SERIOUS INJURIES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19128, 24 September 1936, Page 4

SERIOUS INJURIES

MAORI FOOTBALLER IN CRITICAL CONDITION P.P.. MAORI ALL BLACK Private advice received in Gisborne this morning intimated that B. Rogers, the Poverty Bay Maori footballer who yesterday" took part in the match between a Maori All Black team and the Australian touring side in Palmerston North, had been admitted to the Palmerston North Hospital in a serious condition. His injuries were ascribed to a fall upon a concrete paving, and the message stated that his condition was critical.

This information was confirmed by the following Press Association telegram to the Herald: "B. Rogers, a member of the New Zealand Maori Kugby team, was admitted to hospital shortly after 9 o'clock last night suffering from serious head injuries, as a result of a fall a short time earlier. Details of the incident have not been fully cleared up, but detectives are pursuing inquiries. Rogers' condition is stated to Jae- very serious, and*gradually becoming worse." Deep consternation has been caused among the Maoris of Poverty Bay by the incident, more especially as telephonic inquiries made late this morning established the fact that the injured player was considered to have only the slightest chance of recovery. His young wife, a daughter of Mr. Turoa Pohatu, Manutuke, left Gisborne for Rotorua this morning to join her husband's family. Mr. and Mrs. Rogers have been married only a year, the wedding having taken place shortly after the return of the Maori All Black team from its Australian tour at flie close of the 1935 Rugby season. REPRESENTATIVE HONOURS The injured jdayer has been a prominent footballer for the past three years, having come to Poverty Bay from Kotorua in 1954 and joined the Y.M.P. club's senior team. He quickly played himself into form here, and his first big match was an inter-tribal one at Rotorua, this being the game which was marked by the tragedy of Jack Ruru's death from injuries on the field. He had previously played in the Rotorua district without distinguishing himself, and his selection for the Tairawhiti district caused some surprise among his old club-fellows in the northern area. That year he also gained representative honours for Poverty Bay, and last season he made further progress, reaching the top of his form in time to secure selection as a member of the Maori team which toured Australia. On that tour he gained a solid reputation for his fast forward work.

During the first half of the present season, Rogers was not able to reproauce his form of last season, but in later games he had begun to find himself again, and in the Prince of Wales Cup match in Ruatoria a fortnight ago he showed pronounced ability, ensuring his selection for the team which played the Australians in Palmerston North yesterday. Mr. Rogers is a member of a Rotorua family, and has several brothers and sisters. One of his brothers accompanied him to Poverty Bay in 1934, and played for the Y.M.P. club for the season.