CRICKET PITCHES

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 1, 26 September 1939, Page 12

CRICKET PITCHES

Onslow Club’s Suggestion NAIRNVILLE PARK The Onslow Club wrote to the management committee of the Wellington Cricket Association last night about its request that more pitches be provided on Nairnville Park for the club's teams. “It will be seen,” the club said, “that the suggestion that the Onslow Club does less travelling than any other is not supported by the figures; they show that not only docs Onslow do more travelling than any other club, but it is the .only club that plays more matches away than at home. This, of course, is not to be wondered at, seeing that with eight teams and only three wickets, five teams have to travel every Saturday except when two teams iu the same grade play each other on the Nairnville ground. As you know that was not always the ease last season ; on' three occasions two Onslow teams travelled into the city to play each other.

“Kilbirnie, with 10 teams, has six wickets on its ground: Karori, with eight, has five; while Onslow, also with eight teams, has only three. “Onslow is a large and growing district club (we were expecting at least nine teams this season if conditions had been normal), and in view of this, and of the efforts the club’s members and supporters put into the acquisition of the ground in the first place, we are sure that our request for additional wickets there will meet with your approval. When the association was first allotted these three wickets the Onslow Club had only three teams; now the club’s teams have increased’ to eight, but there has been no adjustment of the wickets. “If yon cannot obtain the extra two' wickets, in addition to the two wickers you already have on the city grounds, we suggest that you might exchange them for two of the Wakefield Park wickets. Nairnville is within easy distance of the city by motor-car or comfortable train, the wickets are good, and the surroundings pleasant. There is afternoon tea. and we feel sure that no member of a city club would take it amiss if he were asked to go to Nairnville instead of Wakefield. With the large number of teams taking part in the association's competitions. the proposed change would not press hardly on any one.” A summary of the matches played at home and away last season by lower grade teams in the championship competitions showed that Onslow played 9S matches, of which -12 were played at home, and 5G away.

The Onslow Club’s request was referred to the junior championship committee.