OTAGO RUGBY UNION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19108, 29 February 1924, Page 9

OTAGO RUGBY UNION.

ANNUAL REPORT. The forty-third annual report of the Ota go Rugby Union contains the following: Your committee considers that the past year has been a most satisfactory one, though the weather was the worst experienced fpi’ many years, and considerably reduced the gal© receipts and interfered a great deal with (he arrangements for club m'atches. •ho number of players taking part in the game of Rugby has surpassed all previous records, whilst the standard of play, while not tp to the standard of pre-war days, shows improvement, and the public interest in tho games continues to increase. Club Football.—The interest in club football was again well maintained throughout the season. Five competitions were again arranged-7-viz., first, second, third, fourth, and fifth. The third and fourth grade competitions had to he divided into two sections owing to the large entry, and it has b"en suggested that next season ther© should bo six competitions. Your committee desires to again congratulate the University on winning the First Grade Competition, the Alhambra, on winning the Second Grade, High School the. Third, Southern the Fourth, and Tufth School the Fifth. School Football.—As directed by your delegates, entries were invited from the primary schools for the Primarjt Schools’ Competition, hut the Christian Brothers were the only school to enter teams, and consequently your committee had to abandon this competition. The State primary schools, however, arranged a most successful competition amongst the State school teams, which attracted a very large entry—A Grade 15 teams, B Grade 13. Bantams 21—and the matches were very keenly contested —the North-East Valley and Port Chalmers Schools being equal in the A Grade, the Green Island School won the B Grade, and the Macandrew Road School No. 1 the Bantam competition. Your committee srranged a competition amongst tho secondary schools’, entries being received from the High School, M’Glashan College, and the Christian Brothers. The B Grade representative match between Otago and Southland was played at Tahuna Park, and resulted in a win for the Southland team by 12 points to 3 points. The annual Schools' Tournament was held at Christchurch, and the Otago team was successful in winning the tournament, the flnai between Otago and South Canterbury proving a most exciting match, the Otago team' winning just on time by 5 points to 3. The annual match between Otago Boys’ Higu School and the "Wahabi High School was played at Carisbrook as a curtain raiser to the final flag mairh of the season, ant *t good game resulted in a win for the Otago Boys’ High School by 11 points to 3. Representative . Matches.—Last season, another very heavy programme of representative matches was carried out. The team toured north, but unfortunately our strongest team could not be got away, ami consequently the tour was not, as successful as your committee would have wished. While the team was away several representative matches were played in Dunedin. You committee, however, is of the opinion that two many representative matches are now being played between the various unions, and vour committee has suggested to the New Zealand Union that a conference shoal 1 be held to discuss the curtailing of repres.nu*tive fixtures. New South Wales Team’s Visit. —During the season a New South Wales team visited New Zealand, and the first test match was played in Dunedin. The weather was a.u that could be desired, and the match attracted a large attendance, and provided a good exhibition of Rugby. The New Ze’-T’.nd team proved too strong for the visitors, and won rather easily by 19 points to 9. Payne Trophy.—A great deal of mte cal was being taken in the match between the premier teams of Otago and Canterbury for the Fayne Trophy, but, unfortunately, the Marist Brothers, the premier team of Canterbury, failed to observe certain conditions laid down by the Canterbury Rugby Union with the result that the Marist team was suspended by the Canterbury Union. It as then arranged that the Merivale team, run-ners-up, should take the Marist Brothers’ team’s place and meet the University. The match attracted a very large attendance, i».d provided one of the finest exhibitions of Rugby seen in Christchurch for a long time, and resulted in a win for the University team by 27 points tp 3. The University team, is to be congratulated on being the first winners of this trophy. Junior Representative Matches.—After a lapse of many years a junior representative match between Canterbury and Otago was arranged, the Otago team journeyed to Christchurch. The match provided a good game, and victory rested with the Canterbury team by 16 points to nil. The junior representative team also played a match against a South Canterbury Junior team, and this also provided an interesting game, the Otago team proving victorious by 11 ijoints to 8. Your committee is ct opinion that- in selecting junior representative teams the selection should be confied to young junior players who show promise of becoming good senior players, and that old players who have taken part in. senior matches should not be eligible for selection in these tearfis. Other Matches.—During the season a repre eentative match between the Returned Soldiers’ Associations of Otago and Canterbury was played at Carisbrook the match in a win for the Otago team by 14 points to 6. The annual match between the Gtagn University and Canterbury College was playnj at Carisbrook, and resulted in a, win for the University team by 30 points to J 3. Teams were also sent to play matches against North Otago, South Otago, and Eastern Districts, resulting as follows 4 —v. South Otago, at Balclutha —lost, 12 points to 17; v. North Otago, at Oamaru—lost, 7 points to 10; v. Eastern Districts, at Palmerston—won, .U points to 6. Country Week. —Your committee endeav. cured to arrange a Country Week during the season, but the proposals submitted by youi committee were not acceptable to some of the sub-tinions, and it was found necessary to abandon the project. Accident Fund. —Your committee again carried on the Accident Fund for town players on similar lines to the previous year, and proved of great assistance to those playert who were unfortunately injured during the season. Special thanks are due to the attet tion givqn by Dr Evans, the fund’s doctor, to injured players, while at the same time looking after the interests of the fund, and also for generously rebating half of the modi cal expenses as a donation to the fund. The thanks of all footballers are due to Dr Evans for his generous treatment. General. —Your committee has given particular attention to the Carisbrook Ground, and under the capable supervision of Mr Alex. Ross it is now second to none in the dominion. It is pleasing to note- that the City Council recognises the necessity of improving the city playing areas, and the various recreation reserves are being improved each year. We desire to congratulate .Mr Tannock .on tho improvement he has made on several of the grounds, and trust tuat tne council will continue each year to further improve these areas. The Kaikorai Ground Company has also improved the Bishopscourt Ground, and tne Kaikorai Club is to be bcngratu.’ated on the improvements it has made to its pavilion, which reflects great credit on the memnera of the club who carried out this work. Considerable improvement has also been made to the O'poho Ground, on which two football grounds have now been provided, and wthe assistance of the Alhambra Club me council is erecting much-needed conveniences. Bathgate Park, with the assistance of the Garden Fete Society and the City Council, is to he greatly improved in the near future, and your committee has arranged to assisl the council to provide conveniences for tais ground, which have been a great want for some years. Your committee regrets to refer to the death of three old representative players in Messrs A. W. Morris, O. Owlew, and D. Claffey, and your committee desires to express its deepest sympathy to their relatives. Whilst the Otago representative team was in Christchurch opportunity was taken of placing a scroll on the grave of the late A. W. Morris. The thanks of the union are again due to the Referee’s Association for providing referees for the many matches played each Saturday. Prospective.—The• prospects for the coming year again appear particularly bright, and the prospects of a New Zealand team visiting England should create a great deal of interest. Players will no doubt endeavour to show their best torni with the hope of being selected for the trip Home, while the Iccal competitions' should again be keencly contested. ’ ■ .