MARLBOROUGH RUGBY UNION.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIII, Issue 114, 12 May 1909, Page 2

MARLBOROUGH RUGBY UNION.

A general meeting of the Marl"borough Rugby Union was' held last night in the Club Hotel, when, there; ■were present:—Messrs J. J. Gorry (President), P. O'Dwyer, A. ,R: Thomson, and J. Mowat (Vice-Presr-dents), J. Strickland (Central), (*eo. Griffiths (Opawa), F. Morrison (Aw*tere), J. O'Dwyer (Waitohi), J. O'Leary (Moutere), D. McCallum (Treasurer), and E. S. Hylton (Secre■fcary) • The Secretary reported that the Drawing Committee had met that morning and drawn up the first round, which he read to the meeting. The senior matches for Saturday being: Opawa v. Awatere, at Seddon. Central v. Moutere, at Blenheim. A full list of the fixtures will appear in another column. The Chairman moved, and Mr Mowat seconded: That the work ot the Drawing Committee be approved, and that they be thanked for the list of fixtures.—The motion was earned" CORRESPONDENCE.

The Opawa Club informed the Union that Mr G. Paul had resigned from his position as the Club's delegate to the Union, and that Mr (*. Griffiths had been appointed in his stead. . ' The Chairman: You are eligible to take part in the business of the Union, ,Mr Griffiths. Mr Griffiths: Thank you, Mr Chairman. Messrs T. Brodie and Bayfield wrote accepting the positions as the Onion s delegates to the New Zealand Rugby Union, and asked to be advised of any special matter the Union wanted to have brought up at the annual meet--IXlThe Secretary stated that he had forwarded both delegates copies ot the order paper and the annual report ot the New Zealand Union. The Chairman asked if there was any particular business the Union desired to have looked into at the annual meeting. _ , The Secretary said he knew ot no- j thing special. Mr Griffiths asked if the Secretary , had an order paper. The Secretary had not. _ Mr Thomson suggested the matter j between this Union and the Auckland Union should be brought up. The Chairman thought it would be a good thing to have the matter discussed at the annual meeting ot the New Zealand Union. Mr R. Wanden submitted the j names of the players he had selected for the two teams in the lown v. Country match. * The Chairman asked if the teams played. The Secretary: No, Sir I . The Chairman: What happened to the match? „ , . The Secretary: It fell through owing to there being insufficient players. The Union lost 25s over the. fixture not being played. The Chairman: "I must say they are taking a lot of interest in the game! We have a match arranged for Saturday, have we not?" The Secretary: Yes. The Chairman: Have all the Clubs paid their subscriptions? The Secretary: Only Awatere and Opawa have paid. ■ ■ ■. The Chairman: Moutere and Central, where are your fees? Mr J. O'Leary (Moutere): Moutere will be holding a meeting to-morrow ; night, and I will bring the matter Mr Strickland (Central): I asked our Secretary about our fee to-day, and he said he had not sufficient money in hand to pay. He was waiting for the Renwick players to send J in their subs. It would be paid be- j fore next meeting. Mr J. M. Robb wrote informmg the Union that he had a lot of footballers' handbooks on hand, which he would supply the Union with at 4s 6d per dozen. Mr F. Morrison moved, and Mr r. O'Dwyer seconded: That the Union procure a dozen copies and supply the members with a copy each.—Carried. The Chairman said the principal business was to get the Cup matches started. Mr D. McCallum moved that the matches be commenced on Saturday, May 16th. Mr Morrison seconded the motion, which was carried. Mr McCallum moved, and Mr Morrison seconded: That any matches postponed be played at the end of the first round. Mr McCallum thought it would save a-lot of pulling about of the fixtures if that was done. Mr Morrison thought it a very wise plan to play such matches at the end of the first round, if that was not done there would probably be a lot of confusion. Mr Griffiths asked if he was right in assuming that all the first round fixtures would be completed before the second round was commenced. The Chairman: Yes. Mr Griffiths supported the motion. The Chairman asked if the Union wished to instruct Mr Brodie and Mr Bayfield to bring up anything at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Rugby Union? He asked Mr Thomson if he could suggest anything. Mr Thomson said he knew of nothing, but thought it best to give the delegates a free hand. Mr P. O'Dwyer moved # that the delegates be instructed to bring up the excessive charges made by the Auckland Union against the receipts in the Auckland-Marlborough Ranfurly Shield match. _ The Chairman seconded the motion .. Mr Griffiths thought the Auckland Union might apply to the New Zealand Union for something. The Chairman said he did not think it had anything to do with the New Zealand Union. The Auckland Union "grabbed the stuff" and if that body was given a "shake" this Union might get something done. The motion was carried. SWARTZ DISQUALIFICATION. Mr Morrison said he was instructed by his Club to ask when H. Swartz's disqualification terminated. The Chairman thought that player was disqualified for three years. He asked the Secretary to look up the correspondence in connection with the matter. Mr McCallum said there was no record of the disqualification. The Chairman replied that there was, as it had been brought up at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Union last year. Mr Griffiths said Swartz applied to have the disqualification removed last year. Mr McCalhim thotight an attempt was made to get the sentence reduced. .Mr Morrison said that Dr. Bennett had recommended a reduction of the term for which Swartz was .disqualified. j

