Provision May Be Made For Pre-Season Cricket

Press, Volume C, Issue 29623, 20 September 1961, Page 13

Provision May Be Made For Pre-Season Cricket

TIE Canterbury Cricket Association may make a move to provide facilities at Hagley Oval or some suitable site to enable local cricketers to have pre-season practice The oval is leased annually by the association It would be an ideal grouna for a number of artifical wickets to be laid down s

At present there are no facilities for local cricketers tor pre-sea»un practice. It is up to the players to get themselves fully fit, but it would undoubtedly be an incentive if these facilities were made available. Mr H. G Gilpin, Director of Parka and Reserves, said that if players would like to make a move through the association it might be poena e for 3 number of artificial wicki-ts to be laid down gD a council ground ' fhe City Council has been eager tn the past to assist all so »rting oodles in their reXjU'temento ano there has oeen nothrg V. suggest that the police might change. Mr G.lpin said The ultunate aim will undoubtedly t* a-i indoor school wnere local cricketers may tram and be coached throughout the winter if necessary, but this is financially impossible at present.

as the association is committed to a coaching programme and has other heavy costa.

Plans to have an indoor strip, under the Lancaster Pack scoreboard, have befin abandoned since the arrival of Michael Bear, the professional coach from Essex.

It was thought that Bea couia have used the strip when the weatne* was unfavourable for outdoor coaching, but he said that the time could be used to more advantage in lectures. This strip was to have been made of a mixture of ash and soil, and quotes had already been taken, when the idea was discarded.

It is not the coaching angle which bears looking into, but the need for facilities where player* can loosen up. The Sydenham team, for example, is using the property of it* captain. Brian Salt for weekend practice

Mr J. L. Kerr, president Of the Canterbury Cricket Association, said he was quite certain that the association would be interested in the idea of laying down artificial wicket* at Hagley Park. A move in that direction could only benefit Canterbury cricket Mr Kerr said.