Marshall from the Otaki Club be agreed to subject to Otaki’s approval. The United Football Club wrote ask-

ing for the transfer of a player from the Foxton club. —Tliis was refused, the chairman stating that as the player in question resided in Foxton, tiie Union could not transfer him to a club outside the Union. A deputation from the Tokomaru Club waited on the Union in reference to (tie classification of players from tliat club, and explained that if the three inen classified were taken from the club, they would be unable to

play a junior learn. The men in quesi tion were only 20, 19 and 18 years of l age, besides being' light-weights, and i really too young to play against senior players. They contended that it was not fair 1o Tokomaru that when last year the club had got its team into Hist class form by hard training, that they should be penalised for their keenness as was being done. After considerable discussion it was decided that the classification must stand, members pointing out that the players in question were well worthy of senior rank, and that they were not younger than many other senior players in the Union. .?. Smith waited on the Committee re liis re-instatement to Rugby from League football. It was decided .to refer the matter to the N.Z. Rugby Union. It was decided that permission be granted to any club wishing to enter a team for the seven-a-side competition in Palmerston.

Letters of protest were received from the Shannon and/ Foxton Clubs against the decision of the Union to hold all rep. matches in Levin. Shannon farther protested against what they designated as the erroneous end misleading statements .to the effect that rep. matches in Shannon had not been a financial success, made by the chairman of the management committee at last week’s meeting. Mr Grimstone explained that this protest was the result of an indignation meeting held In Shannon to protest agafnst .the commiiiee’s decision to play all rep. fixtures in Levin. Very sirong exception was taken to tne committee’s decision and he assured the meeting that the attendance from Shannon at rep. matches would be very small if the decision were adhered to. It was well-known that lastyear the financial result of the Shannon rep. match was the best in the Union. Hts Club also wished to know what the chairman had meant by the word ‘otherwise’ in his statement. The chairman explained that his words did not refer to Shannon, where it was agreed the match had been a success, but to the whole system cl distributing rep. matches throughout the Union instead of holding them in one centre, and he was very sorry that Shannon through placing a

* wrong construction on his words r should have cause tor complaint. Ra- | garding the worn 'otherwise’ complained of he had reierred to me question of young players wno :oula leam consiueramy lroni attenumg a rep. match. Whilst these young players could travel eight or ten miles they would not. be prepared to iravei I from one end ol the Union to the | other. For this reason, as these young I players had to be considered as they would be the rep. players lure, he consiuered R hold theso fixtures m tion in the Union wt; e; e attend from either end. Mr Hutchings said that HHH i mittee’s decision was lair l'oxion to come further to other in the Union, and b HHH| ing no railway were ‘ pense for car-hire, lie 1 consideration should he Further he considered lie ol the different Union should Be were the people who siippbTved-tu itbali, and their wishes snould have sotpe weight with the union, in inference to the last rep. match played in Foxton, this had been neid on i , Wednesday, which was an unsaiLjI factory day in Foxton as 'he men from the mills could not attend. Ho I was willing to guarantee that n - l iep. match were played on a Sai.i.'day it would be as successful fin imually a» in any other place in the Lunuu. Mr Devan said he did not consider the matter should be reopened. Jt had been decided finally at last mqpiing, and the only thing to do was to consider what action should Be taken 1 against those players who had refused ' to play, in the match against Hui Mat. I Mr Austin: You took the discussion ol the Shannon-Mouioa match, wnicii had been decided at a previous meeting. iWliy not discuss this? Mr Bevan: The matter has been decided by the Union, and reasons g‘ven, so why re-open the question? Mr Hutchings; Mr Austin and 1 did not know that this matter was coming . up for discussion. In important cases I like tliis I consider that notice of motion should be given. ! Mr Be.van: This is the case j .tliis matter lias been decided —voted on, | seconded and so forth. If we are go i ing to keep on bringing up matters like this every question that comes up for discussion will drag through several meetings, arid we’ll never get anything done. If you were not prepared at last meeting why did you not ask to have the matter field over? Mr Grimstone said that the matter had been so rushed tliat he had overlooked doing this. He went on to say that Foxton was prepared tu guarantee a gate of £25 for a rep. fixture. They had not got one last year and should have one tliis year, lie asked tliat .the motion of the last meeting be rescinded and the question opened up again.

