Kaiapoi May Lose League Place

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31967, 19 April 1969, Page 15

Kaiapoi May Lose League Place

f ßy Our Rugby League

The future of Kaiapoi as a senior Rugby league club may be decided this afternoon when it meets Sydenham, regarded as the second weakest of the eight senior teams, at the Show Grounds. Last week, Kaiapoi was beaten 84-4 by Addington in the first round of the minor premiership: a decisive loss to Sydenham would confirm] that Kaiapoi is playing out of its true grade and has little chance of containing any of its other opponents. Should this occur, the Canterbury board of control would face the very difficult

decision of allowing the counI try club to remain in the premier grade. Any suggestion of relegation would involve several other clubs. None of the junior clubs —Shirley, Halswell, Riccarton, Woolston and University —appear strong enough to replace Kaiapoi if the board decided to replace that club after the first round. Riccarton has sought to combine its senior second division team with Kaiapoi; Shirley entered two teams in the grade but neither had 13 players on Saturday; Halswell is only in the second section and Woolston has not been able to win the grade to support its senior status applications over the last few years. It is passible that the newly-formed University club

■ would be the most likely can!:didate for senior promotion' ■ inext season if Kaiapoi can-; ■ not rebuild its strength. University is playing in the i second section but began the ■ season promisingly by beat- ’ Ing Linwood, 20-8, in the first > round. I However, to relegate Kaiai poi without promoting another club would also provide • problems. The only method I of avoiding a bye would be to demote Sydenham also: i and Sydenham proved on Sat- : urday that it needs only a little more finishing power U> I challenge most of the other ; clubs. Sydenham has the proudest i record of any Canterbury club: an original senior team in 1913, it holds the records : of the most championship i wins (17) and most succes-!

■ slve titles (six). Apart from i ■ 1942, Sydhenham has fielded ■ ] a team in every senior cham- ■ pionship. ■ The transfer of the former ; South Island representative, ■ R. H. Turton, from Christ-] t church - Eastern Suburbs: should provide Kaiapoi with • a leader of the calibre' of J. ■ E. Bond, the veteran Kiwi r forward who retired as KaiI apoi's captain-coach at the : end of last season. But Kaiapoi has lost its ■ most penetrative backs B. Wil- 1 i Hams and F. W. Day, and the i goal-kickers, M. Pullin and • Bond. Its players are predominantly young and inexperi- : enced. The board must decide i whether the code can afford : to support Kaiapoi until it i is able to match its oppon-] •lents.