Loney Bowl back on

Court orders Atlantic championship game to be played by Tuesday

A Nova Scotia judge has ruled that the Atlantic university football championship should proceed.

Justice Deborah Smith’s ruling yesterday gives Saint Mary’s University a chance to take on the Acadia Axemen in the Loney Bowl.

An issue over the eligibility of one of the Halifax university’s players prompted the governing body for university athletics in the region to cancel the game and award the title to Acadia.

However, Saint Mary’s challenged the decision in the courts and Smith’s ruling followed two days of arguments this weekend.

It was planned to have the game played Tuesday to determine which team will take on Ontario’s Western University at the Uteck Bowl next Saturday.

Acadia lawyer John Keith told reporters outside the courtroom that the university is an “innocent party” in the complex legal dispute, which has spanned two provinces.

Keith said if Tuesday’s game would be played in a “haphazard” manner if it were to go forward, and wouldn’t give players adequate time to recover before the Uteck Bowl.

“It would be a game that would do a disservice to the town, to the university, to the fans of Acadia,” he said. “The asterisk in the footnotes of history should not be beside Acadia’s name.”

Saint Mary’s Associate VicePresident Margaret Murphy said the university is pleased the court has dealt with the issue in such a timely manner.

“We can certainly see that our coaches and our players are ready to play,” Murphy said.

“It would be very safe to assume that the other coaches players have the same attitude and determination to take the field as well.”

Calgary welcomes Laval in the other national semifinal, the Mitchell Bowl, for a rematch of last year’s Vanier Cup.