The secretary explained that the reason for refusing to give Foxton a rep. game fast year was the fact that the Foxton representative had refused to guarantee a gate. Finally it was moved bv Mr Austin and seconded by Mr Grimstone that the motion regarding the rep. matches be rescinded. Tliis was lost on lire vote.

Mr Bevan asked what was going to be done with the Foxton men who refused to play in the liui Mai game. The secretary explained that he had tung up the secretary of the Foxton Club and asked him who these men were, and that the secretary had said lie did not know. Mr Hutchings explained tliat the trouble in this connection arose through a misunderstanding, and said that at a general meeting held on Friday night it was decided that the game against Hui Mai be proceeded with, and that the question of rep.

fixtures he decided later. However, when they had tried *o get into touch with Hui Mai they had failed to do so. Alter a long discussion it was proposed by Mr Hutchings, seconded by Mr Austin that the Foxton-Hui Mai match be re-played, subject to Hui Mai’s consent. Mr Bevan proposed ail amendment, which was seconded by Mr Sciaseia, that the match be awarded to Hui Mai by default.—Carried. The Taranaki Kugby Union wrote asking for a fixture, and it was decided to notify them tliat the Union would be prepared to arrange a match for any Wednesday in. August. Proposed by Mr Bevan, seconded by Mr Austin, that the appointment of referees he leit in the hands of the Referees' Association. This was carried, a donation of £5 being made to the Association's lunds.

in regard to the protest of the Weraroa Club against the inclusion of two school players in the Rover Third team against Weraroa, it was decided that as it was against the rules of the Union that a member of another club should be played as a substitute, the protest be upheld. This ruling to also apply to the Hui Mai-Te Horo game, whdre ie Horo played an Otaki man. As in both cases the protesting club merely asked that the match be replayed, this was agreed to. An application for a general meeting was received from the Shannon and Foxtou Clubs to consider the quesiion, moved by Foxton and seconded by Shannon that in lieu of the senior representative team having three selectors as at present, there be one appointed as a a»le selector. It was decided that a general meeting be called for Tuesday, June 5, at S p.m.. in the Cosmos Theatre. Levin, to consider the question. ; RUGBY REFEREES MEET. The weekly meeting of the Horowhenua Referees’ Association 'was held in Mr Bebbington’s rooms on Satu%iay night, Mr J. O'Connor presiding. There were also present Messrs Procter. Rose. Karauti. Sciascla, Burrows, Casey, E. Bevan, Wehipeihana. and Seymour. On taking the chair, Mr O'Connor thanked the members for re-el-ecting him lor a further term. It had been

J his intention to relinquish oiiice this I ear, nut oil seeing me smi wait irieiuls oi Just yeai s Association stiii I tunying on, lie considered lie wuum . he tmgiateiui u ne am not again help in lunnerance ui the game, i it Was moveu jjy toe cnanman, aeeonhed hi Mr hurauli, that the liuro- : wuienun itughy Lmun he ashed to j uetegate the power oi appointing referees to the Association.—Carried. in accordance .with notice ui motion given at .the last meeting, it we., accrued that the day oi meeting he changed irom ,saunua\ pj Tuesday, Hie next meeting to he held on Jum j The ehaitmuu intimated that to * laeijitate the business oi Hie meeting.-, lami to enable relerees to bring conceited and definite opinions to beat on difficult problems, n was necessaiy I io iollow a different plan in discus sion iium that adopted til other years, lie stiessed the necessity of strict rulings by uli members. At the meeting ui tiie N.Z.H.G., the consensus oi opin- ! mn was that New Zealand lost ‘‘the usiies" last season, owing to the j team's inability to adjust its gallic to i tilings ui the referees in regard to - tiie wing-forward. I On the motion of the chairman, sec- ! ended by Mr Korauti, it was decided that seven days' notice of motion he i given by any member who wishes lo ■ have a knotty question discussed. ! l'lie following members handed in I their subscriptions:—Messrs Burrows, ■ Karnnti, Sciascia, Baker, Bose, Seyt inour and Wehipeihana. j The following new members were j elected: —Messrs Baker (Otaki). White i (Levin) and Ellers Foxton). The meeting then went on to discuss problems connected with the game, and concluded with a hearty vote of thanks to the chair and to Mr j Bebbington for the use of his room.