Whangarei-Wairoa Rugby Unions Divided On Saturday’s Games

Northern Advocate, 21 August 1945, Page 5

Whangarei-Wairoa Rugby Unions Divided On Saturday’s Games

Whether Northern Wairoa and Whangarei representative senior and junior teams should play shield fixtures at Dargaville next .Saturday is a question concerning both unions. Northern Wairoa desires postponement of the junior representative game, while Whangarei is adamant that both matches should take place. Successful in winning and retaining the Harding Shield, premier senior Rugby foot, ball trophy of Northland, Northern Wairoa also has'been successful in winning the Brake Shield, inter-county junior trophy. Now it finds itself in the position of defending both trophies against. Whangarei on the same day, and application has been made for the junior match to be delayed. Apparently the underlying motive for Northern Wairoa’s wish lo defend the two shields on different days is that of finance. To enable the Northern Wairoa senior team to travel lo Mangonui to challenge for the Harding Shield, people of the district subscribed more than £IOO, and their confidence was justified as the trophy came back with the team Since then the shield has been successfully retained cn successive Saturdays against Bay of Islands and South Hokianga, both matches drawing large crowds and making the financial returns lo the participating unions—who divide the proceeds on a 50/50 basis —substantial. Therefore Northern Wairoa. with the largest gate of the season promising for the match against Whangarei next Saturday, will end the season financially strong. To lift the Brake Shield, an expenditure of about £BO was necessary, and. as i here was no division of the gate, the whole going to fhe defending team as pro. videcl in the. rules governing Brake and Powell Shield games. Northern Wairoa has that muen deficit. In. Northern Wairoa it is the view that the union should be given the chance to recoup itself by playing the Brake Shield game against Whangarei on a Saturday separate from the senior fixture.

In short. Northern Wairoa would get (wo separate gates, that ior the senior game to be divided on a 50/50 basis with Whangarei. and that for the junior game to be retained wholly.

To adjudicate on the question raised by Northern Wairoa the North Auckland Union's emergency" committee met, and decided that it could not alter the 'decision. made by the management committee. that shield games should continue without interruption (except for August 4, when the Northland Maori v. Pakeha match was played). In the draw for shield games, Whaognrei seniors and juniors were drawn to play on ilie same day, but the draw was to be carried through. It was suggested by the committee that the Northern. Wairoa and Whangarei Unions could reach an amicable agreement regarding the sharing of the gate takings, and it proposed a basis for their consideration.

The Whangarei Union has decided that both matches must go on as scheduled. It considers that it was unfortunate in the draws for both the Harding and Brake Shields, in that it drew final challenges lor both trophies and that it cannot be held responsible in any way for the position in which Northern Wairoa now finds itself

To postpone iho Brake Shield match would mean that the junior representative team would be held a further Saturday without playing when it was already handicapped by having had only one run in a friendly match against Otamatea. In these circumstances the Whangarei Union held firm to the scheduled draw as laid down by the North Auckland Union, and Northern Wairoa will have to defend both trophies on the same day.

If the Northern Wairoa Union, at its meeting tonight, decides that it: will not play the Brake Shield game, the management committee of the North Auckland Union wili meet tomorrow morning to decide whether or not tho shield will be forfeited to Whangarei. In view of the emergency committee’s decision it appears that the management committee, if compelled to adjudicate, by a Northern Wairoa decision not to play the junior game on Saturday, will have to declare the shield forfeit or demonstrate lack of confidence in its emergency committee. It is of interest to note that Whangarei holds the third grade . trophy, the Powell Shield, having won it from Northern Wairoa in the only challenge of the season, and it is within the bounds of possibility that next season, if it is successful on Saturday in lifting the Harding and Brake Shields, Whangarei will have to defend the three trophies cn the same day.