Friendly foes face off at annual match

The annual rugby match between Hawkes Bay school Te Aute College and Victoria University for the J T Pickett Cup was held last week at the Prince of Wales Park in Wellington.

Despite an early lead, the under-19 team from Victoria’s Old Boys University Rugby Club lost 27 - 20 to the Te Aute team, with several fine tries scored from both sides.

The historic matches, which began in 1932, are always hard fought battles says Professor Piri Sciascia, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Te Aute College Old Boy.

After the match he presented the captain of the Te Aute College team with two copies of historian and author Eldon Best's monograph on Maori religion and mythology.

"I also reminded the team about the J T Pickett scholarship for tertiary study at Victoria in 2009". Two Te Aute college students have previously received the award in 2007 and 2008.

Next year the University may travel to the Hawkes Bay for the 77th match.

J T Pickett was the manager of the Bank of New Zealand in Waipawa and donated the trophy in the early 1930's.