TO RETURN

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 60, Issue 4343, 13 October 1950, Page 5

TO RETURN

THAMES & VALLEY RUGBY LARGE VOTE IN FAVOUR CHANGE AT GENERAL MEETING The Thames Rugby Union has resolved to secede from affiliation with the Auckland Rugby Union and to affiliate with the Thames. Valley Rugby Union.

At a special general meeting this week the voting was 31 in flavour and eight against. The motion was moved by Mr F. C. Tuck and seconded by ’Mr C. Ann esley-Smith. There were no amendments.

One provision was made, and Mr - Tuck gave the union the assurance of' the management committee that if any point could not be satisfactorily arranged with Thames Valley it would be reported to the general meeting of* the Thames union,

Mr Tuck said that Thames would lose its autonomy to a great extent as, in fact, Thames had been so (faraway from Auckland that it had beenleft to manage its own affairs. But affiliation with the Valley would* guarantee, on an average, at least one first-grade match a year at Rhodes park. Financial arrangements, he was sure, would be satisfactory. Speaking from the players’ point of view, Mr Annesl'ey-Smith said that without the Auckland selectors coming to Thames at least four times a year to take an average of ability, theplayers would have a better chance of gaining football honours by playingfor Thames Valley than “wasting their football careers waiting for selection' for Auckland.”

It was pointed out that Thames Valley played about four outside teams a year. If one of those matches were at Thames-there would' be only three times when any likelihood of therebeing a Thames and a Thames Valley representative match on the same date: might arise. Thames Valley had stated that they had “learned their lesson” and it was unlikely they would stage a representative .match on a. date that would clash with a subunion fixture. 1

Mr F. P. Wilton spoke ( against the motion. He said he did not think that affiliation with the Valley would, brighten Thames Rugby. If Thames had. been included in the Valley thia year perhaps seven or eight players wduld have been selected as representatives. Where would club football have been then? he asked.

“I did not like Auckland’s attitudelast time they were down,” he continued. “They threw us in the lap of* Thames Valley whether we would or not.” He added that they were leaving a stronger union to join a weaker union.

But the opinion expressed l>y Mr Hays appeared to be the same as that of most of the delegates. That if some unions did not join up with theweaker there was no possibility of a. stronger union evolving.