FOOTBALL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 246, 31 July 1935, Page 2

FOOTBALL.

FIRST RUGBY GAMES.

NELSON UNION’S JUBILEE

NELSON, July 29

The Nelson Rugby Union this year is celebrating its jubilee, and next week will see the commencement of a programme to celebrate the occasion. Rugby football was first played in New Zealand at Victory Square, Nelson, in 1868, but it was not until 17 years later that a Rugby Union was formed to control the game. The first interprovincial matches played in the Dominion took place in 1870 between Wellington and Nelson. It is therefore appropriate that the celebration of the local union’s jubilee should be the occasion of a visit by r , Wellington representatives, who will play Nelson at Trafalgar Park on the first Monday in August, which is a holiday (Nelson is the only part of New Zealand keeping up the E'nglish bank holiday, though curiously enough the local banks are practically the only local institutions which do"not observe this holiday). The Nelson club is the oldest football club in the Dominion, having its foundation on May 30, 1868, at a meeting called by Mr R. C. Tennent. At that time there was no winter sport in New Zealand, and the youth of Nelson occupied itself mainly during those months with horse-riding and hillclimbing. Mr Tennent saw by English papers that men’s clubs Avere being formed in the Old Country to play' under Association, football rules. He suggested to his friends that they should form a plub in Nelson, and decided later Avhat rules should be adopted.

As a result, in the “Evening Mail” of May 30, IS6B, an advertisement appeared calling a meeting at the Nelson Hotel of gentlemen interested in the formation of a football club for the ensuing winter. The club, which was named the Nelson Football Club, was duly formed, Mr Tennent being elected secretary and treasurer. The first practice was held at Victory Square under Association rules. The Victorian rules were tried. It so happened that after a few practices had been held, Mr Chas. J. Munro (son of Sir David Monro) returned from England, where he had been attending the Sherborin School, at which Rugby Union was played. Mr Monro persuaded the Nelson players to try Rugby. They preferred that game out of the three tried. Shortly afterward Nelson College adopted Rugby, and soon had a strong team. Matches then commenced between the college and Nelson clubs. Thus what is now the national winter sport was first established in New Zealand.

Mr R. C. Tennent was manager of the Bank of New South Wales at Timaru during the ’nineties.

THE ASSOCIATION CODE. TCiUR BY ENGLISH SCHOOLBOYS MOOTED. WELLINGTON, July 30. After two hours’ discussion on ways and means of improving Association football throughout New Zealand, members of the New Zealand Association Football Council agreed at a special meeting to-night that before the game would go ahead in the manner wished for it was necessary to have it introduced into secondary schools. “I consider that if we got it into the secondary schools we would not be discussing wliat is wrong with the game to-night,” said Mr A. Williams (the secretary). Although members dealt with a variety of subjects, including referees, publicity, coaching, grounds, and payment to referees, a suggestion advanced by Mr F. Sanders, that an English schoolboys’ team should be induced to tour the Dominion, was the only one that aroused really unanimous interest.

Mr ganders said that in England there was a schoolboys’ association, and

their games attracted 60,000 or 70,000 people every year. Eighteen of those boys and tAvo teachers could be brought to New Zealand for £IOOO, and there wo.uld be no difficulty in billeting them. If these hoys could attract such a number in England, every boy in the land would want to see them in NeAV Zealand, and Avould take his parents. The parents Avould see a game that would convince them that Association should be played in the colleges, and schoolmasters AA'ould have to listen to them.