RUGBY IN OAMARU

Southland Times, Issue 24211, 22 August 1940, Page 10

RUGBY IN OAMARU

LACK OF PUBLIC SUPPORT The lack of public support for Rugby in Oamaru*came in for trenchant criticism at the weekly meeting of the Management Committee of the North Otago Rugby Union on Monday night. Mr M. F. Woodward (president) occupied the chair. The treasurer (Mr A. McPhail) introduced the subject by reporting that 132 men, 36 women, and three boys, a total of 171 people, paid for admission to the Show Grounds on Saturday for the representative fixture between Ashburton and North Otago. Mr McPhail said it was a waste of time trying to carry on in such circumstances. It was disgraceful. The public did not want representative games. If he was on the committee next year, he would move that no representative games be played. The public was not trying to support the union.

Mr Woodward: This is tragic. Mr G. Knowles said that Ashburton had never been a draw for Oamaru. Mr McPhail: But even the South Canterbury gate was ridiculous. I can’t understand the public. Mr Knowles: We always get a good gate for Otago. Mr R. H. Watson said the public did not show its appreciation of Rugby at Oamaru, except for Otago. Mr Woodward said that the game at Oamaru on Saturday was probably as good as the game at Invercargill, except for the lack of a crowd. It was not fair to the players with such a meagre crowd of spectators. Mr McPhail said the public of Oamaru had their golf, but did not want anything else. They had onetrack minds. Mr McPhail said the union could not pay its way under present conditions, and to close the discussion he gave notice of motion to delete the resolution fixing charges for representative matches, with a view to lowering the admission charges for the match against Waimate.