CRICKET

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10956, 19 July 1921, Page 6

CRICKET

PLUNKET SHIELD CONTESTS. , "UNWARRANTED CRITICISM." MR ROY JOHNSTON’S REJOINDER. Mr Roy S. Johnston, Jbon. secretary of the Wellington Cricket Council, writes os follows: ' "Unwarranted criticism' caused, no doubt, by the absence of a full knowledge of the circumstances, is contained in the following excerpt*from the "Otago -Daily Times," which appeared in your* issue this morning:— The Wellington Cricket Association is a live body—especially alive to ite own interests. Befbre its cricket team won the Blanket Shield, it was content to follow the custom of giving or receiving, as the case may be, a percentage of the profit on a match to which the visiting team was entitled, but now it has given notice of motion to rescind the rule (recently passed) by which this percentage is payable with .a minimum of J-30 to the 'visitors, and to substitute a regulation by which the home associations retain all the proirt. It is a casfi or /inuking hay while the sun shines. . "The fact of Wellington holckng the shield does not in the least anoet our amendment, because matches for the shield are, not played solely on - our grounds, and under the rules we have to travel on a parity with other associations. Wellington appreciated the honour gained by its players dn winning the Plunket Shield, but to state, or even suggest, that Vfp are using this honour os a lever to gain monetary privileges is a slight oh our sense of appreciation of the objects for which the shield waerfpre* sented. .The cardinal feature in moving the motion was 'to give each association some incentive to rrrike special efforts to swell their gate receipts, and thus improve its financial position. My oommittec /is firmly of the opinion that this san be done by various means requiring individual effort and feel that it such efforts are mado the associations concerned are justly entitled to receive, the full fruits of their endeavours."