CANCELLED MATCH

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 218, 11 June 1930, Page 12

CANCELLED MATCH

BRITAIN v. NELSON N.Z. UNION CRITICISED MR. S. S. DEAN’S REPLY Dominion Special Service. Nelson, June 10. Strong criticism is directed against the action of the New Zealand Rugby Union regarding its attitude adopted toward the match at Nelson against the British team, which will now be played at Blenheim. Mr. A. E. Max, president of the Nelson union, reporting at last night’a meeting the result of a deputation to Wellington, said he got in touch with Mr. S. S. Dean, who was “short” with him, and said that the proposed match at Nelson had been fixed up at a meeting held the evening before the arrival of the deputation. The match was to be played at Blenheim, and Mr. Max was told that he could not see Mr. Baxter. The Nelson president told Mr. Dean that if he would not arrange for the deputation to see Mr. Baxter they would go straight. to him without Mr. Dean’s consent Mr. Dean then decided to arrange a meeting. Mr. Baxter explained that before the team left England he was told not to go to Nelson. Mr. B. Edwards said the New" Zealand Rugby Union was looked upon as a body to encourage amateur sport, but from a Rugby union’s point of view it was commercialising the game. If the New Zealand union had any backbone it would have insisted on the British team adhering to the original itinerary. “Dirt Rubbed In.” Mr. R. Blewitt, referring to Mr. Dean as chairman of the Management Committee of the New Zealand Rugby Union, said the smaller unions who had also had the dirt rubbed in by the New Zealand union at times ought to ’make an effort to have the process of electing the committee changed, so that Mr. Dean could be “quietly dropped overboard.” The following resolution was carried: “That the union expresses sincere regret that the New Zealand Rugby Union has failed to keep faith with the Nelson union and followers of the sport in respect to the British team’s visit” POSITION EXPLAINED ' MR. DEAN REPLIES “I. take strong exception to the attitude of the Nelson Union," said Mr. S- 8. Dean, chairman of the management committee of the New Zealand Union, when the “Dominion’s” correspondent’s account of the discussion at the Nelson Union meeting was referred to him last night “In the first place the matter was left with the New Zealand Union to arrange with Mr. Baxter, and it may be mentioned that there was a strong protest before the British team left England against this match being played at all. However, I took the matter up with Mr. Baxter when he arrived here and found that he had definite instructions from the authorities at Home not to play the Nelson match. I put the position to him, and he said he would consult the team; he did so, and they agreed that they would play at Blenheim. “However, Mr. Max came over to Wellington and was met by the Hon. H. Atmore —and here I would like to say that I consider politics should play no part in football —and asked me to introduce him and his associates as a deputation to Mr. Baxter. 1 told Mr. Max that Mr. Baxter had already decided, and that I did not think there was much chance of altering his decision. However, I introduced the deputation, and Mr. Atmore spoke at length on the claims of Nelson, and was followed by the other speakers, Messrs. Max and Walker. “Mr. Baxter said he could not play the match at Nelson and told the deputation that the matter had been put to the team, which had agreed to “go round the corner” and play at Blenheim. This I certainly thought was a happy solution of the difficulty. . “I strongly resent Nelson’s attitude in the suggestion that I am ‘a despotic, arrogant autocrat.* I would like to draw the union’s attention that only last year all the unions comprising the Seddon Shield district expressed personal confidence in me as chairman of the management committee—and this at the instigation of the Nelson Union —and expressed appreciation for what I had done for country football in general. How, then, can they reconcile their present attitude. “Imperial tours such as the present visit of the British team are beyond parochialism; they should be looked on from a wide, national aspect. The management committee, in acting as it aid. accepted Mr. Baxter’s proposal as a happy solution of a difficult problem;. as sports I have no hesitation in saying that the members of the Nelson Union ought to be satisfied with the sporting attitude Mr. Baxter has adopted in view of the definite instructions he received before leaving the Old Country.”