THE CRICKET SEASON

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18236, 3 November 1933, Page 6

THE CRICKET SEASON

OPENING TO-MORROW NEW SENIOR SYSTEM SEVEN TEAMS ADMITTED The cricket season in Gisborne be opened officially to-morrow, when senior, second, and third-grade matches will be played, and with the grounds in firstclass order and a promise of fine weather, the ushering m of the new season should take place in most auspicious circumstances. For some time the groundsman, Mr. M. Guthrie, has been busily engaged in preparing the wickets, and his efforts have been attended by very successful results. To-morrow will see the introduction of the new system of conducting the senior championship competition, adopted by the Poverty Bay Cricket Association following its* decision to admit the Marist club to senior status. Marist’s claim to promotion to the senior grade was fully recognised by all cricketers, and the association's decision was welcomed, the only obstacle in the way of an earlier decision to this effect being the question of byes in the system of two-day match' play. With the admission of Marist, the association was faced with the declaration of a bye for one team in each series of matches, which would mean that- that team would have two idle playing days in succession, and possibly more in the event of rain interrupting play. The association, however, hit- upon a novel solution to this problem. it adopted a new system under which, for example, the first day’s play in the initial series of matches * will take place to-morrow, and the first day’s play of the second series next Saturday. Play in the second day of the first series will take place on the following Saturday, and the second series matches will be completed on the Saturday after that. This procedure will be followed throughout the competition, so that the two series of matches will be completed on the last two Saturdays of the season, a factor which will increase interest in the concluding stages of the championship. The draw for the opening series of matches to-morrow is as follows:—Gisborne f’lub v. Old Boys, No. 1 wicket; City v. Turanganui, No. 2 wicket; Marist v. High School, No. 3 wicket; Civil Service, a bye. For the second series of matches, commencing on Saturday of next week, the draw is .as follows: City v. Marist, High School v. Gisborne Club, and Old Boys v. Civil Service, Turanganui having drawn a bye on this occasion. The second and third-grade competitions will also be commenced to-morrow. .Marist B and Unemployed will play on No. 4 wicket at the Oval, and High School, and Marist A will meet on the High School ground in the second grade, and the two third-grade matches, Marist v. High School C, and High School A v. High School B will take place on the High School ground. There will be the usual brief ceremony the Oval to-morrow afternoon.' at 3 o'clock, when the season will be declared open by the president of the Poverty Bav Cricket Association, Mr, Y. C. R. Mitford.