OTAGO CRICKET ASSOCIATION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19783, 7 May 1926, Page 6

OTAGO CRICKET ASSOCIATION.

CLOSE OF THE SEASON. Final executive matters in connection with Otago cricket for the 1925-26 season were dealt with at a meeting of the Otago Cricket Association held last evening. There were present: Messrs J. J. Clark (in the chair), J. Robson, W. Rowland, F. Binnie, J. A. Fitzgerald, J. Barrow, R. C. Torrance, A. Galland, Crosby Morris, and E. S. Wilson. A PROFESSIONAL COACH. Advice was received from the Auckland Cricket Association that it was arranging for the engagement, for three successive seasons at least, of the best all-round English professional player-coach it could secure. As the efforts of all interested in New Zealand cricket should be concentrated on improving the standard of play, the Auckland Association appealed to the Otago Association to consider the advisability of engaging a player-coach for next season and of supporting the amendment of the Plunket Shield rules to permit of such coaches taking part in the matches as long as New Zealand cricket was appreciably weaker than that in England and Australia. “I feel it is against the ideals of the game to bring in birds of passage —players to win games and then depart,” said the Chairman. “I am not saying that Auckland would iJo that, h«t it might easily come.” Other adverse opinions were expressed, and the meeting decided that it could not see its way to support the proposal. A SOUTHLAND COMPLAINT. The Secretary of the Invercargill and Suburban School Sports’ Association wrote drawing the attention of the association to the fact that after agreeing to send a team to Dunedin in lesponse to an appeal from Dunedin, hi? association had been informed four days before the trip that the match could not be arranged owing to bad weather and the Exhibition. He asked the Otago Association to look into the matter, adding that in the opinion of those in Invercargill the Southland boys did not receive ‘‘a fair deal. The secretary was instructed to write expressing regret at the inability of the Otago Schools’ Association to arrange the vi?it.