TEAMS IN SENIOR COMPETITION

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27148, 18 September 1953, Page 12

TEAMS IN SENIOR COMPETITION

CRICKET

WEST OLD BOYS’ APPLICATION

PROMOTION NOT FAVOURED

A recommendation by the West Old Boys’ Club to the incoming management committee, that having won the second grade competition last season and being fairly strong in all grades, the club should be promoted to the senior competition, was defeated by 28 votes to 26 when it came before the annual meeting of delegates of the Canterbury Cricket Association last evening. Discussion on the recommendation lasted two hours.

Mr E. K. Phillips, moving the recommendation, said his club had accepted relegation to the second grade in the 1946-47 season and had played in that grade since then. It had had considerable success in this competition, culminating in winning the grade last year. Winning this grade had placed the club in the position- of being able to ask for promotion. His club had considered the only satisfactory approach to the rule on promotion and relegation was a full discussion by delegates at the annual meeting. The club was in a strong position today, even after having to bear the burden of relegation which no other club had been prepared to take.

The motion was seconded by Mr D. T. Ager. The secretary (Mr J. C. Saunders) outlined recommendations on the relegation and promotion of teams since 1946. The last one.- which> was carried in 1949, said that no club could be to senior grade until it had shown that the club had a high standard throughout the grades and that it had the ability to provide and maintain a wicket suitably for first grade matches. Mr T. A. Tucker said West Old Boys, although it won the second grade A last season, had finished last in the senior grade C, but had won the fourth grade. If the team was given senior status, however, the players it would have to call on from its second grade C team of last year would not be good enough, and the team would not be a strong one. He moved as an amendment that the matter be left over to the half-yearly meeting to be held in February. This amendment was defeated after further discussion, speakers saying that it was unfair as, if carried, it would preclude West Old Boys from having a chance to enter the senior competition. Mr R. L. B. Poore moved as a further amendment that the relegation and promotion rule be waived, and that the association should revert to the old rule of the eight clubs in the senior competition This motion was also defeated. Mr J. G. Leggat said it was about time there was some concrete policy on the £ u ’ e - For six years it had never been faced squarely. The fact was that West Old Boys had earned their promotion. He was supported by Mr B. J; Drake and Mr R. Boland. The motion, when put to the vote by ballot, was lost by 28 votes to 26. . HOURS OF PLAY PLAYERS ’ VIEWS TO BE SOUGHT AU players likely to participate in the first and second grade competitions of the Canterbury Cricket Association will be asked on the opening day of their clubs for ■ their views on hours of play. This was decided at the annual meeting of the association last evening. It was recommended that the competitions should open on October 10 and that play in the president’s and fourth grades be limited to one day and in the third grade A and C competitions to two days. Commenting on a deficit of £237 17s 7d on the year's workings. Mr T. A. Tucker said the position looked worse than it was. Since the accounts closed the association had received £2OO as a grant from the New Zealand Council from the West Indies tour in 1951-52. This would then leave only a deficit of £37, he said. Officers were elected as follows:—presdent, Mr T. W. C. Totfifil; vice-presi-dents, Messrs R. C. Saunders and C. G. Crawford; secretary, Mr J. C. Saunders; assistant-secretary, Mr C. F. Collins; treasurer, Mr B. J. Drake; management committee, Messrs I. A. Baxter, R. E. Thomas, T. A. Tucker, C. G. Hamilton, W. E. Mappiebeck, R. L.' B. Poore, F. G. Hobbs, D. T. Ager, J. G. Leggat, F. F. Dawson. Mr W. J. V. Hamilton was elected a Ufe member. PLAYING NUMBERS DECLINE SUBURBAN ASSOCIATION’S ANNUAL MEETING “There is something wrong- with cricket —we arc now 200 players' down on the 1935 numbers, and we must find out the cause of the trouble,” said the retiring president (Mr R. A. Smith) at the annual meeting of the Christchurch Suburban Cricket Association. ‘‘ls it that the present generation is more interested in a Saturday afternoon at the races or pictures than in healthy outdoor recreation?” asked Mr Smith. “Is it that other sports have more to offer than cricket? It may be a question of playing hours—perhaps players like to get away to the hotels at 5 p.m. Most clubs find it more and more difficult to maintain full strength during the season. That should not be. We should try to find out the cause of it. Cricket should maintain its place as the leading summer sport.” The meeting decided to recommend to the incoming committee that the hours of play be the same as last season—from 1.30 p.m. to 6 p.m., with two-day games in senior and junior grades, and one-day games in the third and mercantile grades. The incoming presidont (Mr D. •. L. Mitchell) said the competitions usually opened on the second Saturday in .October. This year the London-Christchurch air race would finish on that day. He did not think it necessary to postpone the competitions, because he felt it was doubtful whether it would be possible to get near the aerodrome, and at any rate the plahes might have all landed by 1.30 p.m. The meeting recommended to the management committee that the competitions open on the second Saturday in October.

