CRICKET . REPLY TO CONCERN ABOUT USE OF PARK

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29747, 14 February 1962, Page 15

CRICKET . REPLY TO CONCERN ABOUT USE OF PARK

Although the Canterbury Cricket Association was the summer tenant of Lancaster Park, the Victory Park Board must give consideration to other major attractions that met the public’s wishes and broughit in revenue for the park, one of the association's delegates to the board (Mr J. C. Saunders) told a meetting of the management committee of the association last evening. Mr Saunders was replying to the association's expression of concern that it had lost three matches this season at Lancaster Park through the holding of the international athletics meeting, the New Zealand pipe bands’ contest and the national marching titles.

Mr Saunders said that cricket got very good use of the park and the board had no intention of conflicting with representative matches. This season there had been 10 Saturday's of senior matches at the park, one Canterbury trial match, nine days for Plunket Shield games, two days for the Fijian fixture and the Commonwealth eleven would play later in the season. The Plunket Shield and under 23 squads had practised at the park, said Mr Saunders.

In a letter to the association the board said:—

"The cricket association is the summer tenant of Lancaster Park and the board would protect the association in its prior rights for any major fixture.

"It ha* been the board’* policy to limit the occasion* on which the park is used for other sport* to three Saturdays in a season. “It 1* pointed out that •' cricket competition matches . are not on the same basis a* Rugby matches In the winter . —no revenue is being earned for the Canterbury Cricket Association or for the board. “For international or provincial fixtures for other sport*, the board feel* that the with drawl of senior ■ cricket from the park i* no undue hardship to the Canterbury Cricket Association, whereas it does allow the Kblic to benefit from the bter facilities of Lancaster Park for other sport*. "To overcome these differences, it is suggested that a senior wicket could be prepared on the back ground and thus rectify the shortage of senior cricket pitches in Christchurch ”