NO CHANGE IN CLUB CRICKET RULING

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30980, 9 February 1966, Page 15

NO CHANGE IN CLUB CRICKET RULING

AH club cricket will be played on Saturday. The final attempt to have play in the senior grade postponed was defeated at last evening’s management committee meeting of the Canterbury Cricket Association. The meeting considered letters from the Sydneham and West-University clubs, proesting against the playing of cricket on that day, and a recommendation from the competitions committee that senior matches not be played on Saturday, the final day of Canterbury's Plunket Shield match against Otago. The chairman (Mr A. E. L. Britton) was critical of comments which appeared in '■The Press” and urged mem-

i bers not to be “influenced unduly by outside comment.” Last Friday. "The Press” i published criticism of the C.C.A. decision from the Sydenham club, the Canterbury captain, B F. Hastings. and the St. Albans captain, S. C. Guillen. “I have in mind one particular series of comments which, if one were charitable, could be described as emotive statements,” sa ; d Mr Britton, “whilst if one felt a little unkind, they could be reasonably termed arrant nonsense. "The freedom of the press must, of course, be inviolate but I must confess that some of the drivel which I read last Friday was. to say the least, hardly constructive.” The only motion considered by the committee was proposed by Mr R. L. Kerr (a member of the competitions committee), rescinding the motion which confirmed that

-lall club play would takeI place. ■ This was defeated on a !; show of hands. •| Speakers opposing the post-1 jponement of any club! 1 I cricket, and points they made,; ■ were:— .'Mr A. G. Duckmanton: I Players pay £6 or £7 aj season and want to play! ’; cricket. ■Mr C. G. F. Hamilton: It I' i ; would be creating a dan-I ‘j gerous precedent to post-j :• pone club and to legis- j late for one grade. >jMr J. C. Saunders: Tests and) ■ I a match by the New Zea-! ‘ I land under-23 team j 1 against Wellington, will; : | probably involve some ■, local players. It is a bad i • . policy to make allow’-) . ances, such as postpone-! , j ment of Saturday’s play I . I would. > Points made by supporters :' of a postponement included:—!

Mr Kerr: The management committee favoured division of the senior competition and it would be foolish for the top half teams to play weakened. Also, lower grade cricketers will be playing j on Saturday: about 70 senior players will not, and they will miss only one day. Mr A. G. Williams: Managers' reports in the past have I . been critical of other asi sociations playing club cricket during away Plunket Shield matches by Canterbury. This was 1 in the days when the C.C.A. received a share of the gate takings. I Mr J. T. Eltoft: Other centres have to play club cricket . during representative matches because they have so little club play. I Christchurch has its full i share of club Saturdays.