CRICKET

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23515, 1 June 1938, Page 17

CRICKET

EXTRAORDINARY COMPETITION ASSOCIATION MAKES JOINT AWARD SECOND GRADE A RESULTS An extraordinary finish to the Otago Cricket Association’s Second Grade A Competition for the past season and the bewilderment it apparently caused among the association’s Grade Committee were explained at a meeting of the executive last evening when the committee chairman (Mr J. W. Armilagc) asked that the award of the championship should be decided by the full executive. “ 1 am being asked on all sides which team won this grade,” he said, “ and the committee has decided to place the facts before the executive and ask it to make an award.” Three teams—Grange, Port Chalmers and Green Island —finished the season level in points, and when their averages were worked out there was still no substantial difference between them. After having the position explained to it, the executive decided to bracket Grange and Port Chalmers as joint winners. The Outcome of a Default When teams tied in competition points, Mr Armilage said, the rules provided that the winner should be found on an average system. When this was applied in this case it was found thai roughly the three teams were still together. It was necessary to take the figures out to decimal places before one was eliminated. Green Island was found to have a credit balance in the averages of 9.678 runs, Grange a credit of 10.328 runs, and Port Chalmers a credit of 10.00 runs. The problem of finding the winner was simple on the face of it, but complications • ban arisen from the fact that Port Chalmers had won one match by default. There were, of course, no score-book entries for that match, but it had been claimed for the Port Chalmers team that it was entitled to 20 wickets for no runs as the outcome of the game, if that were so, the side would be well ahead on averages. ‘‘There is no rule to govern this position,” Mr Armitage said. ’’ Perhaps there should be some consideration given to the fact that Port Chalmers had this win by default, particularly since Grange won so well against the team that defaulted (University) that it took from that game a credit balance in runs of 252.38. Green Island, too, beat University, and the match resulted for it in a credit balance of 18.65 runs. The commhtee has not brought forward a recommendation.” Mr J. A. Dunning said that Green Island was out of the reckoning, according to the rules. He suggested that Port Chalmers and Grange should be bracketed. From the figures he did not see any other satisfactory solution. It was pointed out by Mi W. A. Rowlands that Port Chalmers scored eight competition points in the game which it won by default. There had been another complaint from the same club concerning a match played at Tonga Park, in which the wicket for the second day had been changed from that on which the match was begun At the end of the first day Port Chalmers was in a position to force an outright win, but the change, which meant longer boundaries, handicapped this chance, and Port Chalmers scored only a five-point win. On a strict ruling, it was probably entitled to eight points in that game. “ Port Chalmers has had bad luck,” he said. “This is a most unusual occurrence, and a ruling on it would be very interesting.” It was decided to award the competition jointly to Grange and Port Chalmers, and the Grade Committee was empowered to bring forward a rule to cover such a position in case it should arise again. “It is the sort of thing that happens once in a lifetime,” a member remarked. Financial Position An outline of the association's financial position, given by the secretary (Mr E.'S. Wilson), showed that an improvement of about £l4O had been made during the season compared with the position at the end of the 1936-37 season. The 1937-38 season was begun with an overdraft of»£180 14s, and if the expected amount from members’ subscriptions came in, it would be closed with a debit balance of £39 7s. “ That means that we made up £ 140 over the season, despite the heavy expense of a northern tour,” said the president (Mr A. H. Allen). Invercargill Match Held Over The secretary reported that the arrangement to send a team to Invercargill on March 23 and 24 had broken down because it had not been possible to send down a full-strength Otago team. The Southland Association’s desire was for a team right up to Plunket Shield strength, and when it was advised that this was not possible, because members of the Plunket Shield team were not available, it asked that the fixture should be held over until next season. This was decided upon. It was mentioned that it would always be difficult to get a full-strength Plunket Shield team to Invercargill while players had to get leave to travel north.

“It is all very well to travel north.” the chairman said. “ but we should give more consideration to Southland.”