REV E. O. BLAMIRES

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1719, 9 April 1913, Page 6

REV E. O. BLAMIRES

• * :— FAItIiWKLLED BY CRICKETERS. ' Members ..of the 'Wednesday Cricket Association liift yesterday to bid farewell to the ltcv. 1!. 0. Blamires, of-the Central Mission, who leaves to-day -for his new station pt Kawera. Jlr. A. A. George, chairman of the nsscw ciation, said- that the association regretted very rinieh Mr. Blamires's departure front Wellington, where, both on and off the field, he had been a lower of strength to cricket. The association had never had a better season than the one just closing, and much of the success had been due to Mr. Blamires. . Mr. J. C. Cusack, secretary of tlio association. endorsed Mr. George's remarks, and .wished Mr. 'and Mrs; Blamires ft hnnpy time in tlieir new field. He honed that 'Mr. Blamires would go on plaving cricket, and that some day a Wellington Wednesday team might go to Hawero. aud meet him there as an opponent. ; Jlr. T. Crouch, treasurer; also wished Mr. Blamires a prosperous and linppy time in llawera. Tho chairman presented to the guest a silver afternoon tea wice, bearing a. suitable inscription, asking him to accept it as a mark of the deep gratitude of tho association for tho interest lie had taken in the Raine here! Mr. Blamires, speaking in reply, stated Hint he had always been treated with tho utmost kindness by tho Wednesday Association, and he thanked them for their' handsome gift aud Rood wishes. In New Zealand he -had been associated with cricket in Ashley County, in Dunedin, where he had played for the famods Carisbrdok club, and in Wellington, but in Wellington for the first time he played Wednesday cricket. Ho had found ikn players here very good sports indeed, and he had noticed particularly how little objectionable.language was spoken on any of the fields. He hnd been pleased to see how the Wednesday men played tho game with unabated keenness whether they wero winning or losing. He had had the luck to make the highest score ho had ever made in his life in Wednesday cricket 'here, 181 against Oriental, his previous best having been 133 for Carisbrook. The comradeship of the Wednesday players made the gome much moro enjoyable, and whilst he did not wish to disparago Saturday cricket he felt sure. that becauso of the district, scheme there was a certain lack of sociability among players. Ito had had experience of both district cricket and clnb cricket and lie 1 bought Wellington would be wise to revert to tho club system for the ganto depended so much for its success on good fellowship among players. Ho nroposed to play cricket in Hawera, and he hoped that tho Wellington Wednesday team .would one day como and play a match in South Taranaki. On behalf of Mrs. Blamires and himself ho thanked the.association for their kindness, and for their' expression of it.