Carson Added To Squad

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32349, 15 July 1970, Page 19

Carson Added To Squad

The Aucklander, E. M. Carson, has been added to the New Zealand Rugby league squad for the second test against Great Britain at the Show Grounds on Sunday.

The selectors (Messrs D. L. Blanchard and M. W. Church) had received permission from the New Zealand council to add one other player to the first test squad after watching the game between Britain and a Wellington invitation XIII at Wellington yesterday. The player under surveillance was obviously G. R. Cooksley (Canterbury), and although Cooksley finished the game, he had a recurrence of the hamstring injury be suffered at the national trials last month and will be out of action for at least another two weeks.

It is anticipated that Carson will replace T. W. Patrick (Otago) for Sunday's match. Patrick defended soundly in the first test at Auckland but he did not have the necessary speed and swift distribution expected of an international scrum-half. An Auckland representative'

since 1962, Carson's only previous appearance for New Zealand was against Great Britain in the third round of the 1968 World Cup series in Sydney. He played for the Northern XIII against the British tourists in the opening tour match last Wednesday.

The British team will draw yet another record “gate” at the Show Grounds on Sunday. Mr D. C. Wilson, the chairman of the Canterbury board of control, said yesterday that pre-match sales had already returned about $6500. The previous highest for a Rugby league match in Christchurch was $5OOO when France played the Kiwis at the Show Grounds six years ago. The tourists have already attracted record takings from their four previous tests. A total of $210,000, including television fees of $45,000, was returned from the three matches against Australia—an increase of $50,000 over the previous best for a series in that country. In Auckland on Saturday, the first test receipts were $21,335, a figure bettered only during the 1968 World Cup when admission charges were considerably higher.