UNIQUE MEETING.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 193, 15 August 1931, Page 15

UNIQUE MEETING.

Three University Teams at Luncheon. Players of three university teams met at luncheon at Coker’s Hotel today, the occasion being unique in the history of New Zealand Rugby football. The three colleges represented were Otago, Victoria (Wellington) and Canterbury The Qtago team played Merivale for the Payne Trophy this afternoon and Victoria and -Canterbury met in the curtain-raiser. Guests at the luncheon included a number of old university blues, among whom were Professor R. Speight (1888), Messrs A. R. Blank (1912), R. H. Livingstone, J. D. Hutchison (1921), T. Milliken (1921). Others present were Mr A. E. Flower, who did much to keep university football alive in Canterbury in the nineties. Mr F. Petre, manager of the New Zealand University team which visited Australia recently, Mr J. K. Moloney (Canterbury College Blue) and Mr R. Britten, representing the Rugby Union. Professor Speight said it was a pity that there was not an Auckland team, as this was all that was necessary to make the gathering complete. It was possible that there might be meetings representative of all the colleges in the future A four-sided tournament could be held to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the first match between Otago and Canterbury, which took place in 1886. Mr A. E. Flower welcomed visiting pla> ers cn behalf of the Rugby Union. Replies were made by Mr S. C. Chiles, manager of the Victoria team, and Mr W. S. Robertson, manager of the Otago team.