Club Denies Captain Was Reprimanded

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31230, 30 November 1966, Page 19

Club Denies Captain Was Reprimanded

The \\ est Ghristchurch-University club has refuted the claim made by Mr A. G. Duckmanton at last week’s meeting of the Canterbury Cricket Association’s management committee that the club had reprimanded its senior captain, B. F. Hastings, for his part in abandoning the match against Riccarton on November 19.

The second day’s play was abandoned by mutual agreement of the captains, R. C. Motz (Riccarton) and Hastings.

Their action was condemned by Mr Duckmanton and several other members of the C.C.A. management committee at its meeting three days later.

Yesterday, Mr Duckmanton said he did not deny his reported comment that WestUniversity had reprimanded its senior captain for speaking, without authority, for the club.

“I may have said it or I may not, and I won’t deny it because there may be committee members who can re-

call me saying this,” Mr Duckmanton said. The club, in a letter to the cricket association which it says it hopes will “clarify the circumstances which led to Mr Duckmanton’s unfortunate statement,” says it wishes “to make it clear that the statement was totally incorrect.”

“We regret that it received subsequent publicity in a newspaper report, to the considerable embarrassment of Mr Hastings and this club,” the letter states. “At the request of Mr Duckmanton this club’s committee considered its attitude toward senior A matches being played at the Ham No. 1 ground, at its meeting on November 21. The next morning, our club captain, Mr A.

R. G. Byrne, advised Mr Duckmanton that the committee had passed the following motions:

“(1) That the Canterbury Cricket Association be informed that this club believes that senior games between Hagley-based clubs should be played at Hagley; but that the Ham wicket should be recognised as suitable for other senior games. “(2) That this committee regrets that criticisms of the competitions committee were reported in the press; and appreciates that the committee has been acting with the best intentions.

“Mr Byrne also told Mr Duckmanton that the views of our senior A captain were not necessarily the official views of the club,” the letter concludes.

Mr Duckmanton said he would make no further comment, other than that the matter would be discussed at the management committee meeting next Tuesday.