Mix-Up In Travel For Otago Members Of Barbarian Rugby Team

Wanganui Chronicle, 13 October 1948, Page 2

Mix-Up In Travel For Otago Members Of Barbarian Rugby Team

AUCKLAND. Monday. (P.A.).—Because of a mix-up in travelling arrangements four South Island players in the Barbarians Rugby teain, which played Auckland on Saturday, had to be flown home yesterday in two planes specially chartered from the Auckland Aero Club. The players were J. C. Kearney (who was accompanied by his wife). K. J. O’Connor and P. A. Johnstone, of Otago, who travelled in a Rearwin plane and L. A. Grant, of South Canterbury, who travelled in a Fox Moth. The cost of the Charter, about £2OO, has been met by the Auckland Rugby Union from profits of the match. The mix-up appears to have occurred at a lime that the priority for players to fly to Auckland was obtained in Wellington last Wednesday. On that, day the secretary of the New Zealand Rugby Union advised the Auckland Union that he had instructed the Otago Union to make the necessary arrangements for tickets. It was not until after the game on Saturday that the Auckland Union discovered from the four players that none had return tickets, and the lirst efforts to charter the Aero Club’s planes were not made until after six o’clock that evening. A complication was that O’Connor, a house surgeon at the Dunedin Public Hospital, had only secured leave for the match on condition that he returned today and Kearney, a farmer at Ranfurly, Central Otago, was also anxious to recover time lost in representative football. It was proposed to facilitate Kearney's return by getting the plane to land at Ranfurly, but this could not be arranged because the field is classified as for emergency use only. The players were farewelled at Mangere about 9.30 this morning by Mr. R. G. Bush, end other officials of the Barbarians Club. They took their unusual transport in good part.