Mr McCallum said the New Zealand Union had intimated that it had no jurisdiction in the matter. The Chairman, said the Union should have some record of the disqualification. Mr Morrison thought there should certainlyl be some record somewhere. Unless they had something from the ■ New Zealand Union what was going 'to prevent Swartz from playing? Mr Thomson said the Union lrd advice'-*from the New Zealand Union, and it was read at a meeting of the Union. Mr Morrison contended that they should have some notification frcm the New Zealand Union. Ihe Chairman asked when the Aiew Zealand Union met. The Secretary replied that they' met about May 30th. Mr Morrison said if Swartz hud been a "gun" at the game it would have been taken off long ago. Disqualifications had been removed before- ' The Chairman said Swartz was disqualified before the Marlbo rough representatives played Buller in Blenheim. Mr Strickland said Swartz was disqualified before the Union representatives went to the Coast to play lor the Shield. i Mr Morrison thought Swai*tz was disqualified just before the May meeting three years ago. His reason for remembering it was that Mr Cheosman went to Wellington in connection with the matter. The Chairman concurred with what Mr Morrison said, and pointed out that the disqualification would cot run out until the end of the present season. : CLASSIFICATION. Mr J. O'Dwyer asked what the Union was going to do in connection with the classification of the-Picton players? He pointed out that Mr Godfrey had come through from Picton to interview the Union on the question, and he asked that the Union hear Mr Godfrey, which was agreed to. "Mr Godfrey said they had noticed by the paper that the Union had agreed to' the Picton Club entering a junior team in place of a senior team, subject of course to the players being classified, and the members ofthe Waitohi Club had appointed him as their delegate to wait upon the Union for the purpose of ascertaining which players were to be classifiel. j The Chairman asked if Mr Godfrey | had a list of the Waitohi players for last year. . Mr Godfrey handed m a list, which the Chairman read out. The Chairman asked if any of tiie members knew anything about any of the players mentioned, if so they could ask Mr Godfrey any questions concerning them. , Mr Godfrey said the Waitohi Club had come to the conclusion that it was absolutely useless for them to endeavour to play a senior team, as they knew from past experience that they were hopelessly outclassed. They desired to play juniors merely for the sake of the game. The Chairman asked if some of the Picton players were not permitted to play for Moutere last year? Mr J. O'Dwyer said the Picton Club played a senior team last year, but the year previously the senior players had played for the Moutere Club. j Mr Godfrey said it was too far for members to travel to join another team.

The Chairman said - some of the players were too good to play juniors, he mentioned particularly Gibb and Godfrey. Mr Godfrey said Gibb had been taken down the Coast with the senior team, but a junior, man had been played in his stead. Mr Griffiths moved that Gibb and Godfrey be classified as senior players. Mr Godfrey said it was the feeling of his club that in the event jf one or two members being put up, they would withdraw from the Union altogether. Mr Morrison seconded the motion pro forma. Mr P. O'Dwyer thought it hardly fair to say that those men were too god to play juniors. The .Secretary ■ said v it was quite competent for the Union to classify any men they considered too good to play juniors. The Chairman asked Mr Hylton what he considered should be done. Mr Hylton said he thought they should- all be classified as junior players. The Cahirman said he jras in favour of doing*that. He pointed out to Mr Godfrey that the Union had the right to classify any men at any time. Mr Griffiths, on that understanding, ' withdrew his motion. Mr Godfrey asked, if in the event of any of the Picton men being classified, could they play for any town team they desired. Mr Griffiths said they would have to play for Moutere, according to the rules. The Chairman said there was no rule to that effect. The view the Union took of the matter was that those men might be required for representative matches. Mr Morrison said the Union should not be intimidated by any team threatening to withdraw. Mr Godfrey said a number of the Picton players were "soccor" players, and had signified their intention of playing that game if the Club was not permitted to play a junior team in place of a senior. The Chairman moved, and Mr McCallum seconded: That the Picton Club be classified a junior club, and that the Club be informed that any of its members could be classified if the Union thought fit to do so, and it reserved the right to re-classify players at any time during the season. Mr O'Leary asked the Chairman to mention certain players that would be likely to be classified. Mr J. O'Dwyer said it would not be^air to let them play until the last match, and then re-classify them, probably preventing them from winning the Cup. The Chairman said the Union was not likely to do anything like that. Mr Godfrey asked if the match be-e tween Picton and Awatere could be played at Blenheim. The Secretary pointed out that that had been provided for in 'the drawing up of the fixtures. The Chairman asked if the Picton Club was in full swing. Mr Godfrey said the members had had one or two practice matches. The -Chairman suggested that they send along their fee, which Mr Godfrey promised to have attended to. THE CENTRAL BOUNDARIES. Mr Strickland asked what the Union was going to do in the matter of the player Bell. He was claimed by the Moutere and Central Clubs, and he wanted the Union to finally settle the dispute. He brought up the question at the last meeting of the Union, and it was promised that it would be discussed at the next meeting. |

