SHIELD TOURNAMENT

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 748, 22 August 1929, Page 14

SHIELD TOURNAMENT

PRIMARY SCHOOLS ANNUAL RUGBY WEEK STAGED IN AUCKLAND Disconcerted by the last-minute information that the primary schools' competition for the Northern Roller Mills Shield could not be held in Cambridge this season as arranged, the Auckland Primary Schools’ Rugby Union appealed to the Management Committee of the Auckland Rugby Union for aid. The matches will be played in Auckland. \ DEPUTATION from the Primary Schools’ Union waited or the Management Committee last evening and made a successful application for i financial backing. Mr. P. J. Hook, president of the Primary Schools' Union, *aid that the Roller Mills Shield had been won last season by Thames Val- ; ley. The holders were supposed to run the competition for the following season but. m this Instance, had deI clmc-d to do so. Hamilton nad also turned down the comoetition. and • Cambridge had then been appealed to, with the result that the arrangements • were considered fixed. The competition between about six teams was to bo | held in the term holidays next week. 'We had a wire at 1.30 p.m. today ; saying that Cambridge could r.ot take I the competition.” said Mr. Hook. "We have decided to play the ?an'.°s here, but we are faced with the difficulty of billeting about 60 boys, as there should be three outside teams. Arrangements must be mads quickly, as we must let the other unions know of the altered plans by tomorrow. Our means are very straitened as we have i our affiliation fees to pay. and we Have , supplied 14 sets of jerseys to .schools | this season. We don’t anticipate any j difficulty in finding accommodation for I these boys, but we want to be sure that j" © have the committee's assistance | should it be necessary. Mr. L. Hilton, who accompanied Mr. Hook, said that the need for billeting i the boys had been broadcast from ! HA. The boys had to be entertained, ! but that was not an expensive item, j "The chances are about 90 oer cent, i that the committee will not be called | on. but at the most we should not re- | quire more than £25.” he said. Mr. A. Belcher suggested that the i final of the tournament be played as I the curtain-raiser for the Canterbury i v. Auckland game for Saturday week, i On the motion of Mr. R. Cooper it ; was decided to support the Primary 1 Schools’ Union to the etxent of £25 if I necessary. I Mr. S. Kronfeld asked the deputai tion whether there was any chance of resurrecting the old gala days and seven-a-side tournaments that had proved so lucrative in the past. Auckland, according to Mr. Hilton, required a Primary School Sports’ Association to put on such fixtures as Mr. Kronfeld had suggested. This was done in Otago and was a very profitable undertaking. The Sports’ Association could give assistance from its funds to any recognised sport in need of it. The Primary Schools’ Union was ; given permission to make a charge for j admission at the Showgrounds, where the competition will, in all probability, be played. Mr. Hilton thanked the committee for its support. "There are 91 teams playing in our mid-week competition at present,” he said. "You may be sure that we recognise and appreciate the assistance that the Rugby Union has given us in arriving at this result.” The Northern Roller Mills Shield is fo~ annual competition among schools representing the minor unions and the Auckland groups. It has been running for some years now and has been won in turn by Auckland and Thames Valiev. Auckland last held the trophv «n 1926.