SIDELINES

Press, 30 September 1983, Page 23

SIDELINES

CONTRARY to first reactions, the selection recently of seven Canterbury players for the All Blacks tour to England and Scotland is not a record. There were also seven at the time of selection for the 1928 tour to South Africa and an eighth was added when Sid Carleton took the place of the unavailable Bert Cooke. The original seven were Herb Lilburne, Alan Robilliard, Neil McGregor, Bill Dailey, Jim Burrows, George Scrimshaw and Geoff Alley.

THE CANTERBURY B rugby team has had another very successful season. It won six of its seven games and the other, against Otago B, was drawn. The side scored 240 points (including 46 tries) and had 52 (seven tries) scored against it. Rod Latham was leading scorer with 49 points and the top try-scoreres were Bill Anderson and Craig McDowell, both with seven. This is the second successive year that the B side has been unbeaten.

STILL ON THE ALL BLACKS to tour this year. As has been reported four members of the side — Robbie Deans, Craig Green, Alistair Robinson and Jock Hobbs — have all played for the Christchurch club. Lincoln College, though, can go one better. It had Green this year, while Deans, Robinson (before he went to Christchurch), Albert Anderson and Brett Wilson are all old boys of the college. Deans, Robinson and Wilson were Canterbury lower grade representatives during their stays, while Green and Anderson were senior players by the time they arrived. PAUL HILLIS, Christchurch Mogal United’s captain and right back, is returning home to England for a holiday during the coming summer. However, he will not be taking a break from soccer, as he will be playing in the Wearside League, in the north of England. Hillis will be back in mid-February, in time for pre-season training with United, but will perhaps be fitter than some of his colleagues who will spend the summer recharging their batteries.

THE LONG-SERVING Marist-Western Suburbs rugby league forward, Paul Costigan, was one of three members of his family to appear on the Show Grounds on the last inter-club afternoon of the season. That in itself might not be unique, but it would be surprising if many others have shared the same playing field as both a son and daughter. In the Marist 8 years side which appeared at half-time at the Gore Cup final were Mathew Costigan, aged eight, and his sister, Emma, aged seven. What is more, the youngsters could at least boast of a draw with Kaiapoi, while the Marist premier team was well beaten in its match.