PRAISE FOR TEAM

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26531, 5 August 1947, Page 9

PRAISE FOR TEAM

RANFURLY SHIELD WINNERS MEETING OF MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE “ The team played very well, and the members carried out everything the coach, Mr V. G. Cavanagh, jun had drilled into them,” reported Mr C. R.. Saxton, manager of the Otago representative team which won the Ranfurly Sh le ' d on Saturday, to the meeting of agement Committee of the Otago Rugby Football Union held last night. He added that the selectors were to be congratulated on choosing such a fine team. __ “ The hospitality extended to us, Mr Saxton said, “was really excellent, and everybody went out of . his way to, make the team’s stay a memorable one. He moved that letters should be .written to the Southland Union and individual persons whom he named thanking them for their hospitality. His motion was car- ” A letter from the New Zealand Union secretary, Mr J. Prendeville, was received concerning the Maori team s tour. He stated, in reply to the Otago Union s protest in not being assigned a match against the team, that travelling arrangements had precluded any possibility of Otago’s suggested date, September 17, being suitable. On September 13 there was a big Maori gathering at Ruatoria, and the New Zealand Union had felt bound to give Poverty Bay-East Coast a match on that date. To expect the team to play in Dunedin four days later was clearly impossible.—The committee decided to take no action. The difficulty of finding a suitable date for the Otago Sub-unions’ game with the Marlborough touring team was again discussed. The Vincent Sub-union wrote expressing disappointment that the match was not to be played in the country. Mr E. Kerr suggested that the union could overcome its worries if the match was played at Alexandra. —It was decided to hold the question over until next week. Acknowledgments for food parcels sent to sister unions in England were received and the president remarked that it was pleasing that the benefits of the scheme were being felt over a wide area. Mr Kerr, as chairman of the Flag Committee, 1-eported that the winning of the shield was a happy event but had greatly accentuated the- difficulty of making a fair draw for the First Grade Competition. After he had given a short resume of the position, members agreed to give the problem further consideration during tne week. , , The Eastern Districts Sub-union wrote asking for a match against their junior representative team of players under 17. It was decided that the winning team ot the Fifth Grade should be given the game. The following primary school representative games were approved: Dunedin v. Southland (under 6st 71b), at Invercargill on September 20; Dunedin v. East Otago (under 8 stone), at Palmerston on September 20. Players in the latter team would not be included In the A team which, it was asked, should play Southland as a curtain-raiser to the match Otago v Southland on September 13 This last request was held over until next week. Permission was granted for the playing of the following matches: Pirates Third Gradp B team v. Riverton, at Dunedin, on the morning of September 13; King’s High School second XV v. South Otago High School first XV, at King’s, on August 13.