HISTORIC PLAY FIELD.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1320, 26 December 1911, Page 4

HISTORIC PLAY FIELD.

LANCASTER PARK KKOFENED. (Ey Telecraph.-Specinl Correspondent.) Christchurch, December 21.' During tho past two or three months extensive improvements have been effected at Lancaster Park, nnd yesterday aftnrnoor. tho pnrk wits l'ormallv reopened by the Mayor (Mr. J. J. Dougull). In the course of his speech the Mayor stated that the regeneration of Litnra.ster Park was an event of which Christchurch peoplo might feel proud. The park had been open for over thirty years, and during Unit time there had been played on it somn of the closest contests yet recorded in tho history of New Zealand sport. At one limn Lancaster Park was quilo notorious for eloso finishes ,in cricket matches, for it was a common thinp for a team to win by tho narroiv margin of ii few runs. In other sports also Lancaster Park had Ri'von tho public many treats. He well remembered tho first English football match, played in ISSS, which provided one of (ho finest contests which he had ever seen, tho second spell being an eyeopener as far as the En(;lishmeu's may »;as concerned. Sinco then, however, Now Zealand players had shown that they could play iis u'no football as could Ijo found anywhere, and he hoped to sco tho day when New Zealand wpnld occupy a similar position in the cricket world, and, when a team of New Zealand cricketers would tour Australia, South Africa; and England, and do as well as the footballers had done. (Hear, hear.) Tho existence and improvement ot Lancoster Park was due entirely to individual effort, and was not the result of appeals to the Government or any other body. Nowadays peoplo were too mucn inclined to appeal to tho Government instead of trying to do a thing themselves. If was at first proposed that the City Council should fake over the park, but tho negotiations fell through, and the Board of Control went on with the matter themselves. He felt sure that the} had carried out tho w.ork of improvement very much better than tho .council would have done. The present position of tho park showed that thcro was a.certain amount of public spirit «> ch ™* church, and ho would liko o see that spirit mado moro manifest than it liaQ been in tho past (Hear. bear. Lancaster Park was now tho Uiiesi snorl ground in New Zealand, and was well up to the best in Australasia. Ho felt sure that nothing would Rive Canterbury people greater pleasure thau to have the Otago cricket team presentto assist in opening the new ground. (Hear, hear.) The long series of contests be tweon Iho two provinces had been such as to engender a very fine spirit. Ho further trusted that in the futuro Lancaster Park might see many years of rosptTity, and might be the moons of cuLtiili in their yonnif men a love of clean sport and fair play. (Applause.)