LOCAL CRICKET

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 26, 30 July 1927, Page 10

LOCAL CRICKET

TOO MANY TEAMS

"MAKE THE BREAK NOW"

IMPBOVEMENT SCHEMES

The lead given by the Wellington Cricket Association's Management Committee in putting forward a

I scheme formulated by its senior cham- | pionship committee for tho betterment of local cricket has served to. stir others to think more seriously of the future welfare of the game. Numerous suggestions are now coming forward, and While they indicate that opinion is very divided as to the best ways and means of effecting the improvement generally accepted as necessary, the local controllers should have a wealth of material from which to form an important stepping stone to progress. General opinion seems to be that there are too many senior teams in Wellington, and that path to the top grade is far too easy. By what means is the number or teams to be reduced so as to make for a higher standard of play and more even performance? Some suggestions are offered by club officials who have given the matter much thought. . The idea of claiming players suffi- | went to make up four teams for a special top-grade competition does not appeal to "Cricket For Cricket's bake, who considers that the Wellington Cricket Association's Management Committee has "run off the rails badly." This enthusiast continuesi Do they really think for one moment that players in Wellington are going to play cricket for the sole sake of attaining the high standard necessary for our representative team? Surely cricket is essentially a sport played for the joy to be derived therefrom—and the better half of that joy is the joy of excelling for the team's sake? Now it appears to dozens of cricketers besides myself that any amalgamation scheme has only one tendency, "play for yourself first, yourself second, and yourself last!" What on earth does it matter if your side wins or loses? It is no special club nor district, it is merely a team selected by the championship committee for the one match —will probably l, c totally different next game! Where do "team spirit nnd enjoyment come in? Where can cither come in? SIX SENIOR TEAMS. "Xow let me propose the following ! scheme for the reducing of tho number j of existing senior teams to six, which ! scheme I am sure would, if carried out with due care, improve the standard of local cricket and would in course of time, say, a couple of seasons, be approved and appreciated by the players more than the present club system. There can be no doubt whatever that public interest would be aroused to a far. greater degree than any club scheme will ever accomplish. "An outline of the scheme is as follows:—There are at present ten senior teams, namely, Hutt, Petonc, Kilbirnie, Wellington, Thorndon, University, Old Boys, Midland, V.M.C.A., and Institute. Now take tho first five mentioned, these all represent defined districts of tho city and suburbs —that is if we take Wellington to cover that portion of tho city not included under the other districts. Why not include in tho senior grade those five teams and University? This would make the list as follows: Hutt, Petone, Kilbirnie, Wellington, Thorndon, and University. "The members of those clubs not included in tho above list would be expected to play for the district in which they reside as nearly as possible; Hutt and Petone are sufficient]}- well defined, Kilbirnie would include all those' districts lying to the south of the tunnel and Constable street, Thorndon would extend and cover all districts to the north of Kclburn Park, and would include Karori and Kelburn itself, Wellington would include the remaining districts. Instead of the namo 'Wcfliiigton' Micro could be substituted Midland or Central, but we must remember that Wellington Club is perhaps the oldest cricket club in the city, ami it would be preferable to preserve the old name, "What about the juniors? I suggest that certain clubs be affiliated to certain districts, meaning by this that senior district teams would be able to draw from ccrtan clubs only. It. would be found that gradually the juniors would regard themselves as belonging to districts, tho clubs would tend to become district clubs. The juniors would naturally follow the achievements of their district, and in the course of a season or two the district idea would predominate. SUGGESTED BENEFITS. "Tills scheme has the following advantages:— "1. It is a reduction of the number of existing senior teams without temporary amalgamation. "2. Unlike any amalgamation scheme, it does not interfere with all ten senior clubs, affecting merely four. "?>. It. is a scheme which, if brought into being would settle the ever-pres-ent question of senior rating once for all. "4. The members of the four teams vitally affected would separate out: into their respective districts without undue hardship. Under any amalgamation scheme they lose their club mates' association perhaps week by week if one or two fail to hold their places. Under the district scheme players would usually know each other apart, from cricket, and it is not like joining up with a new club whose members are absolute strangers. "(5) Tho scheme, would without j doubt create far more interest among tlie public than any club competition or amalgamation can ever hope to accomplish. Jso one will- question tills fact, and as cricket cannot improve without public support this argument should carry a tremendous amount of weight in favour of any district scheme. UNIVERSITY'S STANDING. "(15) With regard to the 'Varsity team it may bo news to many that perhaps a quarter of the younger players in Wellington at present, such as Masscy, Foley, Airey, K. James, etc., are eligible to play for it. Naturally, on the introduction of this scheme players belonging to clubs at present ranking as senior would play for the 'Varsity, as it is only because these players have belonged to such clubs as V.M.C.A. (in many cases for sport other than cricket) as far back as they can remember that they do not turn out for their 'Varsity now. "I expect on first glance the inclusion of the 'Varsity is looked on with disapproval, but you will'find tho world over that a 'Varsity has its own team playing together in the Highest grade cricket often for the very good reason that the grade cricket ia rcallv the training ground for the inter-varsity match. To a slightly lessor degree the same may bo said of the local 'Varsity. The scheme suggested would be following directly on that adopted by Sydney where the University holds its own easily in the best grade cricket. Talking of Sydney cricket it cannot be disputed how greatly the adoption of a district scheme has improved Sydney's anil incidentally Australia's cricket.' ' NO SELFISH CRICKET. "(") Any amalgamation svslem lends to cut out the spirit of playing for the si'le and to substitute therefor

'play for yourself.' Players would play for averages only as their one aim would be 'the reps.* Under the present system and under a district scheme this selfish cricket is non-existent. "(8) Then lastly there would be 'home' grounds for the teams which would naturally create interest, keenness, a competitive spirit, and outside sport. I suggest the following 'home' ! grounds as being most suitable: Hutt Eecreation Ground and Petone Oval for Hutt aud Petone respectively, Kilbirnie Park for Kilbirnie. The Basin for Wellington, and Kelburn Park for Thomdoii until the extensions to Anderson Park have been completed, and 'Varsity to tour unless they had their official 'home' ground at the Basin too. "Going through this scheme we may sum up generally as follows: We would have six senior teams not purely club and not purely district, but which would gradually become the latter, each team having a 'home' ground, the team spirit would increase and public interest and support would be gained. "An alteration in the present system is inevitable in the interests of the game, why not make the break now on the only sound lines possible?"