The Chairman said he had no recollection of the matter. The Secretary said it was purely a formal matter. The Chairman asked where Bell was domiciled at the annual meeting?

Mr Strickland said Bell was a resident of the Central district previously ,to the annual meeting, when he was living in the Moutere district. The Chairman read a resolution passed at a meeting of the Union to the effect that any player should play for the Club in whoso district he was domiciled in at the beginning of the season, which commenced from the date of the annual general meeting. He pointed out that in consequence of that Bell was a Moutere man, and that the Central Club had no claim upon him. The Chairman asked what had been done by tne Moutere and Central Clubs in connection with defining the boundaries. Mr Strickland said he had met the Moutere delegate, and they had been unable to come. to a decision on the question, and he thought it best for the Union to decide the matter. The Chairman thought it a great pity that they could not have decided the matter themselves. Mr O'Leary said the Moutere Club thought it had insufficient grounds with the old boundaries. Mr Strickland said the question arose through Parker and Bowman, who worked on farms just beyond the Central boundaries, but who were virtually residents of the Central district. , The Chairman asked if anyone was going to move in the matter. Mr Strickland said he had a motion on the minutes now. The Chairman did not think there was a motion dealing with the present question. Mr Strickland moved that the Central boundary be from the Opawa bridge to Rose's Overflow, and thence in a straight line to the sea. The Chairman said the idea was to alter the boundary so as to take in Parker and Sowman. . Mr J. O'Dwyer said the Moutere Club had no desire to encroach unon the Central district unnecessarily, and ho did not think it was right that the latter should endeavour to take any of the Moutere ground, which was small enough at present. Next year they would have Central trying to annex Grovetown, and they would still want some more men. The Central Club had now five teams, and they would still want more, as against Moutere's two. The Chairman said it was likely to be the bone of contention of # the Union finding out the whole time. As a matter of fact, the Central people said Parker, Sowman and Simmonds were domiciled in lihe Central district. He did not suppose the originators of the boundary scheme ever counted on the Opawa diverting from its original course, and cutting out the peninsula. Mr P. O'Dwyer said the Centrals were taking men from Moutere all the time. The Chairman said if that piece of land was left outside the boundary, Moutere would claim those men. The Secretary asked if those men lived in the Moutere district. The Chairman said Simmonds and Sowman lived and worked in the Moutere district at the present time. The Secretary said that would make the matter a difficult one for the. time being. The Chairman said they were working in that district, but came into town on Saturday nights, and Central had them awarded to them. He believed that the men were more Blenheim than anything else. The question was further discussed at length, and it was decided that the boundaries remain as at present. THE SECRETARY'S RESIGNATION. Mr Hylton tendered his resigl nation, on the grounds that it .was believed that the position would interfere with his other duties, and he asked that a, successor be appointed. | The Chairman expressed regret that such a state of affairs had taken place, but he asked that Mr Hylton reconsider his decision, and in the meantime he and Mr Mowat act as a deputation from the Union to wait upon the members of the Education Board with the object of gaining their consent to his continuing in office. GATE-KEEPERS. Messrs J. J. Corry, P. O'Dwyer, J. O'Dwyer and Hylton were appointed gate-keepers at the match on Saturday. It was decided that the match for the combined schools championship between Spring Creek and the Borough School be re-played as soon as possible. NOTICES OF MOTION. Mr J. Strickland gave notice that he would move at the next meeting of the Union: That the motion passed by the Union on May 4th making it compulsory for C. Manning to play for the Moutere Club for all the time that he is a resident of the Marlborough province be rescinded. REPRESENTATION. Mr Geo. Griffiths gave notice that at the next meeting of the Union he would move that Rule 5 be deleted,

and that a new rule giving each club representation on the Union in proportion to its number of playing members be substituted for it. Mr Morrison gave notice that he would move at the next meeting of the Union that any alterations to the rules be made at the annual general meeting. The meeting then terminated.