CRICKETERS AND MILITARY DUTY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1209, 18 August 1911, Page 2

CRICKETERS AND MILITARY DUTY.

—: ♦ —-— . "SWEET REASONABLENESS." (By Telegraph.—Special Correspondent.! ■■Christchurch', August. IS. The committee of ; the Canterbury. Cricket Association■4ast ; ',«vcnihK. apppiutri ed a deputation-to-wait l 'oir-.-jGilonel' Hawkins with a viuiv,, to -seeing if-i sonur arrangement could not. be come .-.to. where-; by cricketers uiisht ■ undergo- military training at so.mo. other time than .Saturday .afternoon;-.- —-: •• • The opinion prevails! in some quarters, that the cricket officials are ■ opposed'to tho compulsory traiuing scheme but, interviews by a "Press" . representative with Mr. F. Wildin? (president of tho association) and Mr. F. C. Raphael showthat this view is an entirely erroneous one. Jlr. Wilding explained that the oumniitteo had not really the power to carry a motion on such an important matter.' It should have come before the whole of the delegates. The majority of. the committee were very far indeed from opposing military, training, ;.but they wanted, if possible, ..to. , harmonise' .the duties that cricketers,'• owed. • to - their clubs with their .Territorial duties. That; apparently, was the object; of ■ the-pro-posed deputation to Colonel Hawkins.. lie felt sure that tho-authorities of the various sporting organisations would bo well-advised Hot to foment discontent among players by attempting to withdraw them from the paramount duty of qualifying for the defence of their country, and ho regretted exceedingly that a resolution was passed which (carelessly read by tho public) might seem to (leno'o opposition on the port of the cricket authorities to the military duties imposed by tho law. Although (in his absence) ho had been appointed a member of the deputation, he . certainly would never have dreamt of troubling Colonel Hawkins, or any other'of the military authorities, on any such complaint. -Th'o public, as a whole, were in accord with the compulsorj'. .scheme, ■ and -it .; would therefore bo a very; ungracious act on'..the part of tho committee,, after: it had received such generous financial support from the public in the matter of Lancaster Park, to show any hostility to a scheme which found favour with the community as a whole. Mr. F. C. Raphael said that the cricketers, as a l»dy, would support the scheme out and out, but, if it wero possible to avoid clashing with the matches, they would like some arrangements made whereby they could play their ordinary matches on Saturday afternoons. They would gladly get up an hour earlier in the morning, and put in two or three hours' training, so that they could have Saturday afternoons to themselves. That was one reTou whv criekrtors would support Mr. T. K.. Sidoy's Daylight Saving Bill. It stood to reason that young fellows who had . been used to ■ regularly taking part in cricket matches throughout the summer would not like sriving their Saturdav afternoons up to military training, and he was sure, that if the matter was placed beforO:the Defence authorities some arrangement would be made whereby the younger Territorials would be able to take their military training early in thn morning instead of on Saturday afternoons.