Officers were elected as follows:—patron, Mr H. W. Rogers; president, Mr D. L. Mitchell; vice-presidents, Messrs R. A. Smith. J. H. Hill, C. Martin, A. E. Lawrence, P. Sheahan, V. Buxton, and D. N. Stokes; management committee, Messrs I. Bettridge, E. H. Courtier, H. Sherwood, A. McCrorie, J. de Lore, A Forrester, R. Hobbs, T. Mintrom, J. Burson, and K. Tallott; secretary, Mr I. Bettridge; assistant-secretary, Mr R. Irvine; treasurer, Mr L. J. Marshall; audi- _ »_ ,_J •

EAST CHRISTCHURCH CLUB The following officers were elected at the annual meeting of the East Christchurch Cricket Club:President, Dr. A. J. Orchard; vicepresidents, Messrs M. K, Lohrey, T. Kennedy, A. H. Andrews; life members, Messrs J. L. Rollinson, E. Weston, R. W. Coupland, Alf. Jones, T. P. Neale, Miss E. Orchard; treasurer, Mr R. L. B. Poore; secretary, Mr B. A. Haworth; club captain, Mr S. M. Betty; deputy club captain, Mr L. Ellis; selectors, Messrs S. M. Betty, M, K. Lohrey, N. V. Bennett; committee, Messrs R. Tsplin, N. Bennett, M. McCree, L. Ellis, E. Ambrose, R. McAllister; material committee, Messrs M. K. Lohrey, S. M. Betty, R. W. Taplin; delegates to cricket association, Messrs R. L. B. Poore, M. K. Lohrey, S. M. Betty; delegate to Canterbury Sports Protection Association, Mr B. A. Haworth. LANCASTER PARK CLUB The following officers were elected at the annual meeting of the Lancaster Park Cricket Club:— • President, Mr E. E. Weston; vice-presi-dents, 13 were elected; club captain, Mr E. J. Chapple; deputy-dub captain, Mr G. P. Dryden; secretary, Mr W. G. Dennis; assistant-secretary, Mr R. R. King; treasurer, Mr C. H. Baker; delegates to Canterbury Cricket Association, Messrs W. E. Mappiebeck, Dryden, Chapple, and I. P. Anderson; delegate to Canterbury Athletic Clubs* Protection Association, Mr K. Perrin; management committee, Messrs Anderson, K. E. Claydon, F. Dennis, G. H. Dougall, Mappiebeck, G. E. Royfee, and D. A. Stout; selection committee, Messrs Dryden, Chapple, and D. A. Stout; material sub-committee, Messrs Dryden, Claydon, and G.’E. Royfee; auditor. Miss R. Brown; women’s committee, Mesdames P. Baker, M. A. Barbour, P. M. Dryden, M. A. Mappiebeck, and M. Waine. MAIREHAU CLUB Officers were elected as follows at the annual meeting of the Mairehau Cricket Club (formerly the Manchester club):— Patron, Mr J. T. Watts. M.P.; president, Mr J. A. MiHar; vice-presidents, Messrs J. B. 'Ferguson, J. Hammersley, F. von Sierakowski, C. Goode, H. V. Rossi, D. Reese, L. Kington, J. Cains, P. M. Kerr, and B. C. Borthwick; secretary and treasurer, Mr L. W. Millar; committee, Messrs P. Kerr, L. Millar, and B. Borthwick; delegate to Suburban Cripket Association, Mr Kerr; club captain, Mr Borthwick. Mr Cains; of the Suburban Cricket Association, attended and presented the association's shield, to the club as winners of the junior B comnetftion for 1952-53. Opening day was fixed as October .3.

SHIRLEY CLUB Officers elected at the annual meeting of the Shirley Cricket Club were:— Patron. Mr J. B. Johns; president, Mr I. Fraser; vice-presidents, 10 were elected; club captain, Mr A. Fisher; secretary, Mr L. Marshall; treasurer, Mr B. McGuire; auditor, Mr Johns; association delegates, Messrs A. McCrorie and S. Coleman; delegate to Sports Protection Association, Mr J. Hvde; committee, Messrs L. Coleman, S. Coleman, V. Wentworth, Hyde, E. Watson, H. Sunderland, and L. Allan. Messrs I. Fraser, F. R. Agassiz, and V. Wentworth were elected life members. CHRISTCHURCH WORKING MEN’S CLUB The new executive of the Christchurch Working Men’s Club Cripket Club is as follows: Patron, Mr G. Cuming; chairman, Mr H. Archer; treasurer, Mr A. Conner; secretary. Mr R. Wood; club captain, Mr C. Hamilton; selector, Mr S. Clegg; delegates to Christchurch Suburban Cricket Association. Messrs R. Smith, C. Martin, and H. Hall; committee, Messrs Martin. N. Cowlan. P. Fox, G. Cullen, D. Fraser, sen., and R. Ede. Messrs S. Clegg and W. Cowlan have been elected life members. WEST CHRISTCHURCH CLUB The annual meeting of the West Christchurch Cricket Club was held on Tuesday evening. Officers were elected as follows: Patron, Sir Arthur Donnelly; president, Mr E. M. Hay; vice-presidents, 21 were elected: club captain, Mr R. W. Edgley; assistant club captain. Mr D. T. Ager; secretary, Mr J. S. Barwick; treasurer, Mr A. G. Hudson; auditor. Mr F. T. Hill; committee, Messrs D. S. Giblin, D. Glasson, S. C. Guillen, H. J. Hopkins, G. J. Howden, and J. L. Williams; delegates to Canterbury Cricket Association, Messrs