CRICKET CONTROL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 919, 12 September 1910, Page 8

CRICKET CONTROL.

A SEA OF FATUITIES. ;,-;■! ■'. (By "Plater.") \ : "Mr.-.E.H. Williams, president ..'•- 'of-".tho" Hawke's Bay Cricket As-' ' \ sociation, wrote stating that he had conio to the; conclusion that it would ;bo a good thing.'to move in tho .direction ,of changing tho head-'-:' ;-, quarters';from •Christchurch to Wel- ; lington ~..;■■.' and .asked what view , •.;; the • Wolluigton Grickot Association. ; tcok of the matter. ■; . . In discus- . :;...; sing - the question,'; the, chairman re- ,;, marked that it would bo;difficult ' to find a man outside Christchurch that would put as much time- and ',;■. \ energy into the, work of ,the- New ■ Zealand Cricket Council as did Mr. '/-■F. C. Raphael. ; ;.'. (Extract from report of meeting l v / of W.C.A.,: September 7, 1910.). . : , It would appear from the above that cricketers-, in New - ..Zealand should be very thankful because the control' of thegamp.is in the right hands, but for a considerable time there has been' tho impression 'amorigst. cricketers of the North Island'at least, that the administration of the affairs of. New Zealand cricket by; tho'.- council iii Christchurch has,not been,all that could be. desired.. This general impression, in itself, would I hot be sufhcient.tp. justify a.movement in 'the direction of changuig.the. seat of cricket government, and incidentally infusing , new blood, • but . the, general impression -is - supported" by many instances of maladministration... ■': Take,.for. 1 example, the.visit of tho Australian Elovim'-to these shores last season. 'There is 'ho' doubt that .this visit:'did,a lot of gbbdito our cricket, and;''that, all:such' visits make for improyement in;the game;in.New Zealand, yet, had the New Zealand Cricket Council/had' its own way, the Australian' Ti'ilevenwould riot have been sent acr««i licrb. 0-.':'■;.' ;■ •;...' v-.; ;.;> ■'■■ The "Pooling".; Fatuity. ; ■-;';' ' ;As .cricketers. will : remember/: there .iva's 'a-/lot :of. argument: just before;the .team was timed, to leave. Sydney, ■on the subject of "pooling", .the gate receipts. iWellingtbn,; rightly, stood. out against this, "pooling". system, and; absolutely refused to have any-thing .to do with it. Their-"actiori'was,,wise and.businestsilive, as they'had ;preyiously. had the -bitter experience of, playing ..against an English'team, making'a .profit of a couple, if' -Jiiin'd'rcd;.. pounds','''.after, paying.' tho amount they had. guaranteed for- their ' match, and theri'.'having to pay ; the'/ ! £200 into;the 'pool:'.'-"■ Thus,;although.,-.their .match;jyas a-financial-'success, ,the "Weljingtorifpricket Association- made iioth.jng'.;pufc::bf it/ .but; haid; to. pay its profit in.;to m'akb.up for Josses:made,by. Otagp ;arid;o,ther,;associatibhs.;;When the New. rZealand Cricke.t.Cpuncil was' preparing .■the::prograrame.,for'.' last season's.".visit of the Australians, ;it calmiy left ! . Wellington lout; in.the cold.: That is. to.say,, that because ;Wellington;, was ;prepared ;to'pay '.drily'j.wh'at /was, a ; fair, thing/for .its match,-and'.would-not."mortgage,its housp'' ;for, the vbeiiefit,of .'other/assb'(iatipns, - it' was;:;not 'to have .a match against;;thpjvisitors--at.all.'/Now, could i;- more .'/;unbusiriesslike' '■ or;;','.vindictiyo, action; ,than .this'ori'/the part '.of ;.the New (Zealand,. Cricket '■ Councd be. imagined? ..Tlie .-■/.bungling,-' hPwever, 'did' riot /i.end. ' herpi ; " T,he-prograriime above referred to I 'did'riot;include match against the Wellington; ..public for its sport better.than; any.other; .centre ■ /in. : the ."-Dominion—was '.sent across/to Australia,;-'arid/was 1 , published' .there.: .Shortly'afterwards, the "iriisre-. /presentatiyos'r.'ori . the. Council;' iiv Christchurch,;;.; ; ', :'sebirig ;.-.; that ,' they could,; /riot';'profitably- •;,arrange.' the Australian;,' tour' v withput ?