CRICKET TOUR TO COST £7l00.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17906, 23 July 1926, Page 10

CRICKET TOUR TO COST £7loo.

TEAM WILL LEAVE IN MARCH PROBABLY. The estimated cost of the New Zealand cricket team of fourteen players and a manager to England is £7IOO. The probable date of departure is March 15, 1927. and the probable date of return October 30, of the same year. The following letter from the New Zealand Cricket Council has been sent to the cricket associations in the Dominion :—- With further reference to my letter addressed to you on July 13. 1 am now in receipt of further information Uy cable from Mr Sims in London, which enables me to place before you something like a fairly accurate estimate of the cost of the tour. As a basis, we are figuring on the method of travel adopted by the West Indian team on their last tour to England, which was naturally on a more modest scale than that of Australian teams It is proposed that the team would go by direct route via Panama, travelling second saloon as was done by the All Blacks. In England the West Indian team selected modest hotel ac. commodation and travelled third class, as a matter of fact, that is how the first South African team also travelled through England. Mr Sims’s cable advises that the West Indian tour of twenty-two weeks in England cost £220 per man, this covering all expenses while in England, and from this information -we are basing out figures on an approximate cost of £lO per week per man while in England. Added to this will be the steamer far?, which is £122 return, but for which we hope to make special terms with the shipping company. At any rate, the above figures enable the council to get fairly close to the total amount of money required, and I think you will agree that the total sum comes to less than one would at first anticipate. Of course, on top of the figures mentioned above, there is the question of what allowance will be made to players. It has always been the policy of the council in the past to make provision for those who lose their wages while on tour, and only once has this svstem been departed from, with not altogether satisfactory results. In the meantime. I am including £IOOO in the statement attached as being required to cover allowances to players. This, of course, will have to be carefully con-

sidered later. I am only just in receipt of Mr Sims's cable giving the information about the cost of travelling in England, or else I would have included the same in the original letter sent you. The first match is fixed to commence on May 14, which would require the team to arrive in England at least ten to fourteen days prior to that date. The last match is set down for September 9, so that the team should arrive back in New Zealand again towards the end of October. I trust this will assist you in the consideration of my previous letter. In the event of the annual general meeting of the council, which is due in October, being too late for any vital decisions. it is the intention of the Management Committee to call a special general meeting of delegates to confirm these negotiations and any other commitments that have been made. P.S. —I want you to be clear that the West Indian team was not one composed of native players; in fact, only a few of the latter were included. The following is a table showing the details of the estimated cost of the tour; —

£ s d Assembling team 100 0 0 Selectors' expenses Material 100 0 0 Blazers and caps 20 0 Allowance to players 1000 Fares, New Zealand-Eng-land 1S30 0 0 Rail and hotel expenses in 3000 0 England Cables, exchange, printing, insurance, etc 100 0 0 Tips, steamer, hotels, groundsmen, scorers, etc 400 0 0 Contingencies 500 0 0 Total £7100 0 0