OAMARU CRICKET CLUB.

Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 782, 14 October 1878, Page 2

OAMARU CRICKET CLUB.

The annual meeting of members of the Oamaru Cricket Club was held at the Royal Hotel on Saturday evening. Nearly 20 n embers were present, and the chair was occupied by Mr. j. Boron (Vice-President). After the confirmation of the minutes, the following report from the General Committee and the yearly balance-sheet were read :

" Your Committee regret being unable to present a more favorable report of last season's operations. '• The number of subscribers has sljghth fallen off, but on the other hand all subscriptions received a-e those of bona fide players and members generally who take an active interest in the- welfare of the Club.

" Owing to the ground being unfit for play until the season was far advanced, to its bad condition, and to the consequent loss of practice, may be ascribed th want of form <xhibited throughout and ou.- defeat at the hands of two of the three foreign clubs played, viz., Carisbrook and the Dunedi ' Cricket Clnbß, while the Club niai be congratulated upon winning at Palmerston, and of having had a pleasant match with the Australia n team.

"Your Committee have further to express rogi-et that in all probability play upon the new ground will be again delayed this season for reasons explained by the Gi'ound Committee in their report.

"Your Committee are pleased to he able to state that, as will be seen by the balance-shei-t, the financial position of the Club -annot bu deemed unsatisfactory, and the recent sale of sections lyin-.r between th ground and the road, at the rate of nearly L':00 per acre, serves to prove that the Club possess an increasingly valuable property. Considerable !elayhas occurred in completion of lease to the trustees :»nd the Committee would suggest to tfceio'-ueeessnrs the advisability of giving this matter their prompt attention."

The balance-sheet showed that the receipts had fallen considerably below the expenditure, the figures being—receipts, L6B Ss 4d ; expenditure-, LSI -s 6d. To meet this exe- ss of expenditure over the receipts the Club had been forced to obtain a bank overdraft of L'.9 6s Sd, but against this amount was set a small balance in hand and moneys owing to the Club, amounting in all to L 6 Ss 6(1. Amongst the items in the expenditure were rent of ground, L2O ; improvement to ground, L 37 ; purchase of plant, Ll3 is. After some discussion, the report and balance-sheet werv adopted. The report of the Ground Committ-e was read aB follows, and adopted after some discussion : " An acre in the centre of the ground has 'een reduced as nearly as practicable to a uniform level surface and laid down in grass. Since completion of this part of the work the permanency and soli itv of the levi'l has b< en severely tried iy heavy rains, and your Committee are glad.to >eportthat the result appears to be satisfactory. Unfortunately, however, the ground will not be re-'dy for use as early as could have been desired. The new grass cannot he said to be doing well, although every care w« taken both in selection and sowing. At the outset work was delayed until far into winter owing to la:k of rain leaving the soil too light for digging. " A belt of ornamental trees has been planted completely round the ground and pavilion, and these in the course of a fc.-w years cannot fail much to enhance the appearand- of the Club's prope ty. " A well has been sunk and boxe' and a small building erecte' thereon, covering tho force pump, which already conve3'S a p'entiful supp'y of water to the edge of the above-mentioned acre, and which can subsequently be carried at a small cost to the centre of the ground. " The Club is indebted to the liberality of the Hon. Sir. Campbell for the trees, and to the kindue-s of Dr. De Lautour in sending his gardener to assist and superintend the planting thereof. " The cost of digging the well is borne and presented by Mr. Borton, who, in addition, has at his o,in expense erected the neGessar> fittings iherein, and he has further expressed his willingness to wait for repayment until happier and more prosperous ti•■ es enable the Club without embarrasment to reimburse him his outlay

" The est of improve ents effected will be found in the Treasurer'< balance-sheet, and while they have not found it necessarv to absorb to the full the" funds allotted them, your Committee trust their efforts in the Club's s rvice will meet with your approval "

The ejection of office-bearers was then proceeded with." Mr Sumpter was chosen President, and Mr. Ti< irton Vice-President. For the office qf hon. Secretarv no candidate could be obtain d, the present Secretary (Mr. Macdonald) and every other gentleman named declining to stand. Eventually the election of a secretary was left to the Committee, Mr. Maed nald consenting- to act in the meantime. Mr Tempest was then re-elected Treasurer, and on a ballot being taken the following gentlemen were elected as a g-neral Committee: —Messrs. G Millington, De Lautour, Lowe,'Walls E&lmer, F. Fen wick, and Nicolls. The following letters were referred to the Committee to deal with :—From Mr. \V. J. Mo re, Hon. Secretary of ihe Duned r. Club, asking to be informed as to the date which would best su>t the namaru Club for a match ; from Mr. Chas. Crump, lion. S cretary of the palmeraton Club, intimating their willingness to play a patch in Qamaru on the 30th"November if convenient; from' Mr. C. S.' Fraser, hon. Secretary of the Timaru Club, stating that the .Timaru Cliib would be happy to play a match with the Oamaru Club on the Prince of Wales' Birthday (oth November) either at Oamaru or Timaru. Mr. G. B, Lintott, hon. Secretary of the Waitaki Amateur Athletic Club, wrote asking for permission to hold the annual sports on the gr und on the 9th November—Some discussion took place upon the matter, during which several members expressed the opinion t : at it would be inex edient to allow the ground in its present condition to be used for such a purpose, and it was resolved to reply to that effect to Mr. Lintott.

The Chairman having suggested that it would be necessary to obtain the services of a man to keep the ground in order during- the season, the Committee was empowered to arrange with some one to do the work.

The advisability of imposing an entrance fee upon new members or increasing the subscription payable by all members was then discussed, but it was eventually decided that no entrance fee should be imposed, and that the subscription should remain as at present. About a dozen new members were proposed, and after several votus of thauks had beeu passed,' the meeting terminated.