RUGBY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18418, 21 March 1928, Page 6

RUGBY.

APRIL 21 OPENING DAY FOR CITY CONTESTS. The Canterbury Rugby Union held its annual meeting last night. Mr S. F. Wilson presided over a good attendance. The chairman, in reviewing the year's play, said that the outstanding event was that Canterbury had eight players in the South Island team, and all of these eight had been chosen as All Blacks for the South African tour. The South had won the historic inter-island match by one point. Canterbury, by winning the Ranfurly Shield, was the first South Island combination to gain such a victory on a foreign ground. It had been suggested by an outside union that, in view of the depletion of provincial teams by the South African tour, the Shield games be not played. The speaker believed that there was not a delegate present who would support such an idea. The Shield game* should be played, and they would give a chance to many young players. The year, continued Mr Wilson, had seen the celebration of the jubilee of the Christchurch Club. The present year would be the fiftieth anniversary of the inauguration of the Canterbury Rugby Union, and the committee would take into consideration a suitable celebration. The standard of play had been good, especially in the lower grades. The season had been a record one financially. The report and balance-sheet were adopted without discussion. On the motion of Mr W. Seed, it was decided to set apart annually for ten year at compound interest a sum up to £IOO, the interest in ten years’ time to form the nucleus of an accident insurance scheme. That there be a selection committee of three was a unanimous recommendation to the incoming committee. An application from the Christchurch Training College Club for affiliation was referred to the incoming committee, which at a subsequent meeting decided to hold the matter over until the Varsity Club had discussed it. Officers were elected as follow: —President, Mr S. F. Wilson; vice-presidents, Messrs A. E. M’Phail, R. W. Britten and : C. S. M’Cully; management committee, Messrs W. Maxwell, W. Britten, E. V. ( Phillips, R. H. North, A. Barrett, J. St J. Dunne, J. K. Moloney and Dr W. Seed; treasurer, Mr A. Duggan; audi- : tors, Messrs W. G. Garrard and D Hoare. \ Mr M’Phail was elected chairman of the committee, at a subsequent meeting of that body. A Sunnyside Club representative who said that his club would apply to play in the senior B grade, provided they : were given all home matches, was assured by Mr Wilson that the executive would do its best to arrange that. April 21 was fixed for the opening of the season for the open grade teams.