RUGBY Union Proposes Rule For Promotion And Relegation

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28835, 4 March 1959, Page 7

RUGBY Union Proposes Rule For Promotion And Relegation

Although the Canterbury Rugby Union has operated a promotion and relegation system for the senior grade for a number of years, no law for Its operation exists in the union's rules. The union intends to remedy this, and at the annual meeting to be held on March 19 will put forward a notice of motion making it mandatory for a promotion and relegation match to be played on the first Saturday after the conclusion of senior and senior second

division competitions. In the past, should the winner of the senior second division have a club team already playing in the senior grade, that team has not had the right to play tor promotion and on occasion teams as low as third in the senior second division—not having a club team 1 in the senior grade—have played this match.

From the wording of the notice of motion it is apparent that, should such a system become law. only the top team in the senior second division will have the right to play the match, and if that club team already has a team in the top competition, no team under it will play the game. The notice of motion says that a relegation matcl) will not be played “should the winning team's club in the competition immediately, below that of the senior grade be already represented in that grade.” The annual report says that a record number of teams played in the union’s competitions last year. There were 239 teams last year, compared with 231 the previous year and of the 239, 139 were entered in the under 18 and lower grades. Since 1951 the total number of teams has increased by 68, of which 66 are in the under 16 and lower grades. Club Receipts An increase in gate receipts is shown in the financial statement. One of the largest increases was

in receipts from club matches where revenue was much more than twice that of 1957. The club gate receipts last year were £1346, compared with £507 in 1957—an increase of £839. The only revenue that showed a decrease on that of 1957 was that from “other matches” (trials and minor matches). From these games £274 was received, compared with £lO4B the previous year—a decrease of £774.

Greater support of club and representative matches gave the union an excellent profit of £1856 compared with a loss of £896 in 1957. Representative matches provided the union with a surplus of £2371. The biggest net gate was £967 from the Taranaki match. The union's accumulated fund was increased during the year to £54,590. It has total fixed assets of £39,823 and has £20,219 invested.