Football.

Hastings Standard, Volume XII, Issue 4126, 8 April 1909, Page 5

Football.

The following will represent the Rover Seniors v Petone :—Full-back D. Wilkins ; three-quarters: Wall, Speer and Turner ; five-eighths : W. Kenyon (capt.) and Boyd; half: H. Calnan ; wing forward : J. Heeney ; forwards: Scott, "VlcVay, Collinge, Thow, O'Neill, Harmtston, Oliver, McWillie. The Junior team to play Selwyn will be posted at Ross', tobacconist.

HAWKE'S BAY RUGBY UNION. The annual meeting of the delegates to the Hawke's Bay RugbyUnion was held at Napier last ejren ing, Mr F. Logan in the chair. The report for the season 1908-9 was as follows: — Your committee, in submitting the report for the season IQOB, consider that on the whole the season must be considered to have been a successful one. The Club System: Last season, in terms of the decision arrived at by the delegates, the unioir reverted to the club system in the championship competitions, and, while the arrangements produced a larger number of teams, the wisdom or otherwise of the change cannot yet be asserted. Fourth Grade Competition ; Thcr institution of a Fourth Grade competition last season proved a decided success. The formation of this competition has established a connecting link between the Schools Competitions and the higher grades. Championships : Nine teams (six from Napier and three from Hastings) competed in the Senior competition, the honours going to Rovers (Hastings), who carried off the Waituna (Gooseman) Banner without suffering a defeat, whilst Napier were awarded the premier position for the Napier section, by virtue of which they also hold the ChampionI snip Shield. j Representative (Inter union) Matches : Four representative matches were played. The personnel of the Hawke's Bay team was materially changed from that which played in the British match, a muchheavier set of forwards b?ing selected, whilst the backs were also revised, with the result that one representatives won every match. The Sub-unions : During the season the game progressed very encouragingly in the districts governed by the various sub-unions affiliated to your union, a marked feature being that the greater proportion of the province's representative players were drawn from the sub-unions' ranks, and these men very worthily upheld the confidence of the selectors. Referees' Association : Your committee has again to extend its thanks and express its obligations to the Referees' Association for the great amount of assistance given in the control of the game. Growth of Union : As indicating the growth of this union's business, it may be stated that, including the five sub-unions of Hastings, Waipawa, Da«nevirke, East Coast and Wairoa, with the clubs in Napier, and not including primary and secondary school teams, there are more than 70 teams, with over 1000 active players, affiliated. Finance : From a financial point of view the year's operations have proved a record in the history of the union. After transferring to new ground expenditure the sum of £56 16s Bd, and taking into consideration amount owing to New Zealand Rugby Union against schools encouragement account, the balance will be shown in debit £3 14s 6d. Against this, however, there is a credit due from the New ZeJand Rugby Union for our share in profit on the British, tour. Meetings: During the year 28 ordinary and special meetings of the Management Committee were held, at which the members attended as