CARLYLE CRICKET CLUB

Patea Mail, Volume VI, Issue 515, 4 May 1880, Page 2

CARLYLE CRICKET CLUB

The annual meeting of this club was held oh Saturday, at the Albion Hotel. Present —-Messrs Cowern, Coutts, Dasent, Foster, Fraser, Tennent, Horner, Dixon, Kitche,n Nicholson, Turner, and Taplin. Mr Cowerh was elected chairman. Balance Sheet. The balance sheet, read by Mr Taplin, hon. treasurer, showed the club to be £3 19s Gd in debt. Outstanding subscriptions were £4 ; and the material of the club being valued at £lO 10s, the club’s assets arc worth £lO 10s 6d. The balance sheet was adopted. Eights to the Ground^ Mr Tennent and other members had heard that the Football Club had been playing on the cricketers’ pitch, lately turfed by this club, and asked the secretary if he could explain whether it was so. Mr Taplin explained that the report was too true. The Football Club, he said, were playing with our pitch, which forms part of the ground reserv'd to the Cricket Club; and, what is worse, they have not even applied to the trustees for permission to play on the ground at all, but have simply taken and “jumped” the ground, in defiance of the trustee of the Cricket Club, or of any other body. lam obliged to add, with indignation and regret, that one of our rising young cricketers has not refrained from inciting the foot-ballers to play on any part of the ground, as he argued that it was recreation ground, and was therefore open to any poition of the public to use it as they thought proper. But in arguing that nobody has any right to prevent their playing where they did, he and o hers are forgetting that the Carlyle Cricket Club has this season expended £3O in laying down a piece of ground for.the pitch ; and not by public subscriptions either, as some of them loosel}'- argue, but privately by Club members, excepting only some fifteen shillings. The Chairman then asked Mr Coutts, captain of the Foot-ball Club, if he could explain their position. Mr Coutts said he had learned that the ground was public recreation ground, and that the Foot-ball Club had as much:right to play there as any other club. Hence the cause of their playing. Mr Taplin—Then why did you not apply in a gentlemanly way, as was done last’ year, before commencing playing ? You are aware there are trustees appointed, and approved of by the Town Board, to manage the ground, and protect each - and all the different clubs’ interests, as well, as the public interest. Mr Turner stated he was not aware there had been no application made to the trustees. ■

Mr Coutts thought it was no use applying, as they would only get the same answer as they did last year. Mr Tennent said it was not right for any Club to use the ground without permission from the trustees.- Some years ago, before the Town Board was. in existence, the Carlyle Cricket Club applied to the Government for this said piece of ground for a cricket ground, and it wasgrantedon the following conditions, viz., that the Carlyle Cricket Club might use the ground until asked to give it up, when they would be allowed to remove fencing, but would not be paid for improvements. The Cricket Club cleared and fenced the whole of this ground in question; which cost them £3O, out of which about £ls was subscribed by the public. Each member of the club subscribed most liberally, and gave Christy Minsa-el entertainments during a whole winter in aid of this object, even travelling so far as Hawera. The land ultimately became gazetted as Cricket and Athletic Sports Ground, by Crown grant to the Town Board. Then commenced a dispute. Uhhnately it was arranged by t Government that tire Town Board and Cricket Club should arrange for the matter amicably ; and after much trouble this was done, as follows :—Five trustees were to be appointed, three from the Cricket Club and two from the Town Board, for a period of seven years. That was done, and was approved of by the Town Board. No lease bad been signed, as all parties could not ag<-ee quite to the conditions. The 40 acres adjoining were actually gazetted as Public Pecreation Ground ; and why do not the public and the, other clubs go and clear a portion of the ground for their use, rather than interfere with a C ! ub which had spent so much money in this small corner of the gronnd ? The Cricket Club had not taken down their fence.

Proposed by Mr.Tennent, and seconded by Mr F. T. Hornef, “ That the trustees be respectfully requested to take steps to have bye-laws legalised, and that the}’ then strictly enforce the same, or lay the matter before the Government.”— I Carried unanimously. ■ Pxoposed by Mr Tennent, seconded by Mr Coutts, “ That' upon tbej'bye-lnws/of. tbe trustees being legalised anil enforced,

a smrijmot exceeding £3‘be expended ay 1 impi-ovingftthe ‘J I '■-1 j r? The Secretary jcead a letter ‘fronV s MrE. Houghton', requesling;»the privilege of membership. Mr Taplin proposed, and Mr Tennent seconded, “That Mr Houghton be elected a member of the Club for the year 1880-81.” —Garrfed ; unanimously.