DUST AT LANCASTER PARK

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 21050, 29 December 1933, Page 6

DUST AT LANCASTER PARK

TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRESS. Sir,—The Plunket Shield match which was concluded on Wednesday last was not a brilliant exhibition from the spectator's point of view. The batting of the Canterbury team was for the most part stodgy and timid, and at no time did the batsmen obtain mastery over the bowlers. The patience of the spectators, however, was not tried so much by the slowness of the cricket as by a most disconcerting element which has lately been a feature of Lancaster Park conditions. I refer to the dust nuisance, which not only embarrassed the spectators but also swept across the playing field, making conditions most unpleasant for the cricketers on the oval. This is not the first time that the dusty embankment has ruined cricket conditions. During the match, Marylebone Cricket Club "v. New Zealand, a sudden gust swept loose grit all over the ground in a most annoying fashion. If this dust nuisance cannot be prevented in some way or other I would suggest that the Plunket Shield matches next year be played at Hagley Park, where conditions are ideal for spectators and players alike. The small handful of spectators present at Lancaster Park during the last four days could easily be accommodated at the Hagley Park ground, where it would be possible to wear best clothes without any fear of their being ruined by dust. At present it is practically impossible to wear a navy blue suit to an important cricket match without having it covered with grit and dust. Although Hagley Park is the most pleasant ground, however, the tact that the turnstiles are at Lancaster Park means that in all probability we will be biting the same filthy dust from that hideous embankment next Christmas. Yours, etc., December 28, 1933.