Centralisation move

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32632, 14 June 1971, Page 8

Centralisation move

“The Press" Special Service AUCKLAND. All future meetings of the Te Awamutu Trotting Club ere to bo held at night on the Cambridge track. A decision to this effect was made at a recent meeting of the Te Awamutu club. Mr C. E. Blackwell, the president of the Te Awamutu club,

said that the main reason for the shift was that the returns to the club from night racing, with its resulting high off-course turnover, were so much greater than could be achieved under the present circumstances at Te Awamutu. Statistics for the last five seasons reveal that the average daily on-course turnover of the club’s racing at Cambridge was nearly 25 per cent greater than at Te Awamutu, while the average off-course turnover at Cambridge was more than three times as high as that of the Te Awamutu club. Mr Blackwell said a sub-com-mittee of his club had met representatives of both the Waikato and Cambridge trotting clubs and negotiated the terms on which the club could race at Claudelands or Cambridge. By applying the average daily turnover over the last five seasons at each of the venues under consideration to the percentage received' by the club and calculating, the course rent payable under the terms offered, the committee agreed that financially the club would be vastly better off racing at Cambridge. “The committee is most reluctant to leave Te Awamutu and would not have done so if it had been in the best interests of trotting to remain there,” said Mr Blackwell. “But it must be remembered that the club is virtually a trustee not only for owners, but more particularly for those whose livelihood is derived from the sport.” The move to Cambridge had been recommended by the recent Royal Commission on RacvJ r< ? tting and D °S Racing. Mr Blackwell said that by shifting now the club would strengthen Its case for one of the additional permits recommended by the commission and it would assist the Cambridge Trotting Club in the provision of its new grandstand. NOT MOVING There was no question of the Waikato Trotting Club trans««Ting its meetings from Claudelands to Cambridge, said til* president of the Waikato cl “J> (Mr T. R, Thompson). Mr Thompson had been asked J f J ,e -thought the change might Influence his club’s policy g.'W® ?ro taking the attitude lat , both tracks, Claudelands and ambridge, are doing well and so there is no reason why either my club or the Cambridge club should centralise. c l U x favours centralifc is a Question of which track to centralise on. We feg it should be Claudelands. Unless the time comes, if it ever does, when we are directed to hold our meetings at Cambrt<!,«e > We wilt stay where we are."' he said. , Mr Thompson said he felt there had been a certain amount of misunderstanding over his club s making a suggestion concerning the new grandstand to be built at Cambridge .“We were invited by the Cambridge club,’’ he said, “to examine the plans and make suggestions. This we did, and I believe .If Vle ™’ were -constructive. After all, we were only too p , lc , aB f!? to belp another trotting club if we could.” Mr Thompson' said he could appreciate the reasons for Te

Awamutu changing from day meetings at the waipa Racing Club’s course to night meetings at Cambridge, but he said he could not help feeling a little sad at the loss of more day meetings in the Auckland province. “I am sure many people feel as I do that there is a definite place for day meetings.” Cambridge will become the fourth trotting track in New Zea, land used by three clubs. As well as the Cambridge club, the Morrinsville club holds Its meetings at Cambridge. I The Auckland, Thames and Franklin clubs race at, Alexandra Park, the Wellington, Masterton and Otaki clubs at Hutt Park and the Metropolitan, Canterbury Park and New Brighton dubs at Addington.