THE HOCKEY TEST MATCH

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21506, 22 June 1935, Page 20

THE HOCKEY TEST MATCH

to ra» r.oiToa or ra« pbbss Sir,™ The president of the Rugby Vnim in his letter of June 20 says: "It ■trill probably interest Mr Clark to know that similar arrangements have been made in both Wellington and Auckland.'* .Well, as a piece of news, y®&; zi something to be proud of; no; tixid as an argument, decidedly no, for sii* *.»ery simple reason that the position in the three centres is not similar. In Wellington the union owns the ground; in Auckland the \ union and ihtt Cricket Association ' own the ground, whereas the constitution of His* board here is the Mayor, three rejprtswantatives of football, three of ericket, two of commercial travellers, «ad or® elected by the aforementioned to represent arnafeur sports other than vrifket and Rugby football, viz., athletics, hockey. Association football, «tc That Bugby football and cricket Should have by far the larger share «f the dates no one in any way conversant with the past history of the ground will doubt, but that is no reason why ail other amateur sports •riowld be elbowed out; and the very cotu&iitufJon <o£ the board proves this contention conclusively, Jfo one would be so unreasonable as t*» e»pcet the Rugby Union to postpom Its matches for a New Zealand palch at Association football or hocSay, but there are many who did expecl It either to postpone its matches i,t to play them elsewhere on this occasion: and it is quite beside the point «jven were the position similar, which it k not to cite what the Rugby Union U doing at Wellington and Auckland. Even there, where in one case it owns the jrcund and in the other owns it for the winter season, most people who wre not Rugby fanatics would have Brotmbly endorsed the action of the union had it come forward and offered &* ground to this superb combination. Apparently that is not the Rugby way. —Yours, etc.. CHARLES R. CLARK. June 21. 1933.