THE LADY CRICKETERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 8842, 2 April 1892, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE LADY CRICKETERS.

In' the Lord Mayor's Court, on Fob. 1, tho action of Rowney v. Wood was tried before the assistant-judge (Mr. Roxburgh) and a jury. The plaintiff, Miss Agnes Rowney, a good-looking young lady who was one of the body known as the lady cricketers, sued the defendant, Mr. Henry Wood, a financial gent, to recover arrears of wages and damages for breach of agreement to employ her as a lady cricketer. In opening the case Mr. Lancaster said that at the beginning of last year a band of 22 young ladies were engaged by a limited company, called the Lady Cricketers' Association (Limited), to play cricket matches in various parts of the country. When at Derby, in July last, Mr. Matthews, who was at that time acting as secretary to the teams, said that "something had gone wrong with the syndicate," that there was no more money, and that they would have to go back to London. They accordingly went, and a meeting was held, at which it was said that the agreement with Mr. Bosanquet on behalf of the syndicate was at an end, that Mr. Mitchell, who had been "daddy" to the teams, would cease to act in that paternal capacity, and that Mr. Wood, the defendant, who was well known in city financial circlos, would become the now " daddy." (Laughter.) Mr. Wood was present himself, and said he would take over the whole of tho girls on the same terms and conditions as before. He, however, did not wish to appear in the matter, and so the agreements were made out in tho name of Ferris, as manager for the defendant. The plaintiff was to receive .'sss [>er week, and she did receive some money, but only in dribblets, and as it was impossible to play cricket without food the teams broke up. Tho plaintiff "now sued for arrears of salary ana for compensation in lieu of notice. The defence was that Mr. Mitchell was liable, and not Mr. Wood. The defendant said he never agreed to pay the salaries of the girls, but he had advance £150 to Mitchell to enable him to carry on the tour until a colonial tour —South Africa and Australia—could be arranged. He admitted that lie amended the agreement in his own handwriting, lie was interesting himself in a suggested tour of the ladies to tho colonies. The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff for £11 15s, and costs.