RUGBY GROUNDS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16301, 7 April 1927, Page 3

RUGBY GROUNDS

IMPROVING THE OVAL PLAYERS' WISHES EXPRESSED The obvious impossibility of the Rugby and cricket games maintaining separate grounds in so small a centre as Gisborne has been impressed on the members of both bodies. Although the negotiations for the purchase of a half-share in the Oval by the Rugby Unon have been prolonged, and almost abandoned at one stage, there is now every prospect of the two eontioiling authorities coming together, and uniting their efforts for the improvement of the ground now owned by the association. The purchase of a half-share in this ground was discussed at last night's meeting of the Poverty Bay Rugby Union, when Messrs H. E. Maude and H. D. Chrisp attended and placed certain aspects of the matter before the Rugby delegates. The football men later carried a resolution empowering the management committee to purchase the interest in the Oval on such terms as it thought suitable. A factor which may have had some influence on the opinion of the meeting was the comparative failure of the Poverty Bay Rugby Union's art union lottery, from"which it had been hoped to secure substantial profits wherewith to purchase and equip grounds, should the Oval purchase fall through. The chairman, Mr. A. S. Parker, revealed to the meeting that there was very little to be expected from the art'union which was organised during the summer.

" We are not in a position to say what the actual result of the art union will be." Mr. Parker remarked, "but I can assure yotu that it will be disappointing. We can expect very little from this source, owing to many causes, including the financial stringency and the prevalence of art unions. The public were full .up of art unions." Mr. Parker further stated, however, that an anonymous . donor had placed £IOOO at the disposal of the union, which would enable it to purchase a hailf-sharo in the Oval. The offer of the Cricket Association in respect to the half-sharo of the Oval must be taken up this year, or "it would be lost. He was strongly of the opinion that they could do no better than to take the offer held out to'them'by the association. Mr. W. 11. Burge supported the chairman's remarks. The union would not procure a ground elsewhere for the money available, and certainly it would bo-wise to'get in and secure the permanent tenure as quickly as possible. Thcv had a lease of the ground for only as long as the Cricket Association retained the ground; and to secure their tenure their only course was to buy in. Ho suggested that the matter of finalising the purchase should be left to lap executive, for he was • confident that a, reasonable agreement could be reached on any points at issue.

Mr. H. E. Maude proposed that tho meeting- should' express its opinion as to whether the players warded to continue on the Oval.

Mr. K. Woodward said that the union had no course but to purchase a share in the ..Oval. The union already had a slake in the grandstand, and the Oval was firmly established as the rendezvous for the Rugby public. The two sports, cricket and Rugby, could not afford to maintain separate grounds, and it was essential that they should get together. The general opinion of the delegates present, judged from the discussion, was that the establishment of Rugby on tho Ova/J was essential, but that some steps would require to be taken to improve the ground for football, as at present it was sometimes too hard and sometimes too slippery, owing to the nature of the soil; players commented on tho fact that im'uries were too freoueut. Mr, H. K. Maude remarked, in reply to the suggestion made, that it would not pay. to turn the ground over, for it had taken years to produce, the surface now available, and turning over would merely expose the old sand subsoil. A wonderful improvement had beeli. made in the No. 1 ground through the summer, and it was. only a matter of time when it would be covered with a good sole of grass. In the meantime players would have to put up with the conditions, which, however,/ might be mitigated by the judicious use of a hose. It was impossible to avoid placing cricket wickets on the Rugby fields, but if the footballers desired to avoid the wickets, they could perhaps shift their No. 1 ground nearer to Childers road. The Oyal would, by a. little give and take on the part of the Cricket Association, carry four grounds, and thus it would provide for the requirements of the union for some time to come.

With regard to finances, Mr. Maude pointed out that when the grandstand was paid for it would return about £l5O per year, ami an £BOO investment which'made this return was not available everywhere. He urged the union not to press the Cricket Association for any more than a fair deal. The union had been a valuable tenant of the association, and the latter to-day simply wanted a fair agreement in the matter of the purchase money. There was no reason why the Qva\ should not produce revenue apart from cricket and football. He felt certain that the union would not find occasion to regret the proposed purchase, if it were proceeded with. The Oval could be greatly improved, and made one of the bestgrounds in New Zealand, with co-opera-tion between the two bodies. Mr. Maude recalled that the game had been hard put to it, some years ago, to find any home but the Oval. As an old footballer and union member, lie was very much gratified with the progress of Rugby in the Bay, and he expressed the hope that it would find a permanent home on the Oval. An old Poverty Bay Rugby representative, in Mr. If. D. Chrisp, warmly supported the remarks of Mr. Maude, urging that the union and the association should co-operate to make the Oval what they loped to see it, the rendezvous of sports. , Mr. M. J. Kyno, assuring the meeting that he was not proposing, to throw cold water on the proposal,-asked the union to be sure that, it could afford the step proposed. The ground rent last year

was £95, and the interest on the pur-chase-money of a half-share would be double that. The chairman pointed out that there were numerous expenses in addition to the ground rents to be considered. Mr. Burge added that the amount paid off the grandstand could also be included in what it had cost the union to use the ground. Mr. Maude expressed confidence that the union's delegates, and also many of the Cricket Association delegates, could be depended upon to guard the union against a step which would involve it too deeply. " That the management committcp of the Rugby Union be authorised to purchase a half-interest in IJio Oval at such price, and on such ternia, as it may decide," was proposed by Mr. M. J. Kync, and carried unanimously.