RUGBY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 18 April 1939, Page 2

RUGBY

SUB-UNION ANNUAL MEETING At the annual meeting of the Motueka Rugby Sub-Union held in the High School last evening, the following officials and delegates were present: Messrs A. E. Fry (president), H.

'R. Holdaway (secretary), J. Holyoake and N. Holyoake (Wanderers), E. Cody re and J. Watson (Upper Moutere), O. Quinn and L. Hunt (Huia) and E. Redmond (United). Messrs S. G. Smith and H. B. McGlashen, Benefit. Fund Trustees, were also in attendance. FINANCES The secretary, Mr H. R. Holdaway, in presenting a statement of receipts and expenditure stated that the general account was in credit to the extent of £lO 13s 9d. and that the Benefit Fund account showed a balance of £199 9s sd. The balance sheet was adopted, subject to audit, on the motion of Messrs A. E. Fry and J. Holyoake. The secretary, Mr H. R. Holdaway.! read the following report, which was I duly adopted. “The 1938 Rugby Football season will i not go down in the annals of Rugby i as being an outstanding one. Although j the standard of football in the senior' grade was perhaps better than in 1937, there was a lot left to be desired. The j junior competition was not nearly as j good, and the third grade matches were often of a scratch nature. The management committee of the i Union met in seven formal meetings, j but many informal meetings were held as well. The attendance of members of the committee was generally good | though punctuality was not so good, and often meant that the secretary and j others were waiting in the cold for an j hour or more. COMPETITION HONOURS The Tikaokao team won the senior competition with 15 points, United being runners up with 10 points. Wanderers won the senior seven-a-side while the Benefit Shield was won by Tikaokao. In the junior competition Dovedale ran out easy winners with 22 points. United and Wanderers filling 2nd and 3rd places with 12 and 10 points respectively. The junior seven-a-side was won by Dovedale. In the 3rd grade competition High School won the Chittenden Shield and also the Tui Cup for the seven-a-side tournament. The keeping of the points for all competitions would be made much easier if secretaries forwarded results to the Union secretary instead of him having to collect all points in both town and country games in divers ways. We wish to congratulate all winners in the different grades. GROUNDS AND GRANDSTAND The thanks of the committee are due to Mr Barnes for sweeping out the [ grandstand and putting out the flags each Saturday, and to Mr H B McGlashen for his general interest in the grounds. REPRESENTATIVE GAMES The sub-Union’s senior team played Takaka both here and in Takaka, and we congratulate those chosen in the Main Union team. The junior representatives played Takaka- at Takaka and Nelson 3rds in Nelson, while a Bay’s team played the Nelson juniors here. The third grade players journeyed to Nelson, and a Nelson 4th grade team played our boys here. REFEREES We wish to thank all referees for their co-operation in running the games and trust that the Referees’ Association will be enlarged by men retiring from active participation in football. • INTEREST IN FOOTBALL We feel that the public has not let the committee down. The spectators have rarely had their money’s worth during the season. Over a period of years there has been a steady decline in the standard of football and there has also been a steady decline in attendances at the games. It seems to the committee that the fault does not lie with the officials of the Union altogether but that primarily the difficulty is in the clubs. WHERE CLUBS SEEM TO BE FAILING (a) Lack of interest of club officials in their clubs; (b) lack of attendance of club officials at matches; (c) lack of practice; (d) unpunctuality; (e) slovenly dress of players, players running around for togs at the last mipute; (f) lack of elementary knowledge of the rules by even senior players; (g) a general “don’t care”, “can’t be bothered” attitude. If football is to be saved in this district then drastic reforms will have to take place. ELECTION OF OFFICERS

Before vacating the chair, Mr A. F. Fry thanked the members of the committee for their co-operation and help during the past season. He acknowledged the assistance rendered to the Sub-Union by Mr H. B. McGlashen, and also by Mr H. R. Holdaway as secretary and treasurer.

The attendance at matches had, he said, been better during the past season than for the previous one. On being re-elected as president for the ensuing term, Mr Fry expressed the hope that more interest would be taken by clubs themselves in the affairs of the Sub-Union, and that each club would be prepared to shoulder its share of the work.

Other officers elected to office were: —Vice-presidents, Messrs K. J. Holyoake, B. T. Rowling and H. B. McGlashen; secretary-treasurer. Mr E. Redmond; assistant treasurer, Mr H. B. McGlashen.

It was decided, Messrs H. Holdaway and E. Codyre, that this meeting delegate its powers to a management committee, but that a full district committee meeting be held at least once a month. Management committee: Messrs O. Quinn. J. Holyoake, E. Codyre and H. B. McGlashen, with the president and secretary ex officio. Delegates to Main Union: Messrs J. Holyoake, E. Redmond and O. Quinn. Auditor: Mr S. B. Canavan. The question of appointment of senior and junior selectors was deferred until the first meeting of the district committee. Third grade selector: Mr J. Lewis. COMPETITION FIXTURES It was decided that the competition fixtures under the jurisdiction of the Motueka Rugby Sub-Union commence on Saturday, 6th May. On the motion of Messrs McGlashen and Holdaway it was resolved that 25 per cent, of the “gate” at all club matches be paid into the Grandstand Fund. The first meeting of the management

committee was fixed for Friday, 28th April, when entries from clubs will be dealt with.

Permission was granted (1) the United Club to play Granity at Rugby Park on Saturday, 29th April; (2) Wanderers to play Regimental at Rugby Park on Saturday, 22nd April; and (3) Upper Moutere to play Huia at Upper Moutere on Saturday next. UPPER MOUTERE REQUEST 50 PER CENT. OF MATCHES Mr E. Codyre in placing before the Sub-Union a request from his club for 50 per cent, of their matches to be played on the home ground said that Upper Moutere was dissatisfied with the fixtures last year. For the whole season only two senior matches had been played at Moutere, which meant that the players had been faced with a good deal of travelling expense. A

number had intimated that if condi- 1 tions in this respect were not improved for the current season they would not j play in any games except at Up Moutere. Mr Codyre said that prospects for football in his district were bright, but he thought the club would be unable to, 1 field two teams if more consideration I was not given to the question of home ! matches. Some players considered that I in the past their club had not receiv- j cd a fair spin from the fixtures’ com- j rnittee. In the course of a lengthy discussion the chairman and other members j stressed the difficulties that confronted 1 the fixtures’ committee in arranging more matches for country clubs on i their own grounds, and the detrimental | effect such an arrangement, if put in- ; to practice, might have on the gates at Rugby Park. Mr J. Holyoake also asked, on behalf of the Wanderer Club, that some j

I matches be played at Riwaka during I the season. , Finally it was resolved, Messrs Codyre and J. Holyoake, that it be a i ecommendation to the management committee that the applications by Upj per Moutere and Wanderer clubs for j matches on their home grounds be acceded to, as far as possible, when the j fixtures arc being drawn up. ! SUGGESTED AMALGAMATION OF TEAMS Mr H. Holdaw'ay voiced the opinion that something should be done to improve the srength of the football teams l in the district, and moved that delej gates ascertain from their respective clubs if they were willing to consider I amalgamation w-ith a view to strength. I ening the senior, junior and third grade competitions; each to send lu’o reprej sentatives to the meeting to be held ! on 28th April, when the matter could ] be discussed