Eventful cricket meeting likely

Press, 11 August 1982, Page 22

Eventful cricket meeting likely

The annua) meeting of the New Zealand Cricket Council on Friday evening, and the meeting of the Board of Control on the next two days, should provide the game’s enthusiasts with plenty to talk about. At these two meetings, a new panel of selectors will be appointed; a new executive will be elected; the future in New Zealand cricket of Glenn Turner may be clearer; the itinerary for the Sri Lanka tour of New Zealand next summer may be announced; and an indication of New Zealand’s future tours may be given. The present selectors are Messrs Frank Cameron (Otago) who is the convenor, Graham Dowling and Noel

McGregor (Canterbury) and Don Neely (Wellington). Mr Dowling, who is secretary' oi the council, has resigned from the selection panel. The annual meeting will first decide the numerical strength of the new selection panel. It may be reduced to three, or maintained at its present four. Six nominations have been received for selection appointments: Messrs Cameron, lan Colquhoun (Central Districts), Ross Dykes (Auckland), John Guy (Northern Districts), McGregor and Neely. Mr Colquhoun was a New Zealand selector until four years ago. Messrs Dykes and Guy have not been on the national panel. Until the 1981 annual

meeting, only one of the board’s executive — which runs the day-to-day affairs of the council — could come more than 200 km from Christchurch. That proviso was abolished last year. Until this week, the executive consisted of Messrs Bob Vance, the chairman of the board, but an elected member of the executive, Charles Collins, Neil Ockwell, with Jack Saunders (treasurer), and Dowling. It seems unusual that Mr Vance is not a member of the executive ex officio; he is one of five nominations for three places on the executive. The others are Murray Chapple (Hamilton), Bob Mclnnes (Hastings), Neil Ockenden and Cran Bull (Christchurch). New Zealand will send two teams to Australia in the coming summer — the first before Christmas, for a pro-

gramme involving two four : day matches, two one-day games, and the second, early in January to compete with Australia and England for the World Series Cup one-day championship. It may be that the outgoing panel of selectors will be asked, this week-end, to name the first team. The second side will be the responsibility of the incoming selection panel. Mr Vance, who was in London recently for the International Cricket Conference, is expected to report on talks he has had with Turner. The decision of Mr Collins not to stand for a position on the executive ends a long association with cricket administration. Mr Collins was the Nelson representative on the old New Zealand Cricket Council from 1951. In 1955, he was a member of a committee which brought

down the new constitution, and from 1956 to 1960 he represented Canterbury on the new Board of Control. In 1965 he came on to the executive and has been there until now, being chairman since 1978. He has had a special task — laws and playing conditions in which he is an acknowledged expert.

Mr Collins was a New Zealand representative at the I.C.C. meetings in 1973 and 1979, he was president of the Canterbury Cricket Association in 1971-72 and 1972-73, chairman of the management committee from 195556 to 1958-59 and is a life member of the association. He is also a life member of the Victory Park Board, which controls Lancaster Park, of which he was a member from 1961 to 1972 and chairman in 1964.