CRICKET CONTROL

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 9, 12 January 1932, Page 11

CRICKET CONTROL

REPLY TO MR, CAYGILL

MR. HAY'S CONTRIBUTIONS

■ (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) HAMILTON, This Day. Answering Mr. E. E. Caygill, the chairman of tho New Zealand Cricket Council, who yesterday criticised Mr., Douglas Hay's suggestion that the employment of a full-time paid secretary to the Now Zealand Council should bo considered, .Mr. Hay, when interviewed |o':d.ay,/ stated; that he hoped nothing which.he::mayliaye,said would be taken .as": criticising.' .tUe work; of. a number of .men in.; Ch.r.istchurjih who loved cricket arid wji'p. for' ni»ny. years had served f aithfully';'a'hsl w.e'U'as:, members of the TSTow .Zealand. Cquncil.;.. '

> Mr,; Hay's, .eonten.tipii was simply that' cricketi'hiiji 'reached a stage ' in New Zealand when it "had become necessary that its affairs should' have the same businesslike .attention that any other largo, inipbrtant organisation required if. it wisned to succeed, and that the time had arrived when only a competent :paid servant could be expected to attend efiieicntly and promptly to the council's business. Such a man would not only do what was being done at present by honorarjyomcers, but his whole time and thought would be concentrated on the counc^s affairs and the game in New Zealand>:7t would be his business not only to build up the council's finances but to keep in touch with everything of importance pertaining to the game.

With such a man Mr. Hay maintained that many of tho council's worries would disappear. In the,:case of the recent tour, it was seriously sug-. gested that it should be abandoned afte» New Zealand had undertaken to send a team, and the wholo of the English cricket programme had been arranged.' This occurred at the time of the earthquake in February. The team was to leave New Zealand in March, and the financial arrangements were not complete. The proceeds of a sweepstakes were made use of to send the team Home, a procedure to which many cricketers who have no objection to sweepstakes as such, could only deplore when used for the pin-pases of such a grand old game. The whole thing was infra dig, and would bo unnecessary if the council was run on the right lines.