RANFURLY SHIELD.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 245, 13 September 1935, Page 2

RANFURLY SHIELD.

QUESTION OF MATCHES. Per Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, Sept. 12. “Canterbury' has never turned down challenges. AYhile the shield was Held here the challenge games were played every available Saturday to the end of September.” That is part of the reply of Mr AAL S. Seed, president of the Canterbury Rugby Union, to the statement of Mr Millard that AYellington’s 1933 shield challenge had been turned down flat. Mr Millard suggested that Mr Seed should produce the letter sent to AVeliington in 1933 which Mr Seed did to-day.

“We regret it is necessary to decline the challenge tentatively arranged for Wednesday, September 0,” stated the letter from the Canterbury Union. “The decision is influenced by the fact that lor our team to play three challenge matches in eight days should bo avoided. In addition, when dates were arranged preference was given to Southland and Otago as touring teams. The remaining Saturdays were available for Wellington, but owing to certain regular fixtures between your union and other unions, tlieso dates were not suitable to your delegate in view of the fact that your union preferred to carry out its obligations rather than have the challenge match. Further consideration pointed out by Taranaki is that if the Wellington game is played as arranged, Taranaki, who play us on September 16. in the course of their ordinary tour possibly maynot have the opportunity of playing for the shield this season, having played’ Wellington prior to the match against us. Are you sure your union appreciates our position?” Mr Seed added that the suggested rearrangement referred to this year suggested that Wellington, who are free next Saturday, should play Hawke’s Bay then and the match, Hawke’s Bay-Poverty Bay, set down then be played on September 28, on which date Wellington would have been free for a shield game.