RANFURLY SHIELD

Southland Times, Issue 25386, 13 September 1935, Page 6

RANFURLY SHIELD

CANTERBURY REPLY.

MR MILLARD’S REMARKS CRITIICZED. (Per United Press Association.) Christchurch. September 12. “Canterbury has never turned down challenges. While the Shield is held here challenge games will be played on every available Saturday to the end of September.” That was part of the reply of Dr W. S. Seed, president of the Canterbury Rugby Union, to the statement by Mr J. 'n: Millard that Wellington's 1933 shield challenge had been turned down flat. Mr Millard had suggested that Dr Seed should produce a letter sent to Wellington in 1933, which Dr Seed did to-day. “Regret it is necessary to decline the challenge tentatively arranged for Wednesday, September 6,” stated the letter from the Canterbury Union. “The decision was influenced by the fact that for our team to play three challenge matches in eight days should be avoided. In addition when the dates were arranged preference was given to Southland and Otago as touring teams. The remaining dates were available for Wellington, but owing to certain regular fixtures between your union and other unions these dates were not suitable to your delegate in view of the fact that your union preferred to carry out its obligations rather than have a challenge match. After further consideration it was pointed out by Taranaki that if the Wellington game was played as arranged, Taranaki, which plays us on September 16 in the course of the ordinary tour, would possibly not have an opportunity of playing for the Shield this season, having played Wellington prior to the match against us. We are sure your union appreciates our position.” Dr Seed added that the suggested rearrangement referred to this year suggested that Wellington which was free next Saturday, play Hawkes Bay then and the match between Hawkes Bay and Poverty Bay set down then be played on September 28, on which date Wellington would be free for a Shield game.