JUBILEE YEAR

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 96, 23 April 1940, Page 5

JUBILEE YEAR

YEARS OF PROGRESS

LONG LINE OF CRICKETERS

KILBIRNIE'S PARK

The long line of cricketers from the 'date of the inception of the club 50 years ;agb;-was well represented at the jubilee, functions .\of the Kilbirnie , Cricket , Club during the ,weeken 1. JAmong those of the early days to be called upon by. the president (Mr.- G. Day), at the assembly at Kilbirnie Park(-;qn Saturday ~ afternoon were Messrs. J. Topp, P. K. Kelling, J. A. Higginbotham, and C. Dement, and each. wasi.' warmly applauded. From their days the Kilbirnie' Club had j grown and during the celebrations the. I .parts played in that advance were freely acknowledged. Then, too, there was the development of the ground itself .'""The ground," said the president at Saturday afternoon's gathering* "is an example of the progress of sport es ay whole in the city of Wellington." ;" : BENEFITS ACCRUE. ; ' ,'■ The Mayor, Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, paid tribute to the club's work and congratulated ;it upon its progress. The . occasion was a notable one, and it was a pleasure to him/to see^ so many of the;' old members present. : He' could remember the days before thie developmeht of the Kilbirnie ground, and for what • had 'been done >no little credit was ;due to the members of the club who: had taken their coats : off and helped .themselves. '• :., . '. Benefits, he said, would be derived from the fact ;that;the Centennial Ex-; hibit'ipn was nearby.?; Although the Exhibition had been affected, by the war and import restrictions, the district would benefit from; it by, the, increased road' facilities -and by the i speeding up of the reclamation work. It was hope(i to. ■extend the playing area as near* to the road as possible, and the larger ground and ; the improved; road facilities would /be to the beriefiti; of nof'bnly the club but the citizens of Wellington as a whole. He had much pleasure in declaring the jubilee cele^ brations - open. ; , x Speaking of the"*-jubilee. of the old club and the coming of age of the present club, Mr. W. J. Gaudin (patron), recalled the early days of tha ■ circumscribed- ground, ! with its fcr^Wng pool, and referred to the unacknowledged great1 attraction of the ■, old ; building on. the corner, 'where ; the-Kilbirnie Hotel was. popular." One of the features of the old club was self-help. It was assisted

by the City Council cutting down the rocky hill and filling in the sea. Reformed in 1919, the club reached senior grade status in 1925, and.nad had many championship successes.: It owed its record to the old members, the management, and to the residents, having gained its position against the best of competition. The club had contributed largely to the position of cricket in Wellington day. Vlt had produced men who, from club management, had reached, association management. -;",''. .;■ ,■;■: ■• / '';:- •..''■ PLAYING THE GAME. On behalf of kindred .sports, Mr. H. McCormick, chairman of the Council of the New Zealand Olympic and British Empire Games Association, offered congratulations to ithe club and its members. He.said that the Kilbirnie Club had built up a fine and enviable record, but pointed to the fact that the real success lay in the way in which it had taught the young playersto play the game for the game's sake: •.-... ■ :■■'■■." .. .■".' ■ '-. ■ : The club's president (Mr. G. Day) referred particularly to the early days, when,, he said, for the expenditure of a .penny the ,r members had come over the hill to enjo.y: the bath, which was then enjoyed in the nude; He recalled ' the days when the wicket was of matting, underlaid by material scooped from the seashore, and-a man" could 'get wickets at small cost. If there was anything for which the club could be relied on in the old days, it was a good fielding team. He related early incidents and paid tribute to the example set by the old timers. References were also made by Mr. Da/ and others to the part which residents., had played, in making the sport possible' to the extent "to which it was today. Mr. Day thanked the past and present members and the other enthusiasts for what they ; had done and for - their presence at the jubilee gathering. Trophies ahd certificates won during the season were- presented, and: afternoon, tea was served.: : ■-:.V ■ JUBILEE DINNER. ' ;:,". v- ' ' 1 Many more ; references to the advance of cricket and associations which the Kilbirnie Club had with the game were made at the jubilee dinner held at the Exhibition Hotel on Saturday night. There were eighty present at the function: >. To those whose duty it was to. control the destinies .of the game .in Wellington, and'in New Zealand,' tributes were paid: aldhg with those who had been, responsible: for the growth of the Kilbirnie Cricket Club.. \.-:' .■ ■. ■;.' .' jr-:' .".[■■'■■ \-:'.. -' /■ y:'; ■ The loyal toast was- followed by the following:—"Departed Members" (proposed by Mr. G. Day, who; gave some interesting reminiscences and spoke of the debt due to the old members); "The Kilbirnie Cricket Club" (by Mr. M. F. Luckie, president of the Wellington Cricket Association, and by Mr. C. Todd,'; repljies being made-by Messrs. J. J, <51ark, an ex-: president; and A. G. Jorgensen, one i