FOOTBALL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19516, 20 February 1926, Page 5

FOOTBALL

RUGBY RANFURLY SHIELD CHALLENGE. PLAYERS AND PROSPECTS. With the approach of the Rugby season gossip and speculation are rife. Always, during the summer, there is a certain amount of movement nnd exchange among the players, clubs and provincial strength being thereby altered. So far there are no disclosures of startling acquisitions locally, nor of any notable departures from the district. Barry, who played Technical Old Boys last year, leaves next week for Wellington, where he will be at the University for two years. Wanganui Old Boys are said to have Wellington reinforcements in the j ersons of Christopherson (Poneke) and Carlson (Wellington College). The Ranfurly Shield. It is definitely on the cards that Wanganui will endeavour to wrest the Ranfurly shield from Hawke’s Bay next Winter and a tentative date, June 5, has already been fixed. If the match comes off it will be Wanganui’s first attempt at the Ranfurly Shield since Hawke’s Bay lifted the trophy. Previously, when Wellington held the shield, W'anganui went very close to winning it on more than one occasion, and the unexpected but hoped for, may easily happen against Hawke’s Bay. The Bay team has held the shield since 1922, and during the succeeding period hp” defended it against all the major unions, and most of the minor ones. Wanganui has been out in the cold long enough, and a challenge is overdue, particularly as a return match, in which the champions would be seen on a Wanganui ground, would probably follow as a mater of course. Shield Holders’ Strength. In spite of whispers to the contrary Hawke’s Bay is likely to be as strong as ever next season. The only defection from the ranks of the Magpies is the brilliant L. J. South, who rose to fame as centre last season, when he definitely established his claim to a place in the crack team. This year he has left Napier for a term at University. Since last season W. R. Irvine, the All Black hooker, has plunged into matrimony, but this is unlikely to affect his Rugby, and in any case, with Kirkpatrick, Wylie, Irvine, and Swain, Hawke’s Bay possesses a surplus of good front rankers. Also, the eastern province holds a notable acquisition in A. E. Cooke, now retail manager of a Napier mercery concern. Whether Cooke will remain in Sunny Napier remains to be seen. A Trial Gallop. Wanganui’s date with the shieldholders is two days after June 3, which for Wanganui means the annual match with Taranaki, and for Hawke’s Bay the historic Wairarapa match. Both teams will therefore have had some preparation. If the Bay team defends the shield ag ; n in 1926 it will have Set a new mark in the number of matches won by shield-holders. The record is now helc by Auckland, but Hawke’s Bay is ven close, and another three or four vic tories will give the Bay the record. Since the shield has dwelt in Napier, Auckland, Wellington and Canterbury have each played for it twice. Otago and Taranaki have pursued it twice, and there have been numerous other challenges. Next winter Marlborough and Wanganui, both new challengers, are expected along. The Ground’s Problem. Much praise must go to Mr F. C. Atkinson for his efforts to arouse the Wanganui Sub-Union to a. progressive policy. The present management committee has guided the Union’s affairs in an ii. portant period. It has seen the funds swelled to great dimensions by a successful art union effort, that has placed the union among the most financial sports bodies in the country, and from its opulence it has been able to purchase the valuable Todd estate, which is a sound provision for the future. Where the Union must be chided is in its tardiness in tackling improvements to the Rec. Everyone knew last season that radical alterations to the ground were possible, but so far they have not been seriously discussed, and it is too late to do anything this summer. As it stands now the Roc and its conglomerate appointments form a dreary spectacle. Not a paint brush has been laid upon the weatherworn fences and buildings, and unless improvements are started pretty quickly it looks as though Wanganui’s big football will again be staged on a ground rather like a disreputable fowlyard. Looking Ahead. What is not generally understood is that the Todd estate ground is not immediately to be used as the main Rugby battlefield. If it ever does fulfil that function, it will not be for many years yet, as the Rec. will be in the hands of the Sub-Union for another 21 years at least. r J*hus in the Rec—Spriggens Park, if you will —Wanganui will have for another two decades one of the most centrally located grounds in the Dominion. Improvements contemplated for next season arc a better hot water system, and at least four showers will be working. It is, incidentally, fitting that this ground, the cradle of Wanganui Rugby, should be named after one of the most generous enthusiasts the game has known. Under the title, Spriggens Park, it will lose none of its historic associations.