Basketball Teams Lose Status

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31016, 23 March 1966, Page 21

Basketball Teams Lose Status

The switching of the Canterbury Men’s basketball A grade competition from Tuesday evenings to Saturday afternoons has had serious repercussions for some clubs, especially those without a reasonable depth of talent.

Already, as a direct result of the change, two clubs, Rangiora and Orients, have lost their senior status. Neither club was in a position to apply for the A grade, Rugby and soccer, claiming the interests of their senior players. They will both, however, have strong teams in the Tuesday evening senior reserve grade.

Their withdrawal leaves seven teams in the A grade, compared with nine last season, but even some of these are having their teething troubles and are being forced to rely on players of promise rather than ability. This situation, nevertheless, is only expected to last for one, or at the most, two seasons.

By then the Saturday afternoon competitions should he firmly established. The seven teams which have applied for the A grade this season are University A, University B, Y.M.C.A., Y-Boys, Rex, High School Old Boys and Burnham. As seven is a suitable number for the grade, it is almost certain that

these teams will be approved by the association. Competitions will begin in the first week of April. The A grade, senior-reserve A and C grade competitions will start on Saturday, April 2, and the remainder—senior-reserve B, B grade, D grade and under-20—On April 5.