COMBINED REP MATCH.

Shannon News, 6 July 1928, Page 4

COMBINED REP MATCH.

WELLINGTON-MANAWHENUA TO REPLACE TARANAKI FIXTURE.

HOROWHENUA COUNCIL’S PRE

■-

FERENCE

Representation is to be made to the Manawhenua Rugby Union by the Horowhenua District Council that the latter body will prefer a match between Wellington and Horowhenua to be played in Levin, in place of the, Taranaki game, previbusly promised to this district. At the meeting of the management committee of the Council on Tuesday, the chairman (Mr W. Hannan) reported Wellington ’« decision to play Mana- ' whenua, and stated that advice had ■.Been' rec.eived from Wellington that they would play the match at Levin on Saturday. August 25th. They had also 'stated that the Wellington final . might be played on that day, and the only meipbers of the A team unavailable for the rep. match would-be those 1 who might be playing in'-the two teams engaged in the final. In order tp-test the feeling of the meeting, Mr . O ’Rourke-moved that the • Manawhenua Committee be informed that this Council prefer the- Wellington match to, the Taranaki match. - The'motion was'seconded by Mr 11. McDonald. The chairman said he thought that Taranaki understood that this Council would have accepted the Wellington match in preference had the players been offering beforehand. The motion was carried. Mr Proc- . ter asked that his vote be recorded • against it. - The chairman stated that the seere-:-.'tary would get into touch with Manawhehua so that they could reply to Wellington immediately if they were in' agreement with the resolution. . bebbington: shield games. Arrangements were made in connection with Bebbington Shield matches. - The first one dealt with was the game to be played against Rangitikei, at ' Foxton on Saturday next. ’Mr Hutchins stated that accommodation would be available for one team at the’ Manawatu Hotel, and for the other team at the Post Office Hotel. Reference was made by the secretary to the letter received at the last meet- ■ ing from the Wellington Referees’ Assbciation in reply to the Horowhenua Referees request for a

referee to be appointed for the Rangi-

tikei match. The Wellington Associar I tion wrote that Rangitikei had previously communicated with' them to the same effect, and the former had submitted three names for a choice to be made, those nominated being Messrs . Benson, Scott and Brown. _ The Council, on receiving the Association’s letter, had selected Mr Scott, and the secretary notified the Rangitikei Sub-Union accordingly. The chairman siaited that the secretary had not so far received any intimation from the Wellington Association respecting the Council’s appointment of Mr Scott, nor any reply from the Rangitikei -Sub-Union. Generally the practice had been to write to the-New-Zealand Referees’ Association and ask them to appoint a referee. On the motion of Mr Richards, seconded by Mr O’Rourke, the matter was

left in the hatitls of the secretary. .. . Notificationwas received from the Foxton Club' that their thirds would be pleased to. play, the Shannon Thirds as. a curtain-raiser,• on. July 7th. This was agreed to. by'ihe-Council, which, stipulated that this match must be finished by 2.45 p.in. \ Mr Phillips was requested to instruct the' Referees ’ Association "to supply ai referee fo.r the . curtain-raiser..

V ’ BUSH CHALLENGE TO BE PLAYED ON JULY 28; ‘ ’ The secretary reported that he had received a telephone message from Mr Siddells, Pahiatua, asking that the Bush challenge game’ for the Bebbington Shield on a Wednesday V . —probably Jiily 25th. It was repre- -" y ' seated by the ’Bush^S,ub-Union tliat it J,.i, ,* would be very difficult-for them to get -a team away on a :; Satui'day; their competition . was not very far advanced, and on a. Wednesday there would be ' numerous Bush supporters coming over ' to witness the game. k' In moving that the match die'.played £ J on’ the date originally set down for it - \ .-(Saturday, July 28th), Mr Casey said / that it would sujt.;.;this Council best to j... have this game played on a Saturday l because they nodded all the money J'. . they could get this year. The Bush •\ team's northern tour had fallen through, * and they were to play Oroua on Saturi day, July 21st. ITorowhenua had played Bush on the latter’s grounds throe ’V ' times, and Bush had played in this dis5. ■ trict onee. The motion was seconded by Mr ‘f Procter. t "‘"The chairman said that it might suit },/ the Council just as well to have the ? match played on the Wednesday. Jh.v -"There would be games 4n this district "t -on the 7th, 14th, and 21st, and now it was proposed to fyave this match on the 28th, so that during the month there j would be only one day for competition

football —namely, the 14th. Gonse- ; quently, from this Council's.; point of view, it would be better to play Bush on a Wednesday. The gate, would not j " be so. good, but they vtfoiild get the comon the next Saturday. He would like to see the return- match j|s,- against Manawatu played at a fairly , early date. Is' , against Dnnnevirke fixed for Saturday, . the 21st, if the Bush game were played |£-.. . oil the ,25th there would be a possibilii;.'- ity of staleness on the part of the Horo- .. whenua players when they were to meet probably the strongest team enW ■ - tered for the Bebbington Shield. 'l! "•' The Chairman: All touring teams play on a Saturday and a Wednesday. Mr Eobinson #aid that all the Horowhenua men were training pretty well, and he thought they would be pretty «■ . . i

. The chairman stated that Horowhe-

nua had not played Bush ou the latter’s grounds-on a.Saturday, because 'that day did not suit*the Bush people, whose half-holiday was on a Wednesday . There would-be more people from the Bush coining td the game here on a Wednesday than there would be on a Saturday, according to information from the Sub-Union. A big crowd of them came over last time. Mr O’Rourke: I think this is not catering for our club games at all. We should get enough money from the three Saturdays to allow us to play Bush on a Wednesday.

Mr Ryder: I am in favour of a Saturday game. If we play Dannevirke on a Saturday and Bush on a Wednesday, we will not get a very big gate. The Chairman: If we beat Dannevirke on the Saturday, I guarantee that the gate will be better at the Bush match on the Wednesday. Mr Joyce: Any players slightly injured on" the. Saturday will Dot be fit by Wednesday. Mr O’Rourke: We have 85 players to drawn on,

The motion to play the game on Saturday, the 28th, was carried. SHIELD MATCHES TO BE PLAYED

IN LEVIN IN FUTURE,

The chairman stated that lie was in Palmerston on' Saturday and met Mr Bebbington, who mentioned to him that he had handed the shield to the Coun--cil and asked them to draw up the conditions. He had never made any stipulations as to where the games were to be played; but lie now asked the Council to have the games played in Levin. Mr Bebbington had explained that when he gave the Shield he could not very well make that condition, because he was in business in Levin then. The rules provided that all matches for the Shield should be played in the territory of the Union holding the Shield for the time being; that was the only condition previously laid down. Mr Ryder confirmed tin* chairman’s statement, stating that Mr Bebbington had expressed the same sentiments to him .(Mr Ryder). • MANAWATU RETURN MATCH.

The meeting having disposed of the Bebbington Shield arrangements, the chairman said he would like some indication as to when it was proposed to play the return match against Manawatu at Palmerston —whether it should be nlayed on Wednesday, August Ist. Mr Casey: It might solve itself by bur losing the shield. Otherwise 1 suggest August 1. The Chairman: We have an. obligation to play Manawatu before they go on tour.

Mr Casey: I .don’t suppose that Manawhenua will pick their team from our next match with Manawatu. They will have had the opportunity of seeing three rep. matches. The question was held over, “to see if it solves itself,” as the chairman expressed it. He .added that he would like to see Horowhenua carry out their obligation before August Ist.