CRICKET PROBLEMS

Evening Star, Issue 25770, 17 April 1946, Page 3

CRICKET PROBLEMS

DISCUSSED BY DELEGATES AMALGAMATION SCHEME UNPOPULAR Delegates- representing clubs affiliated with the Otago Cricket Association decided at a well-attended meeting held last night to recommend to the association that the amalgamation scheme as introduced into the senior competition last season be discontinued, and that such competition be conducted on the principle of an A and a B section, each composed of five teams, the teams with the bye in the respective sections to play each other, and, at the 'beginning of the following season, the : bottom team in the A section and the top teaman the B section to change places. The meeting also expressed its opinion against all-day matches on Saturdays. The question of the improvement of grounds and wickets was also discussed and a piotion carried recommending immediate negotiation with the Reserves Committee of the City Council with a view to more satisfactory arrangements being made. Mr J. A. Itobson was in the chair. The expression of opinion by various delegates left no doubt as to the unpopularity of the amalgamation scheme, and the motion condemning it was carried unanimously. The arguments in support of this motion indicated that the combining of players from two clubs in the one side tended to weaken the club interest and to lessen enthusiasm on the part of the players concerned. Also that the scheme had resulted in relegation_ of deserving players to lower grades with, in some cases, the loss of these players to the game. TEAMS IN SENIOR GRADE. The matter which aroused the greatest interest was that regarding the number of teams which should constitute the senior grade. Here there was a diversity of opinion. Mr W. A. Hadlee stated a strong case for the limitation to six teams. He was, he said, looking at the matter from the broad standuoint of cricket and not from the point of view'of club interest. It was obvious that there were not even 60 players of senior siatus in Dunedin, and it was in the interests of the game and of the players themselves that they should have to prove their worth before obtaining a place in senior ranks. Those who were not prepared to do this were, -he considered, not worth their salt. In Canterbury it had recently been decided to cut out two teams from the senior competition. He moved—" That, in the light of the past season's experience, it be a recommendation to the association that the number of,senior teams next season be limited to six." This motion was seconded by Mr A. Galland.

The first amendment- was, after considerable discussion had taken place, proposed by Mr Don Miller, and was that the number of teams he at least eight. He could not. he said, see how decreasing the number of teams was going to help the game, the standard of which had not improved in Dunedin as the resnlt of last season's experiment. Mr L. D. Smith seconded the amendment, which was carried hv 10 votes to 9.

A further amendment, that relating to the two senior sections each comnrising five teams, was proposed by Mr A. Sinclair, and it was carried by l/> to 6. It thus became the motion, and as such was carried unanimously. JUNIOR INTERESTS.

Following the resolution concerning the disapproval of Saturday morning play for grade cricket, it was decided tn recommend that Saturday mornings he devoted to the coaching of. junior players, including schoolboys. In. this connection, Mr E. Hayes pointed out

the difficulties which had been encoun-tered-in the coaching attempts last season,Mind added that the club spirit which had been emphasised by some of the speakers should he demonstrated on the matter of coaching junior members of their own clubs. STATE OF GROUNDS.

Delegates were fairly unanimous in their condemnation of the state of the grounds and wickets controlled by the City Council, and many speakers considered this handicap to be the main cause of the lack of progress in the game in Dunedin. One delegate went so far as to declare, in respect of certain wickets provided for juniors, that " if corrugated iron were laid on the roadway it would have been just as good, or bad." It was pointed out. however, that the poor state of the grounds and wickets was no -fault of the superintendent of reserves nor of his staff; both had to work to the orders of the City Council's Reserves Committee. The Chairman, while agreeing that these grounds had been " shamefully neglected," said that the trouble with the council had been finance, which was considered before the welfare of cricketers. Mr Robson added that he wished, on behalf of the Management Committee of the association, to express appreciation of the loyalty of the clubs in accepting and carrying out to the best of their ability the amalgamation scheme which had been, decided, upon as an experiment last year. Many had. from the outset, doubted the success of such a scheme, but it had been given a fair trial, and the spirit of the clubs in the matter was to be commended.