MR D. REESE DENIES DUNEDIN REPORT

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18011, 23 November 1926, Page 3

MR D. REESE DENIES DUNEDIN REPORT

QUESTION OF MANAGER OF N.Z. CRICKET TEAM NOW DISCUSSED

On Saturday the Dunedin "Star" in an editorial stated that, while Mr D. Reese, chairman of the Management Committee of the New Zealand Cricket Council, was unable to take the position of manager of the team which is going to England next year, he had indicated that Mr C.. G. Wilson, of Wellington, would be the man for the position. Portions of this editorial were telegraphed to Christchurch papers, if not to other parts of the Dominion. i When interviewed yesterday, Mr Reese said: “I have not been in Dunedin for several weeks, and I state emphatically that I have never expressed an opinion or recommended any particular individual for the position. The matter is now receiving the earnest consideration of the Management Committee, and I think it would be in the best interests of the tour if newspapers refrained from advocating certain candidates. The work of the governing body is sufficiently difficult without it being rendered inore so by propaganda of this nature.” WELLINGTON WANTS APPOINTMENT MADE. (Special to the ‘‘Star.’) WELLINGTON, November 22. Tho subject of the manager of the New Zealand cricket team was introduced iat tonight's meeting of the Wellington Cricket Association, by Mr R. Johnston, who remarked that people all over the Dominion were anxious to know who the manager of the New Zealand team was going to be, as practically the whole success of the tour, apart from the players, would devolve upon the manager. In order to bring matters to a head, he would move that a letter be written to the New Zealand Council, asking if it was not possible to come to a decision in regard to the matter. If the appointment was made a lot of people who were holding back in Wellington would immediately make up their minds one way or the other as to whether they would support the tour. Mr W. R. Bock: Provided it does, not interfere with our campaign. Mr Johnston: It will bring matters to a head in regard to the share applications. Mr W. J. Brock seconded the motion and said that the position had been quite correctly stated. The matter of honorary members’ subscriptions had been quite overshadowed by the demand made on account of the cricket team to visit England. He had heard it said many times in different places when asked to subscribe to the New Zealand team, “If you want a subscription, who is going to manage the team? People were looking at it from a point of view of sport, but they also wanted a good go for their money, and if they were going to put up £25, £SO or £IOO they wanted to know who was going to be at the head of affairs and that their money would be used to the best advantage and that the money would be handled by a man in whom they had confidence and trust. He believed that if they wrote, they would get an answer and then there would be any amount of support in Wellington, for this was the biggest thing that had taken place in New Zealand cricket.

Mr D. M’Kenzie said that one man had remarked to him: ‘‘l am not going t.o put anything into ii until 1 know who the manager is—gnd I am not the only man who is speaking in the same way.” The Wellington Association wanted its honorary members’ subscriptions but did not want to interfere with the subscription to the New Zealand cricket tour. “We want this thing to he closed up and it won’t be closed up uutil we know who the manager is.” It was unanimously decided to write to the New Zealand Cricket Council on the lines proposed.