CONTROL OF WOMEN’S CRICKET

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 114, 7 February 1935, Page 11

CONTROL OF WOMEN’S CRICKET

Reported Dissatisfaction WELLINGTON’S POINT OF VIEW It has been known for some time past that the women’s cricket associations of the Dominion are by no means satisfied with control of the game exercised by the executive of the New Zealand Women’s Cricket Council in Christchurch. When the New Zealand Association was set up, it communicated with the Wellington Ladies’ Cricket Association requesting it to appoint two Christchurch delegates to represent Wellington on the governing body. The Wellington Association replied that it preferred to send its own delegates to Christchurch. A reply was received that this was not desired. Wellington, however, sent its secretary, Miss C. O. G. Robertson, to Christchurch as a delegate, but her presence was not at all welcome, and she was told that if Wellington persisted in sending its own delegates the council ■ would set up a committee of three to transact all business.

From inquiries made yesterday, it was learned that the control of the game by the New Zealand Women’s Cricket Council has by no means given satisfaction to other associations besides Wellington.- Auckland and Nelson, it was stated, were also dissatisfied with the unworkable itinerary drawn up for the English women’s tour, which the English team had promptly turned down. With regard to the letter from the secretary of the Wellington Ladies’ Cricket Association, Miss Robertson, to the New Zealand Women’s Cricket Council, which appeared in “The Dominion” yesterday as a Press Association message from Christchurch, it transpires that the Council called a meeting for Tuesday night, the day on which the 'Wellington Association was playing the English touring team, and consequently neither Wellington nor any other association had a chance of sending delegates to the meeting. The New Zealand Women’s Cricket Council demanded 25 per cent, of the takings at the match between Wellington and the English team, as well as something for the English team, and also demanded that an audited balance sheet of the Wellington match should be forwarded. This led to the spirited protest which the secretary of the Wellington association forwarded to the council. “So widespread is the dissatisfaction that it is quite on the cards that a North Island Women’s Cricket Association will be formed,” it was stated, “and the New Zealand Women’s Council will toe left to control the game in the South Island, with perhaps the support of Wanganui, who were mollified by being granted a Saturday’s match with the English ttam. So complete was the muddlement regarding the itinerary of the English girls’ tour that the visitors, when they were peremptorily ordered to proceed to Christchurch on Tuesday night, had not the slightest idea of the programme they had to carry out in the South Island.”