POLO GROUNDS

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29055, 18 November 1959, Page 17

POLO GROUNDS

Problems With Finance Unless the Hagley Park grounds committee is prepared to take over the polo grounds there seems every likelihood of the grounds* being lost to cricket because of tack of finance. This information was contained in a letter from the chairman of the polo grounds committee (Mr R. Boland) received at last evening's meeting of the management committee of the Canterbury Cricket Association. The letter said the committee regretted that the association could not remit the £lOO as balance of the loan due by the committee. "We charge our clubs £45 a wicket for the season, and think your association will agree it is quite enough,” said the letter. pol ° B roun ds were, originally held by the Canterbury association, and it handed them over to the poio grounds committee. At first the committee was able to let 11 wickets out to clubs, and at this figure it was able to keep its head above water. However, a combination of circumstances, and particularly the demise of some of the junior clubs, has meant a decline from 11 to six in the number of wickets required on polo. This figure makes the running of the polo grounds as a separate entity completely uneconomic,” said the letter.

Deficit “The financial position of the polo grounds is such that we expected to be £4O to £5O short in our finances this season to meet our cash commitments, and this was not taking into consideration the loan repayable to the association. Since our letter to the association asking for a remission of the loan, our groundsman has handed in his resignation—and it was only because of the very low fee for which he has worked over the last two years that we have been able to survive so far. We cannot possibly hope to get a replacement at anywhere near the same figure, and next year it is quite possible that two of the wickets let to the Hagley grounds committee will not be required by them,” the letter said. “We have approached the Hagley grounds committee to take over the polo grounds, and their acceptance of the responsibility would appear to be the only means of saving the polo grounds from being lost to cricket. In the event of their inability to take over, the polo grounds committee will be left with no option but to wind up. and next season there will be the decided possibility of another summer sport completely filling the grounds. In actual fact, the polo grounds, failing Hagley taking over, will probably wind up long before this season is over," said the letter. "As a suggestion, we feel that your association, if it is really interested In primary schools' cricket, could easily make this ground the headquarters of schoolboy cricket, and so probably do a great deal to encourage youngsters to play the grand old game." the letter said. The letter was referred to the , I C nance committee. i