Weather causes rugby problems

Press, 23 July 1976, Page 17

Weather causes rugby problems

The foul weather which made senior rugby miserable last week-end was described as “an act of God" by Mr G. G, Don at a meeting of the Canterbury Rugby Union’s management committee.

Tlie meeting received a letter from the Marist Club which asked that consideration be given to the setting aside of a spare Saturday each season in case the. conditions should ever again be so bad. Tlie chairman (Mr C. H. J. Rhodes) said it could happen that a round would have to be cancelled early in the season and the union would then be no j better off.

However, most members felt it was the sudden deterioration In the weather about mid-day on Saturday that made the circumstances ’ unusual. If the weather had been as bad earlier, then senior, along with all the other grades, would have been cancelled.

The Marist club’s letter was referred to the competitions committee.

Application declined. — An, application by the Lyttelton club

to be given senior status was declined. The grading committee reported that the club's top team, which plays in the senior B grade, had not done enough this year to suggest it was strong enough to play senior football and there were also doubts about the club’s depths of strength in the open grades.

New trophy. — A request from the presidents' and club captains’ committee that it be allowed to provide a trophy for competition among open-grade teams on the basis of competition points scored per club entries was granted, subject to the union approving the wording on the trophy. “The Press” Cup is awarded on the same basis in . the lower grades.

Seven-a-side.—The Christchurch I club was given permission to' hold a secondary schools' seven-a-side tournament at Rugby Park] on August 1. providing the! ground was satisfactory.

1978 Tournament.—The committee gave its support for the subunions' association to hold the 1 1978 South Island I tournament at Rangiora.