Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 1936. RUGBY IN THE COUNTY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 124, 7 March 1936, Page 4

Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 1936. RUGBY IN THE COUNTY.

The decision made by the Ashburton Rugby Union in the endeavour to raise the standard of lootbal! in the County will have the support of all lovers of the game. For some time there has been evident a deterioration in the standard of play, until last season the position became acute. To a certain extent there was a similar tendency in other parts of the Dominion, but local conditions made the falling away here more marked than elsewhere. One of the. main causes of the trouble is the fact that the town clubs found difficulty in fielding full first grade teams, with the result that players from the lower divisions were pressed into service. This had a twofold effect. First it made matches, especially against country teams, which as a rule turned out in force, one-sided and therefore lacking as a spur to the superior side. Further, the pitting of young immature players against more experienced, heavier players tended to discourage and spoil those who in contests suited to their physical stature and playing ability might have developed into first-class footballers. In the second place, the inclusion of the most promising juniors robbed their proper division of the nucleus of strength which is essential if there is to be fostered a source of supply for the higher grades. It should be the aim of the Union —and the trend of the discussion shows that the members have this in view—to so regulate the various grades that there will be a constant supply of well-trained juniors to fill the vacancies caused in the first grade by those retirements which are inevitable owing to age and in the lower ranks by consequent promotions. From the point of view of the popularity of the game among the spectators, —for though this is not the most important aspect, it demands consideration because it is only by public support that the necessary finances can be assured —it would be better to have two good senior town teams than three of mediocre calibre. The fear that this would result in the building up of Rugby at the expense of the country clubs may be dismissed because if the town sides become so strong as to upset the balance, the time will have arrived when the Union may safely sanction the inclusion of another team. The question of the status of the Union should not be allowed to weigh in the matter, for surely it is better to be a strong subunion than a weak major union. The playing of matches against representative teams is undoubtedly necessary to finish a player’s education in the game, but most good can be derived from closely-contested 1 encounters such'as Ashburton would be more likely to meet as a sub-union than as a major one. The question of future status depends on the measure of improvement of the game within the County, and the decision of the Union is the first step in the right direction. If the clubs rally round the Union there should be no* reason why football in the County should not recover the prestige that it enjoyed a tew years ago.