RUGBY TROPHY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22447, 30 September 1947, Page 4

RUGBY TROPHY

LEE BROS. SHIELD SENIOR P.B. PRIZE AWARD TO CHAMPIONS New Zealand timber and silver mountings have been fashioned expertly to form the Lee Brothers’ Shield which was formally presented to the Old Boys Football Club on Saturday evening by the chairman of the P.B. Rugby Union, Mr. M. H. Beuth. A handsome Irophy of which any sports organisation would feel justly proud, the shield was accepted this season for competition among senior teams of the union. As the 1947 champions, Old Boys become the first holders. Members of the Gisborne Marist Old Boys Club, the five brothers joined as donors of the shield, Messrs. D. P-, J. H., N. E., F. T. and E. S. Lee, are noted as keen supporters of amateur sport, with a particular interest in the national game. As the half-back in each of the six successful matches contested by the Poverty Bay representatives and also in the combined Poverty Bay-East Coast team which defeated Otago, holders of the Ranfurly Shield, Mr. E. S. (Stan) Lee has been an outstanding player this season. Mr. N- E. (Norman) Lee is the official recorder for the union. Domed Silver Centre

The base of the shield measuring approximately 20in by 17in is fashioned in conventional design from heart rimu, highly polished and displaying the natural grain to advantage. A raised section of proportionate size is surmounted by a domed centre of silver in the form of a shield.

This is engraved with the figure of a player posed in the attitude of kicking a ball which is in process of crossing the bar of a Rugby goal. In block and shaded engraving appears the simple legend, “Lee Bros. Shield” giving the name of the trophy, and its purpose is indicated by the letters “P.B.R.U. and the abbreviated phrase Senior Champ.’’ Miniature shields in silver to carry the names of successive winners surround the domed centre. Eighteen of these have been mounted and ample room remains for annual additions in a long life of the trophy.

The shield was designed by the five donors. Mr. E. S. Lee fashioned the woodwork, and the work in silver was carried out by Messrs. Geddes and Murray, of Gisborne. Since its recent completion and display, the .shield has been the subject of warm admiration from those privileged to see it, and tributes to the spirit of sportsmanship and generosity which prompted the gut to the union have been supported by unstinted praise of the craftsmanship employed.