Chairman explains restrictions

Press, 17 February 1983, Page 38

Chairman explains restrictions

"We are trying to do our best for the public as a whole." said the chairman of the Canterbury Cricket Association. Mr Alby Duckmanton. when explaining yesterday the restrictions placed on children attending the one-day international match between England and New Zealand at Lancaster Park on February 26.

A purchaser of a ticket to the match said yesterday that when he bought a child's ticket last week there was nothing on it to say that a child could not sit in any stand unless accompanied by an adult. It stated on the ticket: admit to ground and stands.

The gentleman said that posters advertising the match stated that admittance was to all parts of the ground. He said that he was concerned to read in “The Press" yesterday that children would not be admitted to Nos. 1. 2. or 3 stands unless they were accompanied by an adult.

Mr Duckmanton said that the policy in restricting children's tickets to 5000 and in applying conditions to the three stands in question was two-fold.

"We had complaints last year about can clanging from ground membership holders and it was very bad. Children sitting in front of the stands and clanging cans created a noise which reverberated off the roof of No. 3 stand and was deafening."

Security was another reason for the limitation. Mr Duckmanton said that children got bored over a period of time and some of them caused problems when they started wandering. “It's a shame that 10 per'cent spoil it for the other 90 per cent."

Mr Duckmanton added that there would be few seats available for patrons in the No. 1 stand. Holders of Victory Park Board life membership tickets would be offered reserved seats in that stand and that entailed about 2500 people.