OTAGO CRICKET ASSOCIATION

Evening Star, Issue 10430, 27 September 1897, Page 2

OTAGO CRICKET ASSOCIATION

A special general meeting was held at Wain’s Hotel on Saturday evening ; present Messrs C. W. Rattray (vice-president, in the chair), A. C. Hanlon (vice-president), L. C. Gooch, A. M'Lean, L. Joel, J. Edwards, J. Croxford, W. H. Skitch, James Allan, J. Miller, J. E. Hutchinson, J. Duncan, Ward, D. Smyth,C. J. Payne, and W. Maclean (hon! secretary), ADMISSION OF NORTHERN CLUB. Mr J. Edwards moved—“ That the application of the Northern Club, as a junior team, for affiliation to the Association be granted. He remarked that there were not many junior clubs which had such a good ground as this one had.

Mr L. C. Gooch seconded the motion. The Chairman said he was very much in sympathy with the application, because the club in question bad ground which was capable of being made very suitable for playing on. The feeling had been very strongly expressed at a recent meeting that some of the clubs in the Association had grounds last year not by any means fit to play on ; and if these grounds were not improved, the clubs to which they belonged would have to retire in favor of snob a club as the Northern, After some further remarks, the motion was carried unanimously. THE PROPOSED CLASSIFICATION OF JUNIOR TEAMS. In accordance with notice given at last meeting Mr D. Smith moved—“ That rule 3 be deleted, and a rule couched in the following terms inserted in its place ‘ That the various junior teams be divided into two classes—namely, A and B—the junior matches to be two-day matches, the winner and runner-up of each division to play the final and semi-final contest to decide which shall be the ultimate winner of the contest. 5 ” Mr Ldwards said he did not know how Mr Smyth was going to divide the junior teams into classes. The results of last yearns play showed that what they woulcf call weak teams beat the best teams. Two amendments were proposed, but both, as well as the motion itself, were, after some discussion, rejected by the meeting, rule 3 being allowed to remain as at present.

CHAMPION MATCHES. Mr F. E. Brittain’s motion, of which notice was given at last meeting—“ That the rules be altered to meet the recommendation of the General Committee that matches in future be called ‘championship matches’ instead of * cup matches ’ ” —was put to the meeting and carried.

PRESENTATION OF SHIELD. The Chairman asked Mr Smyth, on behalf of the Oceaua Club, to accept the shield so honorably won by the club’s second eleven, the winners of the third class championship. He should like to say how much the Association appreciated the generosity of Mr Skitoh m presenting such a handsome shield to be played for. —(Applause.) It was a fine piece of work. THE COMMITTEE MEETING. At a meeting of the Committee held after the special meeting the principal business was to consider a letter received from the secretary of the New Zealand Cricket Council asking the Association to nominate a vicepresident and to appoint their delegates, also to furnish the delegates with the Association’s views upon the proposal to have a North v. South Island match, and to give them instructions as to whether Otago’s best players, if picked, could get away, as, in order to be a success, such a match would need to be between thoroughly representative players. The Committee considered this letter generally, and nominated Mr James Smith, jun., their president, as a vice-president of the Council, and appointed Messrs A. M. Ollivier and Fairbairn delegates. As to the other matter, the secretary was instructed to tell the delegates that the Association did not favor the holding of a North v. South Island match, because it would be impossible to get the services of representative players, and unless this could be done there would not be much interest in the match.