CRICKET.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 422, 3 February 1909, Page 8

CRICKET.

A meeting of .the Management Committee of the ; Wellington .Cricket Association. ; .,was'. ; iheld'. last 'evening.'-' There-, were. ■-■ present :< Messrs. -M." % \ Luckie: ; (in" thV chair),' J. ~P. :: :Blackl6ck, ; Geo. Burton, C. Kickson, A.' F. Wireri,- S.! Brice,'Stephens, L': Ashbolt,. and B.- Jacobs'.;;': '-.■;":>': .; '. ' : ■'. : 3' '.'>'>:;■■■.■ 'v.A letter, was received_from the; Hawko's Bay : Association* intimating: that I .they-were ; willing .to • play -a • representative, match, with jWellington on Friday, Saturday/rand Monday, February 19, February. 20,-'arid'February '22., It was.decided to.-accept the offer, and. to ask the City Council, to-grant .the association permissunvto charge for admission to the imatch. .-■'■ ''" "■ .■•:"'•,'• -.}': ! r f ■'''■'■■■'■ ■',':■,'.

i.:.. The.;, l Umpires' .Association.,.wrote.': bringing; I under notice ; the want of punctualityinstart--'ihg-seriipr.'and; junior matohes,,' : and.asking sto;be given more'power in dealing with such■ icases.' ,A. deputation-from.the, IJmpires'. Asso-ciation-waited on the association,: and. it .was ■suggested that'cthe umpires .and.the Championship . Committee- should! fey/, , meet; ■;and arrange a way out of.the.present dim-: culty. The Cricket; Association., itself could I not, it.was pointed out, delegate its"powers |to ! the Umpires' '.: Association..... Mr; :;D. M'Kenzie,.spokesman, '.of;.'the' ;i ' deputation, pointed-out that the reports ; pf the.'umpires; hadbeen Sent ".in," but, had never been taken notice' of; Mr. M'Kenzie. went ; .pn to .say that iri.his last five, yearsV experience he had never known a;match start tQ time, and only, once-had: a team arrivingiatehad-to.forfeit :a;-game.-'. What,the.umpires wanted'.wasihe ppweri'.to deal -with.-teamsinbt'coming.out to time,'.'.and to declare; a-'.,106s ''.against the .team' noKcomirig- out .'within ..a .certain 'time': limit!.;. certain cases,.in wfy'ch up to 30 minutes' had been'.wasted in.senior matohes .'which had an effect on the result, of ■a' match. '-Umpires, went to/a; lot: of.inconvenience to get up to-time, and.if 2 o'clock :was-tpo.'early : .to.start it. should-be;rhade 2.15 ip.m'., The umpires, wanted : -. : a. hard-and-fast rule, and he could assure' the. Association: :they would .riot, abuse: the; _~rawer.., It had taken, and was /still takingj'a lot of battling t<i keep the association going"; at "a 11..; In' most cases the. teams' were; t here and .-ready ;to go, biit, but they would,not g0.'..:.:..;.';; ,;.-•?

-.vMr. Blaokiock thought tliatif,matches were awarded against a team. arriving^five minutes' late interest iri.'the : game'. : TCbuld.:be:killed.' ;: • The, chairman remarked that; it-was ..solely on: 'this ;'accdurit; that the 'Ohampioiiship; Cbmmittee.had "hot "been given;'stricter instruc;tiohs. The.rulejwas a.hangman's, ropewhich" one .did.:npt"careto -use.. •■■ At;-th;e- same;time,; 'the- as'sociatidn : ,was grateful : for,;the'interest the umpires: took in the. game.;,':.:..'• -'V- | ; It": was decided;that the deputation:and the Committee should : rneet. on" a date to be arranged- and .discuss the matter. /The chairman,, in remarked that -it was the' duty,of.the.captain-of'eaoh team to ; - see -that- his team: was out to 'time,. and -captains, were -looked to by: the association ■ to. see that-their men were,on the field attfc.e. stipulated hour., .'■■ .:.-.- ■;;''-,'■ .',' V; :.-.

: The Manawat'u Association asked.-, if -the Wellington Association couldjraee its way to pay a return ;yisit-to.vthe;;JTanawatu..;-The Seieotion':'(^mniittee-.';was;'jnstiucted'..to', see; if a team could .be..'- arranged'to.jmake .the, ; visit on "one" of the. days .thp,..Basin Reserve would be ; engaged for'sports..,: ' It'was decided that no ; , team, could be sent to Auckland this season, but. a challenge would be seht.in immediately for.a match next season, to be.played at Christmas if;possible.