RUGBY Promotion-Relegation Match Abandoned

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28699, 24 September 1958, Page 18

RUGBY Promotion-Relegation Match Abandoned

No promotion and relegation match for a place in the senior competition next year will be played, this season. This decision was reached by the management committee of the Canterbury Rugby Union last evening after it had discussed letters from the New Brighton and Teachers’ College clubs. Last week the committee decided that this match should be played on October 4, if both teams were agreeable. Both clubs informed the committee by letter last evening that this date was not suitable. The Teachers’ College club said its team would be unable to play because of approaching examinations and because almost all its members would that day be engaged in summer sports. It advised that if the committee desired, it would v’i hdraw its challenge.

The secretary of the New Brighttn club (Mr F. J. Geddes) said his club entered “a strong protest” against the decision to play the game on October 4. The senior team had already disbanded for the season; it had played its last senior game on August 9, whereas Teachers’ College hat played ite last game on August 23; since August 9, the team had stopped training and had only played one social game «i.ice; the senior coach would be out of town for some time before October 4, and with the cricket season opening on October 4. many members of the team would be wanting to turn out for their clubs, said the letter.

If the union wished to play the match, surely it could wait until next season when it would be known if Teachers’ College would be able to field a senior team or not, said the letter. “If it can, then ar -ange the game before the opening of the competitions,” said Mr Geddes. The club did not object to the prospect of a relegation game, but only to the circumstances under which this game was arranged, said the letter. After a short discussion on the two letters and on the promotion and relegation system, it was decided to abandor the game this year. It was said that there was no actual union rule which obliged the two teams to play such a game. Referees’ Cup The Marist Dallington under sst 101 b B section team won the Canterbury Referees’ Golden Jubilee Cup for deportment, with 36.91 points. The St. Bede’s College Under 20 team and the Belfast under sst 101 b A rection team were equal second with 36.18 points, St. Bede’s secondary school

grade team with 36.12 points was fourth, the Sunnyside-Spreydon under sst 101 b B section team* with 36.07 points was fifth, and the under sst B section Marist Dallington team with 36.00 points was sixth.

It was reported that the placings for the Evans Shield, announced last week as having been won by University, had been altered. Mr I. M. Willoughy said he had made the mistake of computing the points on the system as laid down in the union’s 1947 annual, but that an amendment to these rules, carried in 1948, had altered the points system. The new placings were: Marist, 221 i points, 1; Linwood, 205, 2; Christchurch, 171, 3. University is now in fifth place. It was decided to give the union’s delegates on the Victory Park Board of Control power to investigate the purchasing of seating in the No. 1 stand at Lancaster Park that is at present being demolished.