■;■ Wellington's ;help,; asked,.tlie Cricket. Association, 'toVreconsid'eivits decision.' ; 'and added that; if it did' not 'fall,, in with' the. :' 'pooling' V system j- the': tour '■ would 'have' time..•'the'.i/.Australian.; team.''had,' been'. ,practically., : :selected, .'-.arid; some- of;the' .men;; had ■■ .obtained leave.' and'• were "a'c-' ,tually;in ; Sydney.'. The, ket:.:Association..--,mpt,;'arid, a'.'motipri. .was" -'.brought.':.' forw'ard, by; so me;' of. : its members;who.are;ever..at the beck.arid, 'call:'of ,the official in Christchurch, .to. the .effect, that back ' on its •'; previous; ' decision/; arid, "pool'';? with; ;the-.'.'' rest;/ /;; Fortunatclyi; this ■jmotiori" was defeated/-arid then the New: Zealand"-.Cricket Council cabled .to' .Sydney,..' Stating,, .that'as : - would not -'crane'.in with the other: 'associations/:., they were, -.reluctantly; ;;..'cornrpelled/tojcancel' tire, .tour; :,The-Aus-tralian: Board of Control' could not see :t'he, joke/' ■ / They 'had picked their team, 'and..-some'.of.-,the members.'were already' in;;Sy.dney, "ready ; to'■. leave; for ; New Zealand, i, /They further,; could; not Bee hpw .any/decision fori 'the .part., of. Wellington -could .possibly have;'an effect bn:.the/tburj seeing .that Wellington' was not included ,in; the.; prograriime which' had;;beeu. sent them.. ■■'; As . a "'business concern, /tliereforc,/';.they.: cabled' to Christchurch', stating that if.:thisTtour had;to:bo,abaiidoncd'at this,late; hour of tlib.day they.:would never again; sbrid .a. : .team to. New. Zealand. ; ; This cablo' :had ,a, maryellous effect; lipou; the New Zealand.'Cricket: Council.■',;,; It : .wokOi'it, and- after/a hurried 'meet'ingi,.in .Christchurch-,(on/ a .Sunday):;a, cableiwas sent back.to. Sydney stating that matters were completed here, and asking''- for .tho' team to leave as spbn; as. possible.; ;: A'moro .glaring instance of incompetency 'aid'.., mismanagement could .riot.'be ■cited/ arid ..this business, or, bungling, alone, is sufficient cause, to:change.the seat of■ goverriment. :..■ Those Washing Bills. //Later, 'wh'cii;the team arrived in Wellington,/'.thoro was/trouble through the/N.Z.C.C,at-, first /refusing to pay the 'rwa'shing bills, of the;', visitors,. but. thie Australians;were 'firm'.and consequently 'their' washing bills,; together with 1 ; other hotel expenses; wore, paid by'tho. JT.Z.CiC. ■'■'.;. The/,, point- here is that; no argument should. have taken placeover such a matter, particularly hi: view"of the, fact' that, whan, tho, last, English; team ; was hero 'all hotel bills 'wore/paid,; and, further,' a largo ;sum was; spent in.champagne, ■'and in' othcr.wisp. ■entertaining the Englishmen, 'and this/English team was in no way to be compared with/the Australian team un-. der notice, either as a draw, for' the public or as "an education; to' 'the.>local players;' ■-.';,', ■',-.■ '--. "' , '. V ; / Probably the - cause;,of tho 'trouble, as one 'official stated after, having mot the Australians, ./"Oh!. Theydrink out of their saucers." ■ This, remark, even if true/, was - 'uncalled for, as wo get visiting teams over here to teach us crickef-not table manners. ■.-.

Representative Coats. . : Another. matter that might be mentioned is that • for years it lias been the custom for. the council to give representative coats to those that represent' the" Dominion on tlie cricket field. For some reason this practice was not, obsorved last season, althotfgh in thp past, some players have, had two. andeven three coats, andhave them, still, and all in good repair. The . reason advanced last season, was that, the council could riot afford to givo coats. Heigliol , . There is good reason to shift tho control of cricket to Wellington, and I hopo that those Uocal clubs that have not yet had : their annual meotings will bring'the'subject up for an expression of opinion.