Ticket rush for Auckland match

Press, 7 August 1985, Page 8

Ticket rush for Auckland match

Because of the unprecedented interest being shown in the Canterbury-Auckland Ranfurly Shield match next month, the Canterbury Rugby Union is selling tickets already. However, it is accepting only postal bookings. The tickets chairman, Mr Russell Thomas, told a meeting of the union last evening that it may seem strange to be selling tickets for the Auckland game, when there were two earlier shield matches to be played. “However, because of the interest, there is no other way we can do it. It would simply not be possible to handle all the applications that would come in the last week or two if we waited,” he said. Mr Thomas said that the union's office was receiving “piles of letters" about tickets, and the demand from various quarters had already filled No. 3 stand. The interest was greater than for any previous shield game and it was coming from all parts of New Zealand. “It is proposed at this stage to handle postal bookings only, and hopefully they will be for the embankment as well as the stands. We can look to counter

sales later." Even if the shield should not be at stake the game would be a national championship match, and for this reason all tickets were being sold on a no refund basis, said Mr Thomas. The union also heard of the likelihood of a big crowd at Lancaster Park next Sunday for the senior club finals. “From the interest that is being shown, and the clubs involved, I would think it will be our biggest finals day ever,” the chairman, Mr Merv Barnett said. At least two of the clubs involved have booked buses to bring their supporters to the ground. The expected crowd was one reason why the union decided to continue with the usual practice, and play the finals at Lancaster Park. Last week it gave some thought to a switch to Rugby Park. The Senior A referees’ panel was named for 1986 and it contains two newcomers, Brian Gardiner and Steve Garland. One gap was created by Johnny Adams not being available, and the referee to lose his place on the 16-man panel is Graham Barrett.