League To Get Busiest Season

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30983, 12 February 1966, Page 13

League To Get Busiest Season

The cancellation of the proposed tour by the Bathurst (New South Wales Country) Rugby League Club has done little to ease the problems that the Canterbury board of control’s match committee will face when finalising next season's programmes.

The Bathurst game was set down for either the last Sunday in March or the first in April. Bathurst was to have plaved Auckland the previous day but the Canterbury board this week received confirmation from Auckland stating that the tour was off.

Although no correspondence has yet been received by the secretary (Mr D. G. Gaynor), it is believed that Waikato may also wish to return Canterbury's 1965 visit to Huntly. Waikato last played in Christchurch in 1964. The four provincial teams certain to visit Christchurch are West Coast, Auckland. Manawatu and Otago. West Coast will play here twice: in the course of the annual hoine-and-away matches and in the Rothmans tournament zone matches on June 11 and 12. In this tournament Canter-

However, two overseas teams and at least four provincial teams will visit Christchurch this season. Canteri bury will play away matches at Greymouth and Wellington and, possibly, at Auckland if it reaches the Rothmans interprovincial final.

bury will meet Manawatu and West Coast will play Otago on the first day, with the winners and losers to play off on the Sunday. Auckland will make its usual two-yearly Queen’s Birthday tour of the West Coast and Canterbury. The two overseas teams that will meet Canterbury ace Britain on August 13 and New South Wales Country on Sunday, May 29.

Britain will tour New Zeaand following its Australian tour while New South Wales Country will play against Auckland, Canterbury and either Waikato or Northland on its three-match tour. Canterbury players will have the opportunity to meet the Englishmen on three other occasions. The two tests will be in Auckland on August 6 and 20 while the province has several leading

candidates for the New Zealand Maoris team to play Eri-i tain at Rotorua. The North v. South Island match will be replaced this! year by a Northern XIII | (comprising all North Island leagues except Wellington) and a Southern XIII (to be [drawn from the South Island [and Wellington). The winner will makea short tour of Queensland late in May. Unfortunately, this conflicts with the New South Wales Country tour. With seven Tavendale Cup and 10 championship club rounds to be played in addition to the Thacker Shield challenge at Greymouth and a possible Vivian Cup challenge, the match committee. I headed by the chairman (Mr |D. C. Wilson), will have a 'few headaches before the season starts early in April.