RUGBY TRANSFERS

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 105, 6 May 1931, Page 14

RUGBY TRANSFERS

IS PRACTICE ABUSED?

"TIME TO CALL A HALT

According to the chairman of the I Management Committee of the Wellington Bugby Union (Mr. J. Prendeville) over 100 players have already been granted transfers from one club to another this season, a further big batch o£ applications being dealt with at the weekly meeting of the committee last night. Mr. Prendeville said he considered it was now time to call a halt; if the players had not yet decided which club they were going to play for they should be compelled to stand over till next season. ■ Other speakers said that players had - been allowed transfers so far, and others would expect the same treatment. '• Mr.',A. J.: Griffiths: "It is going too far now, 'and there is too much "touting." As soon as a player is left out of a team other clubs are after him." Mr. G. P. Jackson raided the question of players seeking to be transferred from a city club to a Hutt Valley Club, or vice versa, but Mr. H. Murphy considered that even in such cases transfers should not be granted-'at this, stage of the seaMr. H. D. Morgan said that the clubs had the remedy in their own hands, and could refuse to approve of transfers if they wished, and the matter was left to the discretion of the clubs. ■ The following were granted transfers:— G. M'Kegney, Petone to Upper Hutt; 1. A Wallace, Oriental to Mirarnar; T. H. Nixon, Wellington to Petone; J. L. Selwood, Johnsonville to Petone; W. H. A. Jones,.Moera to Hutt; E. C. Bishop, Melrose to, Wellington; L. K. Mailman, Old Boys to Berhampore; G. Phillips, Oriental to Miramar; C. Parfitt, Melrose to Miramar; G. M'Nab, Athletic to Miramar; V.' A. Bowyer, Kaiwarra to Athletic; J. Cobham, Selwyn to Petone; M. Jakeman, Poneke;to Petone; E. B. Martin, Selwyn to Eastbourne; D. M. B. Terris, Moera to Hutt;' B. L. Corkin, Moera to Upper Hutt;D. C. M'lntosh, Karori to Old Boys; W.: Nolan, Oriental^ to Marist; J. Parker, Upper Hutt to Lower Hutt; L. G. Greenwood, Upper Hutt to St. Patrick's Old Boys. COULSTON FOR HUTT. E.Coulston, the former Petone hooker, notified the union that he will be playing for: the :Hutt.-Club, this season. ' -Additional replies received to the committee's circular to the clubs regarding the proposal to play a series of senior games on the King's Birthday mostly favoured the • idea. Mr. Prendeville stated that owing to. a mistake with regard to dates, Southland had been set down to play Wellington on a Saturday, and consequently another club day had been lost. On the motion of Mr. H. Murphy it was decided that season tickets will admit their holders to the Hutt and Petone grounds in addition to Athletic Park. . A suggestion was received from •. the Upper Hutt Club that matches between the suburban senior B teams should be played on the club's home grounds, instead of on neutral grounds. It was pointed out that most of the clubs met twice each season. The views of the senior B clubs' are to be obtained on the matter. The Johnsonville Club wrote asking the union to reconsider its decision to abandon the eighth grade, in which the club had prepared to enter a team. Although no grounds were available in the city suburban grounds could bo used. In reply, the committee regretted_that it was unable to reconsider its decision, and stated further that the suburban grounds were too scattered to be used for the eighth grade matches. Mr. U. P. Calcinai referred to the danger to players from the posts along the Eastbourne ground erected to keep the crowd clear of the play area, and the club is to be asked to have the posts padded or removed. The question of whether it was compulsory for,games on charge_ grounds to be played in two forty-five-minute spells was raised by Major T. J. King, who said that the Hutt-Athletic game on Saturday was . played in two 40-minute spells. Miv.Mur-

phy stated that the, arrangement was agreed to by the captains. In reply to Mr. 11. D. Morgan, 'Mr. Prendeville said that he had no doubt that the union had the power to fix tho time for matches, under its rules for club contests, although he agreed with other speakers that there would be no trouble if shorter spells were played on wet days. It was decided to adhere to the former custom of having games' on charge grounds played iii 45----minute spells. .;. NEXT WEEK'S GAMES. The senior games for Saturday week are as follows:— Senior A. University v. Petone, at Petone. Berhampore v. Marist, . at Wakefield Park. Oriental v. Wellington, at Prince of Wales Park. Hutt v. Eastbourne, at Athletic Park. Pqneke y. Athletic, at Newtown Park. Miramar v. Old Boys, at Kilbirnie. Senior B. Upper Hutt v. Old. Boys, af-Upper Hutt. St. Patrick's Old Boys v. Hutt, at Hutt. "Onslow v. Porirua, at Porirua. Melrose v. Johnsonville, at Johnsonville. . ■"-,. • Training College v. University, ground to be arranged. Selwyn v. Oriental, ground to be arranged.