CRICKET.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20330, 1 September 1931, Page 16

CRICKET.

CANTERBURY ASSOCIATION.

MOVE TO FORM NEW UMPIRES' BODY. The Management Committee of the Canterbury Cricket Association met last night when Mr W. Simpson presided. Also present were Messrs W. H. Winsor, W. L. King, W. J. "V". Hamilton, A. Dey, C. T. ltix, C. E. Evans, L. D. Page, E. C. Burns, C. S. Thompson, and C. Ayling- .

A letter wus received from tho Canterbury Umpires' Association stating that it had been decided to disband. The letter added that the remarks made by Mr Tj. D. Page, which conveyed an impression to tho public of incompetence on tho part of the members of tho Umpires' Association, naturally created an atmosphere of hostility, and since the members of the Canterbury Cricket Association refused to dissociate themselves from thoso ungrateful and offensive allegations the members ol! the Umpires' Association felt that it was only possible to arrive at one conclusion, and accordingly disbanded. Mr Simpson said that ho was sorry that the Umpires' Association had taken up such an attitude. "I'm rather surprised myself," ho added. "Especially aB that Association has since the time ol' tho original dispute and the correspondence concerning it met this body concorning tho administration' of umpiring. First the wholo committee of the Cricket Association was met and then a subcommittee only. The reason for disbanding given in the letter from the Umpires' Association does not seem to me to bo the real reason. Whether the umpires did not like the idea of the Cricket Association controlling umpiring or not I cannot say, but there is probably something ; in that. Ave shall have to form a new Umpires' Association.and 'wo will have control of it and draw up special rules for that purpose. We wjll just go on now as if there are no umpires—which there are not as tho result of the Umpires' Association . disbanding." On the motion of Mr W. L. King it was decided to call a meeting at some date to bo arranged, asking all interested in the forming of at now Umpires' Association to attend.

It was resolved that tlie meeting should not bo called until after the annual meeting of delegates to the Canterbury Crickot Association, sot down for September 12th. A long discussion took place concerning the drawing up of a constitution fer a new Umpires' Association, and Messrs W. H. Winsor, A. Bey, and L. D. Page were appointed a sub-committee to re-draft the rules and constitution, and were given power to call the meeting decided upon by Mr King's motion.

Larger Stumps. On tho motion of Mr C. Ayling, it Was decided to forward a recommendation to the annual meeting of delegates that the larger stumps be used in the first three grades.