Rugby Bookings

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28984, 27 August 1959, Page 3

Rugby Bookings

Sir.—The allocation of preferential bookings by the Canterbury Rugby Union for the third test is nothing less than scandalous Canterbury had its own special game with the visitors, and that was the occasion on which Christchurch clubs and Canterbury sub-unions were entitled to generous treatment and probvbly received it. The test, however, is a different matter, for it is a national fixture. To find that individual Christchurch clubs have been allotted up to 10 and more times the number of tickets allotted to neighbouring unions, such as the Seddon Shield districts, whose allocations have further to be divided among officials, referees, clubs, and subunions. shows that the Canterbury Rugby Union has abused the power delegated to it by the New Zealand Rugby Union. Will the president of the Canterbury Rugby Union state publicly the number of tickets allocated to the various Christchurch senior clubs, and the number allocated to individual unions in the Seddon Shield districts?—Yours etc. DISGUSTED. Greymouth, August 24, 1959.

[‘ No. I am not prepared to disclose information to an anonymous correspondent which is confidential to the clubs and the unions concerned,” said the president of the Canterbury Rugby Union (Mr H. C. Blazey) yesterday. “If he discloses his identity then I can decide if he is entitled to more information. The Canterbury union has, however, made allocations to all the many claimants in as fair a proportion as possible in the situation where the demand far exceeds the supply.” he said.l