A whole new ball game at Lancaster Park?

Press, 8 May 1980, Page 38

A whole new ball game at Lancaster Park?

By

KEVIN McMENAMIN

Would it be proper? What would Wellington think? How would the visitors feel? Can decency be guaranteed? And what about the ghosts of great games past?

These questions, and perhaps many others, were left unanswered when the Canterbury Rugby Union was confronted at its meeting this week with a question somewhat out of the ordinary. It came in the form of a request from the Linwood club. The club wrote saying that in August an American women’s rugby team, known as the Californian Kiwis, would be visiting New Zealand and it would be in Christchurch at the time of Canterbury’s match against Fiji at Lancaster Park on August 16. Linwood has a women’s team — the Linwood Ladies —and what were the possibilities, asked the club, of a game between the two women’s sides being the. cur-tain-raiser to the Canter-bury-Fiji match. Well, what are the possibilities, or. as union members wanted to know once they had got over the initial shock, what'were the ramifications.

As the Canterbury-Fiji game is a New Zealand union fixture, Wellington would have to be consulted. Mr Neil Gow, who lived in Fiji for most of last year, was asked how he thought the Fijians might react to sharing the billing with 30 women. Mr Gow had no idea.

And, of course, there was the odd ribald remark about what confusion might reign in the dressing rooms. But after a stern word from its chairman, Mr B. J. Drake, the union gave the request its earnest consideration. And when no conclusion was reached it was decided to pass the question over to the competitions

committee for further study and a report. “That I would suggest is a classic case of buck-pass-ing,” said the competitions chairman, Mr W. A. Russell, with a smile. Perhaps hindpassing might be more precise.

Earlier, Mr Russell said that a game between Town and Country Colts had been pencilled in as the curtainraiser and it was possible, he added, that the women’s game, if played on the park that day, could start at noon.

This suggestion, however, was far from welcomed yesterday by the Linwood club-captain, Brent Elder. He said his club had made its request in all seriousness and to start the game at midday would defeat the purpose. “We put the proposal forward as a promotion for the main game -— it would do wonders for the gate. To play the women at 12 o’clock would do nothing for: the gate. “Furthermore, we believe that the game which immediately precedes a main game sets the mood of a crowd. If they have been entertained, as they undoubtedly would be with a women’s match, they would be in a receptive mood for what was to follow — hopefully another bright game.” There is nothing new about the Linwood Ladies. They are well organised and have been arranging games for nearly 10 years. They will soon start their 1980 season.

Mr Elder said that he had no extensive knowledge of the Californian Kiwis, although despite the name he

did not think it was a side comprised largely of New Zealanders. “All I do know is that women’s rugby is quite big in America and the Kiwis are keen to test themselves against New Zealand opposition.

“I am sure a lot of people will be disappointed if the Canterbury union turns down our request simply because it is something novel. It would show the union’s-reluctance to support new promotional ideas,” he said. The American team ends its tour in Christchurch. The rest of its two-week visit will be in the North Island, where it has games arranged in Rotorua and Upper Hutt.-