UNITED CANTERBURY CRICKET CLUB.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 401, 24 September 1875, Page 2

UNITED CANTERBURY CRICKET CLUB.

The annual general meeting of the members of this club was held last Thursday at Warner’s Hotel. Mr F. H. Wilson occupied the chair.

Mr E. C. J. Stevens (hon secretary) read the treasurer’s statement of accounts, from which it appeared that the revenue for the year had been from all sources £199 6s 7d, and the expenditure for the same period £l7B 7s, and the balance in the bank of £2O 19s 7d. The assets were stated at £42 4s Id, including cash balance of £2O 19s 7d. The liabilities were stated as £BS 3s 6d, leaving a balance of liability of £43 19s sd. Mr Stevens then read the annual report of the committee of the club, as follows

*• In presenting the report and statement of accounts for the past year, your committee beg to draw attention to the fact that notwithstanding the large extraordinary expenses found necessary during last season, the debt of the club has been appreciably lessened. The amounts receivable, estimated as good at the last general meeting, failed, owing to loss on subscriptions and to the failure of the Woolston club to pay its debt (£5 ss), to produce more than £9 19s of the estimated asset, £24 9s, otherwise the debt would have been further reduced. The death of a horse belonging to the club also caused unexpected expense. It was absolutely necessary to purchase ‘a quantity of new indiarubber hose, and the Government insisted on an expensive fence and gate being erected at the new ground, costing some pounds more than the compensation of £3O given by the Government for resuming about three acres of ground, the laying down of which had cost the club between £27 and £3O. The interprovincial match committee granted £2O to the club on account of wickets for practice and matches for several years past. This sum has been spent in top dressing the ground in older to give more playing ground to meet the increasing wants of players. The top dressing appears to have answered excellently. The state of the new ground has considerably improved owing to sheep having been on it, but much expense will be necessary before the ground can be fit for use. Besides this, foot passengers habitually make a path through the middle of the ground, a practice greatly encouraged by the gate which the Provincial Government compelled the club to erect. The club has, unfortunately, no power to preserve either the ground or the fences from injury, although it is called upon to maintain the fence in thorough order. The club met with greatly improved success in its matches last season, and the discontinuance of a second eleven is considered to have worked satisfactorily. At no time since the club was founded has the interest of playing members of the club been so great as during last season, and the quality of the play showed generally a marked improvement. It is remarkable that for several weeks after the members who would, under the former system, have been classed as first-eleven men, ceased playing, those who have ranked as second-eleven men continued both practice and matches. Their play, as a rule, was very much better than in former seasons. The club as contributing to the interprovincial eleven is to be congratulated on the extraordinary success of Canterbury in last year’s match against Otago. The unfortunate failure of the attempt to arrange for a visit of an Australian eleven this season makes it highly important that no effort should be spared to keep up the interest in interprovmcial matches. The ciub sustains a serious loss >in Mr T. R. Moore, who has left the province ior Napier. Mr Moore kindly presented his bats and pads to the club. Your committee having read the report of the meeting of the Christchurch Cricket Club last Tuesday, feel that they ought to state in this report the circumstances connected with the intended refusal of the C.C.C. to pay £3O for their use of the groundlastseason. This club has provided the C.C.C. with ground for a number of years under an arrangement with the Provincial Government. The terms of that arrangement are, that the U.C.C.C. shall provide ground for the use of clubs requiring it, at a rent not less than the actual cost of maintaining the ground. Up to last season the C.C.C. has been charged £2O per annum for the ground, although for some years past has been aware that the C.C.C.’a of cost of maintenance ceeded that sum. Last season your committee, knowing that to provide proper and sufficient ground would entail great additional expense, informed the C.C.C, at the early part of the season that the rent must be raised to £3O, This was objected to, and £25 was ultimately offered and declined by this club. Meanwhile the C.C.C. went on playing, and continued to use the ground till the close of the season. The U.C.C.C. claimed to refer the question to the decision of the Park and Domain Board, as provided for in the arrangement with the Government. The secretaries of both clubs attended the member of the Board to whose decision the matter was referred, all the circumstances were placed before him, and it was proved to his satisfaction that if the expense of maintaining the ground were divided by the number of playing members of both clubs on the capitation principle, the share of the C.C.C. would be fully £3O. This club had based itsjdaim, and made|its estimate on that

principle as being the fairest. The C.O.C. only paid £lO until within the last few days, when another £lO was paid. It appears that the C.O.C. has now res. Wed to pay only £5 more, making a total of £25. that being the amount they consider a proper rent. Although they have enjoyed the use of the ground under an arrangement with the Government, they decline to be bound by the terms of that arrangement when payment is concerned. The C.C.C. chooses to have asubscription lower by about 50 per cent than the U.C.C.C., and being consequently short of funds, they consider that they should fix their own rent. Having always played with the U.C.C.0,, they have had equally good ground and equal privileges and advantages in every respect. The position is that the U.C.O.C. take all the trouble and responsibility of the ground in every particular. It spends every farthing it can get ou the ground. In order to maintain the ground it pinches itself in material, it cannot provide such accommodation for the public as would otherwise be provided, and it has a high subscription. The C.C.C. reaps the full advantages of all the care and selfdenial of the U.C.C.C. It has nothing to do but to play the game, and yet it refuses to pay a rent actually less than the fair proportion of its playing members. Your committee think that the mere question of the payment of a few pound? more or less is unimportant when compared with the determination of the C.C.C. not to be bound by the decisions of the Park and Domain Board. The U.O.C.C. holds the ground under the control of the Board, and it is evident that if other clubs playing on the ground take up such a position, no club so acting can be satisfactory tenants of any portion of the ground. In view of the importance of the subject, your committee feel that the members of the club should express their opinion at the annual meeting, and that the incoming rather than the outgoing committee should deal with it. . “ A. M. Ollivier, •* Chairman of Committee.” Mr A. M. Ollivier moved—“ That the report and balance-sheet be received and adopted, Mr Dawe seconded the motion, which was agreed to. The next business was the election of officers and a committee for the ensuing year. The following gentlemen were elected as office-bearers for the ensuing year, viz:— President, His Honor the Superintendent; vice-president, Mr C. Corfe; hon sec, Mr E. C. J. Stevens ; treasurer, Mr Parkers°n. . The following gentlemen were nominated as committee men:—Messrs A. M. Ollivier, F H. Wilson, Fuller, Condell, Dawe, Dickenson, and Wood, B. Cotterill, and White.

On a ballot, the following seven were declared to be elected: Messrs Fuller, Ollivier, Dawe, Condell, Wilson, Wood. A tie between Messrs White and Dickenson having occurred for the seventh place, a show of hands was taken, when Mr White was elected, Mr Ollivier said that the committee would like an expression of opinion from the meeting relative to the question of the rent of the ground to the C.C.C. Mr Stevens read the correspondence, including the award of the member of the Park and Domain Board to whom the matter had been referred. Mr Blakiston moved That the matter be left in the hands of the committee for settlement.” Mr A. Cook seconded the motion.

After some discussion, Mr Deacon moved, as an amendment, “ That this meeting s regrets the position taken up by the C.C.G. in regard to the payment of the £3O awarded by the Park and Domain Board as their rent to the U.C.C.0., and leaves the matter to the committee to deal with as they may think fit.” Mr A. Cook seconded the motion, which was agreed to, Mr Blakiston withdrawing his resolution.

On the motion of Mr Dawe, votes of thanks were passed to the secretary and treasurer for their energetic efforts and services during the past season. The meeting then adjourned.