RUGBY FOOTBALL CANTERBURY TEAM

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26488, 1 August 1951, Page 4

RUGBY FOOTBALL

CANTERBURY TEAM

COMMENT BY UNION PRESIDENT

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE MEETS

“If our side does not come back with a good record we can agree that football in the North Island is extra strong," said the president (Mr R. R. Masters) when the management committee of the Canterbury Rugby Union decided last evening to send a telegram of good wishes to its representative team, which will play the first match of its North Island tour to-day against Taranaki, at New Plymouth. Mr Masters said the Canterbury team was “a very, very good side.”

The committee decided to advise the Otago Rugby Union that its senior competition had now been decided, and the winners. Marist. would be prepared to meet the winners of the Dunedin competition for the Payne Trophy on any Saturday. As Otago had indicated in a telephone conversation that a Wednesday might be the only day on which it could play the match, the committee decided to suggest that the match be. played as a curtain-raiser to the Otago v. Fiji match on August 18, or on a Wednesday early in September. The Rev. Dr. G. Harrison said that Marist would prefer to play on a Saturday, even if it was a curtain-raiser, though the club would be prepared to play on a Wednesday if necessary, Richmond Park Ground Complaints about the state of Richmond Park were contained in a letter from Mr N. S. Dench, the referee of a friendly third grade A match between Richmond and Belfast, set down for Richmond Park last Saturday. “The shed was locked, the goal posts were not erected, the ground was not marked in any way except for a minute cross dug in each corner which could be located only after much searching.’ said Mr Dench. The Belfast team had arrived in strength to find only five opponents, added the referee. "I consider this a poor effort, especiahv as it was Richmond's home ground. Practically all the members of the Belfast team told me thev would have liked to see the League match, but club and code loyalty brought them to Richmond Park." The x president said that there had been complaints about this ground before. "Apparently they are not doing their job, he added. The committee decided to draw the attention of the club to the state of the ground and to the failure of its members to turn out on Saturday, and the club will be asked for an explanation. The oresident reported that the Lancaster Pa r k Board of Control had granted the Canterbury Hockey Association tbe use of Lancaster Park for the challenge shield hockey match between Canterbury and Wellington on August 11. No Rugby would be olayed on Lancaster Park that day, he said. An application from the Hockey Association for the use of Lancaster Park on September 1 for the North v. South Island hockey match was declined, but the committee offered the association the use of Rugby Park free of charge on that date.