TARANAKI RUGBY UNION.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXVII, Issue LXXVII, 23 May 1919, Page 8

TARANAKI RUGBY UNION.

A meeting of the Management Committee was he^d at Stratford on Thursday evening. There were presentMessrs J. McLeod (chair), M Harkness, L. Beamish, W. B. Fearon, A. Lees, Lyall, Ryder, and R. Tyrer (secretary). A telegram was received from Opunake Club protesting against the Ra,notu nomination of a senior team in the Northern Division being accepted, as it was part of their district. It was pointed out that the Rahotu players would not join with Opunake, and rather than lose players the committee decided to accept the nomination. Mr J. McLeod was appointed delegate to the New Zealand Rugby Union meeting to be held at Wellington on May 29. A letter was received from the Maori Pioneer Batallion, asking for a match with the Union's representatives, it was decided that if Wellington were unable to play at Hawera during Win- , ter Show week the Maoris should be invited to play in their place. It was also decided to play Wanganui later on in the season, Wanganui also having asked for the same date, June 3rd. Mr L. Beamish was authorised to procure a supply of jerseys for the representative team. Messrs J. McLeod, A. Lees, and the secretary were appointed an Executive Cdmmittee. Messrs Lyall, Fearon, and Curteis, who were appointed a committee to enquire, into and report on the question of school football in the Southern division, submitted a report outlining a scheme for the encouragement of school football. The idea was to divide the schools in South Taranaki into four groups and appoint a teacher in each group to take charge of the arranging of matches between the respective schools. Where the smaller schoolscould not raise a full fifteen players, two or three.of these schools would combine together and put one team in the field. Also to give the smaller schools a chance against the 3-arger schools, the latter would be limited to playing not more than seven Sixth Standard boys in any one team. Members considered the committee had brought down a scheme that was worthy of a trial, and it was decided to adopt the report and carry out the recommendations as submitted by the committee. The following selectors for the re- ■' preservative teams were appointed: South—Messrs J. S. McKay, L. G Beamish and D. Malone (Riverlea): North—Messrs M. Harkness, A L Humphries, and H. L. Abbott. The chairman stated that about 40 teams would be playing Rugby in i Taranaki this season."