RUGBY FOOTBALL

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27636, 18 April 1955, Page 6

RUGBY FOOTBALL

COMPETITIONS BEGIN NEXT SATURDAY

MERIVALE RE-ENTERS SENIOR GRADE

The Canterbury Rugby Union’s competitions will commence next Saturday, when 12 teams will play the first games in the senior championship. The only alteration' in 'the nominations from those of last season is in the promotion of Merivale to senior status and the relegation of Air Force to senior reserve.

The teams will be Albion, Belfast, Christchurch. Linwood, Marist, Merivale, New Brighton, Old Boys, Sunny-side-Spreydon, Sydenham, Technical, and University. On Saturday clubs reported good musters of players, especially in the lower grades. Most of the senior teams played friendly matches against other clubs. Christchurch and Technical and Albion and University played on South Hagley Park, and Merivale played a Burnham team at Burnham. Sydenham beat a team from the Ashburton Technical Old Boys’ Club and Belfast had a comfortable win over Oxford. In the lower grades two teams from Papanui Technical Old Boys beat Timaru Technical teams. All clubs have shown keenness in their training this season and though the hard state of the grounds is not an encouragement to • hard, rugged football, many more players are fit than at this stage in some previous seasons.

M. J. Dixon, of the Sydenham club, who underwent an operation for a shoulder injury early in the year, is not yet fit to take his place in competition games. A broken toe suffered by K. F. Meates (Marist) last week, is likely to keep him on the side-line for several early matches.

AUCKLAND CLUB TO TOUR FIJI

FIVE GAMES AT END OF SEASON • The Prost" Special Service AUCKLAND, April 17. The Suburbs Rugby Club’s senior team will visit Fiji for a tour of possibly five games at the end of the season. Suburbs will thus be one of the few club teams to leave New Zealand’s snores, the last within memory being. University, which made a similar visit in 1928. Although the exact itinerary has not been decided, the team expects to leave New Zealand en September 10 and return from Fiji on September 25. The tour is being organised by the club and the Fijian Rugby Union. This is 'the result of an approach made to the Auckland union chairman. Mr G. Orrell, when the Fijians were in Auckland early last season. The club has secured the consent of the New Zealand Rugby Union’s council, and the Auckland union has also agreed in principle, to the venture. Suburbs will’have to pay the travelling costs to and from Fiji, with the Fijian union paying the travelling and accommodation expenses in the islands. Because of his past services, the club is asking its former president, ,Mr G. Orrell. who is shortly leaving Auckland for Christchurch, to manage the team on the visit to Fiji.

RESULTS IN OTHER CENTRES

Auckland.—University 27, Marist Old Boys 3; Manukau 12, Otahuhu 8; Grafton 28, Navy 6; Grammar Old Boys 6. Takapuna 0: Suburbs 51, Papatoetoe 3; Ponsonby 13. Eden 6. Wellington.—University 74, Eastern Suburbs 3; Athletic 17, Hutt 14; Wellington College Old Boys 11, Wellington 5; St. Patrick’s Old Boys 18, Oriental 16; Onslow 5, Marist Old Boys 3; Petone 22, Poneke 6; Taita 14, Eastbourne 3.